Announced Their Affair to the Company

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The night my wife was on a business trip, her male assistant sent me a photo.

In the picture, they were naked, wrapped in each other's arms, sleeping soundly.

He even provocatively added a line: Mr. Carter, your wife is mine now.

I didn't reply.

I opened the company SnapChat group, two hundred and thirty-six people online.

I posted their intimate photo.

"Congratulations to our assistant, Leon Miller. Effective immediately, he will also serve as CEO's husband. Salary and benefits negotiable."

Then I turned off my phone and went to sleep.

The next day, when I turned it back on, I had 136 missed calls.

My wife was crying and cursing in her voicemails.

But the only thing I wanted to say was: You picked him. You deal with him.

My phone vibrated.

I swiped to unlock it.

Someone had sent me a picture.

Kelly, my wife, and a man.

They were naked, tangled together on white hotel sheets.

Her cheeks were flushed in sleep, a faint smile on her lips.

The man leaned in, kissed her forehead, and held up his phone for a selfie.

Only half of his face was visible, his eyes full of triumph.

I recognized him: Leon Miller, Kelly's assistant.

Below the photo, a line of text followed.

"Mr. Carter, your wife's quite good in bed. She's mine now."

I stared at that line for a long time.

My finger hovered over the screen.

No reply.

No anger.

My heart felt like it was gripped by an icy hand, then that hand released, leaving only a hollow numbness.

I exited the chat and opened another app, finding a group chat.

"Carter Tech Group (236)."

Two hundred and thirty-six people. Everyone from top management to junior staff, except the cleaning crew, was in it.

I posted the intimate photo Leon had sent me in that group.

Then, in the input box, I typed out each word, one by one.

"Congratulations to Mr. Leon Miller, our company's CEO assistant. Due to outstanding performance, he will also be taking on the role of CEO's husband, effective immediately. Salary and benefits are negotiable. Please be informed."

Send.

I scrolled to the group member list and found Kelly's profile picture.

It was a photo of us on the beach, her smiling brightly.

I tapped on her picture, selected, and removed her from the group.

Then I found Leon Miller.

Removed from group.

After doing all that, the world went quiet.

I switched my phone to airplane mode.

And tossed it onto the nightstand.

The room was dark, curtains tightly drawn.

This was our master bedroom. In our three years of marriage, Kelly had spent less than three months sleeping here, total.

She said she was busy. The company was in its growth phase; she had to travel, attend events, hold meetings.

She'd say, "Mason, you understand me."

I used to.

I handed her the company I had founded, along with the "CEO" title.

I told her, "Go chase your dreams. I'll hold down the fort."

Now, her dream was caught, and the home was gone.

Good riddance.

I lay down and closed my eyes.

For the first time in three years, I fell asleep so quickly.

Turning my phone back on was like detonating a bomb.

The screen was plastered with layers of red notification badges.

Texts, 99+.

Missed calls, 136.

Half from Kelly.

Half from an unknown number, likely Leon Miller.

A few more from Kelly's parents.

I opened my voicemail.

The latest one, from Kelly, a minute ago.

"Mason! You lunatic! You've ruined me! Do you have any idea what you've done?!"

Her voice was sharp, hoarse, and tearful, like a rusty saw grating wood.

"You sent the photo? In the company group chat?! Are you out of your mind?! What about the company's stock price?! How am I supposed to face anyone?!"

"You're just a useless freeloader who hides at home! What else can you do besides these low-down tricks?!"

"I'm telling you, you retract that message right now! You tell everyone it's a Photoshopped picture! That you were drunk and joking! Do you hear me?!"

"If you don't do as I say, I'll make sure you don't get a single penny! You just wait!"

The voicemail ended.

I deleted it expressionlessly.

Next.

Still her.

"Honey Honey, I'm sorry I'm really, truly sorry Please, just give me another chance, okay?"

Her voice had done a complete 180, becoming soft, pitiful, punctuated by sobs.

"He seduced me He drugged me I wasn't willing You're the only one I love, Mason"

"Have you forgotten about us? Our love, our past?"

"Please, come home, okay? Let's talk face to face, resolve this, don't let outsiders laugh at us"

"Where are you now? Turn your phone on! Say something back to me"

I continued deleting.

She was a good actress, always had been.

In front of the board, the media, her parents.

The perfect boss, the perfect daughter, the perfect wife.

Unfortunately, I was the only, and the most sober, audience.

I opened the company SnapChat group.

Overnight, the group name had changed from "Carter Tech Group" to "CEO's Husband Job Opening."

The group was in an uproar.

Thousands of messages had already scrolled by.

Some were shocked, some were gossiping, some were cursing me, and some subtly supported me.

The company's Vice President, Jayden Wells, a protg I had personally promoted, posted a message in the group: "Mr. Carter, we all believe in you."

Dozens of "+1"s followed.

I smiled faintly.

My phone started vibrating wildly again.

Caller ID: Kelly's Mother.

I answered.

"Mason! You animal! Do you want to live or not?! What did you do to Kelly?!"

On the other end of the line was Kelly's mother's familiar, booming roar.

I held the phone away from my ear a bit.

"I didn't do anything," I said calmly.

"You didn't do anything? You sent those pictures everywhere! How is your wife supposed to live with herself?! How are we supposed to face anyone?!"

"I didn't take that photo."

"I don't care who took it! Can't you, as a man, just be a little more accommodating to your wife? It's so hard for Kelly, a young woman, to fight her way up out there! Do you know how much pressure she's under?! So what if she made a mistake? Did you have to go to such extremes?!"

Her logic was as twisted as ever.

"So, if she makes a mistake, I'm supposed to take the fall?" I asked.

"Otherwise, what? You're her husband! If you don't cover for her, who will?! I'm telling you, Mason, right now! Immediately! Go apologize to everyone! Say the photo was fake, that you were jealous of Kelly's success and mentally unstable!"

I fell silent.

On the other end, Kelly's mother thought I was intimidated and softened her tone.

"Mason, listen to my advice. Married couples always work things out in the end. Kelly truly cares about you. Just give in a little, and this whole thing will blow over. We're still family."

I cut her off.

"You're right. I'm her husband, and I should cover for her."

Kelly's mother immediately brightened: "That's right! You should have thought that way from the start!"

I paused, then spoke each word distinctly.

"So, I've prepared a big gift for her. Soon, you and she will both receive it."

With that, I hung up.

And blocked her number.

The doorbell rang.

As expected.

I peered through the peephole. Kelly's mother's face, distorted with fury, was pressed against the lens.

Behind her stood a timid Kelly's father.

"Mason! Open up! I know you're in there! You coward, do you have the guts to do it but not to own up to it?!"

She pounded forcefully on the reinforced door, creating loud thuds.

I didn't open the door.

I leaned against the wall behind it and lit a cigarette.

This was something I had quit three years ago.

Kelly disliked the smell of smoke; she said it was for losers.

Now, I picked it up again.

The smoke billowed, making me cough a bit, but also clearing my head.

The yelling from outside continued.

From "bastard" and "ungrateful wretch" to "freeloader who lives off us."

She seemed to have forgotten that this marital home was purchased by me in full before we married, with only my name on the title.

She also forgot that the red Porsche her daughter drove was my thirtieth birthday gift to her.

She even more conveniently forgot that when "Carter Tech Group" was on the brink of bankruptcy, it was I who took out all my savings and mortgaged my parents' house to give it a fighting chance.

People's memories are always so selective.

After about half an hour of shouting, Kelly's mother's voice grew hoarse, and her strength gave out.

Silence fell outside the door.

I guessed she was brewing her next attack.

Sure enough, my phone rang.

It was Kelly's father.

I put out my cigarette and answered.

"Mason" Kelly's father's voice sounded tired and conflicted.

"Can you just open the door and let your mother in to talk? She's outside, and the neighbors are watching"

"You know what she'll say," I replied.

A silence fell on the other end.

"Mason, I know Kelly was wrong. She she was spoiled by us," Kelly's father sighed. "But, can you for my sake, for the sake of your three years of marriage, not make things so big?"

"For old times' sake?"

I laughed.

"Three years ago, I handed the company to her, came home myself, cut off all my business, all my connections. Wasn't that for old times' sake?"

"I took care of all the housework, letting her focus on her career outside, coming home to a hot meal and clean clothes. Wasn't that for old times' sake?"

"Three hundred out of three hundred sixty-five days a year, she was traveling, networking, 'expanding the empire.' I never doubted, never complained. Wasn't that for old times' sake?"

My voice was calm, but Kelly's father's breathing grew heavier on the phone.

"I gave her everything I had. My career, my energy, my trust. What did she give me in return?"

"A photo, and a message saying, 'Your wife is mine now.'"

"You tell me, who's not considering 'old times' sake' now?"

Kelly's father was completely speechless.

After a long pause, he finally spoke in a near-pleading tone: "So what exactly do you want?"

"What do I want?"

I walked to the peephole, watching Kelly's mother lean against the wall, panting, her face full of resentment.

"It's simple."

I said into the phone, as if speaking to the people outside the door.

"First, a divorce."

"Second, Kelly leaves with nothing."

"Third, 'Carter Tech Group,' I'm taking it back."

A gasp came from the phone, I couldn't tell if it was Kelly's father or mother.

"You're dreaming! Mason, you're crazy!" Kelly's mother's roar erupted again, making my ears ache even through the door.

I ignored her.

"My message has been delivered. You can go home."

"As for the gift I prepared for Kelly"

I pulled open the curtains, the sunlight blinding.

Downstairs, a black sedan had just pulled up.

Two men in black suits stepped out, carrying briefcases.

My lawyers.

"The gift has arrived."

I hung up the phone and opened the door.

Outside, Kelly's mother was about to lunge forward, but seeing the two serious-faced lawyers behind me, her movements froze.

I stepped aside, making a path.

"Leo Rodriguez, Owen Davis, please come in."

I gave Kelly's mother a smile, the most genuine smile I'd had in three years.

"Care to come in and listen?"

Kelly's mother's face went from flushed to ashen, then from ashen to livid.

Her lips trembled, and she pointed at me, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

Kelly's father steadied her, looking at me with a pleading expression.

I ignored him.

"Leo, please."

Leo Rodriguez nodded, opened his briefcase, and pulled out two documents.

One was the divorce agreement.

The other was a thick stack of papers.

"Mr. Carter," Leo Rodriguez's voice was calm and professional, precise as a surgeon's scalpel, "let's discuss the simpler matter first."

He pushed the divorce agreement to the center of the table.

"The core terms of this divorce agreement are that Ms. Kelly Carter voluntarily relinquishes all marital assets and leaves with nothing. Mr. Carter, considering past sentiment, is willing to waive any financial claims against Ms. Carter for marital misconduct."

"Bullshit!" Kelly's mother finally found her voice, slamming her palm on the table. "This is blackmail! Why?! The company is Kelly's! The house and car are half hers! Mason is dreaming if he thinks she'll leave with nothing!"

I remained silent, just making a "please continue" gesture.

Leo Rodriguez adjusted his glasses and spread out the thick stack of materials.

On top were several detailed expense reports.

"Ms. Carter's mother, please don't get agitated. We propose this arrangement based on the utmost protection for Ms. Carter."

He pointed to one of the receipts.

"Last May, Ms. Carter authorized a company expenditure of three hundred seventy thousand using the pretext of 'overseas business inspection.' This money was used to purchase a Patek Philippe men's watch. According to our investigation, that watch is currently on Mr. Leon Miller's wrist."

Kelly's mother's breathing hitched.

Leo Rodriguez turned to another page.

"Last October, Ms. Carter advanced fifty thousand in company reserves under the pretext of 'expanding partner resources.' This money was used to rent an apartment in the west for a year. The actual occupant of that apartment, however, is still Mr. Leon Miller."

"This January, for the 'Annual Excellent Employee Award,' Mr. Leon Miller's bonus was two hundred thousand, far exceeding directors of the same level. The payout of this bonus was not approved by the board; it was unilaterally signed and approved by Ms. Carter."

With each item Leo Rodriguez listed, Kelly's mother's face grew paler.

He tossed a stack of photos onto the receipts. In the photos, Leon Miller was driving a brand new BMW, entering high-end clubs, his luxury watch glinting on his wrist.

"And these are just the tip of the iceberg," Owen Davis added from beside him, his voice even colder.

"Ms. Kelly Carter and Mr. Leon Miller are suspected of using their positions to embezzle company assets, amounting to a significant sum. According to criminal law Article 271, this constitutes embezzlement. For substantial amounts, the penalty is five years or more in prison."

"Five years in prison?" Kelly's father mumbled, his body swaying slightly.

"So," Leo Rodriguez concluded, "we now have two choices."

"Choice one, Ms. Carter signs this divorce agreement. We handle this as an internal family matter, and Mr. Carter will not sue or press charges. She only loses money."

He paused, his eyes sharpening.

"Choice two, we reject this agreement. In that case, we will file a lawsuit with the court tomorrow and simultaneously report to the police. Then, Ms. Carter will face not only divorce and asset division but also a criminal investigation."

"At that point, news of 'Carter Tech Group' CEO cheating on her subordinate and conspiring to embezzle company assets, I imagine, would be quite spectacular."

The entire living room was dead silent.

Only Kelly's mother's heavy breathing could be heard.

She looked at the mountain of evidence on the table, then at my calm, unruffled face. The arrogance and fury in her eyes were finally replaced by fear.

I picked up my now-cold coffee and took a sip.

I looked at her. "Now, do you still think I'm dreaming?"