For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

“Alexander gave it to you.”

Camila said it so casually.

As if she were talking about a coffee he bought her.

Not a watch I had chosen.

Not a gift meant for his mother.

Not something that existed because of a request I personally made to my husband.

I looked at the white ceramic watch again.

The tiny silver crescent moon at the six.

Every detail was exactly the same.

Impossible to mistake.

“You’re sure?” I asked.

Camila smiled.

“Of course.”

She lifted her wrist slightly, enjoying the attention.

“He knows my taste.”

That sentence hurt more than I expected.

Not because of the watch.

Because of the confidence behind her words.

She wasn’t afraid I would misunderstand.

She wasn’t worried about consequences.

She believed she was untouchable.

And suddenly, I understood why.

Alexander had allowed this environment to exist.

The whispers.

The fear.

The way employees lowered their voices whenever Camila walked by.

She wasn’t just a secretary.

She was someone who believed she had power.

And someone had given her that belief.

The elevator doors opened.

Everyone stepped out.

Except me.

I stayed still for a second.

Camila looked back impatiently.

“Are you coming?”

I smiled.

“Yes.”

“But first…”

I looked directly at her.

“Congratulations.”

She frowned.

“For what?”

“For wearing something very valuable.”

Her expression softened.

“I know.”

Then she walked away.

I watched her disappear into Alexander’s executive area.

The same area where, for years, I had never interfered.

Because I trusted him.

That was my mistake.

Not trusting him.

But believing trust meant never looking closer.

I walked into my new office at exactly 9:30 AM.

My assistant was already waiting.

“Good morning, Ms. Montalvo.”

I nodded.

“Good morning.”

She placed several folders on my desk.

“The board has requested your review before the announcement.”

I opened the first file.

Internal culture reports.

Employee complaints.

Promotion records.

Expense approvals.

Within twenty minutes, my expression changed.

The problem wasn’t only Camila.

She was just the visible part.

There were dozens of complaints that had been ignored.

Employees intimidated.

Opportunities controlled.

Managers afraid to speak.

And every complaint connected back to one person.

Camila Reyes.

I leaned back.

“Who approved these reports being closed?”

My assistant hesitated.

“That information is restricted.”

I looked up.

“Restricted from the CEO?”

Her face changed immediately.

“No, ma’am.”

She opened the system.

A few seconds later, she froze.

“What is it?”

She turned the screen toward me.

The approval signature appeared.

Alexander Montalvo.

My husband.

I stared at the name.

For six years, I had defended Alexander.

I told people he was demanding because he cared about excellence.

I told employees he was strict because he wanted the company to succeed.

But this wasn’t strict leadership.

This was protection.

At 10:00 AM, the company announcement went live.

Every employee received the message.

“Please welcome our new Chief Executive Officer…”

My name appeared.

Sienna Montalvo.

The entire building changed within seconds.

Messages flooded internal channels.

Executives who had ignored me in the elevator suddenly sent greetings.

Managers who had avoided eye contact suddenly requested meetings.

And then…

Alexander walked into my office.

He didn’t knock.

He never had.

That was another thing I suddenly noticed.

He entered rooms as if they belonged to him.

“Sienna.”

His voice was surprised.

“You’re here.”

I looked up.

“Yes.”

He smiled.

“You should have told me you were taking the CEO position today.”

I looked at him.

“You knew the board was meeting.”

“Yes, but I didn’t know they would move this quickly.”

Interesting.

He knew everything about the company.

Except the thing that changed his position.

“I wanted to surprise you.”

His smile faded slightly.

Because he realized something.

I wasn’t reacting like a wife sharing exciting news.

I was reacting like an executive reviewing a situation.

Then his eyes moved to the documents on my desk.

“What are you looking at?”

“Reports.”

“About what?”

“Your secretary.”

His expression changed.

Only slightly.

But I noticed.

“What about Camila?”

I leaned back.

“Interesting question.”

“What does that mean?”

I looked at him.

“Why did she have a limited-edition watch that I personally selected for your mother?”

Silence.

Only a few seconds.

But enough.

Alexander recovered quickly.

“She probably bought it herself.”

I smiled.

“No.”

His eyes narrowed.

“How do you know?”

“Because only ten were made.”

I paused.

“And because I ordered it.”

His face became more serious.

“Sienna…”

“Where did you get it, Alexander?”

He didn’t answer.

And that silence told me more than any confession could.

Then my assistant knocked.

“Ms. Montalvo?”

“Yes?”

“There’s someone here asking to see you.”

“Who?”

She hesitated.

“Camila Reyes.”

I looked at Alexander.

His expression was unreadable.

That interested me more than anything.

Because a guilty person usually panics.

A confident person usually argues.

But Alexander looked like someone who had been preparing for this moment.

Camila entered thirty seconds later.

The arrogance from the elevator was gone.

She looked nervous.

“Ms. Montalvo.”

I nodded.

“Camila.”

She looked at Alexander.

Then back at me.

“I think there has been a misunderstanding.”

I smiled.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

She touched the watch on her wrist.

“I can explain.”

I folded my hands.

“Good.”

“Because I have several questions.”

Camila swallowed.

The room became quiet.

Then I asked the one question that made her face completely change.

“Why does the woman having an affair with my husband believe she owns my company?”