I suspected my husband's young assistant had signed up for some kind of socialite training program, all so she could try to become his mistress.

She didn't call him "Mr. Anderson." She called him "Cocoa" because he loved drinking mocha lattes. It was her way of making herself seem special.

Whenever he assigned her work, she didn't even move. She would just throw him a flirtatious look, twist her body into some exaggerated pose, and say, "What, you need me?" with a pout.

In the end, I couldn't take it anymore. I told Perry Anderson to fire her.

The second I said it, Faye Dawson leaned right into his ear and whined, "I know, I messed up. Don't be mad. I'll give you a kiss and make it better, okay?"

And somehow, Perry actually fell for it. He smoothed things over like it was nothing.

"Honey, Faye's a socialite. That's just how she is. Try to be a little more understanding."

Fine. If he wanted to protect that fake socialite and throw away the real one, then he could forget about the billion-dollar contract from my father.

"Babe, Faye's got that soft, charming personality clients love. Everyone says work feels easier when she's around. If we fire her, can you really handle keeping the clients happy with that tough-girl attitude of yours?"

Perry Anderson's words sent a chill straight through me. Something dull seemed to be sawing back and forth across my chest.

Back when Perry was just a broke nobody, I had ignored my billionaire father's objections and married him anyway.

My mother passed away when I was young. My father raised me like I was his whole world, training me to be a real high-society daughter. Music, art, etiquette, cooking, I mastered all of it.

But for Perry, I traded my heels for flats and ran myself ragged, chasing investors and pulling in clients. All he had to do was stay in the lab and focus on his robotics research.

He used to hold my hand and promise, "You've stood by me while I built my future. I'll give you the world in return."

But the moment his company went public, everything changed.

Faye Dawson had nothing but a pretty face and a sweet mouth, yet he placed her in the most important position in the company, as if she were some kind of treasure.

Meanwhile, I spent every day cleaning up her messes, smiling through clenched teeth as I patched things up with clients she offended with her fake charm.

Those clients only held back because of my father's influence and the connections I built over the years.

But in Perry's eyes, all of that credit went to Faye.

To him, the company could survive without me but not without her.

I let out a sharp laugh, the anger I had been holding in finally breaking loose.

"Perry, do you really think going public means you're untouchable now? Do you have any idea how competitive the market is? Clients want professionalism and sincerity, not some assistant twisting in weird angles and batting her eyes like that's going to seal a deal."

Perry frowned, irritation clear in his eyes.

"What era are you living in? Your mindset is outdated, Wanda. These days, it's all about emotional value."

The moment he said that, Faye jumped in, draping herself over his arm like she didn't have a spine.

"He's right. I'm young and pretty, and I know how to read people. Clients love me. Unlike you, always so serious, scaring everyone away."

She even winked her carefully made-up eyes at me, smug as could be.

Perry reached up and gently patted her head, his voice soft as if he were soothing a child.

"You're the best."

Then he turned to me, his expression hardening, his tone turning cold and condescending.

"You should learn from Faye. Stop acting like you're always ready to pick a fight."

Learn from her?

What, learn to call my husband "Cocoa"? Learn to pose and flirt in front of clients?

The thought made my stomach turn.

Whatever warmth I still felt for him shattered completely in that moment.

Fine.

Looking at the two of them, I suddenly felt nothing at all.

"Alright," I said, slow and clear. "If Faye's so amazing, then let's get divorced. I'm done being the CEO's wife."

Perry froze for a second, then let out a mocking laugh, as if I had just told the funniest joke in the world. He looked me up and down with pure contempt, completely certain of himself.

"Fine. Let's divorce. I'd like to see how long a useless country girl like you lasts without me."

After leaving Perry's company, I called my father.

The second he picked up, my tears broke loose. Years of swallowed hurt came rushing out all at once, and all I could choke out was, "Dad, I want to cancel the billion-dollar order. I'm divorcing Perry."

After I cut ties with my family to marry him, I had gone back and begged my father for that massive order to help Perry.

Even after years of no contact, my father still couldn't bear to turn me away. He agreed without hesitation.

Now that I had finally come to my senses, he could finally breathe easy. Still, his voice shook with both anger and heartbreak.

"Great! Get it done as quickly as possible. You finally see him for what he is. Don't worry. I've got you. That brat is going to regret this!"

I hung up, his anger still echoing in my ears, but I slowly calmed down.

Canceling the order outright would be letting them off too easily.

After talking it through with my father, we decided not only to keep the billion-dollar deal in place, but to have his most trusted assistant, Jenson Abbott, approach Faye with an unusually eager attitude.

Faye, of course, took it as proof that her so-called socialite charm had completely won over the client. She went all in, showing off every trick she had picked up from that training program.

Leaning forward, deliberately showing off her collarbone, she spoke in a sugary voice to Jenson, a man who had seen decades of business ups and downs.

"Mr. Abbott, don't worry. Anderson Corporation values its reputation above everything. I'll personally make sure you're satisfied with this partnership."

Jenson calmly adjusted his glasses and responded in a neutral, businesslike tone. "Since you're so sincere, Ms. Dawson, there's no need to rush into something as crude as a deposit. It might hurt the goodwill between both sides."

Hearing that, Faye became even more convinced of her own irresistible charm. Right there on the spot, she patted her chest and ordered production to start immediately.

When Perry found out, not only did he see nothing wrong, but he also treated Faye like a miracle sent from heaven. That very night, he brought her home without a hint of shame, showing off right in front of me.

"I told you, Faye's the real deal. That's how a true socialite gets things done. She scored a billion-dollar deal, just like that. That's way better than you, grinding away like some workhorse."

He wrapped an arm around her, openly belittling me, and then added something even more disgusting.

"And she's just as impressive in bed."

I had been busy these past few days taking over parts of my father's business, getting familiar with operations, so I hadn't been home. I never expected that the two of them would turn my house into their little love nest.

I looked at them coldly.

"Get out. This is my house."

Faye's eyes immediately turned red. She shrank into Perry's arms, her voice trembling like she was on the verge of tears.

"Please don't be mad, Wanda… I've just been so exhausted. There's so much to handle with the order, and I couldn't keep up. I only came here to rest for a bit…"

Perry pointed straight at me.

"What's your problem? Do you have any conscience at all? Who do you think she's working this hard for? And instead of comforting her, you're kicking her out?"

I let out a sharp laugh.

"I have no conscience? Ever since she took over, I've been cleaning up after her every single day. I was the one apologizing and winning back all the clients she pissed off. So how did all the credit end up being hers?"

The moment Faye heard that, she lifted her head from his arms and snapped back without hesitation.

"If you think I stole your credit, then fine! All those client orders you recovered, we don't need any of them. With this billion-dollar deal, who cares about those scraps?"

Perry didn't even pause before agreeing.

"Faye's right. With a deal like that, those small orders don't matter."

Looking at the two of them, completely blinded by greed and vanity, I felt nothing but a cold laugh rising in my chest.

Fine. They said it themselves.

The clients whose orders I had canceled started calling one after another.

I redirected every single one of those orders to a few of my father's longtime business partners.

Over the phone, the senior executives and clients were all smiles, their voices full of satisfaction.

When I hung up, I felt completely at ease.

This kind of give-and-take, this way of handling people, was something my father had taught me step by step long before I ever married Perry.

Not long after, someone from Anderson Corporation who had been there for years passed me an update.

Faye was showing off her figure that she was so proud of, swaying in front of the production director, Derek Freeman.

"Mr. Freeman, when will my order be ready? Cocoa's waiting on it."

Derek kept a friendly smile on his face as he played along. "Don't worry, Ms. Dawson. We'll rush it for you. Top quality, guaranteed."

Seeing how easy she was to fool, he skipped the quality inspection process entirely.

The funny part was that Faye actually believed her charm was doing all the work. Every day, she went to Perry to take credit, saying she was managing everything so well that production efficiency had improved.

Perry was more than happy to hear it. He praised her nonstop, practically putting her on a pedestal.

On the delivery day for the billion-dollar order, Perry rented out the most luxurious hotel ballroom in the city and threw a massive celebration in Faye's honor. He invited media and industry insiders, eager to show the whole world that he had found himself the perfect partner, someone beautiful and capable.

By the time I arrived, the event was already underway.

A staff member at the entrance recognized me. A flicker of contempt and amusement crossed his face.

"Ms. Black, you're no longer part of the Andersons. Without an invitation, you can't go in."

I didn't bother arguing. I pulled out the embossed invitation from my bag and held it up in front of him.

"Take a good look. See whose invitation this is."

The moment he saw the name of my father's company on it, his face went pale. It was the client behind the billion-dollar deal, Black Group.

He practically stumbled out of my way, panic flashing across his face.

He wanted to rush inside and warn Perry, but the ceremony had already started, and Perry was on stage. There was no way through the crowd.

Up on stage, Perry was glowing with pride, one arm around Faye's waist as he passionately listed off her so-called achievements.

His gaze swept across the room and landed squarely on me.

"Everyone, there's someone else I'd like to introduce today."

He pointed straight at me, and instantly, every eye in the ballroom turned my way.

"That's my ex-wife, Wanda Black. Some people say I'm ungrateful, but business is war. What a company needs is someone who can fight through challenges, not a dead weight who holds me back with outdated thinking. Thankfully, I met Faye."

He looked at her with affection.

"With her talent and charm, she secured this billion-dollar deal for our company. That proves I made the right choice."

The room erupted.

Those who didn't know the truth pointed at me, their eyes filled with judgment.

A few senior executives who did know quietly stepped closer, giving me gentle pats on the shoulder in silent support.

I met Perry's provocative gaze and smiled.

"Mr. Anderson, Ms. Dawson, I wish you both a long and happy future together. I hope you don't regret it."