After helping my husband build his business from the ground up, I settled into life as a full-time housewife.

When our daughter's tenth birthday approached, I planned to host a grand celebration for her. I booked a party that cost 2 thousand dollars per table.

But when I swiped my card at the hotel, the staff gave me a strange look.

"Mrs. Richmond, this card doesn't even have fifty dollars in it to charge."

Flushed with embarrassment, I went home to confront my husband. He wore an apologetic expression.

"Lately, the company's been competing for contracts. The new government official is insatiably greedy, and I've had to spend a lot under the table to smooth things over. Once the funds turn around, I'll make sure our daughter gets the grand birthday she deserves."

I gave him a gentle, understanding smile—but as soon as I turned away, I began tallying our assets.

Because that so-called "new government official" was none other than my father. And in his office, there hadn't been any bids or contracts at all.

Now I intended to find out exactly where my husband had spent all our money.

That card was meant for our household expenses. Just last month, it still carried over 100,000 dollars.

When I checked the records, I found they had been deliberately erased. So I went straight to the bank and requested the full statement.

The largest expense stunned me—it was from the Hill Hotel, the very place I had visited earlier. 88,000 dollars, listed under "Birthday Party Package."

"Daddy must be planning a surprise for me, right? Mommy, let's hurry over and give him a surprise too!"

My daughter's innocent eyes sparkled with excitement, leaving me unable to think the worst of my husband, Freddy Richmond.

But when we arrived at the banquet hall, the truth hit me like a knife.

There stood Freddy in a tailored suit, smiling and chatting warmly with guests at the entrance. At his side, a woman in a striking red gown clung to his arm with practiced intimacy. They looked like a picture-perfect couple.

I recognized her instantly. She was Lisa Hamdon, his secretary, and one of the company's long-standing employees.

"Mrs. Richmond, your son looks so much like Mr. Richmond. He looks so handsome and refined, even at such a young age."

"That's right. Everyone in the company envies you two. Even after all these years, you and Mr. Richmond are still inseparable."

The flattery swirled around me, but then I noticed something else. Amid the cluster of guests stood a young boy whose features mirrored Freddy's.

"Daddy, they got the name wrong! I'm Elise, not Eugene!"

My daughter suddenly broke free from my grasp and dashed toward Freddy. Only then did I see the sign standing proudly beside the stage.

"Happy 7th Birthday to Our Beloved Son, Eugene Richmond!"

Before I could even process the words, there was a sharp thud. Lisa had pushed my daughter to the ground.

"Where did this snotty brat come from? How rude."

I rushed forward, scooping my daughter into my arms. Blood welled on Elise's scraped knee, and a white-hot fury drowned out every rational thought.

"Freddy!" My voice shook with rage. "You used our family's money to keep a mistress and raise an illegitimate child… and now you let your mistress lay a hand on Elise?"

Clutching my sobbing daughter tightly, I glared at Freddy, my chest heaving.

Lisa muttered under her breath, just loud enough for everyone to hear, "Family money? Every cent was earned through my hard work alongside Freddy. Some people are so used to living like pampered songbirds in gilded cages, they've convinced themselves they're the lady of the house."

The crowd erupted in whispers, their eyes darting between us, sharp as knives.

"Is that the mistress making a scene, bringing her illegitimate kid to crash the party?"

"Unbelievable. The nerve of her, strutting up to the wife like that. Shameless."

"Exactly. And she had a girl, too. Who knows if she'll turn out just as cheap."

The contempt, the mockery, the disdain—all of it hit me and my daughter like a thousand needles.

I finally snapped, my fury boiling over.

"What nonsense are you spewing? Lisa is the mistress! And that boy is the illegitimate child you've been hiding!"

Laughter rippled through the crowd.

A man with a beer belly swirled the liquor in his glass and sneered, "Everyone knows how many years Lisa has been by Freddy's side. She's his true partner, his capable wife."

Another woman chimed in with a smirk, "Mr. Richmond and his wife are so devoted. I'd say this woman's just here because she smelled money and wants to blackmail him."

I turned to Freddy, my voice icy. "Freddy, tell them who I am!"

At last, he opened his mouth. With a helpless smile plastered across his face, he walked toward the guests.

"My apologies, everyone. She's just our housemaid. She reads too many domineering-CEO novels and sometimes gets carried away with her fantasies."

Then he glanced at me, his eyes sharp with warning. "Valerie, please take Elise home to rest. Don't cause a scene here."

His words shocked me to my core. My husband, who had shared my bed for twelve years had, in front of everyone, branded me with an identity more humiliating than betrayal itself.

With Freddy openly standing by her, Lisa grew bolder. Her voice rose, dripping with false sympathy.

"Valerie, I know it's not easy raising a daughter alone, but this isn't the way to swindle money. How about this—you go home first, and I'll have the butler add three extra months to your wages."

The guests burst into raucous laughter.

"So the maid was trying to climb her way up? Pathetic! People will do anything for money these days."

"That little girl looks pitiful enough, stuck with a mother like that."

"A wretch's child will never be innocent. She's just as good at acting pitiful."

Lisa's lips curved in triumph. She crouched down beside Eugene and cooed, "Eugene, see that? Study hard, or you'll end up like certain people here—pathetic clowns, good for nothing."

Eugene lifted his chin, his eyes sharp and cruel, far too harsh for a child his age.

"You filthy woman, how dare you argue with my mom?"

He shoved me hard. Off guard, I stumbled back two steps and nearly fell, dragging Elise down with me.

Arrogant as a spoiled heir, Eugene declared, "My dad already said it—the Richmond Group will be mine one day! Who do you think you are, you illegitimate brat? You're not even worthy of calling him Dad!

"From now on, you'll be just like your mom—a lowly maid and nothing more!"

The guests roared with laughter, their mockery sharp as blades. Someone even clapped and called out, "Bravo, Eugene! Such ambition—you'll be great one day!"

Just then, several hotel staff walked by carrying trays. Among them was the very manager who had served me last time.

Catching sight of me, he deliberately raised his voice for all to hear.

"Well, well, if it isn't the one who called herself Mrs. Richmond, who ordered a two-thousand-per-table birthday banquet last time, only to have her card decline for even fifty dollars!"

"I knew it," his colleague snorted. "Some people love pretending to be rich ladies. But in the end, they can't keep up the act and slink away in shame."

At that, Lisa laughed derisively. "You don't have even fifty dollars to your name? No wonder you came here to make a scene."

The beer-bellied man staggered forward, his narrowed eyes sliding over me and my daughter. His tone turned lewd. "Still, you have to admit, this maid has a bit of charm. And the little girl—she's a pretty one too."

He leered and lowered his voice, though loud enough for all to hear.

"Forget about Mr. Richmond—he'll never take you. Why not come with me instead? I'll give you three hundred a month, cover your food and lodging too. How about it? Then you won't have to worry about scraping together fifty dollars ever again. I'll take you and your kid in—pretty generous of me, don't you think?"

The other guests roared with even louder laughter.

Someone jeered, "Mr. Calter is so generous! But really, isn't three hundred too much for goods like this?"

Lisa leaned into Freddy's side, joining in the mockery with a tinkling laugh.

I raised my voice, trembling with fury. "Freddy, are you really going to let them humiliate me and Elise like this?"

He stood expressionless, as if I were nothing more than a stranger.

Only when the laughter finally died down did he speak, his tone flat and impatient.

"Valerie, stop disgracing yourself here. We're celebrating Eugene's birthday party today. Take your daughter and leave now, or I'll have security escort you out."

In my arms, Elise shook violently, her tiny fingers clutching the fabric of my dress. She buried her face against my chest, too frightened to look at the sea of cruel, mocking eyes.

"Mommy… is it true? Are they right?"

Her trembling question stabbed straight through my heart, leaving me gasping for air.

Twelve years of marriage—repaid with this public shattering of dignity.

"No, no, sweetheart… Elise, don't listen to them."

I covered her ears, my throat thick with bitterness. How could I explain all this to her?

I thought back to those early days, when Freddy first started his business. We squeezed into a shabby office barely ten square meters wide.

The company couldn't afford staff, so I wore every hat—administrator, cashier, account manager.

To help him win clients, I swallowed my pride and begged every relative and acquaintance I could find.

I still remembered the day he landed his very first big client. He had spun me around in giddy excitement, then used that first pot of gold to buy me an expensive dress.

I hadn't told him then that the deal only came through because that "big client" was an old friend of my uncle.

As the company found its footing, I carried Elise. Freddy told me to stay home and rest.

"From now on, I'll take care of you. You've suffered so much for me. It's time you enjoyed life," he had said.

But now…

I looked down at the faded dress I'd worn for three years.

While Freddy stood there in a crisp tailored suit, and Lisa glowed in luxury brands from head to toe. Together, they looked like a perfect match, basking in the guests' flattery.

And I—dismissed as nothing more than a maid. Not a soul doubted it.

"Valerie," Lisa said sweetly, her tone dripping with mock compassion, "I know life must be hard for you. But your daughter is old enough to understand now. Even if you don't care about your own dignity, you shouldn't drag her down with you."

From Lisa's delicate designer purse, she drew out a neat bundle of bills, her expression smug as she held it out to me.

"I don't have much cash on me. I don't know what your troubles are, but here—take these two hundred dollars. Buy a bus ticket back to your village. Maybe even see a psychiatrist while you're at it."

As she leaned closer, her voice dropped to a whisper only I could hear. "Valerie, so what if you met Freddy before me? The one unloved is always the third wheel."

Then, with a dramatic little cry of "Oops!" she let go of the bundle.

The bills slapped across my face before scattering across the floor in a humiliating spray.

Lisa smiled without a hint of regret, her gaze condescending. "Sorry… slipped right out of my hand."

The beer-bellied vice president bellowed with laughter. "Now that's the true Mrs. Richmond! Magnanimous, full of class!"

Freddy cast me a cold, dismissive glance. "Pick it up, and leave."

My rage burned so hot it twisted into a laugh.

"Two hundred? You think that's enough to buy me off? Freddy, tell me, when your company was nothing but a struggling startup, how do you think you won those projects?"