“What did you just say?”

“All products go through strict inspections before launch. How could there be a problem at such a critical time? Where’s the PR department? Why are we only finding out after consumers have gathered outside the building to protest?”

“You’re all useless! I don’t pay you to sit around doing nothing. Fix this immediately!”

The assistant flinched, breaking into a cold sweat.

“Mr. Murphy, it’s not that we’re unwilling to fix it. But now the product design plans have leaked online and public opinion is spiraling out of control. We suspect there’s a mole inside the company. You need to come back and take charge immediately.”

The product had only just launched. If a scandal broke out now, all their efforts from the past five years would go to waste.

Daniel’s temple veins bulged as he fought to contain his fury.

“It’ll take me at least thirty minutes to get back. Have Kayla hold a press conference to clarify the situation. She led this project—she can handle it.”

“What?” The assistant hesitated, then asked cautiously, “But Manager Moore resigned this morning. She’s no longer with the company. Didn’t you approve it?”

It was like someone had poured a bucket of ice water over him. Daniel froze.

“What did you say? She really left?”

I had been by his side since the company was founded. Every time there was a crisis, I was the first to step up and handle it, never letting him worry—even when he was away on business.

Now, he was consumed with both rage that I had dared to walk away and a sudden, sharp panic.

I had always prioritized the company. At such a crucial point in the product launch, he never expected I would leave so decisively.

“Yes,” the assistant continued. “Right after you left with Secretary Brooks, Manager Moore submitted her resignation letter and walked out. When she left—”

Daniel’s heart skipped a beat. His voice snapped with urgency.

“What else? Speak!”

“Colleagues said Manager Moore was crying when she left. And no one knows why she left her wedding ring on her desk...”

Daniel went rigid, unable to process what he had just heard.

That wedding ring was the first thing he had bought with his own hard-earned money.

The diamond wasn’t large, but it carried deep meaning—it was engraved with our names and the date we started dating.

Even after he made his fortune and suggested upgrading to a new set, I had refused to take it off.

“Now I’m just staying at the company. What does that even mean?”

“Am I serious? Do I really want to divorce her?”

His anxiety intensified. Without thinking, Daniel reached for his car keys to go find me, but was stopped by Elena’s hand.

She had clearly overheard the conversation. Her eyes were filled with tears, her face flushed with guilt.

“Mr. Murphy, this is all my fault. If you hadn’t taken the blame for me last night, Ms. Moore wouldn’t have stormed off in anger and quit the project.”

“She can hit me or scold me if she wants. I won’t complain. But she shouldn’t have argued with you over something so trivial and put the company at risk.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll go apologize to her right away. She’s the one who knows the project best. If she’s willing to come back, we can contain this.”

Daniel took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

Elena was right. The company came first. Personal matters would have to wait.

“She won’t come back. You’re fine now, so let’s just go back to the company.”

Elena nodded quickly. Once they were back in the car, she glanced at him, her voice laced with concern.

“Mr. Murphy, product design plans are supposed to be confidential. Only the person in charge would have access. If they’re online now, could it be that Ms. Moore…”

Daniel looked at her with a cold, unreadable expression. His eyes held a trace of icy suspicion.

“Are you implying that Kayla leaked it?”

Elena flinched under his gaze, then quickly lowered her head, speaking in a soft, plaintive voice.

“I don’t want to suspect Ms. Moore, but she’s the one who’s been most involved in the project and knows the company’s products better than anyone else.”

“Mr. Murphy, could there be a misunderstanding? The company belongs to you, yes, but it also belongs to Ms. Moore. How could she possibly do something like this? Is it because you had me replace her and gave me shares? Maybe that made Ms. Moore angry?”

As she spoke, she reached for the car door, her expression full of regret and distress.

“Let me out. I’ll go explain everything to Ms. Moore right away. If she’s willing to step in, I’m even willing to resign. I can’t let you down after everything you’ve done for me.”

Her words seemed to defend me, but in reality, they firmly branded me as the traitor.

If this had happened in the past, Daniel might have softened, might have tried to comfort her.

But now, with the company teetering on the edge of collapse, all he felt was a growing impatience with such petty manipulation.

We had been together for seven years, from dating to marriage. He knew my character better than anyone. He knew I would never resort to such despicable tactics.

At the company garage, he pulled the car into a stop and immediately issued orders to the assistant waiting nearby.

“I’ll deal with the media. Secretary Brooks is injured—take her upstairs to rest. Do not let her come down without my permission.”

Elena’s face turned pale. Tears of grievance welled in her eyes.

“Mr. Murphy, are you suspecting me?”

Daniel looked at her for a long time without speaking, his expression unreadable.

“I don’t want to doubt you, Elena. Don’t give me a reason to.”

With that, he clenched his fists and stepped into the elevator, missing the fleeting flicker of cruelty that flashed through Elena’s eyes.

She was confident—after all, the person she had planted had already infiltrated the media team.

How could she possibly let such a golden opportunity slipped through her fingers, now that I had voluntarily stepped aside?

I had been such a fool. Instead of staying on as Mrs. Murphy, I had chosen to resign and leave. No wonder she seized this moment to rise in power.

With that thought, Elena let out a soft sigh and the sting of being doubted by Daniel faded slightly.

Outside, the media had been waiting for a long time. As soon as Daniel stepped out, they swarmed toward him, microphones in hand.

“Mr. Murphy, is it true that your company’s latest product has serious issues, as reported online?”

“How do you respond to claims that a consumer was injured in an explosion caused by your product? Does this suggest a safety defect?”

“Do you think this is a case of malicious competition, or did your company cut corners on safety to push the product to market?”

In their frenzy to get the latest scoop, the reporters pressed close, a few microphones even bumping against his face.

Daniel had not faced this kind of public pressure in a long time. He answered with a grim expression.

“All of our products go through rigorous testing and are fully certified before they reach the market. We can confirm there are no quality issues or safety hazards. The results of our internal investigation will be released soon on the company’s official website. We urge consumers to stay calm and wait for the facts.”

“Are you suggesting someone deliberately framed your company?”

“Mr. Murphy, reports indicate that your design plans have been leaked online. Could there be a case of industrial espionage within your company?”

Among the voices, the reporters planted by Elena began steering the narrative toward me.

“It’s said that this project was led by your ex-manager, Kayla Moore, who resigned earlier today. Was that an attempt to avoid responsibility?”

“Some employees claim that you and Manager Moore were involved in an improper relationship. Mr. Murphy, do you think this could be related to the situation?”

“Mr. Murphy, did you assign this major project to her because of your ambiguous personal relationship with Manager Moore?”

"Enough!" Daniel couldn't take it anymore. His voice cut through the noise like a blade and he swept a cold glare over the crowd.

“Kayla is my wife. She would never do such a thing. I thought the most important trait for journalists was integrity, not rumor-mongering. What do you all think?”

The reporters stiffened, stunned by the sudden revelation. They nodded awkwardly, unsure of how to respond. Without another word, Daniel turned around and walked away, only calling for his bodyguards to escort the guests out of the building.

The crowd exchanged looks, their minds spinning. Regardless of the outcome, they had just uncovered a major scoop—this trip hadn’t been a waste.

Still… if I was Mrs. Murphy, then why did I resign today?

Daniel returned to the office building and immediately noticed a group of employees gathered near the window, watching the aftermath of the chaos. His voice boomed across the floor.

"What are you all doing during work hours? If this issue isn’t resolved soon, don’t expect to see your salaries this month!”

Only after he stormed off did the employees quickly scatter back to their desks. Yet, something had shifted—the way they looked at Elena had changed.

“Did you hear that? Manager Moore is actually Mr. Murphy’s wife. She kept that really low-key.”

“No wonder. A few days ago, Elena made it seem like there was something going on between her and Mr. Murphy. Turns out he’s been married all along. Doesn’t that make her the mistress?”

“Do you think Manager Moore resigned because of this?”

“If I were her, I would’ve left too. Don’t forget, Mr. Murphy once tried to replace her with Elena. With the mistress flaunting herself so shamelessly, how could anyone stay?”

“She has no shame. So young, yet already a homewrecker—and she even forced the wife to leave. If it were me, I’d jump into the river out of shame. How can she still show her face at work?”

Elena heard every whisper. Her expression darkened, her head lowered as her nails dug into her palms.

“That bitch. Even after leaving, she still won’t let me live in peace!”

She wanted to go plead with Daniel, but when she reached his office, the door was locked from the outside. His assistant stood guard firmly, refusing to let her in. All she could do was crouch in the hallway and cried softly, hoping her tears would stir his sympathy.

But inside the office, Daniel only felt a wave of irritation.

He didn’t know how things had spiraled so quickly. My resignation letter and divorce papers still sat on his desk, along with the wedding ring.

He admitted it—over the past two years, he had given Elena special attention and his heart had wavered.

But he had always despised men who couldn’t control their impulses. And deep down, he knew—he had only ever loved me.

What he saw in Elena was just a shadow of who I used to be.

In his world of power and status, there was never a shortage of women throwing themselves at him. Some were offered by business partners, some even lay naked in his hotel bed, hoping to climb the ladder.

But no matter how perfect their bodies or beautiful their faces, he had never once given in.

He would always end the day by video calling me—watching me in our familiar bedroom and softly asking if I was tired.

His fleeting attraction to Elena wasn’t worth the destruction of his family.

Thinking of this, Daniel slammed his fist into the wall. The pain barely registered as regret surged through him.

He regretted it. Deeply.

I had been pregnant, physically and emotionally worn down, handling work while exhausted. And he, selfishly, had only thought of himself.

Even when I needed him most, he was protecting another woman.

As guilt consumed him, his phone suddenly vibrated.

“Mr. Murphy,” came the assistant’s voice, “we’ve completed the investigation you requested. The design plan was leaked by Secretary Brooks. Her intention was to create a rift between you and your wife.”

“While reviewing the surveillance footage, we also discovered that Mrs. Murphy didn’t bully her the day she resigned. It was Secretary Brooks who threw herself onto your desk, making it appear to others that you two had been together that night...”

Each word hit him like a knife, slowly slicing through his chest, bringing unbearable pain.

Daniel could barely contain the fury burning within him. Gritting his teeth, he ordered sharply, “Copy all the evidence. Transfer all her work to someone else and don’t approve her resignation yet. I want her to apologize to Kayla in person.”

“Yes, Mr. Murphy.”

As soon as the call ended, Daniel frantically opened our chat window, desperate to explain everything to me. But the moment he sent a message, a red exclamation mark popped up—he had been blocked.

His body froze.

He quickly dialed my number, only to be met with a cold mechanical voice.

“The number you dialed is powered off. Please try again later…”

A chill swept over Daniel like a winter storm.

He never imagined I could be so ruthless—completely vanishing from his world.