A Flower Brokes the Marriage

It was International Women's Day, and HR delivered flowers to every woman in the company, except me.

Confused, I went to look for the HR manager, but stopped when I heard her talking with colleagues in the stairwell.

Isn't it too much to exclude Aurora? She is the Head of Tech, one whispered.

Another answered, "It's her own fault. She keeps going to the CEO and upsetting his girlfriend. The budget for her flower was used for Jenna's huge bouquet. That was the only way to calm the girlfriend down."

"Liam is clearly avoiding her, but she still shamelessly chases him, trying to break them up."

Their words stung. I remembered the enormous bouquet that caused a stir in the office this morning, given to Jenna, the new intern.

My husband, Liam Vaughn, had not given me flowers since we founded the company. He did not even have time for dinner on our anniversary. Lately, even when we were together, he felt distant, always preoccupied with work, worried our competitor Apex Dynamics would beat us to the market.

I knew how hard he had worked to build this company. I felt his struggle so deeply that I turned down a generous offer from Apex and brought my core technology to his startup instead.

I became a workaholic, working through the night, pushing myself to the limit. I even agreed to keep our marriage a secret to avoid office politics.

And what did I get? While colleagues spread rumors about me, he stayed silent, yet never hid his favoritism toward an intern.

I looked at the hard drive in my hand, which held my latest breakthrough. I took a deep breath, picked up my phone, and called Donovan Pierce, CEO of Apex Dynamics.

"I accept your offer," I said calmly. "I will join as a partner, with my technology as my stake."

There was a beat of silence on the other end. Then, Donovan Pierce, a man known as the Stone-Faced Godfather of the tech world, couldn't hide the excitement in his voice.

Aurora, you wont regret this. I will make sure this is the best decision youve ever made. With your tech, the Titan Corp bid tomorrow is ours for the taking!

The second I agreed, the phone was snatched from my hand.

I turned to see Liams icy glare. A crowd of smirking employees stood behind him. He hung up without even looking at the screen, his tone frigid.

Its just a flower. Youre the Head of Technology, and youre going to cause a scene in the administrative department over it? What will people think? Itll look like Jenna is bullying you. Have you thought about her position?

A bitter smile touched my lips. I hadnt even found the HR manager, and he was already this worried about Jenna. Yet for the past year, as I was branded the desperate older woman trying to ruin his relationship, as the rumors flew, he had been conveniently deaf.

Seeing their boss angry, the others eagerly piled on.

An old hag like Ms. Vale has probably never gotten flowers in her life. Thats why shes making such a big deal out of it.

Are all homewreckers this shameless? Liam is obviously trying to keep his distance by not giving you a flower, and youre still forcing the issue!

Its Womens Day. Its for young, beautiful women like Jenna and us. What makes a washed-up, old mistress think she deserves anything?

Every word was a dagger to the heart, but Liams expression remained unchanged. I understood then. They were just saying what he was already thinking.

I trembled with rage, my eyes fixed on the man Id been married to for seven years. I am also a female employee of this company. Is there a problem with me fighting for a benefit Im entitled to?

Seeing the tears welling in my eyes, a flicker of emotion crossed his face. He sighed. If you really want one

Just then, Jenna appeared, clutching her enormous bouquet, her eyes brimming with tears. Aurora, its my fault! Im just an intern, I dont deserve this! If you want them, you can have them, just please dont use your position to bully me! Im so scared!

A few of her friends in the office chimed in with saccharine-laced accusations. Liam, as soon as Jenna got the flowers this morning, Aurora made her print hundreds of pages of pure gibberish, and she only gave her an hour to do it. Jennas back is killing her from standing by the printer, and for what? A stack of useless paper no one will ever read. Its blatant workplace harassment!

Liams gaze fell on the half-printed stack of paper on the desk. The flicker of sympathy vanished. He grabbed a handful of pages, the contents looking like nonsense to him, and in a fit of rage, ripped them to shreds, showering me with the pieces.

And to think I was about to compensate you! Vertex Innovations prides itself on its supportive company culture. A toxic shrew like you who bullies her subordinates is a disgrace!

Behind the fluttering confetti of my hard work, I could see Jenna and her friends smiling triumphantly.

What Liam didn't know was that those pages contained the technical report I had spent five sleepless nights perfecting. Id asked the intern to print them this morning so I could get them to Titan Corp, the biggest client in the industry, before their bidding process was locked down. It would have secured us the project without a fight.

He grabbed another stack of paper and slapped me across the face with them. Apologize to Jenna. Now!

The sharp edge of the A4 paper left a stinging cut on my cheek, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the desolation in my soul.

I bent down and began to gather the scattered pages, my voice as cold as my heart. She was too busy showing off her flowers this morning to complete the task I gave her within the one-hour deadline. Shes the one who should be apologizing.

Liams face darkened. He lunged forward and grabbed me by the collar. Aurora, when did you become so manipulative and cruel? Youre the one in the wrong, and youre so consumed by jealousy youve lost all sense of shame? Get on your knees and apologize to Jenna, and I I might still let you stay on the team.

The sycophants erupted.

You pathetic homewrecker, abusing your power to bully the real girlfriend! How dare you demand an apology?

Wasting company resources on a pile of garbage and disrupting our work. Why should a selfish bitch like you be a department head?

Youve always known your place, working without a salary, throwing yourself at Liam. I guess a single flower was enough to make you finally drop the act, huh?

I couldnt help but laugh at the irony. When Liam and I first married, he had nothing. But he knew I loved flowers and would often pick wildflowers for me. We were poor, but our hearts were full.

Then he decided to start his own company. Every penny was pinched, and there was certainly no money or time for flowers. As a renowned expert in my field, I poured my own money and talent into supporting him.

Last year, the company finally started to turn a profit. We expanded, hired new staff, and aimed to conquer the market. I had been with him every step of the way, so I understood the struggle. Thats why I joined his company without a salary, letting all my benefits go to the new hires.

Even when the rumors about him and Jenna started, even when I found out that as an intern, Jenna had an unlimited, no-receipts-required expense account, even when I saw that after a year of not even being able to operate a printer correctly, her annual bonus was a brand-new sports car, I believed him. Its about showing appreciation for our junior staff, building team morale, hed said.

And I had believed him.

But today, this one small benefit, I thought he would remember my love for flowers. I thought he wouldnt leave me out. Instead, all my years of silent support had earned me was the consensus that I was unworthy.

I pointed to the data on the shredded papers, my heart aching as I looked at him. This is the technical data I poured my soul into. If it had been delivered on time today, we would have won the Titan bid without even competing. Now its all ruined. Shouldnt she be the one to leave?

At the mention of her name, Jennas eyes darted around, and fresh tears began to fall. Aurora, just because Liam favors me, you have to set such a vicious trap? No wonder you gave me an impossible printing task. You couldnt deliver the software Liam needed, and you were afraid of failing at the bid tomorrow, so you decided to make me the scapegoat! Is this how far youll go just to keep clinging to him?

The others rushed to her defense.

I heard Liam was already pissed that the tech department hasnt had a breakthrough in a year. This old witch is just trying to use Jenna to save her own skin!

Thats why it didnt matter if the documents were gibberish! She just needed to give Jenna an impossible task so she could shift the blame!

Shes pure evil. No wonder shes trying to sleep her way to the top. She knows shes incompetent!

Liams eyes were like daggers. He shoved me, and I fell into the pile of my ruined work. You really went to great lengths to frame Jenna, didnt you? I wondered why your so-called breakthrough was taking so long. You were too busy plotting against her! Apologize to Jenna right now, or youre out of this company!

Hed forgotten that in the early days, when we couldnt afford employees, I often filled every role, including printing hundreds of documents in an hour. It was his own standard operating procedure. But when applied to Jenna, it became an act of deliberate cruelty.

A sad smile touched my lips. I stood up, brushed the paper from my clothes, and took off my employee badge, tossing it on the floor. I started gathering my personal belongings.

No need for threats. I quit.

I printed out a single document, signed it, and handed it to him. Sign this. Ill send you a mailing address.

The words Divorce Agreement made him freeze. He instinctively reached for me as I turned to leave.

The others, assuming it was a resignation letter, began to cheer. Only Jenna, seeing him grab me, scowled and pulled his arm away. Liam, are you trying to make her apologize to me? If shes resigning as an apology, I suppose I could accept

Liam snapped back to reality. Ever conscious of his image, he went along with her. Exactly. We cant let this toxic woman off so easily.

He yanked me back, pinning me against the wall. Tomorrows bid will make me a legend in this industry! How dare you try to walk out on me now?

The desperation and fury in his eyes made it impossible to tell if he was trying to save the bid or the hollowed-out shell of our marriage.

But I no longer cared to guess. I looked him straight in the eye, my heart a dead weight in my chest. You think Im incompetent. You think Im getting in the way of your love life. Why are you stopping me?

He flinched, glancing at Jenna over his shoulder. Youre derelict in your duties and youre a bully. Dont try to drag me into this! he said, before leaning in and hissing in my ear, Is this because Ive been busy with work and havent paid you enough attention in bed? Is that why youre making a federal case out of a damn flower?

I shook my head, speechless, and shoved him away. The box of my belongings in my arms fell, scattering its contents across the floor.

Jenna immediately snatched the most prominent item, a photo album. She flipped it open and sneered. No wonder shes in such a hurry to leave. Looks like shes already found a new target!

The others crowded around, laughing. She saw she wasnt getting anywhere with Liam, so she started lining up her next sugar daddy. What a slut! She must have spent a lot of time in his car trying to seduce him.

But as Liam looked at the contents of the album, the color drained from his face.

There were no photos inside. Only a thick stack of train tickets.

They were from college. I was a rising star in the national programming competition circuit, a recognized genius. He was just a logistics volunteer from another school who had fallen for me at first sight. He, a notorious slacker who barely passed his classes, and I, a prodigy. We were worlds apart.

I had politely turned him down. But after the competition, he had relentlessly pursued me, taking the train for hours, often standing the whole way, just to see me.

On our wedding day, he had presented me with this album, filled with every single one of those tickets, and held me in his arms, tears streaming down his face. It took me ten thousand miles to finally win you over, hed whispered. How could I not cherish you?

Now, the album was a cruel joke.

Seeing my silence, the employees assumed their suspicions were correct. They took out their phones and started a livestream, shoving the cameras in my face.

Youve never seen a homewrecker this desperate! When one man doesnt work out, she moves on to the next! Everyone, watch out for this one!

Instantly, my bruised face, under the headline The Hardest Working Old Mistress, went viral. The internet trolls descended.

An old hag like that still trying to be a mistress? Is money earned on your back that good?

Shes got no talent, so she has to use her body!

A few people were skeptical. She looks familiar. I think shes won a bunch of tech awards. She should be able to make good money on her own. Why would she need to be a mistress?

I was livid. I grabbed Liams shirt. You know the truth! Tell them!

A flicker of guilt crossed his face. He was about to speak when my phone buzzed with a notification. Jenna saw it and snatched it, holding it up like a trophy.

It was a message from Donovan Pierce.

Ill pick you up at your place tomorrow morning. Ill bring breakfast.

He had messaged me from a personal account they didnt recognize. Their imaginations ran wild.

See? The old mistress is already scheduling her next hookup! No wonder she was in such a hurry to quit!

The few netizens who had defended me turned.

So she really is a shameless, desperate slut. Disgusting!

Before I could explain, Liams eyes were blazing. He slapped me so hard I fell to the floor. Aurora, and to think I was about to defend you! You really are this pathetic! No wonder you were so determined to leave. You were just eager to climb into another mans bed! This company has no place for a whore like you!

The others swarmed me. Youre a disgrace to this company, with your depraved lifestyle and your bullying! Youll apologize to all of us on your knees before you leave this building!

Before I could react, someone kicked the back of my knees, and I collapsed. Another grabbed my hair and slammed my head against the floor. Blood streamed from the wound.

Jenna knelt, pinching my chin, her voice a triumphant whisper. You really thought you could compete with me for him? This is what you get, you old bitch.

Seeing the blood, Liam finally seemed to regain some semblance of sanity. He hauled me to my feet, threw me into the elevator, and snarled, Go home and wait for me. If you mention divorce again, youll see what I do to you when I get back.

But as the doors were closing, I heard Jennas sweet voice. Liam, you promised youd spend tonight with me! You cant go back on your word!

Liams tone instantly softened. Of course not, my dear. When have I ever missed a special day with you?

I thought of all the important days he had missed over the last year and smiled a bitter, bloody smile.

He didnt come home that night. Neither did I.

The next morning, at the Titan Corp bidding presentation, Liam saw me, my wounds bandaged, a satisfied look on his face. He had a faint hickey on his neck.

I knew it. You must have stayed up all night working on a new proposal to win me back. He leaned in closer. Look, I had to calm Jenna down last night. Thats why I didnt come home. But youve been good today. Ill come home tonight. Consider it your company benefit. Happy now?

Jenna, however, was furious when she saw me. So you still cant let him go? Have some self-respect, youre not young anymore.

The media, who had all seen yesterdays livestream, swarmed me with hostile questions.

Youve been branded a whore by the entire industry. Do you have no dignity?

Did your new sugar daddy see the stream and dump you? Are you here looking for a new man?

Or are you here to win Liam back? Are you really that pathetic?

I walked right through them and handed my proposal to the Titan Corp executives. Everything youre looking for is in here. You dont need to see anyone elses.

The head of Titan Corp looked shocked. He flipped through a few pages, then grabbed my hand, his face alight with excitement. We knew it! Whichever company has Ms. Vale is the one with the Midas touch!

Liam beamed, turning to the media and bowing. He preened for the cameras. Taming a woman is as simple as training a dog. Thats how you unlock her true potential He then shot a smug look at his biggest rival, Donovan Pierce. Next time, dont even bother showing up! Today, youll learn who the king of this industry is!

Donovan just smiled faintly and gestured to the stage. Perhaps you should listen a little more closely.

The next moment, the Titan Corp executive made the official announcement, and Liams world fell apart.

This years winning bid is Apex Dynamics, the new home of a tech titan like Ms. Aurora Vale!