Julie found herself in a situation that felt like a waking nightmare. Her husband, Ryan, was making a complete fool of himself on the karaoke stage. His shirt was unbuttoned halfway, his tie nowhere to be seen, and his cheeks were flushed a deep red from excessive whiskey consumption. He belted out, "And I………will always love you….." with his eyes closed, his voice sounding more like a screeching cat than a singer.

Standing right beside him, practically glued to his side, was his secretary, Emily. Her left arm was wrapped snugly around Ryan's waist, her fingers gently grazing his back as she sang along. She was at least five years younger than Julie, with big, wide eyes and a figure that seemed to scream perfection. Dressed in a tight, low-cut dress that left little to the imagination, she was impossible to ignore. She leaned in even closer to Ryan, whispering something in his ear that made him throw his head back and laugh uproariously. He looked at her as if she were the most hilarious and captivating person in the entire world.

Julie thought back to the last time she had seen Ryan this happy. It was on their wedding day, seven long years ago. Back then, when he looked at her, his eyes had sparkled with love and adoration. But now, that light had dimmed significantly, and it was shining brightly for someone else.

The company's quarterly review party was in full swing around her. The employees, loosened up by a few too many drinks, were finding Ryan and Emily's performance absolutely hilarious. But Julie knew the truth. They weren't just laughing at the spectacle on stage; they were laughing at her. She was the CEO's wife, sitting there while her husband practically groped his secretary in plain view of everyone. The whispers and side glances were blatant, and they didn't even attempt to conceal their amusement.

"Do you think they're going to kiss?" someone whispered from behind Julie.

"Definitely. Bet they'll be doing more than kissing after this," another person replied, and they both chuckled softly.

Julie turned around to glare at the people talking. They were young, clearly drunk, and probably high on weed as well. They had to be interns. Only someone with absolutely no knowledge of the company's hierarchy would dare make such a comment so close to their employer's wife. Or perhaps they just didn't care.

The girl, with messy blonde hair and rosy cheeks, locked eyes with Julie. "Hi!" she said, a bit too loudly. "Do you work here?"

Julie narrowed her eyes. "Do I work here?" she thought. The girl was definitely an intern. She was pretty in that youthful and arrogant way. The boy next to her draped his arm lazily over her shoulders.

Julie didn't respond. She simply stared at them, her gaze cold and unblinking. Before she could say something that would make them regret ever opening their mouths, she heard her name being called.

"Julie!" the voice said, drawing her attention.

Even before she turned, Julie knew exactly who it was. Samantha, the vice president of marketing. They both worked for Paragon Jewels, Ryan's company, which was the leading manufacturer of luxury jewelry in North America. Samantha's position was just below Julie's, so she was one of the few who called out Julie's name as if they were friends, even though they really weren't.

"Samantha," Julie replied, forcing a polite smile.

"I didn't know you were here, Julie. I was just telling the marketing team we have to get you involved more!" Samantha said.

"Oh?" Julie said. "Why's that?"

"Well, you're the head of marketing, and everyone wants to meet you! You're so hard to catch these days. And besides, we never get a chance to chat at work," Samantha said with an overly dramatic wink.

Samantha's gaze drifted over to the stage where Ryan and Emily were swaying together, sharing the microphone and laughing as if they were on a private date instead of at a work event.

"So, Mrs. O'Brien," Samantha said, smirking, "how are you enjoying the show so far?"

Julie could tell Samantha was mocking her. The fucking bitch.

Julie forced a bright smile. "Oh, it's… fantastic," she said, struggling to keep a straight face. "I'm thrilled to see my husband's hard work is being rewarded with such… dedication from his staff."

The crowd was now clapping enthusiastically, giving Ryan and his secretary a standing ovation. Julie guessed they were finally done with their nonsense.

But then Ryan spoke into the microphone. "Before we get down, we've got one more song for you!"

There was more applause and more laughter. Julie just wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole.

Samantha looked at Julie with pity in her eyes. "Well… umm," she said. "I'll catch up with you later."

Samantha quickly made her excuses and left.

Behind Julie, she heard those interns whispering again. "Oh, my God. Did you hear what she said? That's Mrs. O'Brien."

Julie turned to glare at them one last tim

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