On New Year’s Day, my wife specifically asked me to organize the company’s annual banquet.

As a top salesperson for three consecutive years, everyone could see how capable I was at my job.

I felt a surge of secret delight. I thought my wife was finally going to make our marriage public.

After all, we had been married for five years. However, to avoid any misunderstandings, we always claimed we were just superior and subordinate at work.

During the banquet, my wife suddenly stood up and gave me an order. “Lucien Jean, Stef Law has worked so hard this year. You need to toast him!”

I frowned and ignored her drunken rambling. I continued chatting with a colleague beside me.

I did not expect her to point her finger at me and shout. “Why are you so petty?! I’ve told you nothing is going on between us! What good is there to keep picking on a newcomer?!”

Puzzled colleagues all turned to look at me.

The male assistant’s voice cracked. “Lucien, if you really hate me, I’ll quit right now.”

After saying that, he ran out in front of everyone. My wife immediately chased after him. A pleasant dinner party ended in an unpleasant mess.

I dialed her rival’s number. “I’ve accepted your job offer.

“Within three days, I want to see her company go bankrupt!”

When I went to work the next day, everyone at the office was whispering about me.

I made up my mind and handed the divorce agreement to my wife. “Sign it. I’m too petty to be your husband.”

Nova Potter looked grim. She rubbed the bridge of her nose and casually tossed the divorce agreement aside.

“I won’t deny it, Lucien. I had too much to drink yesterday and acted inappropriately.

“Don’t let a moment’s impulse ruin our marriage. Just wait until next year. I’ll make your relationship public at the company.”

I did not reply. I just picked the divorce agreement back up.

Before I could speak, her tone shifted. She snapped at me. “You’re my husband. Can’t you have more grace? I’m the boss. You’re making me look bad in front of my own employees.

“If you refuse to toast Stef in front of so many people, how is he supposed to hold his head up in the company from now on?

“Go apologize to him, and we’ll let this matter drop.”

Her self-righteous demeanor made me laugh in sheer exasperation.

“Do you really think I’m supposed to apologize to him?

“I won’t deny the fact that I’m petty.

“After all, who could tolerate having their wife’s male assistant call her late into the night every day?

“Who could tolerate their wife sharing a room with her male assistant during business trips?”

My retort stumped Nova. Her face flushed bright red.

After a long pause, she asked sheepishly. “You already knew?

“Stef called me in the middle of the night because he was pulling an all-nighter working on a proposal. I was afraid you’d misunderstand, so I went out to the balcony to take the call.”

“It was an unfortunate coincidence during the business trip. He forgot to book an extra room. The hotel was fully booked that day too… But nothing happened between us. He slept in the bed, and I slept on the couch.”

I interrupted her impatiently. My voice was flat and emotionless. “Do you take me for a fool?”

“Was there only one room left in the entire city? I guess you two stayed together last night.”

Nova stood up to offer another excuse.

I gave a cold laugh and opened Stef’s social media.

“Your male assistant has posted so many updates. He’s made them visible only to me. Do you still think you can fool me?”

Starting last month, Stef had inexplicably started posting ambiguous updates every day.

I immediately figured out what was going on. But I still lacked any concrete evidence.

“You were with him on New Year’s Eve, too.”

I pointed to the latest post and zoomed in on the photo.

[I don’t care about what others think. She loves only me.]

“I don’t know if he did it on purpose or by accident, but you are crystal clear in the mirror.”

Nova’s face turned ashen.

“Lucien, let me explain. I just lost my head for a moment. I won’t do it again…”

I cut her off without hesitation. “Yesterday, for the sake of appearances and the company’s reputation, I didn’t call out our relationship right then and there. But you can’t treat me like a fool.”

I handed the divorce agreement back to her.

“Give it a thorough read. If there are no issues, sign it quickly. Let’s part ways amicably.

“Otherwise, I’ll hire a lawyer and file for divorce.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Nova had no choice but to sigh heavily and sign her name.

“Lucien, you’re really too domineering. Being with you is just so stifling.

“Stef is really different from you…”

I did not give her a chance to keep rambling. Instead, I turned and walked out of the office.

Nova had probably long forgotten that I was the one who had kept this company afloat from the very beginning.

It was I who, bit by bit, had grown the company from a small workshop into what it is today.

As the company grew strong and successful, her pride grew with it. At some point, she had fallen for a younger assistant and started to resent my assertiveness.

If I had not been so assertive, her company would have gone out of business long ago!

Back at my desk, I took a deep breath, turned on my computer, and prepared to finish the unfinished project proposal.

However, the moment I opened my computer, I immediately noticed something wrong.

My permissions as Sales Manager had been restricted. I could no longer access the project files for our key clients.

Without any hesitation, I immediately called HR.

“What’s going on? Is there a system glitch?”

I demanded sternly. But all I got in response was a cold, dismissive “job reassignment” from HR.

In an instant, it dawned on me. It was Nova’s doing.

No wonder everyone at the office had been acting so awkwardly toward me earlier. It seemed Nova had already announced this so-called “job reassignment” long ago!

I hung up the phone immediately. Just as I was about to stand up to demand an explanation, Stef beat me to it and walked over to my desk.

When he saw me, he feigned surprise and covered his mouth. “Oh my gosh, Lucien, you’re at work this early today? It’s only 1:00 p.m.”

Hearing his insincere remark, I could not help but frown.

Sales was a profession with inherently irregular hours. After all, we visited client offices every day. It would be unsurprising to see us rarely present at the office.

As the top salesperson, I worked flexible hours and did not need to clock in. That was an unwritten rule in this company.

When I did not respond, Stef thought I was feeling guilty, so he raised his voice even higher and continued.

“This morning, the company took a close look at last month’s attendance records and found that you, Lucien, were either late or left early almost every day last month. Even so, you still earn a higher salary than anyone else in the entire office!

“Ms. Potter got so angry that she adjusted your position and transferred some of your projects to me.”

I scoffed. “Transferred them to you? What could you possibly do?”

To my surprise, Stef let out a cold laugh and looked at me with disdain. “Ms. Potter has the utmost confidence in my abilities.

“After all, last month, my sales figures were top in the entire company, while yours were at the bottom!”

I was stunned.

I had clearly closed a 5-million-dollar deal last month, did I not?

“That’s right, Stef is really impressive. He closed several major deals for the company last year.

“Stef has never ignored the company’s rules and regulations either, unlike Lucien. He’s always late or leaves early. He’s a real pain in the neck.”

The whispers of my colleagues reached my ears. My doubts grew heavier and heavier.

I looked at Stef. His eyes flashed with a barely perceptible flicker of panic.

I immediately caught on.

The next second, I stormed into the conference room without hesitation.

As it happened, the company directors were holding a departmental meeting.

My fury was so overwhelming that Nova turned slightly pale. But she still stood up to block my way. “Why are you disrupting things here? We’re in the middle of a meeting.”

I cut straight to the chase. “My client access has been locked. Was this a company decision, or was it your decision alone, Ms. Potter?”

I pressed further. “Also, why were my sales results credited to Stef? And why am I ranked last in this year’s performance evaluation?”

“Enough, Lucien.” Nova suddenly interrupted me impatiently. “The decision to transfer your projects to Stef was made unanimously by our senior management.

“As for the sales figures, the clients chose our company, not you, the salesperson.

“Stef also played a significant role in client relations, so it’s only fair that the credit goes to him. You’ve been here a long time. Isn’t it only natural to make way for the newcomers? Why are you being so petty?”

Stef deserved credit? What exactly did he do? Was he to take credit for those appalling proposals of his, or those childish pastries he served during client meetings?

I could not help but find it laughable. I looked up at the executives sitting there, but they all guiltily shifted their gazes away.

A chill crept into my heart.

Nova was right. The executives all knew about this.

As I walked out of the conference room, my head still felt a bit fuzzy.

“Lucien, don’t you understand yet?” Nova followed me out of the conference room. “The company isn’t going to fall apart without you. Stef could do just as well, couldn’t he?”

I shook my head and chuckled softly. “So, you simply took the opportunity to help your little lover climb the ladder?”

“That’s a really harsh way to put it.” Nova snapped. Her composure crumbled instantly. “Stef graduated from a top university himself and is highly capable. What’s wrong with me recommending him?”

“Ms. Potter!” Stef walked over pretentiously. He shot me a glance and continued, “Lucien, you left in such a hurry just now. I still have something to tell you.”

I looked at him in confusion. He smugly pulled out a notebook and began reading aloud.

“Last month, you arrived late 10 times, left early 5 times, and were absent 2 times.

“Also, there are issues with your expense reports.

“Last month, you were charged a full 12,000 dollars to your corporate credit card!

“HR and Finance both agree that you may be misusing company funds for personal dining and entertainment.”

I froze. A wave of inexplicable sadness welled up inside me.

“Enough. Don’t say another word. Just tell me how you plan to handle this.”

Stef said haughtily. “Given your record, you should be fired. But since you’ve been with the company for so long, we’ve decided to settle this by cutting your salary by 80%.”

“No need for a pay cut,” I replied without hesitation. “Just fire me.

“Make sure to transfer the severance pay to me.”