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—

"From now on, Ms. Hawkins will manage all your jewelry, handbags, gowns, and luxury items. If you want access to anything, you’ll need to submit a 5,000-word application through the company expense approval system. You'll only be allowed to use your belongings after she approves and signs off on them."

My entire body shook with rage.

I immediately called Ryan.

Once again, Georgia answered instead. She sounded cheerful, almost amused. "Only a single day has passed, and you already have the strength to start harassing Mr. Newman again?

"I knew you were pretending to be sick for attention and money. And weren’t you claiming you were about to give birth? Your due date is next week.

"Oh, that reminds me, Mrs. Newman. There is one detail I neglected to mention. Given that your due date falls next Wednesday, I will only approve the reimbursement of your medical costs if the birth occurs on that specific day. If the baby comes earlier or later, you’ll have to cover the hospital bills yourself."

I swallowed the fury threatening to explode out of me. "Georgia, who gave you permission to touch my jewelry? Return my belongings immediately, or I’ll call the police and charge you with theft!"

Georgia laughed dismissively. "Your belongings? Ms. Langley, have you forgotten who you are? You’re just an ordinary employee who got lucky enough to marry Mr. Newman. Without him, would you even be able to afford ten-million-dollar jewelry sets or couture gowns worth millions?

"Honestly, considering how materialistic you are—you even use Mr. Newman’s money to buy coffee—I have every reason to suspect you’d secretly sell off the luxury items he bought for you.

"As Mr. Newman’s secretary, it’s my responsibility to protect his assets. So from now on, unless I personally approve it, don’t even think about touching any of those things."

"Georgia, don’t push this too far." I was grinding my teeth so hard my jaw hurt.

"Too far?" she repeated lightly. "Oh, by the way, I heard your mother is staying at the private hospital Mr. Newman invested in, right?"

She laughed cruelly. "Seriously. A broke woman dragging around a sickly mother like a parasite.

"Your mother’s been sick for years. Who knows how much of Mr. Newman’s money she’s wasted by now? To stop any more unnecessary spending, I already had someone discharge her from the hospital."

For a second, my entire mind went blank, then terror slammed into me like lightning.

"Georgia, are you insane?! My mother can’t survive without her oxygen chamber! You’re going to kill her!"

I hung up immediately and rushed straight to the hospital.

That was when I discovered Georgia had actually taken over my mother’s VIP suite and given it to her own mother instead.

Thankfully, several members of the hospital management were people I had personally promoted years ago. They transferred my mother into another room in time, saving her life.

Looking at my mother’s pale face lying in the hospital bed, something inside me finally snapped.

I turned to Bryson beside me and gave the order coldly, "Throw Mrs. Hawkins out onto the street. Every cent I spent paying off Georgia’s loans and covering her mother’s medical treatment over the years—recover all of it.

"And one more thing. I’m suing Georgia for attempted murder."

I gently tucked the blanket around my mother before standing up. By the time I turned around again, I had already regained my composure.

"Take me to the office. If there are wolves hiding beside me, then I’ll deal with them myself."

The moment I arrived at Sterling & Co. Holdings, every employee who recognized me froze in shock. Whispers immediately spread across the lobby.

"Why is Mrs. Newman here at the office?"