Chapter 1
During the early stages of my pregnancy, I felt a heavy, dragging pain in my lower abdomen. I wanted to take sick leave, but Thayer’s assistant refused and forced me to work overtime until midnight.
“Mr. Alcott is vacationing in Bali with his 38th girlfriend. I’m in charge of all company matters now,” the woman said with a smile full of malice. “Without my approval, don’t even think about stepping a foot outside this company.“}
She deliberately made things hard for me just to win Thayer’s favor and become his 39th girlfriend.”
The pain kept worsening. Enduring it, I called Thayer.!
He only responded with a cold sneer. “Whatever Aveline says is how I see it too. What? Is working a little more going to kill you? Do you really think you’re Mrs. Alcott? You’re just the daughter of a maid. What makes you think you’re so delicate?“}
After five humiliating years of marriage, I finally gave up completely. “Let’s get a divorce.“}
Thayer laughed mockingly. A woman’s panting could be heard in the background. “Althea, this is the 99th time you’ve said that. And every time, you come back crying and begging me to take you back. Don’t forget, your mom’s still lying in that hospital bed!“>
He hung up.
Aveline shot me a smug look and immediately posted in the company group chat.
[Althea’s 100th divorce threat. Place your bets, is it real or fake?]}
Thayer quickly placed fourteen thousand dollars on “fake.“}
But he didn’t know that this time, I was really done. I didn’t want to be entangled with him any longer.
So why did that man go completely mad and crash my wedding after I truly left?}
***
I heard that after half a year I brought up divorce again, the company group chat exploded.}
“Everyone knows Althea is just Mr. Alcott’s lapdog. The moment he crooks his finger, she comes running back, wagging her tail.“>
“Everything she has is because of the Alcott Family. Without Mr. Alcott, who even is Althea?“}
Nearly a thousand people were online in the chat and not a single one bet that I’d actually go through with the divorce.
Satisfied, Thayer sent out a fourteen thousand dollars. The chat was instantly flooded with private messages calling me things like “cheap” and “dramatic.“”
I let out a self–deprecating laugh and placed a token one–dollar bet on “real divorce.” Then I replied in the group.
[I’ll have the divorce agreement drafted by my lawyer immediately.]}
The chat fel! silent for a moment, then erupted again, this time with a wave of furious scolding, all condemning me for “not knowing what’s good for me.”
Thayer called me directly, his voice laced with anger. “Althea, know your place. Stop with these cheap tricks. Delete that message, or forget about your mother’s medical expenses this month.”
He’d always used that threat against me, withholding her treatment fees, to keep me in check. Because of it, I’d worked at the company for five years without a single cent in salary.
He forced me to give up my own room to make space for his mistresses. He even made me teach them how to please him in bed.
in front of the entire company, he had me serve tea, fetch shoes and fan those women he brought in.§
My coworkers said to my face, without a hint of shame.
“She’s the kind of cheap woman no one wants, even if she throws herself at them.”>
I gritted my teeth and endured it all. But now, I just felt exhausted.}
Thankfully, the technology I developed recently sold for a good price on the market.
Thayer agreed to give me a bonus of forty thousand dollars. It was enough to cover my mother’s upcoming surgery.
My inbox was already overflowing with job offers from other tech firms.
The pain in my lower abdomen worsened. I packed my things, ready to leave, only to be stopped by Aveline again.
“Who said you could leave, you little tramp?“!
Contempt was written all over her face.&
I handed her a letter calmly.
“This is my resignation,” I spoke indifferently.
At first, Aveline’s face lit up with joy, but the next second, she tore my resignation letter to shreds.
“No need to make things difficult for me,” I said calmly. “Once I, the legitimate wife, get out of the way, you’ll have a better shot at climbing higher.”
I gently caressed my stomach, then pulled out a DVD from the drawer and handed it to her.
“This contains every position that pleases Thayer. It’ll help you rise to the top as fast as possible.”
Suppressing the nausea welling up in my throat, I forced a smile and offered it up with both hands.
Aveline accepted the disc with delight, but right after, she dialed a video call to Thayer.
Assistants didn’t normally have the authority for video calls, unless their relationship had already far surpassed professional boundaries.
The nausea hit me even harder.
I stared coldly at the screen, where the man who once caressed me so tenderly now lounged with women in his arms, his hands shamelessly roaming over their bodies.}
“Mr. Alcott, just now, Althea took your call and instead of working, she started badmouthing you, tore up company documents and even tried to resign. It was terrifying,” Aveline squeaked, pretending to be all worried for the company.
The moment Thayer saw her, he shoved the woman beside him aside and gazed longingly at Aveline’s seductive figure. People nearby craned their necks to look in my direction because they knew that I was about to be in serious trouble again.:
