That night, Landon didn't come home for the first time.

The next morning, I walked straight into Hart Group. I took the private executive elevator and went directly to the senior management floor. It was empty.

This was where our secretaries were supposed to be on duty. I hadn't brought mine today, but where was his?

Laughter drifted out of his office, unrestrained, slipping through the gaps in the blinds.

Through the narrow opening, I saw Landon's secretary, Amelia Colton, holding a hair dryer and carefully blow-drying his hair. He leaned back in his office chair, relaxed and smiling as he chatted with her.

In the past, Landon had always been strict about boundaries. Other than me, he never allowed anyone to stay in his office for long. Now, the tenderness he showed Amelia was glaring to watch.

Even more blinding was the custom-made silver necklace gleaming around her neck. It was the very necklace he had carefully chosen abroad, meant to be my birthday gift.

Amelia was only an intern secretary. Even if she sold herself, she couldn't afford a single diamond from that necklace.

I pushed the door open.

Amelia dropped the hair dryer as if she had been electrocuted and hurriedly smoothed her hair. "Ms. Young? What are you doing here in Hart Group's office area?"

I shot her a cold glance. "I'm the general manager. Where I go is none of an intern's business. And call HR. I have questions about whether our hiring standards have dropped this low."

Amelia turned to Landon for help. He gestured for her to step out and lie low for now. Just as she was about to leave, I coldly instructed, "Take the necklace off."

She froze, her hand flying up to cover it, then looked pitifully at Landon.

I stared straight into his eyes. "Explain to me why my birthday gift is sitting around her neck. The deposit receipt for that necklace is still in my drawer, by the way!"

He seemed annoyed. "She's my secretary. She represents my image. Because you insisted on having the car she sat in professionally cleaned, people started looking down on her. So what if I gave her a necklace to keep up appearances?

"Didn't you also spend money customizing your secretary's wardrobe?"

I scoffed. "My secretary is a woman, and she earns her pay with real ability. What does this bimbo do to deserve it?"

I pointed at Amelia. "Is it because she knows how to please you?"

Fury burned in Landon's eyes, his expression grim. "It's just a necklace. I'm only using it to make up for the mockery she had to endure. I'll buy you a better, more expensive one for your birthday, alright?"

I let out a short mocking laugh. "A custom-made necklace for her? Seriously, who do you think she is? We must know our place in life, Landon."

I stepped closer, my voice cold. "The son-in-law of the Young family naturally belongs in elite circles, but money alone isn't enough to get you far up there, Mr. Hart."

Landon flew into a rage. "We have more important work to discuss now, Susanne. Ms. Colton has put in tremendous effort for this deal, so please get out of my office!"

He was actually shouting at me for that bimbo. I smiled coldly. "Fine. We'll see just how capable your secretary is."

Furious, Landon slammed the contract onto the desk and stormed out. Amelia flashed me a smug, triumphant smile and trotted after him in her heels.

Before the sound of her heels faded completely, I dialed a number. "Proceed as planned. Make sure Mr. Zelinsky gives them a proper welcome."

I poured myself a cup of coffee and sat by the floor-to-ceiling window. I had barely taken two sips when Landon's call came through. He was screaming so loudly I had to hold the phone away from my ear.

"You're a despicable snake, Susanne! Mr. Zelinsky publicly tore up the contract and called Amelia an escort who slept her way up! He even called me a weak man living off women, greedy for everything!

You did this, didn't you? I must've been blind to even think about marrying you!"

I set the cup down calmly. "You honestly think I can control how everyone runs their mouths? Please. If he weren't right, you wouldn't be so affected—"

"The deal's over, Susanne!" he yelled. "And Amelia ran off after being humiliated! Are you satisfied now?"

I smiled. "Satisfied? Oh, no. I'm just making sure everything is where it belongs."

Landon hung up, fuming.

I called HR and had every trace of Amelia removed from the company. At this point, I felt I had given Landon enough leeway and space to recover. As long as he behaved, we could continue.

But, as it turned out, he didn't even value the second chance I gave him.

That day, Charlie ran a fever of 101.3 degrees Fahrenheit. He was unusually clingy, so I stayed home with him, giving him fluids and entertaining him.

Landon was about to leave, but Charlie's adorable voice stopped him. "Daddy, stay!"

He hesitated for a moment, then finally sat down. Watching Charlie's satisfied smile, I felt I had done the right thing in giving Landon a second chance.

Suddenly, the sharp ringing of his phone tore through the warm moment.

Amelia's sobs rang out. "Mr. Hart, someone is stalking me! The internet is calling me an escort, a bootlicker, and a homewrecker! Is your wife that determined to ruin my life? Please, Mr. Hart, just tell her I won't come near you again. Ask her to leave me alone!"

I looked up but continued playing with Charlie. Amelia being harassed was exactly what I expected, but it wasn't nearly as bad as she claimed.

Landon, however, was livid. He slammed his phone onto the coffee table, causing Charlie to scream in fright. Instead of calming him, he pointed his finger at me.

"That's enough, Susanne!" he shouted. "I'm tired of you acting as if you can toy with everyone at will! You've already driven Amelia away, so why won't you stop? I married you, but I didn't sell myself to you. Who gave you the right to control every part of my life?"

I couldn't take it anymore. I pointed toward the door and snarled, "Take this outside if you're going to be yelling like a madman! You're scaring our son!"

Landon sneered. "The more you terrorize her, the more I'm going to protect her!"

With that, he ignored Charlie's cries and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. I watched his retreating figure, my gaze darkening. Landon had truly lost his mind.

After putting Charlie to bed, I turned on my laptop. The whole morning's uproar about Amelia climbing the ladder as a homewrecker had completely vanished by the afternoon.

To protect that bimbo, Lando had actually mobilized the company's PR. How ridiculous.

I wanted to ignore it, yet I discovered he had issued an official statement in the company's name. The statement praised Amelia's professional abilities, condemned malicious rumors, and threatened legal action against the perpetrators.

At the same time, the HR department sent a message to my phone.

Landon had officially appointed Amelia as Operations Manager, giving her an independent office on the senior management floor and the benefits of a Vice President.

My secretary also sent me photos from Amelia's social media, showing her smugly flaunting her promotion. She wore a custom-made gown and that glaring necklace.

I stared at the messages on my phone and let out an exasperated laugh. Since Landon insisted on spoiling this parasite, he had no one to blame once things went down.

I went to the company to deal with all the mess. After doing so, I rushed home, only to find that Charlie was missing. Panicked, I asked the nanny, who tremblingly said, "Mr. Hart came home and… took Mr. Charlie with him…"

My rage boiled over. When my secretary told me Landon had gone to the amusement park, I raced over without a second thought. What I saw ultimately stopped me in my tracks.

Landon and Amelia were up ahead, whispering closely to each other, oblivious to Charlie stumbling behind them. His flushed face was slick with sweat. He cried, trying to catch up.

"Daddy… Slow… Pain… Wait for me…"

Suddenly, Amelia stopped in her tracks, her lips curling into a vicious smile. Charlie ran straight into her legs and fell hard to the ground. He froze for a second before bursting into a wailing cry.

Landon instinctively reached to help, but Amelia spoke in feigned innocence. "Mr. Hart, did he just pretend to fall and cry because he dislikes me?"

At her words, Landon pulled his hand back and scolded Charlie, "Ms. Colton was just being nice, bringing you out for some fun. Why would you pretend to fall? You're being a bad boy, Charlie!"

I rushed forward and scooped Charlie into my arms. He was crying so hard he was trembling. Rage nearly consumed me.

Landon's expression shifted, and he tried to explain, "Amy said I shouldn't have left while Charlie was sick, so she suggested I bring him to the amusement park to make it up to him…"

I glared coldly at him. "He just turned two! What's he even supposed to do at an amusement park? Was it to watch you two lovebirds show off, or was he meant to be tripped on purpose by her?"

The air stilled. Amelia's smug smile froze. Landon's eyes widened in disbelief, anger flashing across his features. "Don't you dare twist her kindness into something malicious! We were just—"

I held Charlie, still shaking from fear, and cut Landon off. "I'm divorcing you!"