For the first time, a female intern appeared beside my husband—the CEO who had always kept his distance from women.

She looked harmless, sweet even, with a pair of wide, innocent eyes that begged for guidance. And Nathaniel Langford gave it to her—step by step, patiently, until he drowned in the glow of her worship.

She was spoiled. She pouted and insisted on a high-end custom bag—the kind with my name engraved on it.

Nathaniel chuckled indulgently.

“This is the first time she’s asked me for something,” he said, wrapping an arm around my waist. “Baby, you already have too many bags. Let her have this one, just this once.”

I didn’t respond. I signed the bill with a flick of my wrist and walked out of the store with the bag in hand.

He chased after me, gently tugged me into his arms, coaxing.

“Come on, is a little intern really worth all this jealousy? You know my heart only holds you.”

But three years later, that heart turned to stone.

My parents’ company collapsed. Both of them leapt from their office building, leaving nothing but blood and debts behind. I was a wreck—broken, grieving—when Nathaniel threw a bag at my feet.

The same bag.

Blood-soaked.

He looked down at me and said coldly,

“I arranged everything. The bankruptcy, their deaths. You liked custom bags, didn’t you? This one’s made of crocodile skin... and your parents’ old faces.”

“You’re insane!” I screamed, reeling in disbelief.

But the weight of it all crushed me. I jumped from the rooftop that night—ready to end it all.

Only… I woke up.

Back in that store. Back in the moment when Delilah Vance, the intern, was begging for my bag.

This time, I handed it over without hesitation. Then stepped aside and made a call.

“Brother,” I said coolly, “I need a favor.”

——

“Mr. Langford,” Delilah chirped, holding the bag up to Nathaniel. “This bag is sooo pretty. Can I have it, please?”

She grabbed the custom-made bag like it was hers by right. When I turned around, I saw Nathaniel’s familiar smile—gentle, but lined with authority.

In my past life, he destroyed my family, stripped away my sanity, and desecrated my parents’ corpses.

I swallowed the rising bile.

“Elena is new. She doesn’t know the rules yet,” he said softly.

“But it’s her first request, and I already promised her. You have more bags than you can carry anyway—can’t you let her have just this one?”

Before I could answer, the girl looked at me with wide, watery eyes and bit her lip.

“Boss, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were married… Did I cause trouble?”

She turned to him, voice trembling.

“Your wife looks upset. Is she mad at me for taking her bag? If so, I don’t want it anymore…”

Tears rolled down her cheeks like loose change.

Nathaniel frowned, about to speak, but I gently pressed the bag into her arms and patted her shoulder.

“You already stole the man,” I said lightly. “What’s a bag compared to that?”

The sales clerk raised an eyebrow in disdain, as if suddenly realizing who was truly pathetic in this situation.

The girl’s tears came harder. “No—I didn’t steal anything!”

Nathaniel rushed to soothe her.

I just stood there, cold and distant, and dialed the phone again. On the other end, a familiar lazy drawl greeted me.

“Adrian,” I said with a smile, “I need a favor.”

When I hung up, I caught Nathaniel watching me, a frown tugging at his brow.

“Who were you talking to? You look… pleased.”

“Just my sister,” I replied smoothly. “She asked me out for afternoon tea.”

He didn’t question it. Since marrying him, I’d lived like a docile, full-time wife. My social circle was tiny—everyone I knew was under his thumb.

His shoulders relaxed. He offered a helpless smile.

“Baby, when did you become so petty? Getting worked up over a little intern?”

“Okay, I was wrong this time. I promise—it won’t happen again…”

His tone was soft, almost pleading.

“And if there’s anything you want lately, just say the word. Whatever it is, your husband will sign off on it for you.”

They’d been glued together at the company for the past six months. Everyone had seen the way they hid behind the privacy curtains of the president’s office—whispers of their intimacy spreading like wildfire through the halls.

He flaunted her on every high-end occasion, never once hiding her existence. She was his precious treasure, wrapped in silk and guarded like gold. Not even a fly was allowed near her.

And now he casually bought her a custom bag worth three hundred thousand dollars—without blinking. Yet he still had the audacity to call her “just an insignificant intern.”

In the past, I would’ve exploded. I couldn’t stand the tiniest grain of sand in my eye—much less a mistress.

But after everything in my previous life, I learned: she was Nathaniel’s reverse scale—the one thing that must not be touched.

So I swallowed my pride. I gave in.

I quietly sent my parents abroad and took over the family business.

Nathaniel, too preoccupied with the girl, never noticed my silent maneuvers.

One morning, the old housekeeper, Mrs. Watkins, gave me a kind reminder.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into the master lately. He’s always out, coming home less and less. Madam, you should keep an eye on him. Don’t let those women outside seduce him completely.”

I forced a smile.

Nathaniel had been flaunting his new love like a trophy. Lavish spending, yacht parties that lasted until sunrise, and a villa in the city that was more extravagant than a royal palace.

He even arranged a golden path for her family. Her good-for-nothing brother was now a group company manager. How convenient.

There’s no resisting a powerful, mature man who knows how to pursue what he wants.

Mrs. Watkins must have noticed the pain on my face, because she quickly changed her tone.

“Men… they’re all a little slippery. But sir has been faithful for years. Compared to most, he’s done well. As long as he’s not causing trouble at home—”

Before she could finish, Nathaniel appeared at the door, hand-in-hand with Delilah. His eyes were sharp, his voice colder than steel.

“Elena, I thought you were different from other women. I didn’t expect you to gossip behind people’s backs.”

Before I could respond, he led Delilah into the living room and settled her beside him on the sofa—like a couple claiming their home.

“I was worried about her living alone,” he said. “After thinking about it, it’s safer for her to stay here.”

Then he turned to me with a smile that felt more like a command.

“She’s still young. Look after her, would you? Make sure she doesn’t get too thin.”

I nodded, lips stretched into a polite smile. Then I turned and headed for the kitchen.

But I didn’t get far.

“No need to prep another room,” he said behind me. “She’ll be staying with me.”

I froze.

For five years of marriage, Nathaniel had never allowed anyone to sleep beside him. Even at the height of passion, he always pulled away the moment it was over—calmly wiping himself clean, tossing the towel aside, and walking away without a word.

But now, suddenly, he wanted someone next to him.

He’d fallen for her. Completely.

That night, as I passed his room, I heard the unmistakable sound of breathy moans and soft gasps.

Then her voice, sticky sweet:

“Mr. Langford, if you want… Delilah is willing…”

A pause. Then a kiss, deep and smothering.

His voice came out low, trembling with restraint:

“Silly girl. Go to sleep.”

Moments later, I heard the door to the bathroom click shut, followed by the sound of running water—loud and long.

He was holding back.

He loved her so much, he couldn’t even bring himself to touch her.

I bit down hard on my lower lip, drawing blood, and quietly slipped into his study.

In my past life, the fatal blow that destroyed my parents' company had come from a single document—a top-secret file hidden deep in his records.

The file contained highly confidential business intel—enough to crush Whitmore Holdings if it fell into the wrong hands.

This time, I wouldn’t let that happen.

I would take it first. I would be prepared.

But the moment I sat down at the desk, my breath hitched.

The wedding photo of Nathaniel and me was gone—replaced by a framed picture of Delilah, smiling with wide, innocent eyes.

It was a quiet, brutal declaration: my marriage was over.

I pushed the bitterness down and began searching through the drawers until I found the file.

Locked.

There was a password.

Panic clawed up my throat as I tried every possible code tied to Nathaniel—his birthday, mine, anniversaries, his mother’s name—but nothing worked.

Then, without thinking, my fingers tapped out a random string of numbers.

The screen flashed.

Password correct.

My heart stopped.

It was the day Nathaniel met Delilah.

Suddenly, everything blurred.

A soft voice broke the silence behind me.

“It’s late. Still awake, baby?”

I turned. He leaned against the door, half-smiling, mischief dancing in his eyes.

“Are you jealous, baby?” he asked, stepping into the room.

I took a deep breath and met his gaze coldly.

“You said she was just an insignificant intern.”

He shrugged, the look on his face strangely helpless. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Every time I see her, I feel… happy. I want to be near her all the time. It’s like I’ve been poisoned.”

Then he stepped closer, lowering his voice.

“But don’t worry. No one will ever replace you in my heart.”

He brushed against me deliberately, voice dipping even lower.

“Baby… It’s been a long time since we’ve been together. Don’t you want to?”

Disgust flashed through me.

I stepped back and pulled out a document I’d prepared earlier. “Here,” I said.

He raised an eyebrow, amused. “What’s this? Something you want? Fine, I’ll buy it for you. Anything at all.”

Without even reading it, he scrawled his signature across the page.

Goal achieved, I ducked under his arm and slipped past him, feigning fatigue.

“I’m tired. Maybe next time.”

Other women might burn themselves just to keep a man warm.

I wouldn’t be one of them.

Behind my back, I clutched the divorce agreement, a sharp thrill rising in my chest.

I was finally free.

---

A week later, Nathaniel flew abroad for a business reception. Delilah couldn’t join him—her passport application hadn’t come through yet.

So she stayed. And she made herself right at home.

She gave orders to the servants like a queen in her palace, sticking her nose in every corner of the house.

Grumbling spread like wildfire.

Mrs. Watkins came rushing to me one morning, flustered and out of breath.

“Madam, you must come quickly! Miss Vance said the cherry blossom tree in the courtyard was an eyesore and insisted on moving it. We tried to stop her, but she dragged a ladder over and climbed it herself. She says she’s ‘trimming the branches bit by bit!’”

My heart dropped.

That cherry blossom tree had been planted by my parents on our wedding day. They said it would protect me for life.

Now, Delilah was up there with garden shears, pretending to prune, but really just staking her claim.

I rushed outside and stood beneath the ladder.

“Come down,” I said calmly.

She glanced at me, defiant.

But then she spotted something behind me—a shadow moving in the distance.

She let out a sudden scream and threw herself backward.

“Ahhh!”

I watched, stunned, as she fell dramatically—straight into Nathaniel’s waiting arms.

The ladder buckled and slammed into me.

Pain exploded in my skull. Blood trickled down my forehead.

I staggered, trying to stay upright, as Nathaniel’s enraged voice pierced the air.

“Elena! Must you always make things difficult for her?”

“She fell from that height! She could’ve died!”

My voice trembled as I tried to speak.

“It… it was an accident. I didn’t—”

“Don’t play innocent!” he snapped. “I know that ladder was replaced recently. You had someone grease the steps. You wanted her to fall. You wanted her hurt!”