He Gave Me a Beaded Toy Car and Bought Her a Luxury Car Chapter 01

He Gave Me a Beaded Toy Car and Bought Her a Luxury Car Chapter 01

I’d just closed $300 million in new revenue for the company. My CEO husband Tristan Hale was so thrilled he swore he’d buy me a car. Then he handed me a Perler bead cartoon car.

“Babe, the company’s in a growth phase right now. Funds are tight. I’ll make good on that car next year.”

Not even an hour later, I saw his assistant’s social media post. He’d dropped a million dollars on a raffle so she could win a Rolls-Royce Cullinan.

The caption read: [He said if other people have it, I should have it too—and mine should be better.]

So it was never about the money. He just didn’t want to spend it on me.

I didn’t scream. I didn’t cry. I just hit “like” and ignored the comment section as it spiraled into chaos.

Then my husband called in a panic.

“Babe, you’ve got it all wrong. I bought her that car purely as a performance incentive. Company policy.”

“Just clarify in the comments so people stop attacking Faye. Do that, and I promise I’ll go back to your hometown with you for the holidays this year.”

I didn’t want to believe him anymore. “Don’t bother. I want a divorce.”

***

The line went silent.

By the time I finished speaking, I was already walking through the doors of the County Clerk’s Office.

His voice flipped. “What the hell is your problem now? It was a performance incentive. That’s it. And you’re seriously gonna make this about divorce?”

“As a leader, every decision I make is for the company. For you. Can you just try to understand that?”

“How many times do I have to explain myself? If you still don’t believe me, then I don’t know what else to say.”

His voice tightened with frustration. “And if you want a divorce, then go ahead and do it. Don’t just keep running your mouth about it.”

I pressed the button on the kiosk to confirm my divorce appointment. “Already doing it,” I said calmly.

Tristan let out a mocking laugh. “Nadia, who are you trying to scare? You can’t divorce me without my say-so.”

“I’ve already given you a chance. If you won’t clarify and apologize, don’t blame me for not going easy on you.”

Then he hung up.

The words I hadn’t managed to say caught in my throat. He’d forgotten. I didn’t need him to sign off anymore.

I took my ticket and walked to the waiting area. My phone screen was still lit up. The wallpaper showed Tristan smiling sweetly—nothing like the man who’d just berated me over the phone.

His assistant Faye’s comment section had blown up. People were tagging me left and right, defending me.

[This company may be a corporate hellhole, but we don’t hire homewreckers. @everyone, just so we’re clear.]

[Stealing someone’s husband and acting like you did nothing wrong? Your parents must be so proud.]

[I figured out this shortcut way too late. Otherwise you’d all be calling me the CEO’s side piece.]

The snarky comments were endless. No surprise there. Faye Bancroft had always been cradled in Tristan’s hands. How could she possibly handle being dragged like this?

I saw the messages Tristan had sent me thirty minutes ago demanding I clarify and apologize. I deleted them all with one tap.

They weren’t wrong. Why would I stop them?

Years ago, when Tristan hired Faye despite her criminal record, he’d deliberately passed over Ivy League graduates to do it. People said he was completely under her spell.

I confronted him about it.

He looked at me like I was beneath him. “You’re just like everyone else. You look down on Faye.”

“Have you forgotten why we started this company? To break the rules. Judge people by their skills, not their past. If someone’s talented, we hire them.”

I believed him. I even felt ashamed of my own narrow thinking. I held a meeting to clarify our hiring principles—talent matters, past experience doesn’t.

Then HR hired someone with a prior dispute on their record. Tristan spent an entire afternoon screaming about it.

“This isn’t a charity! Don’t just hire anyone off the street! If you can’t do your job, get the hell out tomorrow!”

That’s when I understood. All those principles he’d preached? They were custom-made for Faye.

A notification buzzed at the top of my screen. Tristan had posted a disciplinary notice in the group chat.

[Attention: Nadia Hale has been found to have encouraged targeted harassment against a fellow employee. This conduct is unacceptable. Her monthly performance bonus will be forfeited. All team members involved will lose half their monthly bonus. Further incidents will result in termination.]

The list went on and on. My team members were all on it. But every employee who’d spoken up for Faye? Not a single one.

The message was clear. Tristan would always protect Faye. No one was allowed to bully her in front of him.

My phone buzzed again. Messages from my team flooded in.

“Boss, this is getting out of hand. I can’t take much more of this.”

“You’re his wife! What the hell is his problem? Why does he always take her side?”

“Boss, he’s been coming after you nonstop. We’re sick of just watching it happen.”

I stared at their messages. They’d already faced disciplinary action for defending me, and yet here they were again.

Something in my chest tightened. After enduring this for so long, I suddenly didn’t want to endure it anymore.

I typed back, [Then stop enduring it. I’m resigning. Are you in?]

The replies came instantly. A wall of “In.” Over and over. I watched the screen fill up and felt the corner of my mouth lift.

I knew my team. They had the same temper I did. I told them to draft their resignation letters.

Then I made a call.

“I can start in three days. But I have one condition. I’m bringing my team with me.”

“No problem. I’ll have HR coordinate with you. But on salary—the highest I can offer is a 30% increase over their current pay. That’s my ceiling.”

The answer didn’t surprise me. But my team would prove soon enough that they were worth every cent.

Year after year, my team had the best performance numbers in the company. Tristan never praised them. Instead, he targeted them over and over to protect Faye. He even used them as leverage against me.

Starting today, I’d never give him that power again.

I hung up just as my number was called. I stepped forward and handed over my divorce settlement.

This settlement. It had been a gift from Tristan back when he loved me the most. We’d made a wish together. We hoped we’d never see this day.

But things didn’t go as planned. Not only had this day come—it had come fast. He’d probably forgotten he’d ever signed this document.

The clerk reviewed it and looked up. “Where is the husband? We need to confirm both parties’ intent to divorce.”

I was about to call Tristan when a video message from Faye popped up on my screen. The clip showed Tristan beaming as he called Faye’s parents “Mom and Dad.” He was pouring them tea.

The video was short. Five seconds.

I lowered my phone. No need to call him after all. I showed the video to the clerk.

“He’s already met her parents. Do we really need to confirm?”

The clerk’s expression stiffened. Then she stamped the paperwork.

“Come back tomorrow to pick up your divorce decree. Keep an eye out for the text notification.”

I nodded and thanked her.

As I walked out of the County Clerk’s Office, my lock screen flickered back to its default wallpaper. Then Tristan called.