My Husband Pushed Me to My Ex's Bed for My Fortune

"I want to report an assault. I was drugged and raped." After a grueling medical examination at the hospital, a female detective escorted me back to my house. "Once the toxicology report comes back and we secure the evidence chain, we will move in to arrest the suspects," she assured me. "Thank you," I whispered. 2 I dragged my exhausted body into the house. Marcus immediately rushed over. "Babe! Where have you been? I was so worried!" Looking at his deeply concerned face, my heart went cold. I stared straight into his eyes. "I didn't come home all night. Aren't you going to ask me where I was?" Marcus smiled warmly, pulling me into a hug. "I called you last night, but Ashley answered. She said you had too much to drink and were sleeping it off at her place. "I remembered you guys were close in college, so I didn't want to disturb you." Ashley had indeed been at the reunion. But we sat on opposite sides of the room. We barely said two words to each other, let alone caught up. How did she get dragged into this? Marcus, Tyler, Ashley... what was their connection? My mind was spinning, and a sudden wave of nausea hit me. I rushed to the bathroom and threw up into the toilet. Marcus gently patted my back. "Look at you, drinking yourself sick. You know how much it hurts me to see you like this." He handed me a glass of warm water. As I reached for it, our fingers brushed. For a split second, I caught a flash of pure disgust in his eyes. My heart sank into a dark, frozen abyss. After washing up, I went to lie down in the bedroom. Marcus followed me in, casually bringing up the topic. "Babe, you seem really off today. Did something happen last night?" I kept quiet. He continued, "You know, the most important things in a marriage are loyalty and trust. I trust you one hundred percent, so don't carry any unnecessary burdens, okay?" I closed my eyes, letting out a silent, bitter laugh. Marcus really knew me too well. He knew that the more "understanding" he acted, the more eaten up by guilt I would be. If I hadn't seen those messages, I would have broken down, confessed everything, and willingly signed away all my assets just to free myself from the guilt. Seeing that I remained silent, Marcus pulled the blanket over my shoulders. "Get some rest then. We can talk later." I woke up very late the next morning. Marcus had already left for the office. On the nightstand was a glass of water and a single white pill. It was the prenatal vitamin he had been giving me every day for the past three years. We had been trying for a baby for three years with no luck. All my medical checks came back normal, yet I could never get pregnant. I used to blame myself constantly, feeling like I was failing him. But now, I realized it might not have been my fault at all. I slipped the pill back into the bottle, grabbed my keys, and drove straight to a private clinic. The doctor took one look at the pill and sighed. "This is a high-dosage contraceptive. It has to be taken daily to prevent pregnancy." Of course it was. I let out a hollow laugh, feeling as though a bucket of ice water had been dumped over my head. I went home, changed into a sharp business suit I hadn't worn in years, put on some light makeup, and drove to the office. Since I hadn't stepped foot in the company in three years, the receptionist blocked my way at the front desk. "Excuse me, ma'am, do you have an appointment? Who are you here to see?" I frowned. "I don't need an appointment to enter my own company." I started walking past her. The receptionist quickly ran ahead and blocked me. "I'm sorry, but you can't just walk in. Tell me who you're looking for, and I'll page them." I took a deep breath. "I'm here to see Marcus Vance." She smiled politely. "Mr. Vance is only available by appointment. No exceptions." I chuckled, amused by the sheer audacity. "Look at me carefully. I am the sole owner and legal representative of Flora Corp. Marcus is merely managing it in my absence. Do they not teach you who actually owns the company when you get hired?" The receptionist stared at me in confusion. "You must be mistaken. Mr. Vance is the only boss we know." Wow, Marcus. He had truly gone out of his way to erase my existence from my own company. As I was trying to figure out how to handle this, an older employee walked past, recognized me, and immediately gasped. "What are you doing? Open your eyes! This is Ms. Sterling, the actual owner of the company!" The receptionist went pale and immediately stepped aside, stammering apologies. I looked at the older employee. "Thank you. But from now on, please address me as Director Sterling." The employee blinked in surprise, then quickly nodded. "Of course, Director Sterling!" I walked straight to the CEO's office. But when I pushed the door open, a very familiar face was sitting at the desk. 3 "Ashley?" "Chloe!" Ashley stood up, looking entirely unbothered. I frowned. "What are you doing here? Where is Marcus?" Ashley smirked. "Mr. Vance is out at a meeting. I am his executive assistant now. Didn't he tell you?" Seeing the subtle malice and triumph in her eyes, I immediately understood what was going on. No wonder Ashley had helped Marcus set me up. But I wasn't here today to catch them in an affair. I said calmly, "Ms. Brooks, page all department heads. We are having an emergency board meeting in ten minutes." Ashley froze, then burst into a condescending laugh. "Chloe, have you lost your mind? Sure, you might be the boss's wife, but Marcus runs this place. And..." She paused, looking me up and down with a nasty sneer. "With the way things are going, I highly doubt you'll be the boss's wife for much longer." I stepped closer, narrowing my eyes. "Two nights ago, you told Marcus I was sleeping at your place." Ashley raised an eyebrow. "You should be thanking me. I gave you and Tyler a chance to relight your old flame. "But you know, secrets always get out. If I were you, I'd confess to Marcus as soon as possible. It might make the divorce less messy." I scoffed. "My marriage is none of your business. I will ask you one more time. Are you going to page the department heads, or not?" Ashley rolled her eyes. "Sorry. I only take orders from Mr. Vance." With that, she turned on her high heels and strutted out of the room. I didn't waste any more time. I picked up the desk phone and dialed HR. The HR manager, Mr. Henderson, was a new hire. He sounded hesitant when he spoke to me. "Mrs. Vance, holding a meeting without Mr. Vance's approval... I don't think that's appropriate." Without saying a word, I walked over to the safe, pulled out the original incorporation documents and the business license, and held them up. "Look at the name on these papers. Chloe Sterling. "This company has belonged to me and my family from day one. Marcus Vance was only a temporary manager." Mr. Henderson's tone changed instantly. "Director Sterling!" I let out a breath. "Get everyone in the conference room. Starting today, I am taking back full control of Flora Corp. "Also, Ms. Brooks just informed me she only takes orders from Marcus. Draft her termination papers immediately. She's fired." "Understood, Director Sterling!" An hour later, I was sitting at the head of the conference room table. Marcus had replaced a lot of the staff, but there were still several veteran managers who recognized me. When I announced my return to active management, the room went silent. The expressions on their faces ranged from surprise to deep concern. I looked around the room. "There is one more thing. I believe some of you know my maiden name is Sterling. My grandmother is Eleanor Sterling, the chairwoman of Sterling Enterprises." The moment the words left my mouth, the room erupted into whispers. "No wonder Sterling Enterprises asked about her when we tried to pitch to them last year!" "If we partner with the Sterling Group, our company will scale to heights we never dreamed of!" "We fully support you, Director Sterling!" My grandmother indeed ran the massive Sterling Enterprises. But years ago, my father had cut ties with her to marry my mother. Under the current circumstances, however, using my grandmother's name was the only way to quickly secure the loyalty of these managers. Before I could continue, the heavy conference doors were slammed open. Ashley marched in, her face red with rage. "Chloe Sterling! How dare you fire me while Marcus is out! "Just wait. I've already called Marcus and told him what you're doing. He's on his way here right now. Let's see how you explain this to him!" Before I could even speak, Mr. Henderson, the HR manager, stood up. "Ashley, you have been officially terminated. Please leave the premises immediately, or security will escort you out." Ashley stared at him, dumbfounded. "Are you insane, Mr. Henderson? You're taking orders from her? She has no authority to fire me!" Mr. Henderson's face was cold. "She is the sole owner and CEO of this company. She has every right." Ashley let out a hysterical laugh. "Are you kidding me? I've been here for two years! I know who the boss is! Don't let this housewife trick you!" The admin manager picked up the phone. "Security, please come to the main conference room. We have a terminated employee causing a disturbance." Within seconds, two security guards walked in, grabbed Ashley by her arms, and began dragging her out. Ashley struggled wildly, gripping the doorframe and screaming, "Chloe, you bitch! Just wait until Marcus gets back! He's going to ruin you!" Other employees in the hallway began to gather around, whispering and watching the drama unfold. Just as I was about to call the police to have her removed for trespassing, Marcus's voice boomed down the hallway. "What is going on here? Get back to work, all of you!" The crowd quickly dispersed, and the managers in the conference room stood up. Ashley immediately burst into tears, throwing herself into Marcus's arms. "Marcus! Thank God you're here! Your wife came in and fired me out of nowhere! She's accusing us of having an affair! How could she humiliate us like this?" Marcus's face darkened as he walked into the room. When he saw me sitting calmly at the head of the table, he froze. "Chloe? What are you doing in that chair?"