Indifferent to My Mother-in-Law’s Car Accident

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

“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

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

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 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