Chapter 4

When I walked back into our corporate headquarters, I immediately spotted a group of girls crowded around the reception desk.

That bright, limited-edition orange Hermès Birkin was being passed around like a trophy.

"Oh my god, Chloe! This bag is absolutely stunning! Isn't this like, virtually impossible to get?" one of the girls squealed in awe.

I walked over, casually reached into the circle, and snatched the bag right out of their hands.

I examined it for a few seconds.

Yep. It was the exact bag I had just authorized at the boutique.

"It is incredibly hard to get," I said, looking up with a cold smile. "I've been on the waitlist for a month and couldn't even get my hands on one."

Chloe’s face instantly twisted in annoyance. She snatched the bag back from my hands, clutching it to her chest.

"Well, my boyfriend bought it for me. Doesn't Elena's husband buy her things like this?" Chloe smirked, her voice dripping with malice. "Oh, wait. I guess when a man has to go home to a wrinkly, exhausted wife every day, he probably doesn't feel like buying her luxury gifts anyway."

The other girls exchanged knowing, amused glances, clearly enjoying the drama.

"Yeah, did Elena only get a cheap bouquet of roses for her anniversary today?" one whispered.

"My boyfriend says roses are so basic. They're just for show. If a man really loves you, he buys you the best," Chloe bragged, tossing her curled hair.

I looked at the smug, mocking faces of the girls around her.

It clicked.

The entire office knew Ethan was sleeping with the receptionist.

I was the only fool kept in the dark, working myself to the bone to fund their lifestyle.

The pain in my chest was so suffocating I could barely breathe.

Since we got married, Ethan had stopped buying me real gifts.

He always used the same excuse: *“Babe, we’ve been together forever. My money is your money. There’s no point in wasting cash on flashy gifts.”*

Yet, every single anniversary, he’d order a generic bouquet of roses.

He used to tell me roses represented "eternal devotion."

But the truth was, I hated roses. I had sent him countless hints on Pinterest of the wildflowers and orchids I actually liked.

But the next year, it would be the same lazy roses.

I had always excused it, thinking he was just a typical, clueless guy who didn't understand aesthetics.

But he wasn't clueless at all.

He knew exactly how to pick out the perfect, vibrant orange bag for his twenty-something mistress. He knew how to buy her a BMW and rent her a luxury condo.

He didn't lack effort. He just didn't want to waste it on me.

Seeing that I remained silent, Chloe grew even bolder, puffing her chest out.

"Oh dear, is Elena going to cry?" she mocked. "It’s just a bag. If you want one so bad, I have plenty of older designer bags in my closet. I can toss you one of my hand-me-downs if you ask nicely!"

Over the past two years, Chloe had been showing up to work every day draped in different designer brands.

I had actually wondered once how a receptionist making $15 an hour could afford a wardrobe like that.

I had naively assumed she was just a spoiled trust-fund kid working an easy job for fun.

Who would have thought that her lavish lifestyle was entirely funded by my sweat and tears?

Half the bags she owned were ordered through my own VIP accounts.

A cold rage surged through my veins, but my face became terrifyingly calm.

"No thank you," I said, my voice ice-cold. "Keep your trash to yourself."

Chloe rolled her eyes and gasped dramatically, covering her mouth.

"Are you jealous, Elena? But honestly, you're pushing forty. This bright orange really doesn't suit an older, washed-up woman like you anyway."

I let out a sharp, mocking laugh.

"You're right. This color doesn't suit me."

"It suits a pathetic, home-wrecking gold digger perfectly."

Chloe’s face flushed red with anger, her eyes instantly welling with fake tears.

"What did you just call me?! Elena, just because your husband doesn't love you anymore doesn't give you the right to abuse your employees!"

The other girls quickly chimed in to defend her.

"Yeah, Elena, just because you have marriage problems doesn't mean you can bully Chloe!"

"No wonder Ethan always looks so exhausted and miserable around the office. Having a toxic boss for a wife must be a nightmare."

They were already treating Chloe like she was the next CEO’s wife.

I stared at Chloe with absolute detestation.

"You know exactly what you are."

I didn't waste another second arguing with them. I turned around and walked straight back to my office.

"Ugh, whatever! She only got her position because of Ethan anyway. Without him, she’s absolutely nothing!"

"I know, right? Don't let her get to you, Chloe. You're young, beautiful, and actually capable. Soon enough, you'll..."

Their loud, petty whispers echoed down the hallway.

*I got my position because of Ethan?*

A dark, mocking smile spread across my face.

I pulled out my phone and messaged my assistant.

"Amy, cancel the Friday happy hour early dismissal for everyone involved in that conversation at the front desk."