I accidentally used the shared bank card linked to my husband, Ryan Newman. Before I could even leave the store, two officers pinned me to the ground and accused me of embezzling company funds.

Right then, Ryan’s new secretary, Georgia Hawkins, called me.

"Mrs. Newman, I was the one who reported you! Do you have any idea how hard Mr. Newman works for his money?

"He works himself to the bone every day. You can’t keep spending so recklessly anymore! Starting today, I’ll be managing all your expenses. Every purchase needs my approval first!

"Oh, and your monthly spending limit is now $500. You already spent $499 today, so don’t even think about spending another cent this month."

Listening to her smug little lecture, I laughed.

Georgia had only been at the company for a month. Just because Ryan treated her politely at work, she’d started acting like she ran his entire life.

Little did she know, the company belonged to me. Every dollar in Ryan's bank account came from me, including her paycheck.

As for the Mr. Newman she worshiped so much? He was just the man who married into my family.

So what gave her the right to manage my money?

The officers stared at the message on my phone while Georgia Hawkins’s voice rang through the call. Then they looked at the payment notification showing I’d only spent a few dollars after using a discount coupon.

Every single one of them went pale. They immediately apologized and promised they would report the false police report to Sterling & Co. Holdings, my husband's company. Apparently, one of their employees had deliberately lied to the authorities.

However, I barely heard them. Clutching the counter, I bent over in pain, my face drained of color.

"My stomach hurts so bad..." I gasped. "I think... I think I might be going into labor... Please take me to the hospital."

Everyone panicked instantly. They rushed me into the car and sped toward the hospital.

By the time we arrived, the pain had become unbearable.

At registration, the nurse asked for payment. Fighting through the contractions, I pulled several bank cards from my wallet and handed them over.

A few minutes later, the nurse returned with an awkward expression. "Ms. Langley, your cards have all been declined."

A chill took over my body.

"That’s impossible." My voice trembled. "There should be millions in those accounts. How could there be no money?"

Then Georgia’s words suddenly flashed through my mind.

"Your spending has been restricted."

A chill crawled down my spine. She’d transferred the money out of my accounts.

I immediately grabbed my phone and called Ryan. The call connected after a few rings.

"Ryan, I—"

Before I could finish, Georgia’s impatient voice cut in from the other side. "Seriously, Ms. Langley? Are you done yet? It’s just a limit on your spending. Did you really rush off to complain to Mr. Newman that quickly?"

She let out a mocking laugh. "As I said, Mr. Newman authorized it himself."

I clenched my teeth against the pain and forced myself to stay calm. "I’m at the hospital right now. I need the funds. Unfreeze my accounts right now. If not, put my husband on. I need to talk to him this instant."

Georgia’s tone was thick with self-satisfaction. "Mr. Newman is busy. He doesn’t have time to deal with your little drama, so he left everything to me.

"Oh, and if you need money, that’s easy. File a request through the expense approval system like I told you before. Once I approve it, I’ll release the funds."

She paused deliberately before adding, "By the way, you only have $1 left in your monthly limit, so don’t bother applying for anything over budget."

As a sharp wave of pain tore through my stomach, my face went ashen, and finally, I snapped.

"I've said it already. I'm at the hospital and in labor! I have to settle the bill! This isn't even Ryan's card. I'm using my personal accounts! Return my funds this instant, or I'm filing a police report for theft!"

The line went silent for several seconds, then Georgia hung up on me.

A moment later, a text message came through.

"Ms. Langley, didn't Mr. Newman give you all your money anyway? You can’t just throw your weight around because you’re Mrs. Newman and expect to scare me. I’ve already frozen every account under your name, and I’ve made it clear that nobody is allowed to lend you money either. Once you apologize to me and promise you’ll stop wasting Mr. Newman’s hard-earned money, I’ll consider restoring your accounts."

The moment I finished reading the message, my blood pressure spiked so hard my vision went black.

In the final seconds before I passed out, I placed a desperate call to our legal department. I gave them three direct orders: terminate Georgia on the spot, strip Ryan of his presidency, and demand he report to the hospital immediately.

It was obvious that a mere secretary wouldn't exhibit such blatant disrespect toward the boss's wife without powerful protection.

Still, I struggled to accept that the man who had loved me so profoundly could turn his back on me for a woman who had been at the company for only a month.

My family owned a fortune worth billions, yet in my generation, I was the only heir. Rather than marrying into another powerful family and splitting my assets with outsiders, I chose a different path.

I wanted a husband who would marry into my family instead, someone grounded and capable of helping me oversee the empire I was destined to lead.

So I hid my identity and entered my own company as an ordinary employee. That was where I met Ryan Newman. Brilliant, poor, stubbornly hardworking, and impossibly gentle, he had just graduated from a prestigious university.

I noticed him almost immediately.

He arrived before everyone else every morning and left long after the office lights had gone dark. While other employees complained about overtime, Ryan would quietly stay behind to recheck an entire floor’s worth of financial reports by himself.

A few times, when I worked late into the night, he’d timidly offer me coffee. Then he’d take my laptop from my hands and say softly, "It’s dangerous going home this late. I’ll take over the rest of the work. Please head home."

Back then, every word from him made my heart race.

However, the moment I truly fell in love with him came later. A female colleague had misappropriated my project and presented it as her own. When confronted, she brazenly accused me of plagiarism.

The department's general manager immediately took her side, ordering my summary dismissal and threatening legal action for allegedly leaking confidential data.

At the time, although Ryan was on the verge of a major promotion, he didn't hesitate. He slammed his hand against the conference table and stood directly in front of me.

"Alexandria Langley would never do something like that. I can vouch for her personally! If this company insists on firing an innocent employee without even seeking the truth, then I no longer wish to be a part of it!"

He tore off his ID badge, seized my hand, and led me out of the building.

That was the exact moment I decided he was the man I wanted for the rest of my life.

Making the first move, I wrapped my arms around him and confessed, "Ryan, I like you. Do you like me too? Will you marry me?"

After we got married, I stepped away from the company so that I could focus on having our future heir. Ryan and my legal team took over management of the business together. To his credit, he ran Sterling & Co. Holdings exceptionally well.

Then, a month and a half ago, he suddenly told me he wanted to recruit a group of underprivileged graduates from his alma mater.

I had agreed to it.

Georgia was one of the students Ryan personally recruited. Less than ten days after joining the company, she was already promoted all the way to executive secretary.

Before long, rumors around the office started reaching my ears. Someone from the secretary department quietly reported to me that Georgia often brought homemade lunches to Ryan’s office. The two of them would stay inside together for hours during lunch break, and nobody would see them come out.

Ryan’s explanation at the time had been perfectly calm.

"Georgia works incredibly hard, and she’s genuinely talented. I can’t suppress someone’s career growth just because she’s young and fresh out of college.

"I transferred her to work beside me because of her ability. She typically works through her breaks to manage my paperwork, so she simply eats in the office. Our relationship is purely professional. But if this situation causes you any distress or jealousy, I will have her replaced at once."

I wasn’t the kind of woman who interfered with company operations over gossip and speculation.

Privately, I reviewed Georgia’s resume myself and sat in on several meetings she managed. She was undeniably skilled—maintaining her focus, organization, and poise even under significant duress.

To be honest, I respected her drive. I went as far as paying off her student debt with my own funds, granting her a salary increase, and elevating her to the position of chief executive secretary. I even cautioned my staff against gossiping about a young professional attempting to establish herself.

I thought I was investing in someone with a bright future ahead of her. Instead, I was feeding the greed taking root in her heart.

At first, it was small things. She frequently used "retrieving documents" for Ryan as an excuse to enter our home, then secretly changed the passcode to our house to her own birthday. When I confronted her about it, she apologized with tears in her eyes.

That same night, she disappeared with a drunk Ryan. Neither of them answered their phones.

I spent an entire day searching for him and nearly called the police before Ryan finally contacted me and said he was already home.

I rushed back immediately. The moment I walked inside, I saw Georgia wearing my pajamas while cooking breakfast for Ryan in my kitchen. The second she saw me, her eyes filled with tears.

"I’m sorry, Mrs. Newman," she said softly. "I’m terrible with numbers, and I couldn’t remember your passcode. Mr. Newman was drunk, and I couldn’t get inside the house, so I had no choice but to take him to a hotel for the night. But don’t worry. Nothing happened between us."

Anger surged straight to my head. I was just about to speak when Ryan’s face darkened. He pointed directly at the door.

"Get out. If you can’t even remember a six-digit code and don’t know how to turn your phone back on, then maybe this job is too difficult for you. Don’t bother coming to work tomorrow."

The second Georgia heard that, she burst into tears. "I’m sorry, Mr. Newman! I didn’t mean to! Please don’t fire me! My mother needs surgery, and we still need $200,000 for the operation! My family is counting on my salary! If I lose this job, we’re finished!"

Ryan looked at her coldly. "Don’t apologize to me. Apologize to my wife. She’s pregnant, and you've made her upset and stressed. If Alexandria refuses to forgive you today, you can cry yourself to death, but you’re still leaving."

The next second, Georgia dropped to her knees in front of me.

Slap.

Slap.

She repeatedly hit herself across the face while sobbing.

"I’m sorry, Mrs. Newman. I just didn’t want to wake you in the middle of the night and affect your health."