I rubbed my eyes in disbelief,confirming it was indeed my cousin Liam’s name.
How could this be?
Recalling Emily’s gaze on Liam that night,I felt uneasy.

Suppressing my rising emotions,I drove to Emily’s company.
Before we got married,Emily had a dream of starting her own business.I poured all my stock market earnings into founding her company,always backing her no matter what.
In five years of marriage,I’d never once stepped foot into her office—until today,for this reason.
At the entrance,a man in a tailored suit walked by,prompting whispers from the receptionists.
“Is that Liam,the new secretary?Could he be Emily’s…kept husband?”
“The secretary position had been vacant forever, and then he just shows up.Definitely something fishy!”

“Ugh,how jealous. Look at that face—no wonder he’s the CEO’s man.”
I didn’t understand why people assumed I was a kept man in Emily’s marriage,but since she came from humble roots,I let the rumors slide to protect her pride.
For years, I didn’t care about anything else as long as she was happy.
But now,my silence had led everyone to dismiss me as insignificant.

I approached Liam from behind, my voice as cold as ice.“Cousin,you’re persistent,huh?”
Hearing me,Liam flinched and nearly lost his balance, only to be caught by Emily as she entered.
Seeing me,she quickly let go,her tone soft.“Why are you here?Weren’t you feeling sick and going to the hospital?”
I stared at Liam,demanding,“Why is he here?”
Liam’s eyes welled up with tears,his voice rising loud enough for the office to hear.“James,Emily has her hiring standards.Are you questioning her?Or…just targeting me?”
“I know you invested a bit of money into this company, but you can’t boss Emily around just to get at me.”
Colleagues murmured in sympathy.“Just a minor investor,huh?”
“Is he trying to get with Emily?Doesn’t he know she’s married?Money doesn’t make you a homewrecker.”
“Is he here to get Liam fired?”
I stared at Emily,who looked flustered. She leaned in and whispered, “James, you never meddle in company affairs. Let’s talk at home, not here.”
“Talk?!”I pushed her aside, my anger boiling over.“I’ve got nothing to hide—what can’t I say here?”
Liam dropped to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably,“Don’t make things hard for Emily!I’m just a secretary—what can I do?Spare me!”
His ill-fitting shirt stretched taut as he knelt,and Emily’s ears turned red.
She paused,then snapped at me,“Enough!He lost his job and got kicked out by you.He’s pitiful enough!”
“I only hired him as a secretary as a gesture of goodwill. It’s just a secretary position—does it matter who I hire?Why are you so worked up?”
I looked at Emily,incredulous,feeling like I was seeing her for the first time—and what I saw was disgusting..
It was obvious to anyone that Liam was up to something, but she not only played along but also defended him.
I pushed Liam aside,leaning on the desk.“Emily,if you want to keep him,don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
Before she could respond,I walked out.She hesitated for a moment,then chased after me.“Honey,I shouldn’t have hired him without asking you.I just felt sorry for him,since he’s your cousin.”
“If you don’t like it,I’ll fire him right away.”
I said nothing,climbed into the car,locked the doors,and sped off.
Then I called the company’s legal team.“I’m pulling out my investment immediately.”
If I could turn Emily into a“heiress,”I could just as easily reduce her to nothingness.
Let’s see what she’s really worth without my money backing her up!