Chapter 1
I was taking my daughter Emily on a summer break trip when a post popped up on my feed:
[When the CEO adds you to his Shared Platinum Card- that’s a boss move]
Attached was a screenshot of the card’s available balance: five million dollars.
And the person who posted it was my husband’s brand–new secretary.
Emily pointed at the woman in the photo.
“Mommy, I don’t like that lady. Last time Dad brought her home, she took all your clothes. And she called me a worthless brat… said you and I don’t deserve Dad.”
I froze for a moment.
I was about to call Scott Collins to demand an explanation when I saw his comment right under the post:
Scott: [Of course my woman deserves the best.]
I didn’t hesitate. I dialed the Executive Hotline.
I didn‘
“Pass this down freeze every account under my husband’s name. Any expense over ten dollars must be reported to me for approval. And fire that secretary immediately.“.
When I hung up, I left my own comment under the post:
[After ten years of marriage, I’ve finally learned my husband has such a… generous side.]
I shut off my phone, took Emily’s hand, and walked into the amusement park.
The carousel lights glowed across her face, chasing away the earlier sour mood. She squealed and ran toward the roller coaster.
We played ourselves out for the whole afternoon. By sunset, we were dragging our tired feet back to the hotel.
The moment I turned my phone back on, the screen lit up with 99+ missed calls and countless messages–almost all from Scott.
I skimmed the furious texts and demands for answers, then dismissed them without a second thought.
Instead, I opened my Instgram, uploaded a photo of Emily and me laughing on the carousel, and captioned it:
[Leisurely mother–daughter day. Had a great time with my Emily.]
The comments flooded in–likes, heart emojis, and compliments about Emily’s cuteness. I smiled as I replied.
Then Scott’s call came through again.
I frowned and declined it.
But seconds later, the phone started going crazy–calls and texts, one after another, like he was trying to blow it up.
Emily stirred restlessly from the noise.
I walked out to the living room, drew a deep breath, and finally hit answer.
The moment the line connected, Scott’s roar nearly burst my eardrum.
“Jessica! What the hell is this?! Who told you to freeze my assets? Do you have any idea how much face I lost in front of a partner today?”
That mix of outrage and self–righteousness wiped away the last bit of good mood I’d had.
My voice turned to ice.
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“Scott, if you can’t talk to me calmly, this call ends right now.”
I didn’t wait for a reply–I hung up.
Seconds later, the phone rang again.
This time his tone was tighter, but the anger was still there.
“Jessica, the bank just called–every card I have is frozen. What’s going on?”
I leaned back on the couch, my tone flat.
“When we got married, you promised the household finances would be under my control. I’ve been lenient all these years. Now, I feel like exercising that right. From now on, any expense over ten dollars needs my approval.”
“Ten dollars?!” His voice shot up, incredulous.
“I’m the CEO of a listed company! Ten dollars won’t even fill my gas tank!”
“I’ve done the math,” I cut in, my voice still even.
“You fill your tank about twice a month for your commute. I’ll have someone top it off for you when it’s due. As for meals, doesn’t your company have a cafeteria? I’ve already arranged for your lunches to be delivered to your office.
“That ten dollars is for a bottle of water if you’re thirsty, or an Uber if you don’t feel like driving. The fare from the office to home is exactly ten. I’ve covered all your needs. Ten dollars is enough.”
I paused, my tone dropping even colder.
“If I don’t take back control of the money, how would I ever know you had so much extra to throw at another woman?”
“That screenshot–it’s not what you think.”
He jumped to defend himself, a flicker of panic in his voice.
“That money… that was Chloe’s bonus from her last project! She was afraid she’d spend it recklessly, so she asked me to manage it for her. I added her to my Shared Platinum Card and sent the money back! Jessica, you’re overreacting! She’s more than ten years younger than me why would I…‘
“Oh, please.”
My laugh was pure ice.
“You expect me to buy that crap about a project bonus? Do you think I’m stupid? You figured I don’t have her on my social media, so you could be as blatant as you wanted? A middle–aged man chasing a girl half his age and you’re not even embarrassed?
“You give her five million today–tomorrow, you’ll hand her my whole estate. You should be thanking me. If I hadn’t frozen the accounts, and she actually spent it, I’d sue her for every cent until she was rotting in prison.”
The more I spoke, the angrier I got. My voice snapped like a whip.
“From now on, your daily allowance is ten dollars. Take it or leave it. Otherwise? You get nothing.”
I hung up before he could get another word in.
