“Because of what happened last night, Stephanie was targeted and excluded everywhere in the company.”

After hearing his complaint, I picked up the spoon and scooped myself some soup without even raising my eyelids.

“What's wrong? She's the CEO's secretary, can't she handle such a small matter?”

Harvey directly argued, “I just want you to take care of your people and stop making things difficult for a little girl like her.”

Due to an implicit business rule, we each had our own people in the other's company.

What Harvey meant was that my people were deliberately targeting Stephanie to stand up for me.

Last night’s annual meeting, which was a joint event between the two groups with nearly all employees in attendance, would inevitably lead to Stephanie being criticized for her actions.

I stirred the spoon and took a sip of the soup, before answering, “First, I did not instruct anyone to target or exclude your secretary. You should know that is not my method or style.

“Secondly, if anyone is to blame for what happened to her today, it's her own lack of sense of propriety and boundaries.

“Harvey, you still don't understand human nature well enough. Your tolerance and indulgence towards her will sooner or later create more enemies for her. It's you who will harm her, not me.”

Stephanie, who had been silent all this time, suddenly took two steps forward and spoke anxiously, “Please don’t be mad at Mr. Collins, Mrs. Collins. 

“I was indeed inconsiderate about what happened yesterday. It was the first time I received such an expensive gift and I was so happy that I offended you. I apologize.”

I was stunned for a moment and laughed, “Harvey, your secretary is really interesting. She is indeed brave to protect his Boss more than anyone else.”

I did not accept Stephanie's insincere apology, nor did I step forward to stop my people from targeting her.

As a result, Stephanie's grievances and tears hurt Harvey's nerves.

He lost control of his emotions for the first time, got angry at me and smashed the soup bowl at my feet.

He also asked me to apologize to Stephanie.

But I did nothing wrong, why should I apologize?

In the end, Harvey and I parted on bad terms.

That afternoon, Harvey took Stephanie on a business trip and left that place of trouble.

While I just enjoyed my time hanging out with my best friend in the evening. She complained that I was living too smartly.

That was why a silly beauty like Stephanie caught Harvey's eye.

However, my current attitude was shaped by the weight of past memories. 

My mother passed away when I was young and my father never remarried. 

From an early age, I was groomed to be the successor in my family, carrying the responsibility of securing our future. 

Because of that, I learned early on that softness and vulnerability were obstacles to my progress. 

For thirty years, I adhered firmly to the principle. 

At first, I thought Harvey would understand, but instead, it drained him and eventually, he stopped loving me. 

But that was fine. I never truly loved him either. I had no desire for what was never meant to be mine.

“I went to Collins Group today to take a look at this secretary. At first glance, she looks like your figure, especially her eyes and dimples. They look a lot like you.

“I really don't understand what's going on in Harvey's mind. He doesn't care about the real you, but instead tries to please a fake one. Does he love you or not?” Claire asked in confusion.

I indeed felt a sense of familiarity as if there was a mountain mist between us when I first met Stephanie.

So, I sneered, “Who knows? Maybe the fake one is more gentle, considerate and understanding.”

Since I had a bad headache after that, Claire decided to take me home.

She was afraid that I would feel uncomfortable, so she drove very slowly throughout the journey.

“The divorce agreement has been drafted. When are you going to tell Harvey about it?” she asked in the middle of the journey.

I directly answered without thinking, “Maybe in the middle of the month. He will definitely come back to have dinner with his grandfather.”

In the middle of every month, we would return to the Collins Family’s old house without fail to have a simple meal with the elderly, so it was the perfect time to discuss it.

Divorce with Harvey was no small matter. So, I had to take advantage of the time to reserve all possible escape routes for myself.

Stephanie had been busy updating her Instagrams several times a day.

From the photo with the domineering boss, work overtime with him until late at night and stand together on the most magnificent building in the city and overlook the earth.

She also wrote that it was her first time to experience skydiving, her first time to feel the real underwater world and her first time to see the beauty of the aurora.

The experiences and surprises from the business trip brought her were things she would never be able to achieve in her entire life.

But in the past, I was the only one who accompanied Harvey to do those things.

So, the way my colleagues looked at me was cautious but sympathetic at that moment.

Harvey conceded that Stephanie was using that method to disgust me.

However, if it was really true, it was really murderous and heartbreaking.

For several days, it was only Claire who lived and ate with me, assisting with the legal affairs department in handling the financial division issues with Harvey.

One day, she stormed into the office holding a file bag and grumbled, “Claudine, Harvey is really too much.”

I was in the middle of signing a business document when I heard that. So, I simply looked up, only to find Claudine on the verge of exploding with anger.

“What's wrong? Is he back?”

Claudine slapped the file bag on the desk. There was a USB and several photos of Harvey and Stephanie lying in the hotel's couple suite slid out.

Harvey was shirtless, with an ambiguous red mark on his chest that was particularly eye-catching.

Finally, she answered my question, “The person hasn't come back yet, but the nude photos have.”

My straight shoulders slowly drooped and my heart felt like it was being held captive by something, causing waves of pain.

With slightly trembling fingers, I picked up the USB and inserted it into the laptop in front of me.

At dusk, on the open-air balcony on the top floor of the hotel, Harvey held Stephanie's face and looked at her almost obsessively.

Behind them was the sky dyed orange by the setting sun.

The sunset glows like a weave and the lovers embrace each other, just like a moving picture spread across the sky.

When the two were about to kiss, I raised my hand and closed the laptop.

I trembled uncontrollably when I asked, “Who sent it?”

“It was sent by courier and received by the front desk,” Claire directly answered with anger in her face.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Only after I meticulously put the photos back into the file bag and put them in the drawer did I regain my composure.

“Don't make this public. Find out who sent the package.”

But Claire directly gave me a clue, “Who else could it be? It must be that shameless Stephanie, who is crazy about getting promoted.”

I also thought about it at first, since the angle of the video looked like a candid shot rather than a staged one.

But whoever the person was, I had one conclusion. It was not a business trip, but their honeymoon.

Fortunately, tomorrow was the middle of the month. It was the perfect time to put an end to all these bad people and bad things.

The next day, Harvey returned to the company and had an important morning meeting. 

It turned out, he promptly fired the three employees who had previously ridiculed Stephanie the most. Two of them are my people.

I was not surprised that Harvey defended Stephanie so blatantly. After all, they were already sleeping in the same bed.

What surprised me was that he actually brought Stephanie to attend the family dinner in the evening.

Stephanie even took advantage of the business trip to bring a lot of gifts for my mother-in-law, all of which were good things for health.

She really catered to her preferences and made my mother-in-law very happy.

After seeing me arrive, my mother-in-law asked someone to invite my father-in-law and Harvey who were talking in the study and prepare for the banquet.

Then, she took my hand and started chattering about some trivial things.

However, as Harvey came to the restaurant, he glanced at me slightly and then looked away.

Stephanie followed him and sat next to him, the seat I usually sat in.

Actually, Harvey was stunned for a moment, but he did not object.

So, it angered me so much. After all, we had not divorced yet and were still a legal couple.

His behavior, constantly keeping a female secretary by his side and even daring to bring her into our home, taking the position that rightfully belonged to me, was utterly unacceptable.

It was definitely a slap in my face. But the secret joy on Stephanie 's face was obvious.

So, I was amused by this funny scene.

My mother-in-law pulled me, patted her other side and said with a kind smile, “Come, sit here. “Today I made you a fish and chicken soup. You must try it. It's so delicious.”

My mother-in-law was my mother's best friend and had always been very nice to me. That was why, I could not help feeling a little sad when I was about to talk divorce.

But I had no choice. It was not my fault who made the relationship come to an end.

I held my mother-in-law's hand and patted the back of her hand, “Mom, I won't be attending the dinner tonight. I'm here because I have something very important to say.”

In an instant, my mother-in-law's smile froze on her face, “Is it can't be discussed after dinner, Claudine?”

I shook my head, turned to look at Harvey and said what I had been holding in my heart for many days.

“Dad, Mom, I want to divorce Harvey.”

As soon as the words fell, the whole restaurant fell silent. Even the aroma of the meal floating in the air suddenly became heavy.

My father-in-law looked at me in disbelief and muttered, “Claudine, divorce is no joke, especially for you and Harvey. There are too many issues involved.”

“Yes, Claudine, haven't you always had a good relationship? Why is this happening?” his mother asked in disbelief.

Before I could answer, Harvey slammed the table and stood up, his cold face finally showed some emotion. 

"Claudine, have you had enough of causing trouble? Just because I gave Stephanie a dress, you keep arguing and even threaten divorce. Have you not reflected on your actions at all in all these days?”

My father-in-law also slammed the table. “Shut up, Harvey!”

He then looked at me and said, “Claudine, go ahead.”

“Harvey, I was going to give you some dignity, but since you don't want it, don't blame me for being rude.”

I threw the stack of photos and the USB drive on the table, then I said, “Mom, Dad, you can see for yourselves.”

Harvey also snatched the photo, so his face turned pale in an instant.

His hand shook and the photos fell to the ground, revealing the erotic scene of Harvey and Stephanie in bed.

His mother picked up one with trembling hands. Her eyes quickly turned red as she questioned, “Harvey, this... what's going on?”

My father-in-law frowned and stared at Harvey with sharp eyes, waiting for his explanation.

Harvey's forehead was bulging with veins and his eyes were full of anger as he explained, “Claudine, I love you and respect you, but why did you create these fake photos to frame me?

“You don't want to have a relationship with me for so many years? Do you really want to divorce me?”

I laughed out of anger, “I framed you?

“If you really think that the photos are fake, then take a look at the videos on this USB. Do you dare to watch it with your parents?

“And I, Claudine Rodrigo, have always been an honest person. Even if I want to divorce you, there is no need to resort to such despicable means.”

Hearing my explanation, his father was so angry that his face was tense and he slammed the dining table. “Harvey, you must give a reasonable explanation.”

“Dad, don't you know what kind of person I am? Claudine and I had some disagreements before, so I will never do anything to let her down.”

Harvey seemed to have thought of something and turned to face Stephanie who was huddled together.

He pointed at a pile of photos on the ground, his eyes fierce and squeezed out words from between his teeth, “What's up with these photos? We didn't do anything, so why did this kind of photo appear?”