Out of Your League: The Ex-Wife Who Owns the World

I was the daughter of the wealthiest family in the country, but I had kept my identity hidden while supporting my boyfriend—helping him climb all the way to become a new powerhouse on Wall Street. For that reason, my dearest brother and I had not seen each other in public for an entire year. Now that my husband was away on a business trip, I made a point to reach out to my brother Julian and booked a private dinner at this exclusive French aristocratic restaurant. As the meal came to an end, Julian and I rose to leave. At the entrance of the restaurant, Julian kissed me on the cheek as a farewell—and was just about to step out the door, five hulking bodyguards in black suits stood shoulder to shoulder across the hallway, cutting us off from the entrance. They parted in the middle. Elena stepped through in stiletto heels. She was the VP of Sterling Group. A few Sterling executives trailed behind her, all in suits, all looking like they'd come for a show. Elena walked up to me, first gave Julian a long, appraising look, then let out a series of cold, mocking laughs. "Oh, isn't this the CEO's wife? Brazenly bringing your lover to a fancy restaurant for dinner—how audacious." Elena crossed her arms, chin slightly raised, as if appraising a pet dog. "Your lover isn't all that impressive, either." "You've misunderstood. He's my brother," I frowned, retorting. I wanted to keep my identity hidden, but I couldn't accept being misunderstood. "Ha! Don't give me that." Elena let out a cold laugh. "I've read your profile more times than I can count. You don't have a brother! The two of you were acting intimately, dining alone in such a private VIP room—if he's not your lover, then what is he?" I froze for a moment. It was true that I had altered my profile. My husband, Arthur—President of the Sterling Group—was a man of immense pride. And I, as the eldest daughter of the Cavendish family, had anonymously injected capital into Sterling Group on multiple occasions when it faced financial crises. To preserve his pride, and to protect the purity of our love, I chose to hide everything. And so, everyone at Sterling Group believed I was nothing more than an ordinary woman. I raised my hand, intending to have my assistant escort these people away, but then I remembered—my assistant had been summoned away half an hour ago by an urgent call from the group about legal documents needing signatures. My driver had texted me five minutes ago, saying the driveway outside the restaurant was blocked by an unidentified convoy, and he was stopped two blocks away. And my brother, Julian, had come alone today for our secret meeting. This—Elena had done this on purpose! Elena turned triumphantly to the senior executives behind her, her voice deliberately raised. "You've been married into the family for so long—Arthur must have given you a generous allowance, hasn't he? Spending Arthur's money to play the wealthy lady in a fancy restaurant, keeping a lover—you have no shame at all." The executives behind her broke into low murmurs. A pot-bellied director deliberately whispered in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear: "This Mrs. Serena is utterly shameless! Deputy Director Elena works day and night for the group, and her hard-earned money is being used to keep a gigolo!" In their eyes, I was nothing but a parasite with no background, entirely dependent on Arthur. Arthur had been thriving on Wall Street in recent years, making more and more money, but he had also grown increasingly distant with me. What I hadn't expected, though, was that the subordinates he favored so much would think of me this way. Especially Elena—she seemed to harbor such hostility toward me! It was so strong that it made me wonder—did she have feelings for Arthur? Julian stepped forward, positioning himself in front of me, and looked at Elena. "So you're Elena. As a senior executive of Arthur's company, you're here bullying the CEO's wife—aren't you afraid Arthur will fire you?" Elena looked Julian up and down, the mockery at the corner of her mouth growing more pronounced. "Gigolo. Serena is no CEO's wife—she just happened to know Arthur early and has a marriage certificate. Within the company, I'm far more valuable than some housewife like her. Arthur would never punish me. And besides—Arthur is swamped at the office, and she brings a lowlife like you to this upscale establishment—it's a complete drain on the boss's interests. I'm simply cleaning out the parasites for my boss." Elena smirked with satisfaction. "Serena, I'll give you a chance right now. Shout 'I am a slut' three times in front of everyone, and I'll keep your secret. Deal?" Julian was furious. He stepped forward, ready to throw a punch. I understood now. Elena had deliberately come to humiliate me today. Perhaps it was because she liked Arthur, and wanted to tear me down. That was indeed Elena's goal. Before coming to the restaurant today, Elena had spotted Julian and me entering. She had intentionally gathered a group of company executives for a group dinner—just so she could corner me and pin the label of infidelity on me. It didn't matter if it was a smear job. As long as I lost my reputation among the senior management, Arthur might divorce me—and Elena could take my place. Elena raised her chin proudly, waiting for me to bow my head. I held Julian's arm, pulled him back a step, then opened my handbag, took out my phone, and scrolled to Arthur's contact. "No need to keep it a secret. I'll call Arthur right now." "What are you doing?" The smile on Elena's face instantly vanished. I looked at the screen and answered calmly: "You said I'm keeping a lover, didn't you? So I'm telling him." The words struck Elena's weak spot precisely. She knew better than anyone how much Arthur valued his dignity. If Arthur found out she had publicly accused him of being cuckolded, the only one who would suffer would be Elena. Elena's face flushed red. She lunged. She snatched the phone out of my hand and smashed it against the marble floor. Crack. The screen shattered. Pieces scattered everywhere. The restaurant went dead quiet. The manager hurried over, took one look at Elena, stopped, turned around, and walked away like he'd seen nothing. "You don't know when you've got it good." Elena pointed at my face, her eyes sharp. "You really think Arthur cares about you? You're nothing but dead weight living off his money. Maybe it's time somebody taught you your place." She waved her hand. The bodyguards moved in, surrounding Julian and me. The lead guard reached out and then brutally slapped me across the face.