The next day, I went to the hospital for a check-up.
Thankfully, everything came back normal.
After receiving the report, my secretary called:
“Ms. Miller, you’d better come to the company. Today’s payday, but Mr. Foster insisted that Finance pay Joanna an extra hundred thousand dollars. Finance says it needs your approval, but Mr. Foster claimed that from now on, he’s in charge of everything.”
Anger flared in me, and I rushed to the company.
The Finance Department was already in chaos.
Daniel was slamming the table, shouting:
“Joanna is our company’s lucky charm. Since she arrived, how many big deals have we closed this month?”
“As vice president, I’m only asking for an extra hundred thousand for her. Why is that a problem?”
The finance clerk kept her head down, wringing her hands in silence.
Daniel grew more furious and raised his hand to strike her.
I lunged forward and grabbed his wrist.
“Mr. Foster, what a temper!”
“Those deals were closed by the entire sales team—why are you giving all the credit to Joanna, just a junior assistant?”
Because I had taken leave earlier that morning, Daniel hadn’t expected me to show up.
Straightening his jacket, he forced himself to calm down.
“This isn’t your concern!”
“As vice president, do I not even have this much authority?”
Joanna seized the chance to step forward with a feigned air of graciousness.
“Forget it, Mr. Foster. Ms. Miller has a bad temper. If this blows up, you’ll lose face at the company.”
I hadn’t even said a word, yet suddenly I was the one with the bad temper?
And of course, Daniel fell for her act—his gaze on Joanna soft and tender, while the look he gave me was full of resentment and hostility.
“See? Even a foreigner understands human decency better than you do.”
“A man has to save face in public. Even if you outrank me at the company, I’m still your husband. Sometimes, you really should listen to me!”
I froze.
Suddenly it all became clear—this was his revenge for my refusal to accept the baby yesterday.
He wanted to show me that between us, it was his word that counted.
I remembered when Daniel had proposed to me at twenty-three:
“From now on, whether body or heart, I’ll belong only to Claire Miller. Whatever Claire says is law, and everything of mine will be hers to control!”
So vows of love only mattered when two people were still in love.
Taking a deep breath, I pointed at Joanna.
“Settle her wages and fire her.”