Chapter 1 · Betrayed by My Husband, Reborn as a Tech Queen

Chapter 1

I went undercover to an overseas R&D center for two years, working in isolation to crack the core AI chip technology for my husband's tech company. He promised me that once we achieved the technical breakthrough, I would be named co-founder when the company went public.

But when I returned home with patents that could revolutionize the entire industry, I discovered my private office had been turned into a nursery.

At the pre-IPO celebration party, he was holding my intern assistant in his arms, announcing that she was now the company's youngest CTO.

The intern rubbed her slightly rounded belly, her face full of smug satisfaction. I let out a cold laugh and shut down all the core servers with a flick of my wrist.

Want to use my life's work to elevate your mistress? I'll make your entire company go down with you!

**1**

Bang! I shoved open the doors to the penthouse ballroom.

Inside, the lights blazed and designer dresses swirled.

To crack that critical technical barrier, I'd worked day and night in Silicon Valley for two years. I slept less than four hours a day and ended up in the ER three times from exhaustion.

I came back with the final patent authorization, thrilled to give my husband Ethan Chase a huge surprise.

But the scene before me was like a bucket of ice water poured from the top of my head straight down to my feet.

On the stage in the center of the ballroom, Ethan wore the custom-tailored suit I'd personally ordered for him. His arm was wrapped intimately around the waist of a young woman.

It was Madison, the intern assistant I'd hired before going abroad. A fresh graduate who couldn't even write basic code and only knew how to act cute and flirt.

Right now, she was wearing a gorgeous evening gown with that sapphire necklace around her neck—the one I'd admired at an auction, the one Ethan had said was "too expensive, maybe later."

"Ladies and gentlemen, investors!" Ethan raised his glass, his voice booming with pride. "Today is the most important day in Summers Tech's history! Our core AI chip development is finally complete, and next month, the company will officially ring the bell on the stock exchange!"

Thunderous applause erupted below.

Ethan lowered his head and kissed Madison on the forehead, his eyes dripping with affection.

"Here, I want to give special thanks to one person. Our company's new CTO, and my future wife—Madison!"

"These past two years, she led the team working day and night to achieve today's technical breakthrough. And she's also carrying my child. Double blessings!"

The whole room exploded.

"Mr. Chase and Ms. Cooper are such a perfect match!"

"Congratulations, Mr. Chase! Double blessings indeed!"

"Ms. Cooper is so young and already shouldering the technical operations—what a powerhouse!"

I stood in the doorway listening to this nauseating flattery, feeling like I'd entered some absurd alternate reality.

Madison led the team? Technical breakthrough?

She couldn't tell C++ from Java if her life depended on it. What the hell did she break through?

These past two years, I was overseas with a handful of core engineers, under crushing pressure, writing that underlying core code line by line.

I'd traded half my life for these results, and now they'd become her ticket to promotion and status as the mother of his child?

I took a deep breath, my heels clicking as I walked toward the stage step by step.

The sound of my stilettos striking the marble floor rang especially clear in the gradually quieting ballroom.

The crowd automatically parted to make way.

The executives who used to call me "Ms. Summers" all changed their expressions when they saw me, their eyes shifty, whispering among themselves.

When Ethan saw me, the smile froze on his face.

He instinctively released his arm from around Madison, a flash of panic in his eyes, quickly replaced by coldness and impatience.

Madison saw me too. Not only did she show no guilt, she actually thrust out her barely visible belly and leaned closer to Ethan, speaking in a saccharine voice.

"Oh, Lila! You're finally back!"

She raised her glass of juice, looking down at me from her position above, every inch the victor.

"Please, have a seat. Everyone's celebrating. You've worked hard 'studying abroad' these two years. Now that I'm handling the company's technical R&D, you can just rest easy."

I looked at her smug face and laughed coldly.

"Studying abroad? Handling things?"

I turned and stared hard at Ethan.

"Ethan Chase, is this what you told them about me? I nearly killed myself developing technology for you overseas, and you told them I went to study abroad?"

Ethan frowned, hurried down from the stage, and hissed at me in a low voice:

"Lila, what are you making a scene for? There are investors here. Don't embarrass me!"

"Embarrass you?" I shook off his outstretched hand. "You're using code I wrote to elevate your mistress, and you don't feel embarrassed, so why should I?"

Chapter 1

But when I returned home with patents that could revolutionize the entire industry, I discovered my private office had been turned into a nursery.

At the pre-IPO celebration party, he was holding my intern assistant in his arms, announcing that she was now the company's youngest CTO.

The intern rubbed her slightly rounded belly, her face full of smug satisfaction. I let out a cold laugh and shut down all the core servers with a flick of my wrist.

Want to use my life's work to elevate your mistress? I'll make your entire company go down with you!

**1**

Bang! I shoved open the doors to the penthouse ballroom.

Inside, the lights blazed and designer dresses swirled.

To crack that critical technical barrier, I'd worked day and night in Silicon Valley for two years. I slept less than four hours a day and ended up in the ER three times from exhaustion.

I came back with the final patent authorization, thrilled to give my husband Ethan Chase a huge surprise.

But the scene before me was like a bucket of ice water poured from the top of my head straight down to my feet.

On the stage in the center of the ballroom, Ethan wore the custom-tailored suit I'd personally ordered for him. His arm was wrapped intimately around the waist of a young woman.

It was Madison, the intern assistant I'd hired before going abroad. A fresh graduate who couldn't even write basic code and only knew how to act cute and flirt.

Right now, she was wearing a gorgeous evening gown with that sapphire necklace around her neck—the one I'd admired at an auction, the one Ethan had said was "too expensive, maybe later."

Thunderous applause erupted below.

Ethan lowered his head and kissed Madison on the forehead, his eyes dripping with affection.

"Here, I want to give special thanks to one person. Our company's new CTO, and my future wife—Madison!"

"These past two years, she led the team working day and night to achieve today's technical breakthrough. And she's also carrying my child. Double blessings!"

The whole room exploded.

"Mr. Chase and Ms. Cooper are such a perfect match!"

"Congratulations, Mr. Chase! Double blessings indeed!"

"Ms. Cooper is so young and already shouldering the technical operations—what a powerhouse!"

I stood in the doorway listening to this nauseating flattery, feeling like I'd entered some absurd alternate reality.

Madison led the team? Technical breakthrough?

She couldn't tell C++ from Java if her life depended on it. What the hell did she break through?

These past two years, I was overseas with a handful of core engineers, under crushing pressure, writing that underlying core code line by line.

I'd traded half my life for these results, and now they'd become her ticket to promotion and status as the mother of his child?

I took a deep breath, my heels clicking as I walked toward the stage step by step.

The sound of my stilettos striking the marble floor rang especially clear in the gradually quieting ballroom.

The crowd automatically parted to make way.

The executives who used to call me "Ms. Summers" all changed their expressions when they saw me, their eyes shifty, whispering among themselves.

When Ethan saw me, the smile froze on his face.

He instinctively released his arm from around Madison, a flash of panic in his eyes, quickly replaced by coldness and impatience.

Madison saw me too. Not only did she show no guilt, she actually thrust out her barely visible belly and leaned closer to Ethan, speaking in a saccharine voice.

"Oh, Lila! You're finally back!"

She raised her glass of juice, looking down at me from her position above, every inch the victor.

"Please, have a seat. Everyone's celebrating. You've worked hard 'studying abroad' these two years. Now that I'm handling the company's technical R&D, you can just rest easy."

I looked at her smug face and laughed coldly.

"Studying abroad? Handling things?"

I turned and stared hard at Ethan.

"Ethan Chase, is this what you told them about me? I nearly killed myself developing technology for you overseas, and you told them I went to study abroad?"

Ethan frowned, hurried down from the stage, and hissed at me in a low voice:

"Lila, what are you making a scene for? There are investors here. Don't embarrass me!"

"Embarrass you?" I shook off his outstretched hand. "You're using code I wrote to elevate your mistress, and you don't feel embarrassed, so why should I?"