I had just slammed my resignation letter on the desk when the HR director called out to me with a mocking tone.

“Sophia Miller, you still owe the company money.”

I frowned in confusion, but she dragged me over to a desk and pointed at the computer.

“You’ve been here a year and learned plenty. You can’t just freeload.”

I couldn’t believe my ears.

This was the first time I’d ever heard of paying for what I’d learned after resigning.

She was already scribbling on a sheet of paper with exaggerated seriousness:

“Our company is an industry leader. Training someone like you costs at least half a million dollars on the market.”

“Considering you’ve created some value for us, I’ll give you the floor price—two hundred and fifty thousand in training fees. Do you want to transfer it to the corporate account or my personal one?”

I sneered. “And if I don’t pay?”

Her face twisted, and her voice grew sharp.

“Don’t be ungrateful! The CEO of this company is my husband. With one word from him, you’ll never work in this industry again!”

Wasn’t I the CEO?

As I was still processing this, she proudly dialed a number.

“Darling, one of the employees is ungrateful and wants to resign. Issue a blacklist order right away.”

The next second, the phone in my pocket started buzzing.

…

I pulled out the phone—it was my husband’s, which I had mistakenly taken when I left home this morning. The caller ID flashed: Baby Chloe.

I froze.

So the “CEO husband” she was bragging about was actually my husband, Ethan Carter?

Chloe Reed saw my hesitation and mistook it for fear. A triumphant smirk spread across her face.

“What’s wrong? Scared now? Want to beg me? Too late!”

She reached to hang up the call but caught sight of the phone in my hand. Her expression twisted, and she lunged at me like a madwoman.

“That’s my husband’s limited-edition custom phone! Where did you steal it?”

I reacted quickly, slipping the phone back into my pocket. My gaze was icy as I warned,

“It’s common for phones to look alike. This is mine. Try touching me again, and I’ll call the police for attempted robbery.”

My words made her choke for a moment, but she quickly grew even more arrogant.

“You? A broke loser who can’t even pay training fees—using a custom phone? Please. You obviously stole it from my husband!”

Her eyes scanned me up and down with open disdain.

“And that Cartier bracelet on your wrist? Looks like a cheap knock-off from eBay. Tsk tsk, young people these days—so vain.”

Her scorn made my stomach churn.

Three years ago, she had been maliciously fired from her previous company and left blacklisted in the industry. I had pitied her and asked Ethan to step in, giving her the position of HR director.

I thought someone who had suffered injustice would be more compassionate to others.

I was completely wrong.

Even the way she held herself radiated arrogance.

I stared at her coldly.

“You shouldn’t treat people with such contempt.”

Ethan had always told me Chloe was a grateful, humble, and considerate employee.

So I decided to give her one chance to apologize.

But Chloe didn’t understand in the slightest. Instead, she jabbed my shoulder hard with her manicured fingers.

“So what if I look down on you? You’re just a nobody who clawed her way up. Do you really think putting on a crown makes you royalty?”

“I’m telling you—today, this two hundred fifty thousand? You’re paying whether you want to or not!”

“Otherwise, get out of this industry for good!”

I forced down my anger and tried reasoning.

“When I signed my contract, there was no clause about training fees. What you’re doing now is a breach of contract.”

She laughed like I’d just told the funniest joke in the world.

“Breach of contract?” Chloe Reed sneered. “In this company, I’m the law! What I say is what my husband says. A contract isn’t worth a damn!”

She frowned, irritated.

“Don’t waste my time! You’ve been holding this position for a year, draining company resources. Do you have any idea how much potential profit you cost us by sitting in that seat? Don’t you think you should compensate for those losses?”

The moment her voice fell, laughter erupted.

Several of her cronies immediately surrounded me.

“New here, huh? Don’t even know Ms. Reed’s rules? Guess you don’t plan on surviving in this industry.”

A woman with heavy smoky eye makeup jeered,

“Ms. Reed is the CEO’s wife. Who in this company would dare upset her?”

“You’ve crossed her today. Forget about finding a job in this field again.”

A male colleague chimed in, grinning,

“Exactly. Forget two hundred fifty grand—if Ms. Reed told you to kneel and shine her shoes, you’d better do it.”

“Take our advice. Pay up before things get ugly.”

My brow furrowed tightly, and I couldn’t help but retort,

“As far as I know, the CEO of this company is a woman.”

That only made their laughter louder. They looked at me as if I were a complete idiot.

The woman with smoky eye makeup even pulled a company magazine from her drawer. The cover featured none other than my husband, Ethan Carter, with the bold title:

“Leading a New Era: An Exclusive Interview with Acting CEO Ethan Carter.”

It was the interview I’d asked him to attend for me just days ago.

Because I despised the spotlight, Ethan had handled every public appearance for years.

And now, in everyone’s eyes, he had become the face—and the master—of this company.

While I, the true founder, was here being shaken down for training fees by him and his mistress.

The irony was almost laughable.

Chloe planted her hands on her hips.

“See that? That’s my husband, the CEO. Offend me, and you offend him.”

Her gaze slid back to me, cold and condescending, as if I were some cheap product on display.

“My advice? Hand over the money and save yourself the trouble.”

I ignored her taunts, my eyes locking instead on the bracelet dangling from her raised wrist.

An emerald bracelet.

The heirloom my mother had left me.

I’d taken it off not long ago, thinking the style looked dated, and left it on my vanity. I had even mentioned to Ethan that I wanted to redesign it.

And now—it was on Chloe’s wrist.

Ethan hadn’t just betrayed me. He had given away the most precious keepsake of my family to his mistress.

My heart turned to ice.

I pulled out my work phone, ready to order my assistant to dig into Ethan’s financials for the past few years.

But before I could act, Chloe snatched the phone from my hand.

“Trying to call backup? You think fiddling with your phone is going to save you?”

Without a shred of respect, she swiped through my screen, prying into my privacy.

“What’s this? CEO’s assistant? You even call yourself Ms. Miller?”

“Oh please, playing role-play games at your age? Must’ve made quite a living using what’s between your legs. And yet you can’t even part with a measly two hundred fifty grand?”

I ripped the phone back, shoving her hard in the process.

“Shut up!”

She stumbled backward, then shrieked furiously at the others around her:

“What are you idiots waiting for? Grab her! If she doesn’t pay today, break her legs!”

When I saw several male colleagues actually closing in on me, I almost revealed everything right then and there.

At that moment, a message from my assistant popped up on my phone:

[Ms. Miller, the video conference with the New York Headquarters is about to begin. Everyone is waiting for you.]

I gave in—not out of fear, but because I didn’t have time to waste on Chloe Reed.

“Fine. I’ll pay.”

I pulled out my phone and transferred two hundred thousand dollars on the spot.

I turned, eager to leave this disgusting place, but Chloe yanked me back by the arm.

“Where are you rushing off to?”

“What you just paid was for training. But since you shoved me, I was frightened. You owe me another two hundred thousand—for emotional damages.”

My chest tightened with rage.

“Two hundred thousand for a shove? Don’t tell me you’re that fragile. This is nothing but extortion!”

She lifted her chin, pride and arrogance dripping from her face.

“So what if it is? This is my husband’s company. I make the rules. Upset me, and I’ll bleed you dry. If I say you’re not leaving, you’re not leaving this building!”

I refused to argue with her any further and moved toward the exit.

Two security guards suddenly rushed forward, one on each side, gripping my arms and dragging me back with brute force.

These guards were former veterans I had personally hired in the early days of the company, worried about instability during the startup phase.

Now they were being used against me.

I struggled, but their grip was iron, locking me in place.

“Let me go!”

Never had I imagined that in broad daylight, people in a legitimate company would dare to act like gangsters.

“Leave? Did I say you could leave?”

Chloe stepped in front of me, raised her hand, and slapped me hard across the face.

The sting burned; my cheek swelled, and blood trickled from the corner of my mouth.

“I’ll give you one more chance,” she hissed. “Hand over the money, or I’ll let my men do it the hard way.”

The onlookers egged her on.

“Mess with Ms. Reed, and you’re asking for trouble.”

“Exactly. Who dares disrespect the CEO’s wife? Pay up and get lost.”

My whole body trembled with fury. Never in my life had I been slapped in public.

But right now, survival came first.

Grinding my teeth, I forced the words out: “Fine. I’ll pay.”

Chloe smugly shook the payment code in front of me.

When the chime confirming the transfer rang out, I thought she would finally let me go.

But she just smirked, eyes gleaming with malice.

“Two hundred thousand? That was just compensation for shoving me.”

“You’ve wasted my time and ruined my mood. That comes with a separate price.”

She theatrically tapped on a calculator and named her figure.

“Another five hundred thousand. A total of seven hundred thousand. Not a cent less. Otherwise, you’re not walking out of here.”

The guards tightened their grip, their strength crushing my arms until I felt my bones might snap.

It was beyond outrageous.

My fury nearly consumed me, but I knew a head-on clash would only leave me at a greater disadvantage.

I stared at Chloe’s vile face and forced each word through clenched teeth.

“Fine. I’ll pay.”

Her lips curled into the grin of a victor, as if she could already see the money flowing into her account.

I quickly added, feigning helplessness,

“But I don’t have that much in my account. I’ll need to make a call and have someone bring it.”

Chloe narrowed her eyes, trying to gauge whether I was telling the truth.