"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."

"It’s my fault for being tactless and saying the wrong thing! Hit me or yell at me if you want, but please don’t fire me!"

Looking at her crying on the floor like that, I eventually let her go without saying another word.

Back then, Ryan had wrapped his arms around me and clung to me affectionately. "Baby, why are you being so kind? I honestly wanted to fire her immediately for making you upset.

"Well, since you forgave her, I’ll respect your decision. Don’t worry. I’ll pile extra work on her and make her work overtime as punishment."

At the time, I thought it was sweet. I never doubted Ryan’s feelings for me.

Unfortunately, Georgia kept pushing boundaries again and again. Now she could even control my bank accounts and cards without hesitation. There was no way she could’ve done all this without Ryan backing her behind the scenes.

When I woke up, Ryan still hadn’t appeared.

Instead, my lawyer, Bryson Stephenson, was sitting beside my hospital bed. His expression was cautious as he explained the situation to me, "Mr. Newman left town with his secretary for a business meeting. He said he won’t be back until tomorrow."

He studied my face carefully before continuing, "I pulled their attendance and travel records from the past two weeks and discovered they’ve been taking frequent ‘business trips’ together... but the destinations were... unusual."

He handed me a report.

I looked down at the listed locations. Not a single one matched any city where Sterling & Co. Holdings had business partners. Every destination was a luxury vacation hotspot.

"I also spoke to several employees," Bryson said quietly. "They mentioned Georgia often posts photos on social media from her trips with Mr. Newman. Would you like to see them?"

He handed me his phone. The screen was filled with countless screenshots of Georgia’s posts. Every single one was carefully curated.

One caption read: "Thank you for driving me home tonight, Mr. Newman. Just the two of us again."

Another said: "I complained about working overtime being exhausting, and someone bought me the bag I’ve always dreamed of as a reward for my hard work."

And one post simply read: "I casually mentioned wanting to take a holiday, and he whisked me abroad overnight. If this isn't love, what could it be?"

Bryson went on, "Our investigation into Georgia’s university background showed that she had a long-term anonymous sponsor who paid for her education.

"The benefactor was none other than Mr. Newman. Her former roommates also confirmed she used to brag about having a wealthy older benefactor. And according to them, she was referring to Mr. Newman."

The weight of these revelations felt like a blade being twisted in my heart; Ryan’s betrayal had started years ago.

"There’s one more thing," Bryson said softly, handing me another folder. "I think you need to see this."

The moment I opened it, my legs nearly gave out beneath me. My fingers shook uncontrollably as I gripped the edge of the folder.

Following a prolonged silence, I managed to release a trembling breath.

"Take me home first," I whispered. "I need time to think."

When I finally arrived home, I froze in shock. My house had been sealed off.

The heirloom jewelry my parents had spent twenty years preparing as my wedding gift—pieces worth fortunes beyond imagination—were being carried out box by box, and locked inside large security vaults.

I immediately rushed forward and grabbed one of the workers. "What are you doing?! Put my things down!"

The men coldly shook me off and continued packing the jewelry away one piece at a time.

Then one of them looked at me and said—