I'm the Boss, Not the Mistress

I had always loved a good bit of drama. When I heard that a wife had shown up outside our company to confront her husband's mistress, I immediately put the executive meeting on hold and rushed out in my high heels. A middle-aged woman was waving her phone around and screaming, "Where's Jeremy's mistress? Get out here!" Curious, I hurried over. "Ma'am, who are you looking for?" She glared at me. "A homewrecker! I'm looking for Penelope Smith from your company!" I was still trying to figure out who Penelope was when the woman suddenly grabbed my wrist. "Well, look at that! It's you! You're Penelope Smith, aren't you? You're just an intern, and you're already seducing my husband to secure a permanent position… I'll make sure your boss fires you today!" I immediately tried to set the record straight. "I have no idea what you're talking about! Don't go around accusing innocent people!" But more and more of my coworkers gathered to watch. Some secretly filmed me, while others shot me looks of disdain. "She looks so innocent. Who knew she'd sleep her way into a permanent position..." I frowned. The whole situation was utterly ridiculous. An intern? I was the owner of this company! Chapter 1 "I'm not Penelope Smith! You've got the wrong person!" I pulled my hand away, but the next second, the woman in front of me suddenly collapsed to the ground. "Ow!" she screamed, tears immediately welling up in her eyes. "You hit me! How dare you hit me! Everyone, come and look! Look at this shameless homewrecker! Wrecking my marriage wasn't enough for her. Now she wants to beat me to death!" Her cries drew more people to the entrance of the company building. They pointed at me with disgust and whispered among themselves. "Who is that woman? She's so full of herself." "She's an intern! She hooked up with someone else's husband just to get a permanent position." "Unbelievable. She's pretty, but she's got such a rotten heart." "The wife came all the way to her workplace, and she still dares to hit her? What kind of world are we living in?" As the crowd grew larger, I began to lose patience. Today was the day we were supposed to negotiate a contract with the Horizon Group. If their representatives saw the chaos outside my company's building, it would be incredibly embarrassing. "Get up. Let's go inside and talk." I held out my hand to the woman on the ground, but she slapped it away. "I'm not going inside! Who knows what you're plotting? I want everyone here to witness this!" Some of the onlookers, eager for a juicy bit of gossip, even raised their phones and pointed them at me. "That's right! We'll be your witnesses! Homewrecker, apologize!" I sighed. "But I'm really not a homewrecker..." "Who'd believe you? You're wearing the Fareast Group uniform! And you came rushing out here yourself. You're obviously Penelope Smith!" I rubbed my temples. As the company's CEO, wasn't I simply leading by example by wearing my own company's uniform? Besides, I'd only come outside to disperse the crowd and protect the company's image. I opened my mouth to explain, but a piercing scream suddenly rang out. "I don't want to live anymore!" Kylie Harper lay on the ground, sobbing hysterically. "I work myself to the bone taking care of my husband and children at home, yet you seduce my husband! You even dare to hit me! I'll die right here today and make sure you lose your job!" As she spoke, she tried to throw herself against the steps. Two passersby quickly rushed forward to stop her. "Ma'am, don't do anything rash! That scumbag of a woman isn't worth it!" "Exactly! Don't worry. With all of us here, we won't let this homewrecker bully you!" Everyone turned toward me, their eyes filled with disgust and anger. "I'm really not—" "Stop making excuses!" Kylie suddenly sprang to her feet. A calculating glint flashed in her eyes. "Do you dare deny that you went to a hotel with my husband? Do you dare deny that he spent money on you? He bought that necklace around your neck!" I lowered my gaze to the gold sailboat pendant around my neck. My mother had given it to me when I first started my business, in the hope that everything would go smoothly for me. "My mom gave it to me—" "How dare you even bring up your mother?" Kylie shrieked, cutting me off. "If she knew you were a homewrecker behind everyone's back, she'd be so furious she'd die!" The crowd erupted into another uproar. "She's absolutely shameless!" "Someone needs to teach her a lesson!" "Let's help this poor woman get her necklace back!" In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen hands reached toward my chest. Just as things were about to get out of hand, a voice rang out from beyond the crowd. "Stop!" Kylie's eyes lit up. "Jeremy! You're here!" Chapter 2 A large man with a protruding belly and dark circles under his eyes stepped out of the crowd. I glanced at the name tag on his chest: [Publicity Department, Jeremy Brooks] "So you're Jeremy Brooks. Perfect timing. Go explain things to your wife." My tone was cold. Once this was over, I'd make sure the head of the Publicity Department had a serious talk with him. But Jeremy looked at me, then suddenly shifted his gaze. He stepped forward and grabbed my hand. "Come on, Penelope. Just apologize!" I froze. When I looked up, I caught a sly glint in Jeremy's eyes. "You're a new intern too, right? Take the fall for Penelope, and I'll make sure you get a permanent position later." As soon as I heard Jeremy whisper in my ear, I understood everything. As a team leader, he'd never met me before. Since he didn't recognize me and I was wearing the company uniform, he'd assumed I was a new intern. He wanted to use me as a scapegoat to appease his wife and protect Penelope! Kylie looked as though she'd finally found someone to back her up. "What are you waiting for? My husband told you to apologize to me!" She rested an arm on her husband's bulging belly and pointed a finger at me. "My husband may be handsome and charming, but that doesn't give you the right to get any funny ideas about him! "Get on your knees and let me slap you. Then return the necklace around your neck, and I'll let this go!" I let out a cold laugh. "Sorry, I avoid eating pork." "What does that have to do with anything?" she asked. "I detest pigs," I replied. Kylie looked utterly confused. A few seconds later, she finally caught on and shrieked, "Are you calling my husband a pig?!" The onlookers burst into laughter. Jeremy's face darkened as he pulled his shrieking wife behind him. He then frowned at me. "Penelope, I know you're just bitter because I rejected you." "Stop!" I cut him off. "First, my name isn't Penelope. Second, I never tried to seduce you." Unexpectedly, he suddenly grinned sinisterly. "You're still denying it?" Before I could react, he whipped out his phone and held it up for everyone to see. "Look, everyone! These are all the flirty texts she sent me! She kept asking me to meet her at hotels in the middle of the night! And look at these indecent photos!" The crowd gasped. Several people turned to look at me with lecherous eyes, as though they wanted to rip my clothes off. "Holy crap! Those really are that kind of pictures!" "She looks so prim and proper in her business suit. Who knew she had such a great body underneath?" "If he doesn't want you, why not give me a chance?" "Shameless! Seducing a married man!" "You filthy homewrecker! Beat her to death!" The crowd closed in around me. Some looked eager to throw the first punch, while others were so outraged that they seemed ready to drown me in their spit. Jeremy stood behind them, wiped away imaginary tears, and continued to fan the flames. "I wanted to let this whole thing go, but she threatened to report me for workplace harassment if I didn't go to a hotel with her! "Our boss thinks very highly of me and is about to promote me. I can't afford to have something like this happen at such a crucial moment..." Our boss? He'd actually dragged me into his lies! "Promote you?" I let out a cold laugh. "No. I'm firing you!" Jeremy flinched at my commanding tone. Something about the way I spoke seemed strangely familiar to him. Before he could give it any more thought, Kylie charged at me like a madwoman. "You shameless bitch! How dare you curse my husband?!" She raised her chubby right hand and swung it toward my face. Naturally, I wasn't going to stand there and let her hit me. I sidestepped at the last second. Her slap missed, and the momentum sent her pitching forward. She hit the ground with a loud thud. "My back! My leg! It hurts so much!" She lay sprawled on the ground and wailed at the top of her lungs, "The homewrecker is attacking! She's trying to kill me!" Jeremy immediately rushed over to help her up, but her weight made it impossible for him to lift her. He had no choice but to crouch beside her, his face full of distress. "Honey! Honey, are you okay?!" Then he whipped his head around and glared viciously at me. "You did this to my wife! You're going to pay! "Medical expenses! Recovery expenses! Emotional distress damages! You're paying every last cent! "My wife and I have been trying to conceive, too. Who knows if you've caused us to lose our baby?!" The crowd erupted. "She's out of control! A homewrecker who actually dares to fight back?" "Shameless trash like her should just stand there and take it!" "Call the police! Have them arrest this bitch!" "That's right! Call the police!" Some people even started tugging at the security guards stationed at the entrance. "Get over here! Tie this woman up!" "Let's all drag her down to the police station!" Before long, two security guards had been pulled into the crowd. "Hey, guys, it's her. Don't let her pretty face fool you! She's a shameless piece of trash!" The two young guards exchanged uncertain glances. I usually took the elevator straight to the top floor from the underground parking garage, so they'd never seen me before. Still, the sheer authority I exuded made them hesitate to lay a hand on me. "What are you waiting for? Even if you don't recognize her, surely you recognize me!" Jeremy shouted and tugged at the name tag on his chest. "I'm the team leader of the Publicity Department! This woman is just some useless intern, and you're already scared of her? How can you do your jobs if you're this timid? I'll report you to the boss tomorrow and get you both fired!" he threatened them. Faced with the threat of losing their jobs, the guards felt they had no choice but to comply. They reluctantly approached me. "Miss, please cooperate with us voluntarily..." I stepped away from the guard's outstretched hand, my eyes cold. "I'm the boss. Who exactly are you planning to report me to?" Chapter 3 The air fell silent for a moment. Then, someone suddenly burst out laughing. "Pfft, hahaha! I'm dying!" Jeremy pointed at me and laughed. "Didn't expect you to be such a poser. You're just some little girl fresh out of school, and you're pretending to be the boss? If you're the boss, then I'm your damn father!" He wiped the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes and grabbed Kylie beside him. "Honey, I told you I wasn't interested in her. Now you can see for yourself. This woman is a delusional lunatic! "Why would I ever want her? I'd be disgusted even if she got down on her knees and begged me to take her!" Kylie raised her chin smugly. "You think you can steal my husband? Just look at yourself, you pathetic little nobody. Even if you were the Queen, no man would want you!" The crowd grew increasingly hostile and began closing in on me. "Exactly! Keep dreaming!" "The boss of a company this big has to be a man!" "I got rejected when I applied for an accounting job here, and you expect me to believe you're the boss? In your dreams!" "Women these days have such big mouths! Someone needs to teach her a lesson!" A few people were already cracking their knuckles, eager to throw a punch. The tightly packed crowd made it hard for me to breathe. Suddenly, my chest tightened. It felt as though an invisible hand had clamped around it, squeezing the air from my lungs. I instinctively reached into my pocket. Jeremy grabbed my hand and held it down. "What do you think you're doing?" "L... Let... go..." I was already struggling to catch my breath. "Honey, don't let go! I bet she's trying to call for backup!" Kylie shoved a hand into my pocket and rummaged through it. She pulled out a custom-made phone. "Honey, look at this weird phone. Doesn't it look like one of those diamond-encrusted phones rich people have? The ones that can even summon a helicopter?" - Jeremy glanced at it casually, but his gaze suddenly froze. 'What… A phone like that costs 12,000 dollars!' He had heard that the boss had one. 'Could this little girl really be… No! If that's true, I'm finished!' He shook his head, forcing the terrifying thought from his mind. "Impossible! It's just some cheap knockoff. The quality is absolute garbage." - Despite his words, his grip on my hand loosened. I hurriedly reached into my pocket again. My medication... I needed my medication... My trembling fingertips finally found a small bottle. "Still trying to fake an illness by taking medicine?" Kylie snatched it away and read the label aloud. "An asthma inhaler. Oh, my God!" She pinched her nose and took a step back, shouting, "She's got tuberculosis too! Everyone, stay away from her! You don't want to catch it!" "Give... it... to me..." The suffocating sensation was about to overwhelm me. My vision began to blur as I reached out desperately. But Jeremy kicked me to the ground. "You diseased freak! Stay away from my wife!" The force of his kick sent me tumbling three feet across the ground. My face scraped against the rough surface, leaving a bloody gash. Searing pain spread across my skin. My vision went black, and I was about to pass out. At that moment, Jeremy grabbed me by the hair and hauled me back up with a sneer. "Stop pretending to be helpless! I'm not interested in you! You want your medicine, don't you? Honey, give it to her!" Kylie understood what he meant. With a grin, she tossed the bottle into the air. It traced an arc before landing beyond the crowd. At the same time, Jeremy threw me back to the ground. "Go pick it up!" All I could think about was staying alive. The moment I hit the ground, I began crawling toward the bottle on my hands and knees. "My medicine... I need my medicine..." Just as my fingers touched the bottle, a foot suddenly came down on it. "See? I told you she was faking it! She's still got enough energy to crawl around!" I looked up to see a female employee in the company uniform. She had striking, alluring features. "Give... it to me... I'll... promote you..." "Yeah, right! I'm an intern, not an idiot!" Penelope raised an eyebrow. "I won't stand by and let a homewrecker like you destroy someone else's marriage!" With that, she kicked the bottle away. It rolled into the bushes and disappeared from sight. "That's right!" The crowd broke into applause, praising her as a "good woman" with "the right morals." Penelope blushed and shot Jeremy a glance. He immediately sprang into action as though someone had injected him with adrenaline and yanked me up from the ground. "Everyone, don't worry! I won't let a woman like this seduce me. I'm taking her straight to the police station!" I opened my mouth, but no words came out. My throat felt completely blocked, and my vision turned white. I was on the verge of losing consciousness. Just then, a startled cry rang out from beyond the crowd. "Boss!" As soon as the words left her mouth, she forced her way through the crowd. My secretary, Lily Lawrence, rushed forward and pulled me into her arms. Jeremy's and Kylie's expressions changed instantly!