Now that she had been unfaithful, all my protection lost its meaning.
Ordinarily, I never meddled in the company’s affairs. But when Mateo entered the company and was assigned under Ember, the subordinate who managed everything on my behalf had informed me.
Still, Ember was a workaholic, so I hadn’t thought much of it. She had even brought it up to me herself.
At the time, she laughed and said that although Mateo was tall and handsome, he was nothing but an empty shell, not worth a second glance.
I had believed her without the slightest suspicion.
But not long after, I began to notice the changes.
She, who rarely wore much makeup, started spending more time carefully doing her face.
The loose clothes she once favored were replaced by fitted blouses and sheer stockings.
I had teased her, asking if she’d developed a soft spot for the fresh-faced intern. I thought she would respond like always, but instead, I caught her turning away, a faint blush creeping up her cheek.
“Don’t talk nonsense. I’ve been going to more business functions. It’s for work.”
Later, she started coming home later and later.
One evening, while she was in the shower, I found a used contraceptive package stuffed inside her handbag.
In that instant, a cold realization settled over me: she was probably cheating.
Her phone, which she always left by the bathroom door, lit up at that moment.
With my heart pounding, I picked it up.
The message was from that intern, and the name she saved him under was Baby Mateo.
I couldn’t see everything, but the beginning alone was enough to crush me.
“Sis, you’re amazing at that…”
Those few simple words felt like a hammer shattering my chest.
When I asked Ember what the message meant, she didn’t even bother to explain. She exploded.
“Mateo and I were only discussing work. Do you really have to blow everything out of proportion?!”
“And how dare you look through my phone?!”
“You already sit at home all day fiddling with your computers, and now you’re acting like this? I’m sick of it! Keep this up, and we’ll just get a divorce!”
In the past, whenever we argued, Ember had thrown out threats like that, and every time, for the sake of our hard-won marriage, I always chose to compromise.
But at that moment, watching her scramble to hide her guilt, I, unlike before, felt no fear of her anger.
Still, I respected the three years we’d spent together and didn’t lash out. I only told her that if she ever cheated, it would mean divorce.
All she gave me in return was a single word. “Crazy.”
And now, after being humiliated in front of everyone, the last trace of hope I had for her finally died.
I looked at her coldly and said, “Ember, I told you, if you ever stepped out of line, I’d take everything back.”
But before I could finish, she scoffed, her face twisting in irritation.
“Are you done yet? Who do you think you are?”
“You used to brag all the time, and I didn’t bother exposing you. Now you really think you’re somebody.”
I grinned, a slow, chilling smile spreading across my lips.
“You’ll find out soon enough who I am.”
With that, I turned and walked away, unwilling to waste another breath on the two of them.
As I settled into the driver’s seat, I heard Mateo putting on a pathetic act behind me.
“Sister Ember, did what I said upset your husband? Maybe I shouldn’t stay by your side. Maybe you shouldn’t help me anymore.”
But Ember’s voice drifted over. “Mateo, don’t worry. He’s just the jealous type. Give it a little time. He’ll come crawling back to beg for my forgiveness.”
Through the rearview mirror, I watched them embracing again, and the last trace of warmth in my heart turned to ice.
Not long after I arrived home, my phone buzzed with a message from my subordinate.
“Boss, as you requested, I’ve compiled a list of the employees who’ve made significant contributions. Tomorrow, I’ll be promoting and giving raises to these people. Madam is currently the finance director. I was planning to promote her to vice president. What do you think?”
