Chapter 4

My presence alone commanded the room. Mike blocked the security guards, and I booted Edward out of his chair, dropping myself right into his seat.

I snapped my fingers. While Edward just stared at me in disbelief, a pack of reporters burst in from outside, pointing their long lenses straight at him.

"That's right, I'm not Mrs. Maddox! My name is Sandra Fischer, and I'm the true CEO of this company." I declared.

The whole room erupted in an uproar.

Edward was utterly stunned.

Never in his wildest dreams did he expect me to step out and take the spotlight.

Jessie snapped, her voice shaking with anger, "What kind of crap are you talking about? Edward is the real CEO! Who the hell do you think you are, pretending to be in charge?"

I flashed Edward a cool, steady smile. "Why don't you ask your precious Mr. Maddox who the real CEO is?"

Edward looked at me, his expression all tangled up, and sighed. "Babe, don't make a scene. I get that you're mad, but let's talk about this at home, okay? Just go along with me, please."

As if I were the one being unreasonable.

I rested my chin in my hand, acting all surprised. "Mr. Maddox, what are you even talking about? Weren't you just denying I was your wife? Now suddenly I'm your wife? The one calling you 'honey' is right over there, and she's your beloved baby in her white dress!"

Edward's face went pale. It was like something just clicked in his head, and he stared at me in utter disbelief.

I let out a cold laugh. "Edward, it's not Dolly who needs to learn her place. It's you!"

Edward totally freaked out, scrambling to explain himself.

I cut him off. "Everyone from the media, I called you here for one reason, to announce that I'm removing Edward Maddox as acting CEO."

Reporters swarmed in and took pictures. There was no way they'd miss a bombshell like this.

Seeing I was dead serious, Edward hurriedly said, "Everyone, this is just a misunderstanding. Ms. Sandra Fischer is my wife. She's been struggling with some emotional issues and has kept herself shut in at home for ages."

"She can't handle me being around other women. She's got some mental health problems, so please don't listen to her rambling. This is a private family matter. I'm asking all media to leave immediately."

He grabbed me hard, trying to yank me off the stage.

But I wasn't about to let that happen. I hurled my diamond necklace straight at his face.

"First, you say I'm not your wife, now suddenly I am? So what about Jessie?" I shot back.

Blood was trickling down Edward's face, and his expression darkened. With Jessie's eyes brimming with tears, he ground out, "She's my secretary, that's all!"

Jessie's tears spilled over, and Edward's face twisted with pain. He snapped at me, "Is that the answer you wanted?"

I sneered and slammed the switch.

A projection popped up on the big screen.

It was all the evidence I had secretly collected at their second home, the proof that they were living together.

Then the full audio kicked in, blasting out every bit of their obscene banter from the living room that day.

Jessie kept calling him "honey," and Edward kept calling her "baby."

Anyone with half a brain could see these two were hooking up.

"Stop it! Turn it off!" Edward shouted.

He was losing it, yelling his head off, but nobody cared. They were all too busy enjoying the drama.

Reporters and staff were going wild, livestreaming every juicy second of their scandal without missing a beat.

Within minutes, the news of Edward hooking up with his secretary blew up online, topping the trending charts.

"So if she's just your secretary, then what do you call this? Edward, that's literally bigamy," I said, my tone full of mockery.

Jessie's face turned scarlet, her voice trembling with emotion. "Fine, do whatever you want, but why are you treating Edward like this? At least he used to love you. Now it's just a responsibility. He told me himself, one day he'll divorce you and marry me. The real outsider is the one who isn't loved. You're the one coming between Edward Maddox and me."

Her shameless claim to being the real victim left everyone absolutely stunned.

The female employees were so furious that they could barely contain themselves, and they all started hurling insults at Jessie.

Jessie flinched, her face pale with shock, and Edward Maddox instantly wrapped her up in a protective hug, looking like he'd do anything to shield her.

He glared at everyone, his voice rough with anger. "Come at me if you want, but don't you dare lay a finger on Jessie!"

"Shameless people really are unbeatable! You two are a perfect pair, always wanting it all and never letting go," I sneered, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Edward, you want to play the knight in shining armor? Be my guest," I said with a mocking laugh.

The board members stormed out of the side room, unable to hold back their fury any longer, and started shouting at Edward at the top of their lungs.