The company was about to launch several major projects, and to highlight the importance of these collaborations, a press conference was organized. The venue was filled with business professionals and reporters. This was actually my mom’s idea—to convince my dad to let me handle the press conference as a way to gain experience. But I turned it down, playing into what my dad likely wanted to hear. “Why not let Xavier run the press conference? He has the experience.” “That’s the right attitude,” my dad said, nodding approvingly. “A family should always look out for each other. If you only think about yourself—” I didn’t let him finish his lecture. I cut him off and stepped out of the office to take a call from a friend. At the press conference, Xavier was the perfect example of “When the cat’s away, the mice will play.” It was his first time hosting an event without my dad or me overshadowing him, and he was clearly thrilled, unable to wipe the smile off his face. As the
I had escalated the situation to the point where backing down was no longer an option for me, no matter how much my dad tried to pressure me. The scandal was the talk of the company, and to control the spread of gossip, my dad had no choice but to have HR fire Xena.When the termination order came down, Xena was livid. She stormed out of the HR office, causing a scene in front of a crowd of curious onlookers. “You have no right to fire me!” she screamed. “I’m the Vice President’s secretary! You can’t do this!” The HR representative walked out calmly, flanked by employees eager to watch the drama unfold. “Really? You’re throwing a tantrum after getting caught having an affair with your boss? And you still have the nerve to shout about it here?” One employee sneered, “We’ve all had to earn our place at Carson Group through hard work. You’re the only one who got ahead by climbing into the Vice President’s bed.” Instead of showing shame, Xena shot back, “You’re just jealous
“Fire me? Have you lost your mind, or is old age catching up with you?” My dad shot me a glance but didn’t bother responding. Instead, he picked up the phone and dialed an internal line. “Security, come to my office.” It wasn’t until after the call that he finally spoke to me. “Your incompetence is bad enough, but last time, you created a complete disaster at the press conference. You turned a company project into your personal revenge scheme. If Xavier hadn’t stepped in to handle it, the company’s reputation would’ve been ruined. So, tell me, how is firing you not justified?”“Why do you always find a way to pin everything on me?” I snapped. Before I could say another word, security arrived and, on my dad’s orders, escorted me out of his office. When I went back to my desk to pack my remaining belongings, I saw that a nameplate with Xavier’s name had already replaced mine. To make matters worse, Xavier walked in, smirking with satisfaction. “I told you, didn’t I? Witho
The Carson Group was originally my mom’s family business, but ever since my dad took over, he had been finding excuses to transfer or fire the loyal executives my grandfather left behind. In their place, he installed his own people, gaining control over the entire operation. Now, although my dad did not own much real estate, he controlled the majority of the company’s shares. The reason my mom’s shares ended up in my dad’s hands was that he tricked her into signing a proxy management contract for the shares. He even conspired with a doctor to fabricate a psychiatric diagnosis for her. Using the terms of the contract, he forcibly took over her shares. I waited at home for a while until my dad finally came back. The look he gave me was filled with malice. “Lily, are you going to keep dragging this out?” he sneered. “Of course not, Dad. I always do what you say,” I replied, feigning lightheartedness. “Honestly, I think firing me was a great idea. I never liked working anywa
Xavier turned his gaze to my mom. “If I’m not mistaken, Mrs. Jones’s shares are under the chairman’s management, aren’t they? Given your health, it doesn’t seem appropriate for you to weigh in on matters as a board member.”It was clear from his smug expression that he and my dad had been scheming against us for a while. But his confidence quickly faded as a series of photos appeared on the large screen. The "capable" chairman he mentioned was lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to a ventilator. “Something unexpected happened,” I said calmly. “My dad suffered a sudden heart attack at home last night and was rushed to the hospital. He’s currently in a coma. Here is the medical report and critical condition notice from Lichfield Hospital.” I paused, letting the room absorb the news, then continued. “A company as large as Carson Group can’t operate without a chairman. I’m willing to step in and take over. If you agree, please raise your hand.” Most of the board members had alr
After renovating our new house, I spent my days picking out the new furniture the designer had sent over. Just as I finalized the style for the bed in the master bedroom, a call came in from the hospital. “Hello, is this Ms. Lily Carson, daughter-in-law of Wendy Wilson?” “Your mother-in-law was in a severe car accident at the Emerald intersection. We can’t reach her other family members. Could you please come to Lichfield Hospital right away?” I hung up the phone and rushed to the parking lot, asking the driver to take me there immediately. Along the way, I kept trying to call my husband, who was away on a business trip, but every time I called, all I got was the same automated message: “The phone is currently turned off.” Wendy had only moved to Jasper City from her hometown two months ago. Her only next of kin here was Xavier Smith, my husband. If she didn’t make it through the surgery, I had to ensure Xavier could see his mother one last time. To do that, I contacted
Wendy's ashes were taken back to her hometown by her daughter, Carrie Smith. As a daughter-in-law of this family, I accompanied her to visit the place where Xavier grew up.A mourning tent had already been set up, but the coffin placed in front of the memorial was completely empty. The moment my father-in-law, David Smith, saw me, he stormed over and started yelling. “Lily! How could you make the decision to cremate Wendy without consulting anyone? Don’t you know that in our hometown, it’s a tradition for people to be buried where they were born?” Other villagers joined in, scolding me with the same tired remarks. All I could do was shrug helplessly. “What else could I do?” “Xavier didn’t tell me anything about these customs, and I could only follow the hospital’s recommendations. If I could’ve reached Xavier, I wouldn’t have had to make this decision. But both his phones were off. What was I supposed to do?” That was when they all realized that the ashes were already b
“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
Xavier turned his gaze to my mom. “If I’m not mistaken, Mrs. Jones’s shares are under the chairman’s management, aren’t they? Given your health, it doesn’t seem appropriate for you to weigh in on matters as a board member.”It was clear from his smug expression that he and my dad had been scheming against us for a while. But his confidence quickly faded as a series of photos appeared on the large screen. The "capable" chairman he mentioned was lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to a ventilator. “Something unexpected happened,” I said calmly. “My dad suffered a sudden heart attack at home last night and was rushed to the hospital. He’s currently in a coma. Here is the medical report and critical condition notice from Lichfield Hospital.” I paused, letting the room absorb the news, then continued. “A company as large as Carson Group can’t operate without a chairman. I’m willing to step in and take over. If you agree, please raise your hand.” Most of the board members had alr
The Carson Group was originally my mom’s family business, but ever since my dad took over, he had been finding excuses to transfer or fire the loyal executives my grandfather left behind. In their place, he installed his own people, gaining control over the entire operation. Now, although my dad did not own much real estate, he controlled the majority of the company’s shares. The reason my mom’s shares ended up in my dad’s hands was that he tricked her into signing a proxy management contract for the shares. He even conspired with a doctor to fabricate a psychiatric diagnosis for her. Using the terms of the contract, he forcibly took over her shares. I waited at home for a while until my dad finally came back. The look he gave me was filled with malice. “Lily, are you going to keep dragging this out?” he sneered. “Of course not, Dad. I always do what you say,” I replied, feigning lightheartedness. “Honestly, I think firing me was a great idea. I never liked working anywa
“Fire me? Have you lost your mind, or is old age catching up with you?” My dad shot me a glance but didn’t bother responding. Instead, he picked up the phone and dialed an internal line. “Security, come to my office.” It wasn’t until after the call that he finally spoke to me. “Your incompetence is bad enough, but last time, you created a complete disaster at the press conference. You turned a company project into your personal revenge scheme. If Xavier hadn’t stepped in to handle it, the company’s reputation would’ve been ruined. So, tell me, how is firing you not justified?”“Why do you always find a way to pin everything on me?” I snapped. Before I could say another word, security arrived and, on my dad’s orders, escorted me out of his office. When I went back to my desk to pack my remaining belongings, I saw that a nameplate with Xavier’s name had already replaced mine. To make matters worse, Xavier walked in, smirking with satisfaction. “I told you, didn’t I? Witho
I had escalated the situation to the point where backing down was no longer an option for me, no matter how much my dad tried to pressure me. The scandal was the talk of the company, and to control the spread of gossip, my dad had no choice but to have HR fire Xena.When the termination order came down, Xena was livid. She stormed out of the HR office, causing a scene in front of a crowd of curious onlookers. “You have no right to fire me!” she screamed. “I’m the Vice President’s secretary! You can’t do this!” The HR representative walked out calmly, flanked by employees eager to watch the drama unfold. “Really? You’re throwing a tantrum after getting caught having an affair with your boss? And you still have the nerve to shout about it here?” One employee sneered, “We’ve all had to earn our place at Carson Group through hard work. You’re the only one who got ahead by climbing into the Vice President’s bed.” Instead of showing shame, Xena shot back, “You’re just jealous
The company was about to launch several major projects, and to highlight the importance of these collaborations, a press conference was organized. The venue was filled with business professionals and reporters. This was actually my mom’s idea—to convince my dad to let me handle the press conference as a way to gain experience. But I turned it down, playing into what my dad likely wanted to hear. “Why not let Xavier run the press conference? He has the experience.” “That’s the right attitude,” my dad said, nodding approvingly. “A family should always look out for each other. If you only think about yourself—” I didn’t let him finish his lecture. I cut him off and stepped out of the office to take a call from a friend. At the press conference, Xavier was the perfect example of “When the cat’s away, the mice will play.” It was his first time hosting an event without my dad or me overshadowing him, and he was clearly thrilled, unable to wipe the smile off his face. As the
Xena, knowing her place, didn’t make a scene in public. Instead, she obediently followed me to the office and spent the entire afternoon moving a desk in and out, over and over. Watching her so exhausted she could barely stand straight gave me a sense of satisfaction. This childish act wasn’t about personal revenge against Xena. It was to send a clear message to the employees who didn’t respect me. They needed to understand that in this company, Xavier would never outrank me. As soon as Xena left my office, she ran straight to Xavier’s office, whining, “Darling, that awful woman worked me to death this afternoon. My back is killing me!” “Really? Let me check.” Xavier placed his hand on her lower back and gave it a hard squeeze. “Still feels pretty soft to me.” The two of them didn’t hold back, getting tangled up right there in the office—from the desk to the floor, the couch to the floor-to-ceiling windows. Every move was captured on the surveillance camera linked to
Due to Xavier’s recent mess, my mom cut her time abroad short and came back home. The moment she walked through the door, she slapped Xavier across the face. “You live under our roof, eat our food, and still have the nerve to treat my daughter like this?”Xavier was stunned by the slap, but he quickly recovered and nodded, apologizing. “I’m sorry, Mom. I don’t know what Lily told you, but I can assure you, none of that is true.” His smooth-talking excuses had no effect on my mom. She brushed past him, gave my dad a sharp look, and the two of them disappeared into the study. As soon as they were gone, Xavier dropped his pathetic act and turned on me, scolding, “Lily, don’t go saying nonsense in front of them.” “Oh,” I replied casually before swinging my hand and slapping him across the face. “Have I been too soft these past two years?” I said coldly. “Who told you that pleasing my dad would give you the right to control me?” I sank into the couch and added, “Don’t thi
“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
Wendy's ashes were taken back to her hometown by her daughter, Carrie Smith. As a daughter-in-law of this family, I accompanied her to visit the place where Xavier grew up.A mourning tent had already been set up, but the coffin placed in front of the memorial was completely empty. The moment my father-in-law, David Smith, saw me, he stormed over and started yelling. “Lily! How could you make the decision to cremate Wendy without consulting anyone? Don’t you know that in our hometown, it’s a tradition for people to be buried where they were born?” Other villagers joined in, scolding me with the same tired remarks. All I could do was shrug helplessly. “What else could I do?” “Xavier didn’t tell me anything about these customs, and I could only follow the hospital’s recommendations. If I could’ve reached Xavier, I wouldn’t have had to make this decision. But both his phones were off. What was I supposed to do?” That was when they all realized that the ashes were already b