“Exactly, Grace, let us take a look!”

"A 500-million-dollar house—if I miss this chance, I might never see one in my lifetime."

Colleagues swarmed around Grace, their faces lit with excitement.

While Grace tried to steady herself, her voice trembled slightly as she said, "The house isn't fully renovated yet, so it's not convenient right now."

I could see she was panicking and pressed her further, "Are you looking down on us because we're poor and unworthy of your luxurious villa? Or is it because the purchase contract isn't really yours, so you're too scared to invite us over?"

I fired off several pointed questions in a row.

Even the colleagues who had surrounded Grace started to waver a little.

Grace probably never imagined that she would be boasting in front of the actual owner on her first day at the company.

Just when I thought Grace's false facade was about to crumble, Lisa, the department manager entered the office. The moment she saw Grace, she warmly took her by the arm, as if they were sisters.

"Grace, why didn’t you tell me you were coming to the office? What happened? Are you in trouble?" Although Lisa's tone sounded questioning, she wasted no time targeting me. "Emily, I know your marriage isn’t happy, and you’re stuck with an unambitious man, but don’t project your jealousy onto others.

"Grace’s villa? President Mayford personally arranged for me to accompany her during the purchase. I witnessed the entire process. How could it be fake? If Grace chooses not to hold a grudge, that's her being generous. But if you continue, I might have to ask the higher-ups to terminate your employment."

With Lisa openly supporting Grace, our colleagues immediately strengthened their resolve to defend her.

"Emily, don’t drag us into your jealousy of Grace."

"We never doubted Grace for a second."

Acting magnanimous, Grace said in a nonchalant tone, "Since Lisa has spoken, I'll pretend none of this happened. Emily, you should remember that not everyone is as forgiving as I am."

Her words turned my earlier confrontation into a joke. What a fine performance, the two of them acting in sync. Playing the villain alone wasn’t worth my energy anymore, thus I decided not to press any further.

However, Grace’s supporters wouldn’t let it go and posted my earlier words and actions in the employee group chat.

Some employees relentlessly tagged me, hurling insults. Others were lost in the fantasy of visiting a 500-million-dollar mansion, pressing Grace about when they could go see it.

Grace quickly uploaded over a dozen renovation photos to the chat, prompting a flurry of admiration and envy. She pinned a message to the top of the chat. "Once the renovations are complete, I’ll definitely invite everyone to my home."

Max immediately pulled his phone out and added Grace as a friend.

“In the afternoon, we're going back to my parents’ home. You promised me last week that we’d celebrate the holiday with my family.” I handed Max the freshly ironed suit.

Max stood in front of the mirror, tying his tie. "Did I promise you that?" Without another word, he left the house.

My parents lived in a remote area with limited transportation. You would have to walk to most places. The housekeeper, who had been monitoring activity at the base of the hill, arrived with a convoy of luxury cars to pick me up.

Goldenrod Manor was the most valuable real estate in the city, often rumored to be a priceless century-old estate. In truth, it belonged to my family.

I had originally planned to reveal my true identity to Max today, but clearly, he didn't deserve it.

A notification popped up on my phone. Grace, the new colleague from last week, had updated her social media.

In her photo, Grace strutted confidently in luxury designer attire while my husband trailed behind her, laden with shopping bags from high-end brands. His face in the photo showed a mix of exhaustion and ingratiating smiles.

After dining with my parents, the housekeeper dropped me off at the apartment as usual.

"Miss, you own so many properties. Why insist on living in this old, shabby unit?" The housekeeper’s confusion mirrored my father’s inability to understand why I married someone like Max.

"Shabby? This apartment is located in the prime area of the city. Price isn’t important. What matters is that it’s close to the office."

This apartment was the reason Max was so eager to marry me right after graduation.

"Miss, this is a one-of-a-kind emerald bracelet your father purchased at a Sotheby’s auction for 1.5 billion dollars. He said the villa he gave you for your birthday was too modest and wanted something more appropriate."

The housekeeper respectfully opened the gift box, revealing the bracelet. I gave it a quick glance; the quality was excellent.

Without much thought, I tossed it into my bag and soon became too busy with work to think about it again—until a week later when Grace arrived at the office wearing my bracelet.

"Grace, your bracelet is stunning! It must have cost a fortune."

"Of course! Everything Grace wears is beyond what we can afford."

"I saw this bracelet in a magazine. It was the highlight of a Sotheby’s auction and was sold for 1.5 billion dollars."

"Wait, are you saying Grace’s bracelet is worth 1.5 billion?!"

"Oh my God, she’s just casually wearing a 1.5-billion-dollar bracelet."

Grace entered the office, placing her latest designer handbag conspicuously on her desk. The vivid green of the emerald complemented her complexion perfectly.

Keen-eyed colleagues immediately surrounded her with compliments. Their chatter reached my ears, and when I looked up, I saw the familiar bracelet on Grace's wrist.

"Isn’t that my bracelet?" I muttered to myself, puzzled. How could it be hers when I had locked it in my home safe?

"Putting on airs, Emily? Look at yourself. Do you think you could afford that bracelet?" Max stood across from me, sneering like a smug little tyrant.

"Where did that bracelet come from? I think you know better than I do." My disdain was impossible to hide.

"This bracelet was a gift from Max," Grace replied with a sweet, taunting chuckle. "He didn’t tell me the price, but if I’d known it was so cheap, I wouldn’t have worn it." Clearly, she knew the bracelet's true origins and was flaunting it deliberately.

I immediately asked the housekeeper to review the surveillance footage from home.

The video showed Max sneaking into the house while I was working late. He opened the safe and stole the emerald bracelet. Then he entered my walk-in closet, pulling my clothes off hangers and scattering them on the floor.

Several of my designer handbags from the display shelf were tossed onto the table.

The picture Grace posted on her social media yesterday? It made sense now—she’d been flaunting the spoils of a household thief.

Oblivious to the truth, our colleagues were still fawning over Max.

"Max’s family must be so wealthy! He really kept it hidden."

"I told you guys Max lives in that high-end complex downtown, but none of you believed me."

"Since you’ve kept this a secret, you owe us a fancy meal, Max!"

Blushing at the compliments, Max booked the city’s most luxurious restaurant for all the staff—except me.

Without hesitation, I froze Max’s supplementary credit card. Oblivious to my actions, Max looked terribly smug.

‘I’ll see how you plan to pay then.’

On the first day of my marriage to Max, I gave him a supplementary credit card under my account. At first, he used it for everyday necessities, and I didn’t bother to question the small, trivial expenses.

Later, he realized the card’s credit limit far exceeded his expectations and began recklessly splurging on luxury items to boost his image. Nevertheless, I didn’t want to make a fuss.

Alas, I never expected him to spend my money while shamelessly fawning over someone else in front of me. I quickly deactivated Max’s supplementary card.

On Saturday, Max took my custom blue Santana from the garage, trying to maintain his pretentious image.

"Max, your car is so cool!"

He basked in the compliments, clearly enjoying the flattery. Lately, he’d heard so much praise it probably started to feel routine.

Since it was the weekend, I planned to relax. I booked an appointment at the most scenic spa in the city.

Unfortunately, I forgot the restaurant and the spa were located in the same area—Goldenrod Manor, prime real estate owned by my family. For convenience, I’d decided to establish both venues there.

"Emily, you’re so shameless! You weren’t invited, yet you still followed us here?"

"We should’ve made it clear not to include her. She’s such a buzzkill."

"People like her, who lack exposure to luxury, will do anything to force their way in."

A few colleagues turned to glare at me with disdain. It seemed like I’d made life too convenient for others.

The spa manager received my message and personally came to greet me at the door. "Welcome home, Miss."

A row of 6-foot-tall, modelesque attendants in sleek black suits bowed in unison. What an embarrassing lineup; this was what happened when you let the housekeeper run the business.

The scene startled my colleagues who stared, though not at me, but rather at Grace behind me.

Grace looked flustered, trying to act surprised as if overwhelmed by the gesture. “I didn’t expect the staff to prepare such a surprise for me. How thoughtful..."

In confusion, the manager was about to correct her but stopped when I shot him a look. The show was just beginning, and I was looking forward to it.

While the colleagues showered Max and Grace with attention, I turned and walked into the spa.

Soon, I was soaking in the hot spring, enjoying a luxurious glass of wine prepared by the staff. The only downside? My phone kept pinging with frantic messages from Max.

"Emily, what’s going on? Why isn’t my card working?"

"Emily, answer me!"

"Emily, unfreeze the card right now! You’re humiliating me!"

"Emily, if you don’t unfreeze the card, I’ll divorce you!"

I ignored his messages, and when that didn’t work, he called me repeatedly. I let it ring. Finally, I sent a quick message to the restaurant manager. "Double the bill."

Oblivious to the change, Max took the check and was floored by the final amount. "That’s way too damn expensive!"

Hearing his exclamation, the colleagues leaned in to see.

"Wow, no wonder this is the city’s top restaurant—the prices match the reputation."

"We’re so lucky to have Max treat us. Thank you, Max!"

"This is pocket change for someone like Max."

Confident that my supplementary card would cover it, Max brushed it off. "It’s nothing. As long as everyone enjoys the meal."

However, the card was declined when the manager tried to process the payment. "Sir, this card has been deactivated."

"What? That’s impossible."

Max began to panic. He had grown accustomed to spending extravagantly using my card while his own salary barely covered his daily expenses, leaving him with no savings.

"Sir, if you intend to dine and dash, we will call the police."

"There’s money on the card—it must be a problem with your machine!" Max kept messaging me, begging for help, but I didn’t respond.

Some of the colleagues noticed the commotion and joked.

"Max must have too many cards and forgot the PIN."

"Exactly! These service staff are so impatient."

However, the restaurant manager, who remained unfazed, called the police on his phone and calmly pressed Max for an answer, "So, sir, how do you plan to pay?"