Some things are said without thinking. Others are heard with a knife already turning.

Reading those words, I couldn't stop my mind from circling：

Ken had gone through all that effort to be with me. What was he actually after?

My family was better off than his, sure, but at the end of the day we were still just a regular family.

What did I have that was worth this kind of scheming?

Ken answered that question himself soon enough.

【I'll just be straight with you guys. Being with my wife is nothing more than step one of my master plan.】

【My family's got nothing. My parents are farmers out in the middle of nowhere. They can't do a thing for me.】

【When you grow up poor, you learn to plan early. Getting into the company was step one. Going after my wife back then, I wasn't even sure it'd work. Figured I'd shoot my shot — if it landed, great. If not, I'd still build a good relationship and get her to share some resources.】

【After we got married, she taught me everything bit by bit — how to carry myself, how to dress, how to talk to people. She even handed over a bunch of her own business contacts.】

【I used all of that to start rubbing elbows with richer women. And honestly? Women are all the same. Doesn't matter how powerful they are — they all fall for my act.】

【Your boy's about to hit the big time!】

The comments exploded.

【Go to hell. Guys like you are a disgrace to every man alive.】

【No, we need to push this post to the top so his wife sees it!】

【Yes! She needs to see this. Make him walk away from that marriage with NOTHING.】

【Absolutely. Girl, if you're reading this, I'm a law student. You paid for most of that apartment, and he's the one at fault — you can sue him for damages!】

Ken didn't care at all：

【Pfft, so what if she sees it? My new girlfriend is one of the company's biggest clients. All it'll take is one word from her, and my wife will hand over the apartment without a fight. She wouldn't dare piss off a client like that.】

By this point, nausea was crawling up my throat.

This man hadn't just conned me. He wanted everything I owned.

I couldn't let that happen. My fingers moved fast across the screen：

【Yeah right. Why would the company's biggest client help YOU?】

Ken fired back almost instantly：

【Because your boy knows how to play the game. Different woman, different approach. With my wife, I'm the respectful, feminist nice guy. With my girlfriend, I'm the misunderstood underdog who never gets a fair shake. She feels sorry for me. Of course she's willing to help.】

【Plus, I've had this planned out for a while. The trade conference is in two days. I'm going to blow it all up right there in front of everyone and divorce my wife on the spot. Already talked to my girlfriend about it — she's fully on board.】

【My girlfriend is one of our company's biggest clients AND the top player in the whole industry. She's about to sign a massive deal with us. Once I make my move and she backs me up, my wife might not even keep her job, let alone the apartment or the car. She can forget about all of it.】

【So all you haters sitting there running your mouths? Sit back and watch me live the good life.】

I looked up from my phone. Across the living room, Ken chuckled softly at his screen.

The second he noticed me watching, his expression melted right back into that harmless, good-natured mask：

“Babe, come look at this video. It's hilarious.”

Looking at that face, I swallowed hard against the bile rising in my throat and managed a smile, shaking my head：

“Maybe later. I'm in the middle of something.”

He didn't push it. Just went back to his phone.

I didn't go back to the post either. Instead, my mind was already tearing through what I knew.

Ken's new girlfriend. Who was she.

Two days later at the trade conference, my team members were scattered across the venue with their own clients, closing deal after deal.

Headquarters had assigned me a new role, so for once I wasn't running around the way I usually did at these events. I sat off to the side, one thought circling through my mind：

When was Ken going to make his move?

He didn't disappoint.

Right when the atmosphere was at its liveliest, he stood up and addressed the room：

“Excuse me, sorry to interrupt. I'm Ken Mason from Marketing Department 2. There's something I need to get off my chest.”

The moment he finished, confused looks shot his way from every direction.

Ken ignored them and pressed on：

“I'm grateful to the company for giving me this opportunity. I've learned a lot here, and I genuinely love working with all of you. But today, there are things I can't keep inside any longer.”

“I, Ken Mason, am formally reporting Flora Pruitt, head of Marketing Department 2. Since the day I started, she has subjected me to ongoing sexual harassment. She made it clear that if I didn't do what she wanted, she'd have me fired. She coerced me into marrying her.”

Every pair of eyes in the room snapped to me.

When I said nothing, Ken cleared his throat：

“Fortunately, I was lucky enough to meet the most important person in my life: Ms. Curry. When she heard what I'd been through, she was deeply sympathetic. It was her encouragement and guidance that gave me the courage to finally say this to you today……”

He slapped a set of divorce papers onto the table.

“Flora Pruitt! I want a divorce. And I'm demanding you walk away with nothing.”

“If you have any objections, you can take it up with Ms. Curry's legal team.”

Contemptuous stares hit me from every angle.

I looked at Ken and asked：

“Nice story. Funny thing is, I've got a story of my own I'd like to share with everyone.”

I held up my phone and waved it at him：

“How about we start with a certain post that's been making the rounds online?”

“Enough! Flora, this is the company's trade conference, not storytime. Just sign the divorce papers and stop holding up Ms. Curry's deal.”

A colleague who'd never liked me jumped in immediately.

Ken leaned close to my ear and dropped his voice：

“Ms. Curry already promised me a position at her company. I'll be handling the contracts with your firm personally. For old times' sake, I might even throw a few orders your way. All you have to do is sign the papers and walk away with nothing.”

I straightened up, locked my eyes on his, and spoke slowly, word by word：

“Ken, are you really that certain Ms. Curry is on your side?”

The question caught him off guard. He blinked, then let out a quiet laugh.

“Flora, do you still not understand the situation you're in?”

“Think about what I am to Ms. Curry, and what you are to her. You really can't figure that out?”

“Ms. Curry told me herself: if my demands aren't met today, she's not signing the deal.”

The room erupted.

A male colleague who'd always had it out for me was the first to pounce.

“Director Pruitt, just sign it! Don't drag the rest of us down with you!”

Others piled on：

“Seriously, Director Pruitt, think about the bigger picture here.”

“If Ms. Curry really pulls out, and headquarters comes looking for someone to blame, who's going to take that hit?”

Someone muttered from the back：

“Always said it. Women just can't be rational. Can't believe she'd actually pull something like this.”

Whispers rippled through the crowd, and more than a few faces twisted with scorn.

Ken surveyed the scene with visible satisfaction, the corner of his mouth curling upward. He leaned in close and murmured.

“Hear that? Nobody's on your side.”