He Called His Mistress My Cousin

I had just closed a massive deal and was taking a rare day off at home, chatting with my housekeeper, Maria.

Suddenly, she grabbed my hands, her face filled with deep emotion as she praised me.

Ma'am, you are truly an angel. You're so busy with work, yet you still make sure to take such good care of your cousin.

She looked at me, her eyes full of admiration.

I froze for a second.

"Mr. Miller is such a wonderful man, too. Not only is he amazing to you, but he treats your family so well! He's even taking your cousin to her prenatal appointments himself!"

She paused, then added with a smile.

"I heard she's having a boy!"

"Don't worry, Ma'am. I'll make sure to prepare the post-pregnancy organic meal preps and premium supplements using only the finest ingredients, just like you ordered!"

But wait.

Since when did I have a pregnant cousin?

Maria was still listing off expensive organic brands and high-end catering services.

I couldn't hear a single word.

Seeing my expression change, she gently pulled my sleeve, looking worried.

"Ma'am? Are you okay? Are you just tired? Did... did I say something wrong?"

She stood there, suddenly anxious and fidgeting.

I looked at her and asked, "Which cousin?"

Maria blinked, confused.

"Mr. Miller told me she's your distant cousin from your hometown. He said her parents passed away early, and she's been struggling to make it in the city alone. He said you wanted him to look after her."

Seeing the coldness in my eyes, Maria asked cautiously.

"Ma'am... did I run my mouth?"

"No," I replied, forcing my emotions down as I transferred ten thousand dollars to her account via PayPal.

"You've been working hard lately. Go buy yourself something nice."

She gasped, waving her hands in a panic.

I forced the phone into her hand, making her accept it.

"You deserve it. Just... don't tell Ethan I asked about this. He's sensitive. I don't want him to feel like he didn't handle my family matters well."

Maria nodded quickly. "I get it, I get it. Men like Mr. Miller have a lot of pride."

I looked out the window, my heart sinking.

For the past few years, the two most important men in my life were the husband I built from scratch, and the father who raised me.

Years ago, Ethan was just a broke college kid.

I was the only daughter of the Vance family, the sole heiress to the Vance empire.

I had always been the golden girl -- Ivy League graduate, taking over the family business at a young age. But I fell for Ethan.

We met during a hostile corporate bid. Back then, he was just a low-level project manager at a small firm, yet he had the guts to publicly argue with me over a pitch.

Two stubborn people slowly fell in love. I brought him home to my father.

I promised my dad, "He has nothing right now, but in less than ten years, he will be the brightest star in the business world."

And Ethan did it. He worked harder than anyone.

With the resources I handed him on a silver platter, he secured a solid foothold in the company within just a few years.

Even though he was always busy, he was always gentle and attentive to me.

He would quietly leave late-night snacks in my office when I worked overtime.

He would bring me hot chocolate when I was on my period.

Back then, his eyes were full of stars whenever he looked at me.

I opened my banking app on Snapchat. My heart turned to ice.

Over the past six months, there had been dozens of large transfers from our joint account.

The largest one was three months ago -- five million dollars.

I knew that amount too well. It was the seed money I personally approved for his new project.

Now, it seemed that money had gone somewhere else.

I called my assistant, my voice shaking uncontrollably.

"Leo, track the GPS on Ethan's Bentley. Find out where it is right now."

Half an hour later, Leo called back, his tone hesitating.

"Olivia... the car is currently in the parking lot of St. Jude's Women's Hospital."

He paused, adding carefully, "I also checked his corporate card. He booked a top-tier luxury VIP suite and a premium postpartum care package at a private maternity clinic. The due date is next month. The registered mother is Chloe Jenkins."

Hearing that name, my chest tightened.

She went to the same college as Ethan.

After graduation, Ethan personally recruited her into the marketing department as his direct subordinate.

A month ago, she submitted her resignation, claiming health issues.

Ethan had sighed to me at the time, "What a waste of talent."

I hadn't thought much of it then.

Now, looking back, the warning signs were everywhere.

I grabbed my car keys and sped out of the house.

I found them immediately in the VIP wing of the maternity clinic.

Ethan was carefully holding Chloe. She was wearing a loose white maternity dress, her baby bump clearly showing.

He was whispering in her ear, his eyes full of the same tenderness he used to reserve only for me.

But today, he was wearing a bespoke suit, and the cufflinks on his wrists were a six-figure pair I had bought at an auction.

The nervous, broke boy I once knew had been completely replaced by this pampered, wealthy businessman.

For a second, my mind drifted.

I remembered the first time I brought him to meet my father. He wore a faded, washed-out jacket, his palms sweating from anxiety.

I walked toward them, step by step.

"Ethan."

He whipped his head around, his grip on Chloe's arm tightening instantly.

Chloe saw me and shrank behind his back, her voice trembling. "Olivia..."

I smiled, my eyes locking onto her swollen belly.

"What are you doing here?" Ethan stepped in front of Chloe, shielding her. He frowned deeply.

"If I didn't come, were you planning to bring the baby home next month and have him call me mommy?"

His face darkened, and he lowered his voice. "Olivia! Don't make a scene here!"

I laughed, amused by his sheer audacity.

"Ethan, don't you think you owe me an explanation?"

He scoffed, his eyes coldly scanning me.

After a long silence, he took a step forward, trying to hug me the way he used to. I stepped aside.

His arms froze in mid-air, and his expression grew even uglier.

"Fine, I admit it. I'm with Chloe."

He tilted his head, clenching his jaw.

"She's pregnant. The doctor said the pregnancy is high-risk and she needs constant care. What was I supposed to do?"

Hearing him admit it still felt like a physical blow. I stared at him.

"So? Ethan, let me remind you, we are married! You are cheating on me. That child she's carrying is a bastard!"

"I know!" he suddenly yelled, his patience snapping.

"I'm not divorcing you! You will always be my wife!"

"But what about her? She's a young girl fresh out of college, completely alone in this city. Now she's carrying my child. I can't just abandon her!"

He stared at me, his tone turning accusatory.

"Olivia, you have everything. You have the Vance family backing you, endless resources. You are the golden girl, always looking down on everyone. But Chloe is different. She only has me. I cannot leave her."

I laughed out of sheer anger.

"So, buying her a house and a car... was all to feed your fragile male ego?"

My voice was ice cold.

"But Ethan, you used my money to support your mistress, and now you want me to understand your 'predicament'? The world doesn't work that way."

Ethan's face completely hardened.

"Yes, I used your money."

"Olivia, I've never denied your ability, but this is reality. Your father is old. Vance Enterprises will be mine sooner or later. If I want to, I can make sure you end up with nothing very soon."

"Think about it."

"So," I said, pausing after every word, "I deserve to be betrayed?"

He stayed silent.

Behind him, Chloe began to sob.

"Olivia, please, I beg you. Just let us be together!"

I glared at her. "Shut up. You don't get a say here."

I turned around and walked away without looking back.

Back home, I looked at our wedding photo in the living room. Ethan was holding me tightly, smiling brightly against a backdrop of snowy mountains.

That was right after he helped me close a massive European deal. We went on a trip to celebrate.

He had told me, "You are my entire world. I will never betray you."

How pathetic.

I sat in the dark living room, wide awake all night.

The next morning, the doorbell rang. When I opened it, Chloe was standing there.

She was wearing a white maternity dress, her belly prominent. Her eyes were red, and her voice was shaky.

"Olivia... can we talk?"

I poured her a glass of plain water and pulled out a chair.

Chloe kept her head down, nervously wringing her hands.

"We... we really love each other. Ethan told me that there's no love left between you two. You're only together because of corporate interests."

"And that money... I just thought, you're so rich, you wouldn't care about that pocket change..."

I stared at her quietly, my eyes landing on her stomach.

Deep down, I always knew Ethan stayed with me for the Vance family.

My father was a titan in the business world. Countless people tried to climb their way up to him.

Ever since I took over Ethan's career, I gave him the platform, the resources, and paved every single road for him.

I watched him grow from a nervous kid who couldn't even deliver a proper toast, to the confident "Mr. Miller" who could charm any boardroom.

He had told me a thousand times, "Marrying you is the greatest thing that ever happened to me."

Chloe clutched the glass, summoning the courage to look up at me.

"Olivia, you already have so much. But Ethan is different. He doesn't want to live in your shadow, or the Vance family's shadow, for the rest of his life. He needs a woman who can look up to him, who worships him. Besides, you're such a career-driven woman. Family and kids don't even matter to you, do they?"

My face instantly went cold. I slammed my glass onto the table.

"Get out."

Chloe gasped, startled. My voice dropped to a freezing register.

"Get. Out."

Her eyes welled with tears again. She stood up clumsily.

Just as she reached for the door, I called out to her.

"Chloe, Ethan and I are not divorced. You are, and will always be, just a homewrecker. Also, it took me seven years to groom him into the man he is today. You're just picking up my trash. You should be thanking me."

I watched her walk away, feeling absolutely nothing.

A few minutes later, Ethan called. His voice was laced with frustration.

"Chloe came back crying. You're so cold-hearted, Olivia. She's a pregnant woman. Your words are like knives."

I let out a cold laugh.

"You're the one who caused all of this, and now you're lecturing me?"

He was silent for a moment, then sighed.

"Olivia, we didn't have to end up like this. Why can't you just be happy as Mrs. Vance? In our circle, which man doesn't have a side piece?"

"I don't. I guess I'm just different."

"Cut the crap, Ethan. You disgust me."

A soft sigh came through the receiver.

"Olivia, then don't blame me for what comes next."

The next morning, Leo called, his voice panicked.

"Olivia, we have a massive problem! The merger with Astra Tech... has been blocked!"

My heart sank. That project was something my team and I had worked on for six months.

It was an $80 million acquisition -- our most important strategic move for the second half of the year.

Leo's voice was cracking.

"Astra Tech just sent over a cease-and-desist letter from their lawyers. They claim we leaked their core trade secrets, causing their stock price to plunge! Not only are they pulling out of the merger, but they are also suing us for $30 million in damages!"

I closed my eyes. The only person who could access those core files on my computer was someone closest to me.

And Astra Tech's main rival was none other than Carter Davis's new startup -- Ethan's childhood best friend.

This was a trap Ethan had set for me.

Using my money to sabotage my project.

What a brilliant play.

I gripped my phone and drove straight to the office.

The atmosphere in the boardroom was suffocating. Every single board member was present.

My father sat at the head of the table, his face pale with rage.

Ethan stood beside him, looking deeply remorseful.

"Olivia, you're here."

He immediately walked up to me, frowning with faux concern.

"This is bad. Astra Tech is taking a very hard line. I've already contacted Carter to see if he can pull some strings to help us out."

He played his part so well. So well that even my father seemed to believe him.

My dad looked at me, disappointment heavy in his eyes.

I ignored Ethan, walked straight to the front of the table, scanned the room, and looked directly at my husband.

"This was my mistake. I take full responsibility, and I resign."

My father slammed his hands on the table and stood up.

"Nonsense! Olivia, is this the time to play the blame game?"

Even Ethan was stunned.

He opened his mouth to say something, but I didn't give him the chance.

"Dad, board members, I caused this massive loss to the company, and I am willing to bear the consequences."

I bowed deeply to the room.

"As of today, I am stepping down from the board and resigning from all my positions at Vance Enterprises."

"I am handing all operations over to Ethan."

I looked up and smiled.

"Thank you all for your support over the years. I wish the company nothing but success."

Ethan stood up, taking a step forward. "Olivia..."

"Ethan," I looked at him, my voice calm. "You win."

After that day, I never went back to the office.

Rumors about my downfall spread like wildfire through high society.

Ethan naturally took over my position, becoming the new face of Vance Enterprises, basked in glory.

Someone snapped a picture of him and Chloe at a gala.

He had his arm wrapped around her waist, gently touching her baby bump. They looked like the perfect power couple.

People in our social circles were gossiping.

"I told you, Olivia was too intimidating. What man could stand that?"

"So what if she's a billionaire heiress? Once her powerful father stepped back, the husband she raised for seven years took everything. She ended up with nothing."

"I heard she's living in a tiny apartment now, crying herself to sleep every day."

I did move back to the small apartment we lived in when we first started out. But I wasn't crying.

I was just waiting for the right moment.

Three months later, on Chloe's birthday, Leo sent me an address.

"Olivia, I found it. Ethan bought Chloe a mansion in the Hamptons. He's throwing her a massive birthday bash there tonight."

I looked at the dark sky outside and smiled.

"The game is over."

The mansion in the Hamptons was lit up like a Christmas tree.

I pushed open the heavy front doors and immediately spotted Ethan in the center of the living room.

He was holding Chloe's hand, helping her cut a massive birthday cake. His friend, Carter, was standing right next to them.

The moment I walked in, the room went dead silent.

The smile on Ethan's face froze. Chloe instinctively hid behind him.

Ethan frowned, his voice dripping with annoyance.

"What are you doing here?"

I smiled, taking a step toward them.

"How could I miss my 'cousin's' birthday?"

"And I didn't come alone. Look who else is here."