My husband, Sterling Vance, gave his new secretary a diamond necklace worth over a hundred thousand dollars. The little secretary posted a picture of it on Instagram, bragging: [Hard work pays off. A persistent heart will never be let down. I’ll keep doing my best, my dear CEO!] My assistant forwarded the post to me. I forwarded it to Sterling: [A hundred grand is pocket change. How much do you consider 'real money,' Mr. Vance?] Sterling: [Over a million, I guess.] Me: [Transfer two million to my account within one minute. Memo: Voluntary Gift.] Sterling: [Stop playing games, babe.] Then, he received a video. In the video, I smashed his favorite antique Ming vase. Exactly two million dollars' worth. 1 Sterling called immediately. "Do you know how expensive that vase was? What the hell are you doing?" "Sterling, was my message not clear enough?" I glanced at the Patek Philippe on my wrist. "You have thirty-four seconds left. I'm standing in front of that 19th-century oil painting in your study. You know what happens next." The call ended abruptly. Twenty seconds later, a notification from my bank showed a transfer of two million dollars. I sent him a photo. In it, his favorite painting lay on the floor, slashed to ribbons. [The vase was a warning. The painting is a punishment.] [Sterling, you are a married man.] This time, Sterling didn't call back. Not even a text. I knew he was furious. But I didn't care. Marriages in our circle are business mergers. If love happens, it’s a bonus. If not, it’s just business as usual. Sterling and I were somewhere in the middle. We didn't hate each other when we first met, but we weren't in love either. That set the tone. We had the grand wedding, the socialite spectacle. On our wedding night, we slept in separate rooms and politely wished each other goodnight. It wasn't until six months later that we finally slept together—and I was the one who initiated it. The Vance family is old money, refined and uptight. Sterling grew up cold and detached. My family, the Sullivans, came from the streets. My dad built his empire with grit and bare knuckles. We don't do subtle. We do direct. So I never believed in love at first sight. Sterling and I grew on each other. I loved him, and he loved me. But we were rational people. Love wasn't our priority. But this little secretary had touched a nerve. Her blatant showing off stung my eyes. I don't allow anyone to covet what's mine. Not even a glance. But I also knew that the more you suppress something, the harder it fights back. Especially with a man like Sterling. That evening, Sterling texted me. [Business dinner tonight. Won't be home.] I didn't reply. I focused on my work. At 8 PM, my best friend, Blair, sent me a photo. It was taken at a high-end restaurant. Sterling was sitting there, and next to him was a young girl. She was dressed to impress, hair and makeup done professionally. She had that sunny, innocent vibe, complete with cute dimples. Blair: [What’s the situation? Why did your man bring a kid to a business dinner? Did you guys fight?] My assistant sent me a screenshot at the same time. The little secretary had posted on Instagram again. [Attending a high-end gala. Feeling one step closer to my dream life, thanks to a great mentor.] The photo was a selfie. She was beaming, her dimples deep. The diamond necklace around her neck was blinding. Behind her, Sterling—usually camera-shy—was watching her take the selfie with a faint smile. His eyes held a look of indulgence that betrayed his thoughts. I remembered his previous secretary. She got fired on the spot just for replying to a work text during a business dinner. But now, Sterling was not only tolerating this girl's selfie obsession but actively participating in it, using his status to boost hers. He knew my best friend was at that dinner. He was acting this brazenly because I had smashed his vase and slashed his painting earlier. He knew I would see the photo. He knew I would see her post. He did it to spite me. Unfortunately for him, when it comes to revenge, the entire Vance family combined couldn't hold a candle to me. I texted Sterling: [Care to explain the person sitting next to you?] Five minutes passed. No reply. I texted Blair: [Is he checking his phone?] Blair replied instantly: [He looked at it, but didn't type. Are you grilling him?] I texted Sterling again: [Answer me. I know you saw it.] Still nothing. [I'll give you one last chance. If I don't see a reply in ten seconds, you bear the consequences.] Ten seconds later, I sent him a photo. Sterling replied instantly: [Sarah, what the hell are you doing?] Blair texted me: [Holy crap! What did you send him? His face just went white. Like, ghost white.] I sent Blair a devil emoji: [Watch the show.] The photo I sent Sterling was of an old, yellowing pink envelope. It looked like something a high schooler would cherish. It was a love letter from Sterling's first love. The girl who pushed him out of the way of a speeding truck in high school and died in his place. That letter was the last thing she left him. He valued it more than his life. I suddenly realized that the new secretary looked vaguely like that girl. So, the great CEO Sterling Vance was playing the "replacement" game. He was projecting his dead first love onto this intern. Seeing no reply from me, Sterling texted again. [Don't touch it!] Even the punctuation screamed panic. [Sterling, call me.] He obeyed. The phone rang immediately. His voice was low. "Stop it, Sarah. Can we talk about this when I get home?" "Put me on speaker." "What are you doing?" "I said, speaker!" Sterling had no choice. "Sorry to interrupt everyone's dinner, but I heard our CEO brought a newbie to the table tonight. Just calling to confirm." Sterling's voice was tense. "Sarah, it's not what you think. It's strictly professional. Don't misunderstand." "Is it? Which CEO gives a hundred-thousand-dollar necklace to his secretary?" "Sterling, I don't care what your relationship is. But I want you to slap her. Right now. Twice." "You can refuse. But you know the consequences." 3 That night, Lily—the secretary—ran out of the restaurant crying, clutching her face. Blair blew up my phone all night. [Babe, that was a show! Dinner is on me next time!] [Omg! Your husband has a heavy hand. Those slaps looked painful.] [Is this girl part of some kink you guys have?] [Everyone’s gonna talk about this tomorrow. If I were her, I'd want to die.] [Girl, teach me your ways of husband management!] I replied casually: [It's simple. Just don't love him, and you can control him.] Blair lost interest: [Never mind then. I can't do that.] Of course she couldn't. She and her husband were childhood sweethearts who still called each other "honey bear" in public. It was nauseating. [By the way, your husband looked murderous all night. Is he gonna fight you when he gets home?] [Fight? Who's beating whom?] Blair sent a "be gentle" gif and went silent. Half an hour later, Sterling stormed into the house. He burst into the bedroom, grabbing my wrist, eyes blazing. "Where is it?" I stared at him, silent. "Sarah, where is the letter?" I kept staring. After a minute of standoff, he crumbled. He sat on the bed, head in hands. "I did what you asked. I humiliated myself tonight. She could sue me for assault. What more do you want?" "Did I make you humiliate yourself? Don't you think you owe me an explanation?" Silence. Then Sterling spoke. "She's just a college grad. There's really nothing going on. How can I make you believe me?" "Sterling, belief isn't about what you say. It's about what you do." "A hundred grand isn't much to you, but to a normal family, that's life-changing money. Don't tell me you don't know that." "You casually give that kind of money to another woman and expect me not to care?" "I saw her crying because she messed up a report. I just wanted to comfort her. It was a spare gift I had lying around. I have no feelings for her." "A spare gift worth a luxury car? You give that to a girl fresh out of college, and you don't think she'll get the wrong idea?" "If you hadn't enabled her, would she have posted that on Instagram? Did she think I wouldn't see it?" "You took her to dinner, let her sit in my seat. How does that look to outsiders? How does that make me feel?" "She took selfies at a business dinner, and you didn't stop her. You even posed for her. Did you think about how I would make you lose face then?" "You fired previous secretaries for less. Why did you spare her?" "Your indulgence gave her the courage to provoke me. Your special treatment gave her delusions." I peeled back his layers. "I saw her resume. She's unqualified. You hired her because she looks like the girl who saved your life." "Sterling, you're using a replacement to relive your past with a dead girl, aren't you?" Sterling went silent. The air pressure in the room dropped to zero. "Sterling, look at me." He looked up, meeting my eyes. I cupped his face and kissed him firmly. "I love you. Now tell me, do you love me?" His voice was hoarse. "I do." I pulled the yellowed envelope from the drawer. "I wasn't part of your past, but I don't want to miss your future." I placed the letter in his hand. "I love you, so I won't touch the past you cherish. But don't make me stop loving you, okay?" Sterling's breathing grew heavy. He flipped us over, pinning me to the bed, burying his face in my neck like a starving wolf. "Sterling, this is the first time. And the last time." He moved frantically. "I promise. Never again." 4 Lily became the office joke. Usually, assistants rotated for events. But since Lily's "promotion," she had monopolized Sterling's schedule. Lily skipped work the next day. When my assistant presented the absentee report to Sterling, he signed it without hesitation. Everyone knew the little secretary's glory days were over. Lily was transferred out of the executive suite to the front desk. She was banned from the lobby whenever Sterling was in the building. Her salary was slashed. Rumors flew. Everyone knew the "Iron Lady" wife had forced the CEO to slap his mistress in public. Before this, people bet Lily would be the next Mrs. Vance. Now, those rumors vanished like smoke. The consensus was clear: covet the throne, and you die a painful death. Lily became a pariah. I'm a vengeful person. You aim for what's mine, you pay the price. I instructed my assistant to file for Lily's termination. HR signed off immediately. But I underestimated Lily. I didn't expect Sterling to have told her about his first love. He rarely even spoke of it to me. When Lily came to pack her things, she wore a pale yellow dress and white canvas shoes—the dead girl's signature look. She "accidentally" bumped into Sterling in the elevator. Before he could speak, her tears shattered his defenses. In his office, a tearful Lily stood behind Sterling as he raged at my assistant. "I pay your salary, and you use the power I gave you to target my people? Are you insane?" My assistant stood firm. "Mr. Vance, who is 'your people'?" Sterling faltered. He didn't want to answer that. "You're fired. Pack your things. Lily will take your position." That night, Sterling exploded at me for the first time. "What gives you the right to drive her away? Because of your petty jealousy? Are you insecure because she's younger?" "Don't think being my wife lets you do whatever you want. You crossed a line!" He grabbed a vase and smashed it at my feet, then stormed out. "Sarah, you've disappointed me." The door slammed. I stared at the closed door, expressionless. I picked up a sharp shard of the vase. Holding it tight, I slashed a long gash down my own arm. Blood dripped from my fingertips onto the floor, blooming like dark flowers. Sterling, if you want war, I won't be polite.
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