The Smart Speaker Exposed My Wife's Second Love
A deep, unfamiliar male voice came from the speaker. Alright, I'm your Sunshine. Also, a reminder for Elsie not to forget Leonel's birthday surprise tonight.
I froze, the music suddenly piercing. I thought, "My wife is Elsie, so who is Leonel?"
I immediately called Elsie. "Did you mess with the smart speaker at home?"
There was a brief silence on the other end, followed by her casual laugh. "Oh, a friend came over a few days ago, maybe she connected her account. What's up?"
I laughed it off, said it was nothing, then hung up. Afterward, I pulled up the speaker's login records and took a cab straight to the company address linked to that unfamiliar account.
The taxi stopped below Solar Design.
I looked up, the glass facade shimmering in the sunlight, dizzying, much like its overwhelming momentum in the industry over the past two years.
Solar Design is the biggest competitor of Dream Builder Design Studio, which I founded.
The receptionist was very professional, showing no discourtesy despite knowing I was the boss of a rival company. She simply handled it formally and dialed the internal line.
A few minutes later, a man in a casual shirt hurried out of the elevator, looking clean and innocent.
He is Leonel Mason.
The moment he saw me, his eyes clearly showed a flash of panic, but he quickly composed himself and forced a very fake smile.
He asked, "Hello, may I know who you are?"
"The smart speaker issue," I got straight to the point, looking at him calmly. "The login record shows it's your account."
"Ah! That speaker!" He suddenly realized and then scratched his head awkwardly, saying, "That's my roommate's. A few days ago, he used my phone to log in, said his membership expired and wanted to borrow an account for a couple of days. Did it cause you any trouble? I'm really sorry!"
His words were flawless, both distancing himself and appearing innocent.
If I didn't know Elsie, I might have actually believed it.
Shes arrogant and sensitive; theres no way shed allow an unrelated intern to log into her home devices with a personal account.
My gaze slowly shifted from his innocent-looking face to his wrist.
He was wearing a silver bracelet.
Two irregular rings intertwined, with one engraved with a tiny letter E.
That was last years wedding anniversary gift I designed myself and had a craftsman friend make for Elsie.
E is the first letter of Elsie.
It's one of a kind.
Leonel noticed my gaze and instinctively tried to hide his hand behind his back.
I smiled, took a step forward, and spoke gently. "That bracelet is quite special. Did your girlfriend give it to you? Nice taste."
His face turned pale instantly, his lips trembled slightly, and he couldn't say a word.
That's enough.
I stopped looking at him and turned to leave.
Sitting in the taxi on the way back, I called my friend Alex Wood. He's the best divorce lawyer in the business.
As soon as the phone rang, his loud voice came through. "Yo, Mr. Stewart? You finally remembered me?"
"Do me a favor." I stared at the city streets rapidly retreating outside the window, my voice unnervingly calm.
"Look into someone, an intern at Solar Design, Leonel Mason. Also, dig out all of Elsie's financial transactions and hotel records from the past six months. Don't miss a single detail."
Alex was silent for two seconds, then dropped the joking tone. "Did they cross you?"
"Something worse," I said.
The call ended, and the car fell into dead silence.
It wasn't long before Elsie called.
On the screen, the word "Honey" felt particularly ironic. I took a deep breath and answered.
"James, what's wrong?" Her gentle voice came through the receiver, as considerate as ever, with just the right amount of concern. "I heard from Alex that you asked him to look into something. Are you having trouble at work?"
See, she even planted her informants this quickly.
I suppressed the surge of emotions in my heart and replied in the most casual tone, "No, I just suddenly missed you."
On the other end, there seemed to be a sigh of relief, followed by a soft laugh. "Honey, I miss you too. Once I finish this project, I'll fly back to be with you right away, my Sunshine."
The word "Sunshine" clearly drilled into my ears.
My grip on the phone suddenly tightened.
So, I wasn't her only sunshine.
Or maybe, I never was.
Alex's efficiency was astonishing; in less than half an hour, I received a message.
He sent a link along with a comment: [Performance of the year by the best actor, with such a complete chain of evidence that I feel bad charging you full price. Enjoy.]
I clicked it open; it was Leonel's social media account, set to public.
The latest post was a close-up of a wrist wearing that oh-so-familiar bracelet, captioned: [Sunshine coming your way, Ms. S.]
My "Sunshine" nickname, my bracelet, have now become another man's trophies.
I scrolled down expressionlessly.
A photo's background was our home study. Leonel held his face, smiling innocently, with the rare architectural books I brought back from Italy behind him. Caption: [Soaking up knowledge in Ms. S's study, I feel like I'm getting smarter too!]
In one photo, he held a pen sketching on a blueprintthat was the limited-edition pen I gave Elsie for her 30th birthday. Caption: [The pen Ms. S gave me is amazing. She said my hand deserves the best pen.]
Another photo was taken at the private kitchen we often visited, featuring my favorite dishes. Caption: [At Ms. S's secret spot, she said I'm the only harbor where she can completely relax.]
Every photo, every word, felt like a precise scalpel, cutting into the softest parts of my memories.
Until I came across the post updated three days ago.
In the photo, Leonel held a printed design blueprint, smiling boldly and proudly.
Caption: [Ms. S stayed up late helping me revise the design. She said I'm the most talented designer she's ever met and will definitely win the Summit Center project. Go for it!]
Summit Center is the project Dream Builder poured its heart into and prepared for six months, marking the most important milestone in my career.
I suddenly jumped up from the sofa, grabbed my car keys, and rushed out the door.
The company was empty late at night. I unlocked the door with my fingerprint and headed straight to Elsie's office.
Her computer screen was still lit with a screensaverit was a photo from our wedding day, where she smiled gently and tenderly.
I just felt a wave of nausea.
I tapped on the keyboard, the screen lit up, and a password input box popped up. I tried my birthdaywrong. Tried our wedding anniversarystill wrong.
I let out a cold laugh and entered Leonel's birthday.
The password was correct.
The desktop was clean and tidy, and I immediately spotted the encrypted folder. I opened it, and inside was the final plan for "Summit Center," with every detail embodying countless days and nights of hard work and inspiration from my team and me.
Next to it lay another folder, quietly named with just one letter, "L."
I opened it and found that the plan was almost identical to ours, with only a few key load-bearing structures and design highlights slightly adjusted to avoid core patents while retaining the essence of the plan.
The plan was signed under Leonel's name.
So it turns out Elsie not only cheated but also planned to steal my hard work and our company's future to pave the way for her lover.
My stomach churned violently, and I gripped the cold desk tightly to keep myself from collapsing.
Turns out, jealousy and betrayal can truly change a woman beyond recognition.
The Summit Center project bidding event was bustling with noise and excitement.
I found an inconspicuous corner to sit in, my eyes fixed on the figure of Solar Design's representative walking onto the stage.
It's Leonel.
Hes wearing a sharply tailored business suit today, with polished leather shoes and his hair neatly slicked back, shedding his previous innocence and exuding the sharpness of a corporate elite.
He took a deep breath and began explaining the design concept. "My inspiration comes from 'The Eye of the City.' We hope its not just a cold building but a living entity that breathes with the city and witnesses the pulse of the times..."
Every single word of this was what I had once told Elsie, night after night, over countless cups of coffee, with bloodshot eyes.
I once thought it was the deepest soul connection between us as a couple.
Now I realize it was just a one-man show, and she was the most patient thief.
Whats more ironic is that Elsie is sitting in the guest seat on the judges' panel.
Her long hair is neatly tied up, her face adorned with delicate makeupexactly the elite look I know so well.
She listens intently, nodding frequently, and when her gaze falls on Leonel, it sparkles with a light Ive never seen beforea glow that treasures him and longs to show him off to the world.
She completely ignores me in the corner of the audience, as if Im just an insignificant backdrop.
The phone buzzed in my palmit was a message from Alex: [Need me to drop in with a baseball bat?]
I looked at the screen, and the corners of my tense mouth curved slightly as I replied: [Wait.]
On stage, Leonel's speech reached its climax, and the final render appeared on the PPTthe very one stolen from my computer.
The room filled with low murmurs of astonishment.
The speech ended with thunderous applause.
The host took the stage. "Thank you, Mr. Mason, for the wonderful presentation. Next, let's welcome the special judge of this competition, the highly respected industry veteran, Ms. Snyder from Dream Builder Design, to give a brief review of this proposal."
The microphone was gently handed to Elsie.
She nodded slightly, cleared her throat, and her gentle gaze fell on Leonel as she slowly began, "To be honest, Im quite surprised.
"Mr. Mason's design perfectly combines artistic aesthetics with practical functionality. Especially the subtle adjustments in several key load-bearing structuresvery bold, very ingenious."
She used "ingenious," the word she used to describe Leonel, the word she used to hurt me.
She paused, her gaze calmly sweeping across the room. "I believe this piece is undoubtedly the best today."
Applause erupted again, even more enthusiastic than before.
At that moment, my world fell silent, leaving only the dull thud of my heart pounding in my chest.
The host smiled and took over, saying, "Thank you, Ms. Snyder, for such high praise! It seems Solar Design is determined to win this time. So, is there any guest or judge here who would like to ask Mr. Mason a question?"
The venue fell silent.
After Elsie's "authoritative" high praise, it seemed there was nothing left to ask.
Leonel stood on stage, bowed deeply, his face unable to hide the pride and joy.
I put away my phone and slowly stood up just as everyone was about to applaud again.
My movement was subtle, yet it instantly drew everyone's attention.
The host was slightly stunned and asked, "Sir, may I ask who you are?"
Elsie's smile froze.
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