The General Manager's Wife

1
Just before quitting time, the general managers wife suddenly dropped a PDF file into the company-wide work chat.
[A Sterling Corp Intern Named Sienna Climbed the Ladder on Her Back, Shamelessly Playing the Other Woman]
I opened it. It was filled with screenshots from my social media.
Every post lined up perfectly with the general managers travel schedule.
Her message was confident, accusatory: He confessed everything to me yesterday. I suggest you give back every cent he spent on you.
Faced with what looked like irrefutable proof, the way my colleagues looked at me shifted.
I froze.
I couldnt understand how I could be the target of a smear campaign like this, especially when I was working at my own familys company.
After all, if I said the word, she and her husband could be fired tomorrow for stepping into the office with the wrong foot.

Veronica pointed a scornful finger at me. "Mark and I have been married for years. Were past the honeymoon phase. Just pay me back for the luxury goods and trips, every single penny, and I promise I wont make a bigger scene about your little affair."
My colleagues shot furtive glances in my direction.
My expression hardened. "Mrs. Hayes, are you prepared to stand by those accusations? The general manager and I don't even have each other's contact information."
Veronica let out a cold, impatient laugh. "Alright, thats enough. I dont need to hear the sordid details. I did the math. Hes spent about two hundred thousand on you recently. Just give me the money, and you two can do whatever you want."
She then turned to the rest of the office. "You all know I'm not an unreasonable person. I dont go after people without cause. I wouldnt be saying this if I didn't have proof. But the girl is young, and I don't want to embarrass her too much Just keep things professional with Sienna. Dont let our personal business get in the way."
Her speech was broadcast live to the company chat. Now, not only did everyone in the company know, but our clients did too.
The general manager, Mark Hayes, walked over, his brow furrowed in annoyance. "What is all this? Making a scene in the office, stirring up trouble with your paranoia."
But Veronica wasn't backing down. She pointed to a smudge of lipstick on his collar. "You have the nerve to lecture me? Look at this! You didn't even bother to wipe off her lipstick. What, are you embarrassed now that your little darling is here?"
Mark's face darkened. He didn't say a word, just grabbed Veronica by the arm and dragged her out of the office.
His ambiguous silence only seemed to confirm the rumors.
The next day, every female employee in the company received a designer handbag from Veronica.
Except me.
The excuse? "Better to reward my loyal team than let a homewrecker spend it."
And just like that, the entire office turned against me. I was completely ostracized.
Colleagues I used to joke with moved their desks away, creating a dead zone around my workspace. The people I ate lunch with started leaving early, afraid Id try to join them. By the time I finished my work, the office was always empty. My direct reports stopped responding to my messages. A project I was about to complete was snatched away and given to someone else. When I went to my team lead for an explanation, the usually friendly man just frowned and ignored me.
The rumors were relentless. Everywhere I went, I was followed by hushed whispers.
I have to say, Veronica is being generous. A lot of women would have just fired the girl.
So thats how a fresh graduate landed two major accounts right off the bat I guess she has her methods.
Playing around like that isnt she afraid of catching something?
I had zero interest in being the rumored girlfriend of a middle-aged man with a beer belly. That afternoon, during a lull, I knocked on the general manager's door.
Mark was reviewing the quarterly reports. He didnt look surprised to see me.
"Sienna. I know why you're here. And I do owe you an apology for this whole thing."
"My wife she tends to speak her mind without thinking. She misunderstood our relationship."
I waited. He offered no solution, no plan to fix it.
My eyes locked onto his. "And that's it? She's a grown woman. Does 'speaking her mind' just excuse everything?"
Mark's expression soured. "You're just a kid. Why are you making such a big deal out of this? I said it was a misunderstanding. You haven't lost anything. My wife is your superior, for all intents and purposes. Are you expecting an apology from her?"
"Instead of dwelling on this, you should be focusing on improving your skills. You're still an intern, you know. The company has no place for slackers."
I was so stunned I almost laughed. The same Mark Hayes who was so deferential and meek in front of my father was a completely different person in front of his employees. A petty tyrant on his little fiefdom.
Before I could say another word, he ushered me out of his office.
The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. As I was walking away, I heard Veronica's voice from inside.
"Trash all of it! She thinks she can steal my man? I'll show her what happens when you mess with me!"
I shoved the office door open. My desk had been ransacked. My personal belongings and some files were scattered on the floor. The cute stuffed animal I kept on my desk had been torn to shreds.
My colleagues, who had been gathered around, all turned to look at me, their faces a mixture of expressions.
My face was a cold mask. "Did you do this?"
No one answered. The office was dead silent.
A woman named Lily, standing next to Veronica, stepped forward, her arms crossed. "So what if we did? A homewrecker like you deserves it. If we beat you, wed be doing the world a favor."
Another colleague nodded in agreement. "Exactly. No wonder her social media is all trips and designer bags. She earned it on her back. What a disgrace to professional women."
"I told you, there is nothing going on between me and the general manager. I don't need his money. Why would I sell myself to a fat, old man?" I tried to explain, but they weren't listening.
"What money could a recent graduate possibly have? When you interviewed, you were dressed so plainly. The minute you got hired, you started showing off designer bags. You must have seduced Mr. Hayes right from the start!"
I couldn't believe it. Even my interview attire was being used as a weapon against me.
Lily, still at Veronica's side, sneered. "Your profile says you're a 'new age woman' inheriting the 'family business.' Is your family business being a professional mistress?"
"It all makes sense now. I was wondering why someone with your credentials would choose a small company like ours. You had your sights set on Mr. Hayes all along."
The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife when the CEO's executive assistant, Mr. Wu, suddenly walked in. He placed a gift box on my desk.
Mr. Wu adjusted his glasses, his tone all business. "Ms. Sterling, Mr. Hayes asked me to give this to you as an apology. He hopes you won't make a fuss over such a small matter and storm his office again."
I laughed, a bitter, humorless sound. It was obvious what was happening. Mark was using me as a shield, a decoy to protect his real mistress.
And it worked. The moment she saw the gift, Veronica, who had been maintaining a thin veneer of civility, lost it. Her face contorted with rage.
"Fine! So you're not even trying to hide it anymore, you two degenerates!"
Before I could say a word, Veronica lunged at me and slapped me hard across the face. "You bitch! I'll teach you a lesson today!"
My cheek stung, a fiery pain spreading across my skin. I clutched my face, my eyes darting around the room, only to be met with the mocking stares of my colleagues.
When I decided to go undercover at my own family's subsidiary, I had prepared myself for being scapegoated, for being ostracized, even for workplace harassment. But I did it to prove to my father that I had what it takes to be his successor. I chose to start from the bottom, to earn my place.
I never imagined that in my own company, I would not only be the subject of a vicious smear campaign, but I would also be physically assaulted.
I raised my hand to strike back.
Lily immediately jumped in, grabbing my arm and shouting, "Oh my God! She's the other woman, and she has the nerve to hit the wife! Do you have no shame?"
The other employees, not knowing the full story, started chiming in.
"How arrogant! She really thinks she's the favored concubine."
"I can't believe it. She seemed so nice."
"All that talk before I actually thought she was innocent!"
Mark walked in to see Lily shielding Veronica, holding my upraised arm. Without a moment's hesitation, he shoved me away.
"What's all this commotion? Sienna, this is a workplace. You will follow the rules."
I stumbled and fell, my head cracking against the sharp corner of a desk. A searing pain shot through my skull, and warm blood trickled down my face, past my eye.
I looked up at Mark, who was now holding Veronica in his arms, and a cold, bitter smile touched my lips. "You will regret this."
"Regret it?" Mark laughed. "I'd like to see how an intern makes me regret anything."
Veronica clung to Mark's arm, pouting. "Honey, she almost hit me. You have to defend me."
I tried to get up, but Mark held me down, pressing on my shoulder. As a sharp pain shot through my knee, he raised his hand and slapped me again, and again. The world swam before my eyes, stars exploding behind them. The tears Id been holding back finally fell.
Veronica knelt, grabbing my chin and examining my swollen face with a sadistic pleasure. "See that, you little slut? No matter what tricks you pull, my husband still loves me."
Lily stepped forward, a sarcastic smile on her face. "Sienna, you should thank Mrs. Hayes for the lesson."
I reached for my phone on the floor, intending to call the police, but Mark kicked it away. As my colleagues watched with amusement, Veronica pulled out a wad of cash and threw it in my face.
"Is this what you want? Money? Here. Take it."
The thick stack of bills hit me, the sharp edges of the paper cutting my skin.
Mark shook his head, his face a mask of disappointment. "Sienna, I thought you were a reasonable person. Now you want to call the police over this little squabble? You're embarrassing Sterling Corp and the entire Sterling Group."
With that, the HR manager, who had just arrived, tossed my employee file onto my lap with a sigh. "Sienna Sterling, due to the significant negative impact you have had on the company's reputation during your employment, we can no longer continue your internship. Your records have been sent back to your university."
"No company in this city will hire you now."
"No, not just this city" Mark interjected. "From this moment on, no company under the Sterling Group will accept your application."
The office, which had been buzzing with whispers, fell completely silent. Everyone knew that the Sterling Group was the industry leader. To be blacklisted by them meant your career was essentially over.
Veronica looked triumphant. She took a picture of me in my disheveled state and sent it to the executive management chat, then recorded a voice message, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. "Gentlemen, this Sienna Sterling is a snake in the grass. The Sterling name is too good for the likes of her."
I closed my eyes. Any last shred of hesitation I had vanished.
If you can use your power and position to humiliate Sienna Sterling, the ordinary intern, then don't be surprised when the heiress of the Sterling Group comes for you.
I was escorted out of the office. In the elevator on the way down, Mr. Thompson, a manager from another department, blocked the colleague who was supposed to be watching me leave. His lecherous gaze roamed over my chest.
He rubbed his hands together, his greasy face eager. "Sienna, so young, and such poor judgment Everyone at Sterling Corp knows Veronica is a shrew with no talent. The only reason she has any power is because her mother was a nanny for the Sterling family for twenty years. If it wasn't for that connection, Mark would still be a junior manager. You picked the wrong horse. You should have picked me! My wife at home has only given me daughters. If you give me a son, Ill marry you"
As he spoke, his hand crept toward my chest. My face darkened, and I slapped his hand away. "Get lost."
Thompson's expression turned ugly. He grabbed a fistful of my hair and slammed my head against the glass wall of the elevator. "You think you're too good for me? You're just another slut who's been passed around. If I took you right here, right now, everyone would just think you were asking for it."
My head swam, and I tried to fight back, but he just grinned and slammed my head against the glass again. I gritted my teeth, but I was too weak. I slumped to the floor, watching helplessly as his fat, grasping hands came closer.
"You animal!"
"Still playing the innocent maiden Youre about to be mine anyway."
He was impatient now, his fingers fumbling with the buttons of my shirt.
Just then, the elevator stopped. The doors opened, and a familiar voice cut through the air.
"Miss Sterling! Are you alright?"

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