The CEO's Fiancée Takes Over Everywhere

"Turns out Sophie is the real fiancée of the CEO; I almost got fooled by that imposter!"

"Seriously, with her shabby demeanor, she dares to come out and make a fuss? She clearly doesn't know her place!"

"Sophie is just too soft-hearted, giving her the benefit of the doubt by calling her a backup. With her attitude, she doesn't even qualify for that!"

I ignored their comments and stared at the photos Sophie had posted.

Something felt off about Ethan's face in those pictures; it looked almost unreal, possibly due to filters.

Curious, I asked Sophie in the group chat, "Which photography studio took these? They look like AI-generated images."

Sophie immediately snapped back, "Emma, spreading rumors can have legal consequences!"

She then shared a short film from their engagement and the auction contract for the antique perfume.

"I was going to let it slide since you're an older colleague, but I didn't expect you to push your luck!"

I opened the video; it was crystal clear with no signs of editing—it certainly looked like Ethan.

The auction contract also had an official stamp from the auction house, so it seemed legitimate.

But how did Sophie get a copy of that contract?

At that moment, Shawn messaged me privately, "Emma, maybe you should apologize to Sophie. After all, this is your fault."

"I'm just being honest here. You're a backup option; how can you stand up to his fiancée? It's just asking for trouble."

"How about I request a transfer for you to a branch office out of state?"

I felt a surge of anger. Why should I be punished? I hadn't done anything wrong!

So I replied in the group chat, "How do you have that auction contract? Do you know someone at the auction house? You realize sharing that contract is illegal, right?"

That contract was only accessible to Ethan and the auction house; no one else should have seen it.

To my surprise, Sophie sent a sixty-second voice message in the group, "Still trying to play tough when you're already cornered, huh?"

"Shawn, if you want to keep your job here, figure out how to get her out. If I see her around again, there will be consequences for more than just her!"

"Oh, by the way, tomorrow's my birthday! We're having a party at my new place; everyone's invited!"

I had never faced such slander before and was eager to explain myself.

But when I tried to send my message, it failed—I had been kicked from the group.

I quickly contacted Shawn for clarification.

His response was cold, "Emma, didn't I tell you to apologize to Sophie? Why won't you listen? If I had known your character was questionable, I wouldn't have hired you. Don't forget to handle your transfer paperwork with HR tomorrow!"

Before I could respond, he deleted me from his contacts.

I felt utterly confused but was still on my business trip and unable to confront anyone directly.

I looked again at Sophie's photos.

They showed her and Ethan getting engaged on National Day this year.

But on that day, Ethan had been with me in Singapore—there was no way he could have rushed back to get engaged to Sophie!

Yet the person in those photos was undeniably Ethan; even his small scar on his hand matched perfectly.

Could it be that Ethan was cheating on me?

Frustrated and desperate for answers, I decided to call Ethan's secretary to see if she could provide any clues.

My friend's cousin was Ethan's secretary, and we had a decent relationship.

She assured me that if Ethan were cheating, then there wouldn't be any good men left in the world, so I shouldn't be suspicious.

Moreover, she had checked Ethan's schedule for the past six months and found nothing unusual.

I felt an urge to call Ethan immediately to get to the bottom of things.

However, considering he had just returned from abroad, he was likely resting and adjusting to the time difference.

Plus, with the weekend ahead and our new home finally ready for a visit, my future mother-in-law Clara had invited me over to check it out.

The next day, when I returned from my business trip with Clara, we arrived at the house only to find Sophie throwing a party on the lawn with seven or eight colleagues.

Upon seeing me, Sophie sneered, "I was wondering when you'd show up to handle your transfer paperwork. Did you follow me here to apologize?"

Confused, I replied, "Apologize for what?"

Just then, Shawn pulled me aside and whispered, "Emma, Sophie has already shown everyone her villa. She even has wedding photos of her and Mr. Hunter inside. You should just back off."

"If I were you, I'd transfer out of town to avoid further embarrassment."

I felt exasperated.

"I haven't done anything wrong! Why should I be the one to leave?"

"I have things to do today and don't want to argue with you. Just stay out of my way."

With that, I tried to enter the villa with Clara.

The reason for our visit was to try on her custom wedding dress that had just been completed.

However, as we approached the door, a colleague blocked my path.

"Emma, can you have some dignity? This is Sophie's villa; she didn't invite you. Why are you trying to barge in?"

I was irritated.

"This villa is supposed to be mine and Ethan's new home! When did it become Sophie's?"

Sophie overheard and scoffed, "Emma, you really know how to stretch the truth! Yesterday you claimed that my fiancé and an antique perfume worth a house were yours; now you're saying this villa is yours too? How shameless can you get?"

People started pointing fingers at me in disbelief.

Clara looked bewildered and asked what was happening.

Just as I was about to explain, Shawn handed me a phone that was already in use.

It turned out to be a call from Lewis, the company's general manager.

"Emma," he said coldly, "after discussions among company leadership, we've decided to terminate your employment. HR has processed your termination paperwork and will send your personal belongings home. You don't need to come back."

I was left speechless with anger and disbelief.