Chapter 1

My husband’s secretary loved referring to herself in the third person as "Bunny."

When she accidentally posted confidential company blueprints worth hundreds of millions online, the board of directors exploded.

Instead of taking responsibility, she just looked at me with tearful, aggrieved eyes.

"Big Sister... Bunny didn’t mean to! Bunny’s hands just shook! Sniff, sniff..."

Then she turned to my husband, pumping a tiny, cute fist in the air.

"But Bunny tried super hard and deleted the post! That makes me a brave bunny! The best bunny ever!"

My husband tenderly patted her head.

"It’s not a big deal. She can just draft another design."

He turned to give me a cold, detached glare.

"The fallout from this isn't something a rookie like Bunny can bear. You’re a co-founder and our top designer. The board won't do anything drastic to you. Take the blame for Bunny."

I stared at him in utter shock. We were both designers by trade, and in this industry, leaking proprietary designs meant getting blacklisted for life.

I was even more astonished by his calm demeanor—he treated his own work like his absolute baby. Why was he acting so nonchalant today?

Then it hit me. He thought the leaked blueprint was mine.

I smiled at the secretary.

"Don't worry about it. Keep it up, brave bunny. I have absolute faith that you can run this entire company into the ground."

Inside the boardroom, the shareholders were practically foaming at the mouth.

"Who the hell leaked the drafts?! The company just lost tens of millions in potential revenue!"

"We need to cut out this cancer before it kills our business!"

Sitting in my executive chair, I let out a soft sneer.

Right on cue, Brandon walked in, dragging Chloe behind him. She was dressed in a frilly, pastel Lolita dress.

The board members were all seasoned men in their fifties and sixties. Seeing the secretary dressed like an anime doll, their irritation boiled over.

"Miss Miller, our company has a dress code! What you wear on your own time is none of our business, but this is a critical board meeting! What on earth are you wearing?"

Chloe’s lower lip trembled as she grabbed Brandon’s hand, putting on her best damsel-in-distress act.

"Waaah... Bunny is so sad! Those old fossils said Bunny’s clothes are ugly!"

Hearing that, Brandon instinctively pulled Chloe into his arms, consoling her with total disregard for me—his lawful wife sitting right across from him.

"They're just behind the times. They don't know how to appreciate real style."

The veteran designers on the board scowled in disgust, but knowing the company was teetering on the edge of a massive crisis, they swallowed their rage.

The meeting formally began, and Brandon immediately took the floor.

"The person responsible for the leak was Natalie."

He looked around the room, speaking with practiced authority. "Regarding the leak: due to gross personal negligence, core design drafts were compromised, resulting in immense financial loss and irreparable damage to our corporate reputation. Natalie has accepted the company's disciplinary measures. Effective immediately, she will be demoted to the custodial staff, with her salary reduced to minimum wage."

The shareholders frowned, clearly skeptical that I could make such an amateur blunder.

"Mr. Hayes, Natalie has been the backbone of this firm's success since day one. She’s meticulous and honest. How could it possibly be her?"

Brandon slammed his hand onto the table. "Everyone has two faces! I say it was her, so it was her!"

"It's solely out of respect for her past contributions that I'm even letting her stay on as a janitor! She should be on her knees thanking me!"

I chuckled dryly.

"Regarding this incident, I admit I made a mistake."

The entire room turned to me in shock. Brandon offered me a smug, knowing smirk, as if thinking, Good girl. Know your place.

I leaned forward and continued smoothly.

"My mistake was failing as an executive to immediately fire the actual culprit—Secretary Chloe Miller—and give everyone here a proper explanation."

The room erupted.

"What?! It was Chloe Miller all along?!"

Dozens of furious eyes snapped toward Chloe, wiping the smugness right off her face. She shrank timidly behind Brandon’s back.

"Everyone is glaring at Bunny... Bunny is so scared..."

Brandon’s face darkened. "Enough! Pointing fingers won't fix anything now! I will personally cover the company’s losses out of my own pocket!"

Only then did the shareholders begin to settle down. Once the meeting adjourned, Brandon stormed after me into the hallway, his face flushed with anger.

"Didn't we agree you'd take the fall?! The demotion and pay cut were just for show! Why can't you ever be understanding?!"

I sneered at him. "I agreed to admit my mistakes, but I only take credit for what I actually did."

"You want me to be her scapegoat? Go to hell."

Furious, Brandon whipped out a liability waiver regarding the leaked designs and slapped it against my chest.

"It’s just your mediocre sketches! If they leaked, you can just draw more! Why do you have to be so damn petty?!"