Chapter 3

Caleb had just gone to Marell with Juliette three months ago.

I looked at him calmly and said, "You must be exhausted from working late. Go get some rest. I need the car today to run a few errands."

"Sure."

He handed me the car keys without hesitation and kissed my forehead.

"Buy whatever you want, darling. I can afford it. I'm going to get some sleep. I'm really worn out," he said.

As I watched him disappear into the bedroom, I clutched the car keys in my hand. Caleb would indeed make it up to me at his inauguration, just not in the way he imagined.

I went downstairs and opened the car door. Then I removed the dashcam's memory card from the car and inserted it into the laptop I carried with me. As expected, it had recorded Caleb and Juliette in an intimate encounter the night before

A mere affair alone was unlikely to affect Caleb at all. However, most of Caleb's money was under my control, and what was left wasn't nearly enough to support Juliette's lavish lifestyle.

Caleb had found other ways to funnel benefits to Juliette, and the dashcam had even recorded their conversations about it. After finding what I needed, I copied the footage three times and stored it in separate locations. My expression was blank.

Over the next few days, I acted like a skilled hunter, patiently setting my traps. Arnold came through spectacularly, not only capturing more photos of Caleb and Juliette on their dates but also uncovering some interesting information.

"Juliette's purchases of high-end goods were all reimbursed through Mr. Whitman's corporate account," he said.

Arnold slid a stack of photocopied invoices across the table toward me. "The luxury items he bought for her were recorded as client gifts. Even her prenatal checkups were claimed as business hospitality expenses."

As I reviewed the invoices, Arnold handed me a contract.

"Juliette had also signed a contract with Caleb's company for 60 million dollars a year in promotion fees. In reality, her account had fewer than a hundred thousand followers, and the engagement was dismal. This clearly amounted to an abuse of company funds," he said.

I scoffed. Caleb had truly abandoned all professional ethics for the sake of a woman. I quietly organized everything into a presentation.

That evening, Caleb came home earlier than usual. His face was alight with excitement. "Darling, I have great news!"

He wrapped his arms around me eagerly. "The board officially appointed me as CEO! The inauguration is next Wednesday."

"Really? That's wonderful!"

I put on a look of surprise. "Then, I'll need to find a beautiful gown. I can't embarrass you."

Caleb's smile faltered for a moment, and he quickly added with an apologetic tone, "Darling, this is one of the company's internal events, and I can't bring family members along.

"You know how it is—I need to keep a low profile at first. Once I officially take office, I'll take you to every event and make sure everyone knows that you're Mrs. Whitman."

I stared at him for a few seconds and only nodded when his gaze began to shift away. "Alright. Do your best."

"I always knew that you were considerate, darling!"

Relief washed over Caleb as he kissed me on the cheek. "After the ceremony, I'll treat you to a feast to celebrate."

As I watched him walk into the bathroom, I unlocked my phone.

Juliette had just posted an Instagram story. She wrote, "Heading to an important event with my husband. I'm so nervous. Hope the baby behaves—don't kick me at the most important part!"

The image showed a champagne-colored gown that was clearly high-end.

I scoffed and glanced at the inauguration invitation that had long been sent to my phone. It seemed that even Caleb himself had forgotten that, besides being his wife, I was also one of the company's minority shareholders.

There was no way I wouldn't receive an invitation to the CEO's inauguration.

…

On the day of the inauguration, Caleb left early in the morning. Before leaving, he said, "Darling, I'll be very busy tonight, so I might not be able to answer your calls."

I smiled as I saw him out, then took my time applying makeup and getting dressed.

When I pushed open the doors to the ballroom, Caleb was standing in the center, looking spirited and confident.