Chapter 4

Sophie became the office joke.

Normally, all client-facing events and business meetings were handled on a rotating schedule by the secretarial pool. Whoever was on duty that day would accompany Edward to his events and act as his assistant.

But ever since Sophie was promoted to be his personal secretary, a promotion she was completely unqualified for, that schedule mysteriously vanished. Now, her name was the only one ever on the roster.

Sophie skipped work the next day. When Lesley presented Edward with the official notice regarding her absence, he simply took a pen and signed his name.

That single signature was a death knell. Everyone in the company knew her reign was over.

In our world, reading the shifting winds of power is a basic survival skill.

Lesley promptly had Sophie reassigned from the executive floor to the front desk, sorting mail and answering phones. And whenever Edward was in the building, she was banned from even being seen at the reception desk.

Her salary was slashed along with her status. The sudden fall from grace had the entire office buzzing, piecing together the story.

Everyone already knew that business dinners were my territory as Edward's wife. When the new secretary started taking my place, the rumor mill had gone into overdrive.

Everyone knew I didn't tolerate rivals, but no one expected me to be so ruthless. I hadn't just won; I forced my own husband to publicly humiliate her in front of his most important business partners.

Before this, there were whispers that Sophie could marry Edward soon. After that night, those rumors vanished like smoke.

Now, there was only one truth whispered in the halls of Sterling Group: if you come for the queen's throne, you'd better be prepared to lose your head.

Sophie became a pariah. Employees would openly discuss the infamous "two slaps" right in front of her loudly.

I always collect on my debts. You coveted what was mine, so you should bear the full weight of the consequences.

With my blessing, Lesley submitted Sophie's official termination papers to HR.

The HR director, knowing better than to ask questions, signed off on them immediately. Sophie was to be escorted out of the building.

But I had underestimated her.

I never imagined Edward would have told her about his first love. He had barely spoken of it to me.

Sophie showed up the next day to clear her desk, looking like innocence personified in a pale yellow dress and white canvas shoes. Her purity was so overwhelming.

When she "accidentally" ran into Edward in the elevator, clutching her box of personal effects, she didn't have to say a word. The single tear that rolled down her cheek was enough to shatter his fragile resolve.

A few minutes later, in Edward's office, a tear-streaked Sophie stood behind his desk with a triumphant smirk as she watched Lesley take the full force of Edward's fury.

"I pay you to work for me, not to use my authority to fire my people! Are you out of your goddamn mind?" Edward roared.

Lesley replied calmly, "Mr. Sterling, with all due respect, who exactly are 'your people'?"

Edward, realizing his slip, barreled past the point. "You're fired. Get your things and get out. Sophie will be taking over your position."

That night, for the first time in our marriage, Edward truly lost it with me.

"What gives you the right to fire her?" he yelled, his voice echoing in our marble foyer. "Because of your paranoid fantasies? What are you so afraid of? That she's younger and prettier than you?

"Don't think being my wife gives you a license to be a petty tyrant! Your vendetta against her has crossed a line!"

He snatched a decorative vase from a nearby table and hurled it at my feet, where it exploded into a thousand pieces. He turned to leave.

"Olivia," he spat, his voice dripping with contempt. "You disappoint me so badly."

The door slammed shut with a thunderous crash, rattling the walls with the force of his anger.

I stood there indifferently and watched him go. Then, I calmly knelt down and picked up a jagged shard of porcelain.

Gripping it tightly, I drew the sharp edge across the soft flesh of my forearm in one long slice.

Blood trickled down in a thin line, pooling at my fingertips before a single drop fell to the floor, blooming like a dark flower.

If Edward wanted to play rough, then the gloves were off.