The Unwanted Wife Is A Hidden Genius

Katherine "Kate" Powell POV:

The suffocating scent of expensive perfume and the clinking of champagne flutes faded as I walked away from the grand ballroom of the Manhattan Plaza Hotel. Tonight was the IPO celebration of my husband's company, Hayes Tech. But I wasn't there to celebrate. Tomorrow was the anniversary of my parents' death, and their ashes were finally being returned with full military honors. I needed to remind Emerson of his solemn promise to stand by my side.

I walked down the secluded VIP corridor, my heels sinking into the thick carpet. When I reached the private lounge, I noticed the heavy mahogany doors were slightly ajar. I reached out to push it open, but a sickening sound stopped my hand in mid-air.

It was the heavy, wet sound of skin slapping against skin, accompanied by a woman's breathless, high pitched moans.

My blood turned to ice. I held my breath and peered through the narrow crack. What I saw instantly shattered my world into a million irreparable pieces.

My husband, Emerson Hayes, the man who had sworn to love and protect me, was aggressively pressing Alize Kensington, the woman he always claimed was just a friend, against the plush velvet sofa. His tuxedo was discarded on the floor, his shirt completely unbuttoned. Alize's designer gown was bunched up around her waist, her legs wrapped tightly around him as they moved together in a frantic rhythm.

A sharp, agonizing pain ripped through my chest, so intense I almost doubled over. I stared at the man thrusting into another woman, my mind flashing back to three years ago. Back then, Emerson was just a desperate, illegitimate son with nothing to his name, rejected by his own wealthy family. I remembered him kneeling before me in the pouring rain, holding my hands tightly, tears streaming down his face as he passionately vowed, "Kate, I will cherish you with my life. I will never let you suffer a single grievance."

How utterly, bitterly sarcastic. Those sweet, desperate vows had turned into the most vicious joke. He had trampled my devoted love into the dirt without a second thought.

"Emerson, wait," Alize panted, arching her back. "Is it really okay that I'm wearing this right now? Kate might be furious. I mean, she did 'lend' me her precious necklace for tonight."

The dim light caught the unique starlight sapphire resting against her sweaty collarbone. It was my late mother's necklace. A week ago, Emerson had taken it from my jewelry box, claiming it needed professional maintenance. Now, he was using my family's legacy to decorate his mistress.

"But you two have been married for three years," Alize pouted playfully, tracing his jawline. "She must have been a huge help to you and your career, right?"

"A help? You mean helping me spend my money?" Emerson sneered arrogantly, his voice dripping with disgust. "She is a greedy gold digger, a clueless housewife who only knows how to swipe my credit cards. She has no degree, no background, and no capability. Taking her out in public is an absolute embarrassment. Everyone knows you are my true love, Alize. Your family's connections helped me go public."

"And do not even get me started on our marriage," he continued, kissing her collarbone. "Three years, and she has not even given me a child. I am sick of looking at her."

Standing in the shadows, my agonizing sorrow instantly hardened into a cold, unbreakable fury. A gold digger? A useless vase? They truly believed I was just a pretty face they could easily discard. They had absolutely no idea that the groundbreaking AI core code that made Hayes Tech worth billions today was written entirely by me. I had spent countless sleepless nights typing away in the dark while Emerson slept. They thought he was the tech genius, completely oblivious to the fact that I was the true mastermind behind his entire empire.

And a child? My nails dug into my palms until they bled. The only reason we didn't have a child was because in three years, he claimed he was constantly exhausted from work and had never once touched me!

I pulled out my phone, turned on the camera, and recorded everything through the crack. I captured their entangled bodies, his flushed face, and my mother's necklace. Once the high definition video was safely backed up to my secure cloud server, I put my phone away.

I didn't cry. I kicked the heavy double doors wide open with all my strength.

Bang!

The doors slammed against the walls. Alize shrieked in sheer terror, scrambling to cover her exposed chest. Emerson stumbled backward, tripping over his own pants, absolute panic washing over his pale face. "Kate! What are you doing here?"

I didn't waste a single word. I strode forward, grabbed the large silver ice bucket from the center table, and dumped the freezing water and sharp ice cubes directly over their heads.

Alize screamed hysterically as the freezing water drenched her hair and ruined her silk dress. Emerson gasped, shivering violently, his arrogant demeanor completely destroyed. Before Alize could recover, I reached out, grabbed the sapphire necklace around her neck, and yanked it hard.

The gold clasp snapped. I reclaimed my mother's legacy, leaving a red mark on her skin.

"My parents' ashes are arriving at the military base tomorrow morning at nine o'clock sharp," I said, my voice as cold as the ice on the floor, locking eyes with my pathetic husband. "You promised to be there. Do not make me remind you again."

I turned on my heel and walked out, leaving them shivering in the ruins of their affair.

Outside the hotel, the cold New York wind hit my face. I pulled my phone from my clutch. Just then, my screen lit up with a text message from Emerson: "Kate, there is an emergency board meeting tonight. I cannot come home. But do not worry, I will be there tomorrow morning."

I stared at the pathetic lie. Instead of replying with words, I opened the video I had just recorded, took a screenshot of their naked bodies tangled on the sofa, and sent it directly to him.

I typed a single sentence beneath it: "Is the bed in the boardroom comfortable? See you at nine."

Before he could even process the horror, I opened my banking app. The unlimited credit card he had been using to fund his luxurious lifestyle and buy expensive gifts for his mistress was tied directly to our joint marital account-an account I had heavily funded with my own money. With three quick taps, I officially froze all transactions under the legal clause of a marital asset dispute.

My phone immediately started ringing frantically. Emerson's name flashed on the screen, no doubt panicking over the photo and the sudden freeze on his funds.

I didn't answer. I blocked his number, slid into the back of a yellow cab, and left the trash exactly where it belonged.