Romance

The Wife He Underestimated

by Gleaming Greenery

HR sent out the Christmas holiday schedule at 3 p.m.Every employee received seven days off and a Christmas gift box. Well, all of them… except for me. I was given only half a day off.I had my medical records tucked in an envelope as I pushed open the conference room door.My husband, Matthew Westbrook, sat at the far end of the table, focused on something on his laptop. He didn't even look up as I entered."The holiday schedule's already finalized," he said. "If I change yours now, HR will have to shift everyone's schedule around. Besides, it's just a shoulder procedure, Elena. It's not like you're dying. Once the surgery's over and done with, you'll be as healthy as a horse."I stared at him, not quite believing what I was hearing.Matthew finally looked up, already sounding annoyed. "What? You expect me to change everyone else's plans just because you're my wife?"He frowned. "Being married to me doesn't mean you get special treatment at work."There it was again.I had heard those words, "special treatment," more times than I could count.I'd worked myself into the ground for Westbrook Group for five years. Yet, I somehow still had nothing to show for it.I could negotiate three major international routes and bring in over ten million dollars in revenue, but Bianca Brooke could revise a presentation deck and somehow get more recognition than I did.And the one time I disagreed with one of her proposals? That day, Matthew took away my entire annual bonus.Apparently, five years of loyalty meant nothing when Bianca was involved.I wanted to argue, but Matthew already shut his laptop and stood up. He put on his coat as if the conversation were already over."I've got to jet."He walked straight past me without even a glance."I'll have Finance double your holiday pay," he added as he reached the door. "Consider it compensation for staying behind."He left right after that.The conference room door had barely closed behind him when my phone buzzed.It was an Instagram notification from Bianca.I opened it to find a selfie of her seated on a private jet. Her passport lay casually on the table beside her, cream leather seats stretched out behind her, and a custom gold Westbrook pin gleamed on her coat collar.Her caption read, "Seven days in Monteluce, courtesy of the company. And I get to attend the gala with the CEO. What a way to end the year!"I stared at the screen, thinking, 'So, that's why he's got to jet.'Matthew had just told me that giving his wife time off for shoulder surgery would be unfair to everyone else, but Bianca was being flown to Monteluce for a seven-day Christmas vacation.She got seven days, while I got half a day.For a moment there, I could barely breathe. My grip tightened around my phone as I reached for the wall to steady myself, the envelope containing my medical records still clutched in my other hand.I looked at Bianca's smiling face one last time before closing Instagram.Then, I opened my contacts and made a call."Uncle Gabe?"To my surprise, my voice came out perfectly calm."That 80-million-dollar credit line Harrington Bank approved for Westbrook Group? I want you to pull it."Silence filled the other end of the line.I looked down at the medical records in my hand, and something fragile inside me finally settled."My husband made something very clear to me today," I continued, staring at nothing. "Being married to him doesn't mean I deserve special treatment."A slow smile spread across my face as my gaze sharpened. "So, I don't see why his company should be funded 80 million just because he's married to me."

Loading your library and reading data…