Chapter 3 Why Her

Harper's mind went totally blank, incapable of processing anything.

How could it be her? Why would it be her?

Emily flashed a sweet smile and said, "Long time no see, sis."

She laid it on thick with that last word on purpose.

A cold spark flickered in Harper's eyes.

Emily was the illegitimate daughter her dad had hidden away, only brought into the family when she was eight. What right did she have to call her sister?

Harper's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here?"

"Didn't want to stay home alone," Emily said with a sly grin. "Harper, why do you look so surprised to see me?"

Before Emily showed up, Harper thought she had the perfect life—loving parents, a great family.

But when Emily was brought back and announced as part of the Orsini family, Harper's dream life crumbled.

It wasn't just her dad cheating on her mom. The real shock was that Emily was only a few months younger than her!

This meant that while her mom was pregnant with her, her dad had already gotten another woman pregnant.

Harper clenched her fists, sneering. "Yeah, I'm surprised. I didn't expect that the first thing you'd do after coming back from abroad was to try and steal your sister's husband!"

"Harper, don't be so harsh. If it weren't for your dirty tricks back then, I would be Alex's wife!" Emily's voice had a cold edge.

Emily's goal was clear: take everything Harper had.

This bombshell revealed the truth about Harper and Alex's marriage, making Harper's face go pale.

Harper had explained a million times back then that she didn't do it.

"Get out!" Alex, who had been silent, suddenly spoke. His cold voice made Emily straighten up quickly.

He looked at Harper with icy eyes. "From today, Emily will officially join the Lavien Group."

Harper's eyes widened in disbelief. Emily joining the Lavien Group? What about her position?

Alex added, "She'll be my new secretary. From now on, you'll only handle assistant work."

Harper's heart felt like it was being crushed, pain spreading through her chest.

She stared at Alex, her voice filled with sadness. "We didn't agree on this yesterday."

Alex's face was stone-cold. "You're still the chief assistant. I promised your work wouldn't change."

Alex had clearly split the roles of secretary and assistant. The secretary handled his schedule and personal stuff, while the assistant took care of work projects and company tasks. This was his way of pushing Harper out of his personal life.

Emily stepped forward and tugged on Alex's sleeve, speaking sweetly, "Alex, how about I work as an assistant with Harper? She can teach me."

Alex's cold eyes softened a bit when he looked at Emily. "You've just joined the company and have a lot to learn. The secretary position is just a start for you."

Harper's heart ached even more.

She got the message loud and clear. The assistant position would eventually be Emily's too. Even if she and Alex had agreements, Emily was the one he truly loved.

She hid the sadness in her eyes. Alex, who valued promises, would change because of Emily.

Emily also got the hint and said proudly, "Harper, please help me get familiar with the company."

Harper frowned. "I have a lot of work to do today."

She had just refused when she felt Alex's cold, oppressive gaze.

Alex snapped, "As a subordinate, your only job is to follow the boss's orders!"

Harper could only grit her teeth and nod. "Yes."

She picked up the files from the floor, placed them on the desk, and quickly walked out.

Emily trailed right behind her.

Harper acted like she didn't notice, giving a quick tour of the company's departments.

"This is the break room, that's the office area, and over there is the pantry. All the rules can be found in the company work group."

Emily glanced at her freshly manicured nails, then shot Harper a sarcastic look. "I really admire you sometimes. You know Alex doesn't love you, but you still pester him shamelessly."

That hit Harper right where it hurt.

In the break room, with Alex nowhere in sight, Emily dropped the act.

Emily's lips curled into a sneer. "Don't you get it? Alex has already given you a lot of respect. Divorce him now, and you might keep some dignity."

Harper looked at her calmly. "Why should I divorce? As long as I don't sign, you'll always be homewrecker, and your kid will be an illegitimate child, just like you. I have a thousand ways to make your life hell."

Not being loved was Harper's sore spot; being an illegitimate child was Emily's.

Emily's face twisted with anger. Without thinking, she grabbed a nearby coffee and hurled it at Harper.

"Bitch, how dare you insult me!" Emily screamed.

Harper reacted quickly. As Emily's wrist lifted, she pushed back, causing the coffee to spill all over Emily.

Emily's perfect makeup and clothes were ruined.

"Harper, what are you doing?"

A man's angry shout came from behind. Before Harper could turn around, she was shoved hard. She fell to the ground, her hand landing in the hot coffee. The pain made her wince.

Harper looked up to see Alex's dark face, his deep blue eyes blazing with anger.

"I..." Harper started, but Emily cut her off with tearful words. "Alex, it's my fault. I'm too stupid to understand Harper's intentions. Don't be mad at her."

Alex rushed to Emily's side, checking her for injuries, then glared at Harper. "If you didn't want to show her around, you could have said so. No need for such dirty tricks."

The burn and the fall made Harper gasp. She tried to explain, "She was the one who tried to throw coffee at me first."

Alex snapped, "I have eyes."

The three words made Harper's face go even paler. Watching Alex leave with Emily, the stabbing pain in her chest surged again. How could she forget that Alex never believed her?

After Alex returned to the CEO's office, a colleague hurried over to help Harper up. They all respected her dedication to the company.

"Ms. Orsini, are you okay? Is your wrist sprained?"

"What's wrong with Mr. Lavien today? That woman's act is so obvious, yet he can't see through it?"

"Maybe it's just favoritism?"

Facing her colleagues' concerned and curious looks, Harper rubbed her wrist and forced a smile. "I'm fine. It's work time, everyone gets back to work."

After the crowd dispersed, Harper looked down at her wrist.

Burned by coffee, it was swollen and red.

She silently clenched her fist. Her colleagues checked on her injury, but her husband didn't.

Harper's wrist was in worse shape than she thought. She took a two-hour leave to go to the hospital.

Just as she was about to leave the company, Caden, surrounded by a group of people, walked over leisurely.

Today, he was dressed in a light gray casual outfit, his features strikingly handsome and his stature impressively tall. A sparkling earring adorned his right ear, adding to his overall air of nonchalant elegance.

Seeing Harper approaching, his brown eyes lit up with a smile.

"Harper, this is about the Elikin Group and the Lavien Group's next quarter..." He stopped mid-sentence as he noticed Harper's swollen wrist, and his face instantly darkened.