“Divorce? I don’t agree.”

My dad immediately dismissed my words, placing his hands on his hips in anger. “You chose to marry Xavier yourself, and now that I’ve started preparing to groom him as my successor, you want to divorce him?" “

“He cheated on me. Why should I stay with him?” I shot back. Then it hit me. “Dad, are you saying you plan to pass the company over me and give it to Xavier?”

Even though I was the only child in the family, my dad had never once considered me as his successor. He didn’t hesitate to nod. “Of course. What sense does it make for a woman to inherit the family business?”

I had married Xavier for two reasons. One, he had been good at making me happy back then. And two, my dad had promised that once I was married, he would slowly hand over control of the company to me.

But now, it was clear. That promise had been nothing but a trap.

“Lily, I love you, but women just aren’t suited to run a company. It’s something men are naturally better at,” he said, launching into his tiresome lecture.

I didn’t want to listen to his long-winded nonsense any longer. I turned on my heel and stormed upstairs to my room. Xavier only dared to treat me the way he did because my dad was enabling him.

Initially, Xavier was just a “freeloader” and a “live-in son-in-law.” But with my dad’s backing, he had risen in the company from holding a meaningless position to actually wielding real power. People’s perceptions of him had completely changed. Meanwhile, I, simply because I was a woman, was never allowed to participate in managing the business.

I vented my frustration in my room for a long time, tearing things apart until the place was a mess. I had just sat down to catch my breath when I heard Xavier’s voice downstairs.

“Dad, Lily is so unreasonable. I was away on a business trip, and she didn’t even tell me about my mom’s accident. Because of her, I missed my mom’s final moments!”

“That’s definitely Lily’s fault,” my dad replied, but he softened the blow. “Still, don’t be too harsh on her. She’s been spoiled since she was a child, so of course she has a bit of a temper. It’s good that you’re understanding. A marriage lasts when both sides are willing to compromise.”

If it weren’t for everything that had happened recently, I wouldn’t have known how my dad and Xavier talked about me behind my back. He was always spouting moral lessons, yet completely ignored Xavier’s affair, twisting the narrative to make it seem like I was the one causing trouble.

With my dad’s indulgence, Xavier felt free to carry on his affair with the secretary the moment he returned to the company. Each time he booked a hotel room, the expenses were charged to my supplementary card.

When I confronted him about it, Xavier responded impatiently. “Those hotel bills were for business meetings with clients. What would a woman like you know about negotiating deals?”

In front of my dad, Xavier piled on the accusations.

“Lily, what’s your problem? You’re always suspicious of everything I do. I work tirelessly for this family, and yet all you do is doubt me. You don’t have even a shred of the qualities of a good wife and mother!”

I had hoped my dad would defend me, but instead, he nodded in agreement. “A woman’s role is to handle the household affairs. Men do have it tough out there in the business world. Xavier isn’t wrong.”

I couldn’t take it anymore. I grabbed a glass of water and splashed it over both of them. “You two seem like you’d make a better couple than me and Xavier!”

“Lily! You have no say in this household. Stop causing a scene!” my dad barked.

I stormed back to my room and immediately placed an international call.

If I wasn’t allowed to have any say in this house, fine. I would bring in someone who could set things straight.