A Divorce on My Mother’s Behalf

1
After returning from my studies abroad, I went to my fathers company without telling him, wanting to give him a surprise.
But on my first day, I found the entire office fawning over an intern, calling her the Princess.
I froze, asking my new colleagues to confirm what I was seeing. They all said the girl, Pearl Shen, was my father's acknowledged daughter.
But I'm an only child. I've never had a sister!
I sent a text to my father, a cold smile on my face.
Dad, I was thinking, after I graduate, Ill come intern at our company.
As always, he replied in seconds.
My precious daughter doesn't need to work. Once you graduate, just stay abroad and enjoy yourself. The money I make is enough for you to live lavishly for the rest of your life!
I locked my phone and immediately contacted my lawyer.
Please get the divorce proceedings started for my mother.
...
The employees crowded around Pearl, their compliments flowing endlessly. I pushed my way through the throng.
The moment she saw my face, the middle-aged woman standing protectively beside Pearl went pale.
"Ahem, everyone get back to your desks! What does it look like, chatting during work hours!"
The smiles vanished from the employees' faces as they scattered like mice, muttering under their breath.
"I thought we'd get a break with the Princess here, but why's the boss's wife on a warpath again?"
Hearing them call another woman "the boss's wife" sent a fresh wave of fury through me. My mother had no interest in the business, and I lived abroad. It seemed that in our absence, a new mistress had taken over the Shen household.
Pearl looked annoyed.
"Mom, I thought you were going to help me build my image so I could take over the company sooner. I wasn't done showing off."
I laughed.
"You want to take over my company?"
Pearl shot me a venomous glare.
"Obviously, this is my dad's"
Before she could finish, the "boss's wife" shoved her aside.
"Shut your mouth and get back to work!"
Then, the woman lowered her head, looking at me as if I were a ticking bomb, and forced a few words through her teeth.
"We can talk about this outside."
Seeing the sweat beading on her forehead, I casually pulled out a chair and crossed my legs.
"Why should we go outside? Is it because you know you've done something that can't see the light of day?"
The woman gasped, looking like she was about to faint. Her voice was pleading.
"This this is the office!"
She reached out, grabbing my arm and pulling me out of the office, away from the prying eyes. As she did, I got a clear look at the name tag on her chest.
Rose Qin, Secretary to the General Manager
Rose dragged me into an empty hallway and finally let out a long breath.
"You must be Mr. Shen's daughter, Cecilia. I've heard so much about you."
"I know I overstepped," she began, her eyes welling up. "I was just worried my daughter would be bullied during her internship, so I let her pretend to be Mr. Shen's daughter. Please, I'm begging you, don't say anything. Let an old employee like me keep some dignity."
She looked so pitiful, like a desperate mother doing anything for her child.
Too bad I didn't believe a single word.
Because hanging around her neck was the exact necklace I had sent to my mother not long ago.
I hooked a finger under the deep, lustrous imperial jade, my eyes glinting with mockery.
"It seems you've overstepped in more ways than one, Ms. Qin."
My mother was a princess who had been coddled with love her whole life. She cared nothing for business, only for her jewelry collection. This piece was something I had won at a high-stakes auction, and I had specifically asked my father to fly it back to her personally.
My father had promised to deliver it to her, safe and sound. It seemed my leech of a father had long forgotten who my real mother was.
I tightened my grip, the cord of the necklace digging a red line into Rose's neck. Tears instantly streamed down her cheeks, making her look even more fragile.
"Miss Shen, you must have misunderstood. I'm just a poor mother trying to do what's best for my daughter."
I sneered and suddenly yanked harder. The cord snapped. Rose cried out in pain and stumbled to the floor.
I didn't spare her another glance. I contacted my lawyer.
Get the divorce proceedings started for my mother.
You heard me. I'm making the decision.
...
I went home with the lawyer, who had rushed to meet me, and slapped the divorce papers down in front of my mother.
She was completely bewildered.
"Cecilia, are you insane? Your father and I have a wonderful relationship. Why would we get a divorce?"
"Did your father cut your allowance? My sweet girl, don't throw a tantrum. Here, take my card."
As my mother pushed her black card toward me, my lips trembled, and tears welled up in my eyes.
My mother's family had once been the wealthiest in New York. She grew up in a bubble, shielded from the ugliness of the world. How could I be the one to tell her about the disgusting things my father had done?
Seeing me cry, she rushed to comfort me. As she bent over, a fake jade pendant slipped out from under her blouse.
She saw me staring and gave me a reassuring smile, quickly tucking it away.
"Your father said you picked this out especially for me. I love it so much, I wear it all the time."
In that moment, everything became clear. My mother has seen every treasure under the sun; how could she not recognize a fake? She must have known my father had swapped the gift, but thought I had been scammed, so she wore it happily to protect my feelings.
The image of Rose flaunting the real necklace flashed in my mind. I didn't hesitate any longer.
"Mom, Dad's having an affair."
"And not only that, his daughter is a year older than me."
The color drained from my mother's face. Her eyes filled with tears.
"Cecilia, do you have any idea what you're saying?"
I steeled myself and laid out a stack of photos.
My mother picked up the first one. When she saw the brilliant necklace around Rose's neck, her body went rigid. She looked at me, her face pale, before continuing.
As she picked up the second photo, I sighed.
"The girl in the picture, that's their daughter, Pearl."
"If I hadn't gone to the company today without telling you, I would have never known that there was already a new 'Mrs. Shen' and a 'Princess' in charge."
Tears streamed down her face as she reached for another photo.
I gritted my teeth.
"That's a company share transfer agreement. The shares you trusted Dad with, the ones you gave him to manage, he handed them all over to his mistress and his illegitimate child."
My mother froze, her eyes scanning the document. The next page was a university acceptance letter.
Seeing the name of the medical school, a flicker of realization crossed her face. The crying stopped, replaced by a grave expression.
I gave a bitter laugh.
"That's right. I failed my college entrance exams and had to study abroad."
"But I did some digging today. It turns out I didn't fail. It was Jamesthat ungrateful leechwho swapped my scores with Pearl's."
At my words, the sadness on my mother's face hardened into a cold fury.
She slammed her hand on the table.
"That bastard! How dare he hurt my daughter!"
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. I had gambled correctly. At her age, my mother could forgive many things, but I would not tolerate having a backstabbing parasite for a father. If it was just about the affair, she might have hesitated. But learning he had stolen my future? That was unforgivable.
I gently wiped away her tears. "What's past is past. What matters is now."
"Mom, you inherited a multi-billion-dollar fortune from Grandpa, including several public companies. I suspect that while you've been hands-off, Dad has seized control of everything. That's why he's so brazenly bringing his mistress into the company."
I expected her to be anxious, but she just smiled knowingly.
"Don't worry, darling. The prenup is iron-clad. Everything I own, James was only managing. The moment we divorce, he has to give it all back."
"In that case," I said, my voice turning to ice, "let's make sure that unfaithful bastard loses everything and is ruined for life."
Just then, my phone buzzed incessantly. I realized the employee notification group I had muted was blowing up with 999+ messages.
To celebrate the Princess's successful onboarding and the company's upcoming IPO, a grand banquet will be held at The Zenith Club! All employees and their families are cordially invited!
The boss is so generous! I heard the minimum spend there is two grand a person!
It's all thanks to the Princess! Long live the Princess!
Pearl herself made an appearance, dropping a dozen large cash-filled "red packets" into the chat. The compliments and fawning intensified.
I watched the celebration with a cold smile. Just when I was wondering what to do next, James had the audacity to throw his illegitimate daughter an IPO welcoming party.
Perfect. I wouldn't miss it for the world.
I found James's contact and sent him a message.
Dad, I'm flying home today. Could you and Mom pick me up from the airport?
He replied instantly.
What are you doing back now?
I mean, is my baby girl homesick?
I'll tell your mother right away and book her a flight to come see you. I'll come visit after I finish up some things here. Be good, do some traveling, and take lots of pretty pictures for Daddy to show Mom, okay?
I raised an eyebrow and showed the phone to my mother. She needed to see his true colors.
She had already recovered from her initial shock and was now sitting at her vanity, picking up a custom-made makeup brush. She beckoned to me.
"Come. Let's get you ready."
"We're going to pay a visit to your father... and his other family."
...
The Zenith Club was buzzing with energy. At the entrance, a staff member stopped my mother and me.
"Ladies, please step this way for a security check."
A security check for dinner? My mother and I exchanged a look of disbelief. Seeing our expressions, the staffer smiled.
"Apologies, but this event is not only for the company's IPO, but it's also a welcoming party for the boss's own daughter."
"Mr. Shen adores his daughter, Pearl. For her safety, everyone entering the restaurant must go through security."
My mother and I rolled our eyes in unison.
The staffer saw our disdain and sniffed. "What's with that look? Everyone at Shen Corp knows Mr. Shen has doted on his precious daughter since she was a baby. He even braided her hair and picked out her clothes himself!"
My smile froze.
When I was a baby and my mother was away, James had left me unattended in the bathtub. A maid found me unconscious, having nearly drowned.
He promised to take me to the park but left me locked in a hot car in the middle of summer. A passerby had to call the police to get me out.
He took me hiking, I fell down a ravine, and he went home without even noticing I was gone until my mother asked where I was.
I used to tell myself he was just focused on work. But I was wrong. He wasn't incapable of love. He just never loved me.
My mother, sensing my distress, pulled me away, only for us to run into a group of people fawning over Rose. She was showing off a jade bracelet James had personally flown abroad to bid on for her.
"My James knows I love these things. He spent eight million on it for me. He's so thoughtful."
My mother raised a hand to her own bare neck, a sarcastic smile playing on her lips.
"Don't be sad, Cecilia. He loves taking care of people and buying them jewelry, doesn't he?"
"Today, I'm taking back everything I ever gave him. And I'm going to watch that ungrateful wolf meet his end."
I took my mother's hand, and we found a quiet corner to wait. Just then, my phone buzzed. It was a video call from James, who never, ever initiated contact.
My heart leaped into my throat. I almost dropped my phone. Then I realizedI had just seen Rose. After I left, James must have been busy with the party preparations and hadn't spoken to her yet. Now that everything was ready, she must have told him about our encounter.
He suspected something was wrong. This was an interrogation.
I looked at my mother for help, but she was perfectly calm. She simply smiled.
"Follow me."
She led me through a winding corridor and, to my surprise, into a wine cellar. Pointing to the walls of wine and the foreign staff milling about, she said, "I thought this might happen, so I had some of my international staff wait nearby. Answer it. With James's limited worldview, he won't know the difference."
I let out a breath and answered the call.
James's greasy face filled the screen. "Sweetheart, where are you?"
I held up the phone and did a 360-degree spin. "Wine tasting with some classmates. The signal isn't great. What's up?"
I held the pose, pretending the video was frozen.
On the other end, James frowned, scrutinizing every detail, before finally sighing in relief. I heard him mutter to someone off-screen.
"I told you she was still abroad. Cecilia is such a mama's girl; she would have told her mother immediately. There's no way she came back without saying anything."
"Stop worrying and go get changed!"
I was about to explode. The sheer audacity of this man, calling his real daughter to verify a lie for his mistress.
My mother, having heard enough, ended the call and hurried me back to the banquet hall.
By the time we returned, the party had already started.
After a stunning fireworks display, a dapper James walked onto the stage, holding a beautifully dressed Pearl by the hand. To thunderous applause, they shared a heartfelt hug.
James looked at Pearl as if she were a precious jewel.
"My daughter, Pearl. Her name says it all. She is the pearl of my eye."
"Today, here, in front of all our dear partners and loyal employees, I am officially introducing the pearl of my eye to you all!"
"As you know, the pharmaceutical company under my name is about to go public. And my daughter is a brilliant graduate from a top medical university. I hereby announce that I am gifting this company to my daughter, Pearl, as a symbol of my love and devotion. I hope that under my protection, her future will always be a path of ease and success!"
The entire audience was moved by his passionate display of fatherly love, erupting in wild applause.
After the applause died down, I slipped through the crowd, leaped onto the stage, snatched the microphone, and smiled at James.
"Dad, before you give my mother's company to your illegitimate daughter, shouldn't you ask for my opinion?"

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