Chapter 1The CEO's Free Labor

Working overtime late into the night on New Year's Eve, I slumped in my cubicle, mindlessly scrolling through my phone to kill time.

I stumbled upon a trending thread about how to manage employees, and one comment under it caught my eye. It was glaring.

[My husband's methods are truly brilliant. He specifically targets his most capable female employees for a secret office romance, using emotional manipulation to make them work themselves to the bone for the company.]

[That woman is dreaming of becoming the boss's wife, but in reality, she hasn't taken a single vacation day in three years. She's still working overtime at the office on New Year's Eve. Right after he sleeps with her, she's kicked out of bed to go make PowerPoint presentations.]

[Working like a horse and treated like a whore. A work-whore, if you will.]

Below it, someone spoke up for the female employee, cursing the original poster and her husband for being vicious.

But she casually replied with a photo, completely unbothered.

In the photo, a man wearing an apron was cooking in the kitchen, his back to the camera. He looked sharp and handsome.

The caption was a blatant provocation:

[What's the use of cursing me? She's still pulling an all-nighter at the office right now, unlike me, who just has to wait in our mansion for my husband to cook New Year's Eve dinner~]

My breath caught, and the hand gripping my phone suddenly tightened.

I could never mistake that back.

The silhouette in the photo was unmistakably my CEO boyfriend, whom I had been secretly dating for five years.

...

I placed my phone face down on the desk and took a few deep breaths.

When I flipped it over again, my fingertips trembled slightly as I zoomed in on the photo, bit by bit.

The navy blue apron he was wearing was the New Year's gift I bought him after saving up my bonuses for three months.

His sharp, short haircut was the exact style he got at the barbershop the day after I casually mentioned I liked clean-cut hair last month.

Even the tiny red mole behind his right ear was identical to Ethan's.

In the comment section, someone asked,

[He's dating two women at once, and the female employee never suspected anything?]

She replied smugly,

[Every time I call him while he's with her, my husband tells her I'm his mom. A few times, he even coaxed that stupid woman into calling me 'Mom' a few times. She didn't even stop to think—is my husband's mother someone she could just casually talk to?]

The cold light from the screen made my eyes sting.

A few days ago, after answering a call, Ethan suddenly smiled and turned to me.

"Chloe, my mom wants to say a few words to you."

I froze, hurriedly took the phone, and softly called out "Auntie" a few times.

The other end of the line remained dead silent.

Ethan stood beside me, teasing me with a smile.

"My mom wants a daughter-in-law. She's waiting for you to change how you address her."

Although I felt it was abrupt, I couldn't withstand his soft coaxing, and finally whispered, "Mom."

As soon as the word left my mouth, an uncontrollable burst of laughter erupted from the other end of the phone, followed by three quick "good, good, good"s before she hurriedly hung up.

I felt something was off at the time, but Ethan coaxed me out of overthinking it with just a few words.

Only now did I realize that the person on the other end of the line that day was his legal wife.

My fingertips trembled uncontrollably as I clicked into that woman's profile.

Her latest post was from two weeks ago:

[My husband's New Year's gift to me! It was just too expensive, cost a cool seven figures~]

But on that exact same day, Ethan told me:

"The company isn't doing well this year. As the future boss's wife, you shouldn't ask for a year-end bonus. And your overtime pay... we'll have to wait until the company recovers to backpay you."

My hand shook even harder as I continued to scroll down.

[Heading to the Maldives for a vacation with my hubby! Life without work is just too good!]

But during that same period, I pulled three consecutive all-nighters to land a major contract, ultimately ending up with a bleeding ulcer from drinking too much at a business dinner.

Even after the contract was signed, I pushed all the credit onto Ethan, who hadn't lifted a finger, just to help him establish authority in the company.

The next post down:

[Moving into our new home! Hubby specially bought a riverview mansion for me and the baby.]

The photos showed a spacious, brightly lit living room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a dazzling river view.

And I hadn't even been assigned a spot in the employee dorms.

In a city as expensive as Seattle, I was renting a run-down, tiny studio in a remote suburb, commuting at least two hours a day.

It was laughable how much I trusted Ethan before.

I gullibly believed his nonsense about the "company not doing well and being on the verge of bankruptcy."

I didn't spend his money, didn't ask for a raise, and worked my fingers to the bone, all just so he could have it a little easier.

Five years of dedication, and in the end, it was all just paving the way for his happy life with another woman.

Tears fell without warning.

I hurriedly raised my hand to wipe them away, but accidentally knocked over the cold takeout box on my desk.

Leftover food and rice spilled all over the floor, a complete mess.

I finally couldn't hold it in anymore, crouching on the floor and bawling my eyes out.

Ethan was in a riverview mansion with his wife and child, eating a New Year's Eve dinner made of seafood and abalone.

Perhaps after eating, they would cuddle by the window to watch the fireworks, or curl up on the sofa to watch the lively New Year's countdown shows.

But I was working overtime in a pitch-black office building.

Not only did I not have overtime pay, but even my meal was a cheap ten-dollar combo.

I don't know how long I cried before my phone rang.

After I answered, Ethan's voice came through the receiver.

"Chloe, Happy New Year!"

"I'm still out of town trying to secure investments. I handle the outside, you handle the inside. Next year, we'll work together to make the company bigger and stronger!"