Chapter 1

After I got pregnant, I kept working. But right before I was about to land a huge client, my boss’s assistant, Tiffany, tried to fire me.

Her reason? I threw up too much and went to the bathroom “too often.”

Fuming, I marched into my boss Aldrich’s office—my husband’s office.

He handed me a termination letter and said,

“Company policy allows only five bathroom breaks a day. You took ten. Tiffany has every right to fire you. And you’re pregnant—just stay home and rest.”

My eyes dropped to the floor. A corner of a lace thong was sticking out from under his couch.

So he was cheating.

I said nothing. I slapped the termination letter across his face.

The moment I walked out of the building, I called our biggest competitor.

“Do you limit how many times employees can use the bathroom? If not, I’ll bring my client to you tomorrow.”

"Serena, are you messing with me?"

Daniel's voice on the other end of the line was laced with shock.

"I'm not kidding," I said, my voice calm.

"If you agree, I'll bring the Evergreen Holdings deal I secured straight to you tomorrow to sign. Once that's done, you'll be the top company in Northwood."

Daniel hesitated.

"Are you having problems with Aldrich? Is this call just to spite him?"

"Everyone in the industry knows you're the powerhouse, carrying all the major accounts for Aldrich's company."

"You sold your parents' apartment to fund his startup, and you've personally landed every single contract for the company all these years."

"For the Evergreen Holdings mega-deal, you pushed yourself so hard you nearly passed out from severe morning sickness. Employees wanted to rush you to the ER, but you were so worried about delaying the signing, you stubbornly…"

I froze, surprised he knew about what happened recently.

Listening to him, I just managed a bitter smile.

Yeah, everyone in the industry knew how much I cared for Aldrich.

I once believed we'd build our empire together, side by side, until the very end.

But today, I was dealt a blow that shattered me awake from that beautiful dream.

Aldrich and I started with nothing, two broke students, determined to carve out our own space in this big city.

We built everything from scratch, pushing hard until today, finally owning our own company.

Six months ago, when I told him I was pregnant, his hands trembled with excitement.

But when I suggested we get married, he fell silent for a long time before finally speaking.

"Serena, once we secure Evergreen Holdings, our company will be number one. Our dream of making it big in this city will finally be realized."

"Don't you want to walk down the aisle when we're at our peak, at our most glorious moment?"

"Let's get married after we close the Evergreen contract, okay?"

I agreed.

Yesterday, Evergreen Holdings confirmed the partnership, and the signing date was set.

I was so overwhelmed, I collapsed on the street outside the office and ended up in the hospital.

When I woke up, I rushed back to the company to prepare for the final signing.

But I couldn't get in. The facial recognition failed; I'd been blacklisted.

I found a familiar intern to let me in, only to find my office supplies dumped in the trash.

Photos of Aldrich and me were covered in footprints, my smiling face defaced with black marker.

And sitting at my personal desk was the new secretary—Tiffany.

With her bright red nails, she scrolled through her phone, pulling up three months' worth of my bathroom break surveillance videos.

"New company rule: no more than five bathroom breaks during working hours, each not exceeding five minutes."

"You go a dozen times a day. Who knows if you're actually working or just taking a break?"

"If everyone acted like you, how would the company function?"

I was stunned. Since when did the company have such a rule?

I went to Aldrich's office and told him what happened.

He simply said, his tone flat:

"Tiffany was headhunted from a major corporation. The rules she's implementing are based on big company experience. We, of course, have to follow them."

I tried to suppress my anger, explaining that my frequent bathroom trips were due to pregnancy and work stress.

He waved his hand dismissively.

"That's just your weak constitution; don't use it as an excuse."

"Today, I'll make an exception because of your morning sickness. But in the future, if someone takes a break in the bathroom and then claims to be sick with diarrhea, am I supposed to pretend I don't see it? How can I manage then?"

My face flushed with anger, my eyes burning.

In his eyes, my pregnancy sickness was no different from an upset stomach.

I was about to say something more when Tiffany walked in, phone in hand.

"Serena, company policy states pregnant employees should be terminated. I only didn't fire you out of respect for Aldrich."

"But now you've violated the rules too many times. If I don't act, other employees will lose respect for me. How can I lead my team?"

"Besides, you're expecting at your age; you should be home resting. Constantly running to the bathroom doesn't just affect efficiency, it makes our company look unprofessional."

I stared at her, my voice icy.

"My pregnancy, and my frequent bathroom trips, didn't stop me from securing the Evergreen Holdings deal for the company."

"I'm also a VP here. This policy was never approved by me, so it shouldn't have been implemented."

Her eyes welled up, and Aldrich slammed his hand on the desk.

"Enough!"

He saw the shock and tears in my eyes, frowned, and said impatiently:

"I'm the one who set the rules. If you have a problem, take it up with me. You're already fired. Stop pulling rank on her."

"And don't bring up the deal. Tiffany told me you've been skipping out on work, constantly running to the bathroom. The rest of the team did everything."

"If working while pregnant is too stressful for you, making you run to the bathroom all the time, then isn't Tiffany doing you a favor by firing you and sending you home to rest? Instead of thanking her, you're bullying her right in front of your direct supervisor?"

He furrowed his brow.

"Apologize to Tiffany, now!"