Part 1Heir to Nothing

I came back from a week-long business trip to find a jade "Fertility Buddha" sitting in my husband's home office.

He lied and said a client gifted it for "good fortune."

I immediately pulled up his new intern’s Instagram. There it was—a post from three days ago, geo-tagged at a famous spiritual temple known for fertility blessings.

The caption read: "Prayed for a son. Hoping Mr. J gets his heart's desire."

I realized instantly: My husband, Julian, wasn't just cheating; he was trying to secure an heir via a surrogate.

Before I could screenshot it, the post was deleted.

Julian immediately texted me, claiming the intern was his "distant, slow-witted cousin" and told me not to overthink it.

I stared at his lies, full of holes like Swiss cheese. I replied with a simple "Okay."

Then, I forwarded the screenshots directly to our angel investor.

"Mr. Sterling, would you be interested in hearing about how Julian is embezzling company funds to pay for his 'cousin's' surrogacy plan?"

* * *

"Oh?"

Mr. Sterling’s reply came instantly.

I put away my phone and walked into the study, staring at that jade statue.

I’d been married to Julian for five years. We went from having nothing to listing our company on the stock exchange. He used to value his reputation above everything.

Now, this statue was a monument to his greed, a god invited into our home to bless his betrayal.

At 10 PM, Julian came home.

He tossed his suit jacket onto the sofa. His collar was loose, and he reeked of alcohol and a perfume that definitely wasn't mine.

"I'm back," he said flatly, heading straight for the wet bar.

"Mmhmm," I responded, my eyes landing on his wrist.

It was bare.

The Patek Philippe I bought him was gone.

I had bought that watch for his 30th birthday with the first big check we ever earned. He swore it was a witness to our struggle and that he’d wear it forever.

"Where's your watch?" I asked.

He paused mid-pour, keeping his back to me.

"Sent it in for maintenance."

"Which shop? I’ll pick it up tomorrow."

Julian turned around, brows furrowed, impatience written all over his face.

"Chloe, can you stop being so aggressive? I’ve been working all day. I’m exhausted."

He always did this. Whenever his lies were on the verge of collapsing, he used fatigue and gaslighting to shut me up.

I didn't argue. I just went to the bedroom.

Once the door was closed, I sent Mr. Sterling a second message.

"That watch on his wrist is worth seven figures. It’s currently on Mia’s wrist."

"Also, I audited the company’s accounts for the last six months. There are several 'procurement' payments that lead to nowhere."

This time, Sterling replied even faster.

"Send me the address."

The next day, I didn't go to my office. I went straight to Julian’s department.

Mia’s cubicle was easy to find. It was in the prime spot, with a bouquet of fresh white roses on the desk.

She looked exactly like her name—innocent and harmless. She was wearing a white dress, organizing files.

And there, dangling loosely on her slender wrist, was a massive men’s luxury watch.

Julian’s Patek Philippe.

I walked over and tapped on her desk.

She looked up, saw me, and immediately stood up.

"Mrs. Zhou? I mean... Chloe? Why are you here?"

Colleagues started to look over, curious.

"Looking for Julian," I smiled, staring pointedly at her wrist. "That’s a unique watch."

Mia instinctively tried to hide her hand behind her back, but it was too late.

Her face flushed crimson.

"Oh... this... it belongs to my cousin. He... he was afraid he’d lose it at home, so he asked me to safeguard it."

"Cousin?" I feigned shock. "Since when does Julian have a sister? Why didn't I know?"

She bit her lip, tears instantly welling up in her eyes.

"Chloe, I... I’m Julian’s distant cousin. He probably didn't think it was worth mentioning such a small thing to you."

"A small thing?" I stopped smiling.

"When it comes to Julian, nothing is a small thing to me."

Mia’s face went from red to pale. She looked like she was about to faint.

Just then, Julian stormed out of his office.

He rushed over, shielding Mia behind him, and glared at me.

"Chloe! What kind of scene are you causing here?"

He didn't ask what happened. He just convicted me on the spot.

Watching him protect another woman like that felt like swallowing broken glass.

"I'm causing a scene?" I laughed coldly, pointing at Mia. "Why don't you ask her to explain why your watch is on her wrist?"

Julian’s expression turned ugly.

He clearly didn't expect me to storm the office over a watch.

He glanced at the gathering crowd and lowered his voice.

"This is a place of business. Let's talk at home."

"Home?" I repeated the word.

"Which home? The one with me, or the one you bought for her?"