Chapter 3

As soon as she said this, the faces of quite a few executives in the room changed.

Ivy, however, seemed to have completely thrown caution to the wind.

She clung tightly to Conrad's arm, large drops of tears rolling down her face.

"Celine, no matter how obsessed you are with Conrad, you can't just make up a lie like this to force him to marry you, right?"

Ryan immediately chimed in from the side.

"Exactly. Look at how successful Conrad is. Do you really think you are in his league?"

The employees around us started whispering.

"Celine's behavior has indeed been very abnormal lately."

"Is she trying to use a scandal to move up?"

I listened quietly.

In my previous life, these vicious speculations sliced me up like knives.

Now, they just sounded completely ridiculous.

Conrad finally yanked his arm back forcefully.

He strode up to me, lowering his voice into a harsh command.

"Celine, go to the lounge and wait for me."

I stood my ground, not giving an inch.

He warned me, practically gritting his teeth.

"Stop this right now, and I can pretend nothing happened."

"Stop this?" I raised my eyebrows, meeting his gaze without backing down.

"Take back the fact that I'm your wife?"

Conrad's jaw clenched tight.

"Do you have to humiliate me in front of the investors?"

I almost laughed out loud.

In my previous life, when I was slut-shamed across the internet and pushed to a dead end, he only cared that I had affected the company's valuation.

In this life, I was merely stating facts, and he still felt I was making him lose face.

Conrad took a deep breath and switched back to his usual soft voice.

"Be reasonable, babe. The company just got funding. The last thing we need is a messy private life for the top management."

"Making a scene like this now will only make others see you as a gold digger who slept her way to the top."

"Why should my competence be proven by my marital status?"

"You know I don't mean it like that."

"Then what do you mean?"

I looked at him.

"Are you too afraid to admit you're married, or are you just terrified to let your investors know that half of this company isn't even yours?"

Conrad could no longer keep up his facade.

A dark look flashed through his charming eyes.

"Celine, you're clearly suffering from a mental breakdown."

The show was starting. The familiar tricks were beginning.

In my previous life, he first labeled me as mentally unstable, then instructed HR to force me out the door.

I simply unzipped my purse and pulled out our marriage certificate.

When that piece of paper bearing the official state seal was revealed, the buzzing around us instantly died down.

I unfolded it and held it right in front of Ryan's face.

"Open your eyes wide and look closely."

The muscles on Ryan's face stiffened, but he remained stubborn.

"There are plenty of fake documents out there now. Who knows if it's real?"

I took out my phone.

"Do you need me to pull up the county clerk's public records right now and look it up for you?"

Ivy's previously rosy cheeks turned pale instantly.

She stumbled back a step, quickly bursting into tears again.

"Conrad, say something! Are you just going to let Celine slander you like this?"

This time, Conrad remained silent.

A moment later, he looked at me with deep disappointment.

"Celine, do you really have to spout nonsense in front of all our partners? Are you trying to ruin the entire team's three years of hard work?"

"I'm not the one ruining anything."

My tone was icy cold.

"You've been lying for so long that you actually think the truth is wrong."

When the atmosphere reached a breaking point, Sarah walked over.

As the HR Director, her face always wore a hypocritical, flawless professional smile.

"Celine, given that your current mental state makes you incapable of working, I'm officially placing you on administrative leave for the sake of your health and the company's reputation."

"Please cooperate with security and leave, or we'll have to call the police."

In my previous life, this was exactly how I was escorted out by her.

That was followed by my system access being frozen, my email canceled, and my keycard deactivated.

But now I just looked at her. "Sarah, the suspension paperwork is already printed, isn't it?"

Sarah's smile stiffened. "What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing."

I folded the marriage certificate and put it back in my purse.

"Just a friendly reminder that abusing your authority opens you up to a lawsuit."

I ignored them, turned around, and walked toward the restroom at the end of the hallway.

I had just turned on the faucet to wash my hands when I heard footsteps behind me.

Jessica, accompanied by two administrative assistants who usually hung out with her, blocked the door.

She crossed her arms, spitting out a vicious mockery.

"Celine, you liar. You really just refuse to give up, don't you?"

I turned off the faucet and pulled out a paper towel.

"Get out of my way."

Jessica picked up the spray bottle in her hand.

"Are you addicted to playing the CEO's wife? Why don't you look in the mirror, you greedy gold digger? Even if Conrad were to really get married, it would never be your turn, you boring, washed-up woman."

Before I could speak, she raised the spray bottle and sprayed it crazily right at my face.

The harsh smell of cheap makeup remover hit my nose as the liquid dripped down my eyelashes, stinging my eyes.

People were peeking in from outside the restroom to watch the show.

Jessica laughed uncontrollably.

"Look, everyone! Doesn't the crazy woman look exactly like a drowned rat right now?"