For the first time, my always-aloof CEO husband had a female intern clinging to his side. The shy, inexperienced girl was so innocent that it made others feel sorry for her.

He had always stayed by her side, shaped by her care and slowly lost himself in the way she looked at him with such admiration.

Emboldened by his tenderness, the little girl pointed at a luxury, custom-made handbag, the very one that had long been marked with my name.

Drake smiled indulgently and said, "It’s the first time she’s ever asked me for something. Baby, you have so many bags you can’t even carry them all. Why don’t you let her have this one?"

I stayed silent, signed the bill without a pause, then turned and walked away, bag in hand.

Drake caught up to me immediately and pulled me into his arms with practiced gentleness.

“She’s just an insignificant intern—are you really jealous of her? Baby, you know you’re the only one in my heart.”

Three years later, my parents’ company collapsed and both of them jumped to end their lives.

When I broke down, Drake tossed a bloody bag in front of me, looked down and said it was all his doing.

"Didn’t you love custom-made handbags? Crocodile skin, ostrich skin... but nothing's more thrilling than the skin off your parents’ old faces."

"You’re insane, Drake!"

Unable to bear the endless pain, I jumped from the rooftop.

But when I opened my eyes, I was back on the day Meghan Kardashian argued with me over the handbag.

This time, I quietly handed it to her and stepped aside to make a call.

"Little brother, I need a favor."

——

"President Hemsworth, this bag is so pretty. I want this one too, okay?"

The brand-new custom handbag was snatched from my hands. I turned in shock—and once again, came face-to-face with Drake Hemsworth.

In my past life, he had ruined my parents, driven them to their deaths and stripped away their faces without remorse.

I swallowed the hatred rising within me.

"Zendaya Hadid, the new intern doesn’t know the rules yet."

“But it’s the first time she’s asked me for something and I already gave her my word. You have more bags than you can even carry. Why not let her have this one?”

His voice was calm, but the authority in it was clear.

Before I could respond, the young girl looked at me apologetically, her nose slightly wrinkled. “Madam, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you were his wife… Did I cause any trouble?”

“You look a little upset, is it because I took your bag? If it is, I don’t need it anymore…”

Her voice trembled as she spoke, eyes turning red with tears.

Drake frowned, about to say something, when I shoved the bag into her arms and gently patted her shoulder.

“You’ve already taken the man. What’s a bag? No need to feel guilty.”

The sales associate’s scornful look crushed her.

She burst into tears, shaking her head with a hurt expression.

“No. I’ve never taken anything from anyone…”

Drake panicked, fumbling to comfort her.

With that, I stepped aside, watching with cold indifference, then turned to make a call.

The moment that familiar lazy voice answered, a wave of calm washed over me.

“Nick Hadid, I need a favor.”

When I ended the call, Drake noticed the faint smile lingering on my lips and frowned in displeasure.

"Who were you talking to that made you so happy?"

"Nobody. It’s just one of my friends inviting me out for afternoon tea." I lied with ease and he didn’t suspect a thing.

Ever since marrying him, I had lived as a full-time housewife, completely cut off from the outside world. Everyone I once knew was now under his control.

His frown softened a little and he gave a helpless smile.

“Baby, since when did you get so petty? All worked up over a random intern?”

"Alright, it’s my fault this time. I promise it won’t happen again..."

"And hey, if there’s anything you’ve had your eye on lately, just let me know, your husband will take care of the bill!"

They were inseparable at the office. Everyone had seen their intimate silhouettes behind the privacy curtain in the CEO’s office.

He never bothered to hide it, taking her to high-end events and shielding her as if she were untouchable. Not even a fly could get close.

And now, without so much as a frown, he bought her a three-million-dollar bag, then had the nerve to call her an “insignificant intern.”

In the past, with my fiery temper and zero tolerance for betrayal, I would’ve caused a scene.

But after living through my past life, I knew one thing: she was Drake’s reverse scale, the one thing no one could touch.

Backing off was the wise choice.

So I moved my parents overseas and quietly took full control of the family business.

Drake’s whole heart was wrapped around that girl, so he never noticed the quiet moves I was making behind the scenes.

“Sir hasn’t been home much lately. In my opinion, madam, you should be more cautious. Don’t let some woman out there steal your husband’s soul,” Gigi, the housekeeper, gently reminded me.

I gave her a faint, bitter smile.

These days, Drake had been flaunting that little girl everywhere, spending without restraint.

A yacht worth tens of millions, he bought it without a blink. The party on board lasted until dawn and even then, he couldn’t bear to let it end.

The villa in the city center was more lavish than a palace.

Even though her family was thoroughly taken care of, her useless brother was suddenly promoted to a manager in the group company.

A mature, wealthy CEO pursuing someone so openly, who could resist?

Seeing the dark look on my face, Gigi quickly softened her voice to console me.

"Men... they all stray a little. Sir has kept himself clean for so many years; he’s already better than most. As long as it doesn’t stir trouble at home, it’s not the end of the world..."

Before she could finish, she was abruptly cut off.

Drake stood at the doorway, holding Meghan’s hand, his gaze locked onto me.

"Zendaya, I really thought you were different from the rest. I didn’t expect you to stoop to gossiping behind someone’s back."

Before I could say anything, he pulled Meghan to the sofa and sat down, as if the two of them were the real master and mistress of the house.

“She’s living alone and I worry. After thinking it over, I decided she should stay here, it’s safer.”

“She’s still young, so look after her properly. Don’t let her get too thin under my watch.”

I gave a faint smile and nodded, turning to head into the kitchen, only to be stopped by his voice again.

“No need to prepare a separate room. She’ll be staying with me.”

My body froze, a sharp pain tightening in my chest.

He was never one to share his bed, even after five years of marriage, we had always slept in separate rooms.

No matter how drained he was after our passionate nights, he would always pull away in the end, toss the towel he used to clean himself and walk off without a word.

But now, he was willing to share a room with someone else.

It seemed he had truly fallen for her.

That night, as I walked past his room, I heard soft, ambiguous gasps from within.

The girl’s voice was sweet and breathy. "President Hemsworth, if you want… Meghan is willing…" But the next second, her words were swallowed by Drake’s kiss.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice slightly held back.

“Silly girl, go to sleep early.”

Then he quickly flipped off the bed and rushed into the bathroom, the sound of running water echoing clearly.

His self-control stunned me—he loved her so much, he couldn’t even bring himself to touch her.

I bit my lip and quietly stepped into Drake Hemsworth’s study.

In my past life, the reason he was able to destroy my parents’ company so quickly was because of a top-secret document.

Inside were key business documents from our Hadid Corporation. This time, I had to move first and prepare before the storm hit.

As I sat at the desk, my eyes landed on the wedding photo. At some point, the picture of Drake and me had been replaced with one of him and Meghan.

Her smile was sweet and innocent, yet it was a harsh reminder that my marriage to Drake was over.

I swallowed the bitterness rising in my chest and quickly searched for the file. But it was locked, password-protected.

Panic rose as I tried every password Drake might’ve used, but nothing worked. On a whim, I typed in a random set of numbers.

When the screen flashed “Password Correct,” my heart skipped a beat.

It was the date he first met Meghan.

“So late and you’re still up, baby?”

Drake leaned casually against the doorway, a playful glint in his eyes.

“Baby, are you jealous?”

I took a slow breath and looked at him with a mocking smile.

“Didn’t you say she was just an insignificant intern?”

Drake shrugged with a helpless smile. "I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Just seeing her makes me feel strangely happy. I just want to be around her all the time. Baby, it’s the first time I’ve ever felt this way. Do you think I’ve been poisoned?"

"But don’t worry, in my heart, no one could ever replace you, baby…"

"Baby, it’s been a while since we… Do you want to?"

As he spoke, he leaned in, pressing against me, the desire he’d held back earlier now rushing back with force.

I quickly stepped away, disgust flickering in my eyes.

Then, I picked up the file I had prepared and handed it to him.

He lifted a brow, amused. "Got your eye on something again? Alright, alright, whatever it is, I’ll buy it for you."

Without even glancing at the contents, he signed his name with a flourish.

My goal achieved, I gently slipped out from under him, feigning fatigue.

"I’m exhausted. Maybe next time."

Let him use me to put out a fire another woman started?

Never.

Clutching the divorce papers, a wave of relief washed over me.

Very soon, I’d be free again.

The following week, Drake flew abroad to attend a business gala. Meghan couldn’t get her passport processed in time and was forced to stay behind.

She showed no restraint at all, strutting around like she owned the place, bossing every servant as if they answered to her.

She stuck her nose into everything. The entire household buzzed with complaints.

Gigi came rushing to me in a panic.

“Madam, you need to come quickly. Miss Kardashian says the crabapple tree in the yard is an eyesore and insists it has to be removed. We tried to stop her, but she grabbed a ladder herself. Now she’s up in the tree, saying she’s going to trim the branches one by one!”

That crabapple tree was planted by my parents the year I married Drake. They said it would bless us with peace and lifelong happiness.

Now, Meghan wanted to cut it back—her message couldn’t be more obvious.

I rushed out and told her to come down from the ladder.

She shot me a defiant look, but the moment she spotted someone in black in the distance, her foot slipped and with a sharp scream, she fell backward.

“Ah!”

I gasped in pain, but before I could speak, Drake’s furious voice thundered through the air.

"Zendaya! Must you always go against her?"

"Don’t you realize a fall from that height could’ve been fatal?"

I answered weakly, "It was an accident, it had nothing to do with me…"

"Don’t think I don’t know, it was you who swapped the ladder! You even had it smeared with oil! You did it on purpose. You wanted Meghan to get hurt!"