Chapter 3

I leaned back in my chair and looked at Leia with a calm expression. “Izzy reached her current position because I allowed it. Now that I do not want her there, that position belongs to you. It is easy to manage others, but technical abilities like yours are rare. The company can still function without Izzy. Without you, it is nothing. Once you sign this, you will be the one ringing the bell when the company gets listed tomorrow. There is no reason for those leeches who feed off your hard work to enjoy a comfortable life.”

Leia clutched the document as her voice trembled. “Can I really do it? Miss Sockman always says I do not have a great image and my education level is low, I…”

“If I say you can, you can.” I handed her a pen.

Leia did not take it at first. Her tears fell onto the paper. After a moment, she wiped her face and picked up the pen. The unhappiness and suffering she endured in this company gave her the strength she needed. “Thank you, Mr. Colter. I will sign them.”

She was not foolish. Leia had known for years that Izzy was too incompetent to be the one keeping the company afloat. She never expected that person to be me, the man everyone mocked for living off his wife.

“Good.” I put the documents away. “A stylist will pick you up tomorrow. Remember, you will be the CEO of Sockman Enterprise from tomorrow onward. You need to learn to walk tall with your head held high.”

…

The next day at noon, Izzy woke up with a horrible hangover. She called out by habit, “Water!” No one reacted. Her head throbbed, and she opened her eyes in frustration when she realized no one had prepared a hangover remedy or laid out her outfit of the day.

Her anger grew. “Are you dead, Shawn?”

Izzy ran into the bedroom barefoot. When she saw the unfamiliar surroundings, she remembered she was not at home. She was in the hotel with her lovers. She grabbed her phone to call Shawn, the nanny she took for granted, but no one picked up. She called again, and still no one answered.

“Good‑for‑nothing! Who does he think he is?” Izzy threw her phone onto the sofa.

Carter and Eugene walked out in their robes. “What is wrong, Izzy? Who made you mad so early in the morning?”

“He disappeared. That good‑for‑nothing did not prepare breakfast, and he did not bring the car over,” Izzy said through clenched teeth.

Carter laughed as he walked over and pulled her into his arms. “I thought it was something serious. Lapdogs like him need to make a fuss once in a while to remind you they exist.”

Eugene joined them. “Carter is right. Did you check your social media? I just saw someone post that they saw a man who looked like your husband shopping at a Patek Philippe store. Apparently, he bought a watch worth thousands.”

“He bought a watch?” Izzy looked surprised.

“Yes. Think about it. What else can he do if he leaves you? He probably bought it as an apology, but he is too embarrassed to admit it after what happened yesterday.”

Izzy looked pleased and even smiled. “At least he knows what is good for him. I knew he would be left with nothing if he left me. He would not dare do anything drastic.”

She picked up her phone and sent me a message:

[I will not hold last night against you because of the watch you bought. I will give it to the executive of White Mount Investments later. Stop your pitiful act and get over here with the car. I do not want to be late for the bell ringing.]

The message did not deliver.