They Called My Ageless Wife My Mistress

At half past two on Friday afternoon, I walked past the break room when snippets of hushed conversation drifted through the half-open door and caught my attention. "Have you heard? Steven is keeping a college girl on the side." "What?" "Issac posted pictures in the executives' group chat last night. Steven was spotted outside a hotel late at night with a girl who looked barely 20." "No way. Mr. Lane always seemed like a decent guy." "The pictures do not lie. I heard the director brought it up at today's meeting and said the company would investigate the matter thoroughly." I pushed the door open and walked inside. The two interns turned deathly pale the moment they saw me. "M-Mr. Lane." "Go on. Do not let me interrupt." I filled a cup with water, then turned and walked out. My phone vibrated. A message from Issac appeared in the department group chat. [Someone's been engaging in some seriously questionable behavior outside of work. The company needs to investigate this thoroughly.] He attached three photos. I tapped them open and froze for a moment. In the pictures, my wife, Kayla Stone, and I stood outside a hotel. Her arm was linked through mine, and a sweet smile rested on her face as she leaned against me. Chapter 1 The photos were crystal clear, taken from a deliberately chosen angle that made them look almost like surveillance footage. I had always joked that my wife would be eighteen forever, a beauty untouched by time. Still, I would never have imagined that a little running joke would land me in a mess like this. Within seconds, dozens of messages flooded the group chat. [Mr. Lane, who's that?] [She looks so young!] [A hotel late at night? That's not a good look.] I stared at the photos for a few seconds before typing my reply: [That's my wife.] The group chat fell silent for three whole seconds. Then someone sent a question mark. What followed was a flood of laughter. Selene chimed in, her words dripping with sarcasm. [Now, that's a good one, Mr. Lane. Your wife looks even younger than my little sister. Is she a college freshman or a sophomore?] I did not bother responding. I closed the group chat and checked the timestamp on the photos. Last Wednesday, Kayla and I had been out of town on a business trip, staying at that very hotel. She had gone to discuss a project, and I tagged along to keep her company. Who had taken these pictures? Why were they being circulated now? My phone vibrated again. This time, it was a private message from Issac: [Steven, you can forget about getting promoted this time.] I let out a cold laugh and ignored him. I spent six years in the product department, and not once had any of the projects under my supervision suffered a major failure. Yet Issac had consistently blocked my advancement. It was not that he doubted my abilities. The problem was that his niece, Selene, was also in the running for the director's promotion. Selene revised her proposal four times, and the client had not approved a single version. In the end, I was the one to take over the project. I spent nineteen days making up for lost ground, filling in the missing requirements and pushing the contract to the finish line. If I secured the promotion, Selene would have no choice but to remain an ordinary product manager. Therefore, Issac was not about to let that happen. I packed up my things and headed downstairs. When I reached the elevators, several colleagues spotted me and immediately turned away, pretending they had not seen me. Inside the elevator, two interns were whispering to each other. "Have you heard? Mr. Lane is keeping a college girl on the side." "Seriously? He always seemed like such a decent guy." "The pictures are already out. How could it be fake?" I stood right behind them, but they were so engrossed in their gossip that they did not notice me at all. When the elevator reached the first floor and the doors slid open, they turned around and found me standing there. Their faces drained of color. I walked past them without saying a word. Back in my car, I did not start the engine right away. My phone screen still displayed the three photos. In the first, Kayla had her arm linked through mine. In the second, she was smiling, her face turned slightly to the side. The third showed nothing but my back, with the timestamp enlarged until it practically screamed for attention. This was not someone casually snapping a few pictures for office gossip. No one would have gone to such lengths to capture those particular angles without a reason. Issac was not simply trying to humiliate me. He wanted to brand me as a man of questionable morals before the company announced its promotion decisions. That way, even if the investigation turned up nothing, the board would still have doubts about whether appointing me was a wise move. Then Selene would emerge as the safest alternative. I saved all three photos under the name "Original Evidence." Then I sent myself an email. It contained just one sentence. [Document Everything from Here On.] Chapter 2 It was Saturday morning when the vibration of my phone jolted me awake. A message from Laura in HR awaited me on the screen. [Steven, the company has received a joint complaint signed by several employees, alleging misconduct on your part. You are required to report to HR at 2:00 p.m. on Monday to explain the situation.] I typed a reply. [What complaint?] Her response came almost immediately. [An alleged inappropriate relationship between you and a young woman. There are photographs and witnesses.] I drew a deep breath. [She's my wife. We've been married for three years.] [Please provide supporting documentation on Monday. The company will conduct a thorough review.] Her tone was strictly professional, but the dismissiveness beneath it was obvious. I took a screenshot of the conversation and sent it to Kayla. [They're saying you're the college girl I'm keeping on the side.] Her reply came instantly. [Who said that?] [Issac and a bunch of people who just want to watch the drama unfold.] A few seconds later, another message appeared. [I'm going with you on Monday.] [Don't bother. I can handle this.] [No, you can't.] Her response was so firm that I did not argue further. I was not about to sit around waiting for HR to finish its investigation. Instead, I called the hotel directly. "Hello, I'd like to verify the check-in records for last Wednesday night." The receptionist confirmed my booking reference. "The reservation was registered under Ms. Kayla Stone. There were two guests in total." "And the other guest?" "Mr. Steven Lane." I asked her to send the electronic confirmation to the email address on file. The email arrived shortly afterward. Our names appeared side by side on the document, along with a check-in time of 10:17 p.m. I forwarded the file to myself and saved another copy to the cloud. When it came to evidence, you could never have too much. The real danger lay in keeping everything on a single computer. ... By Monday morning, something felt off the moment I stepped into the office. Several colleagues fell silent as soon as I entered the break room. They grabbed their cups and hurried out without another word. I poured myself a cup of water and caught snippets of conversation drifting in from the hallway. "I heard HR's going to fire him." "Serves him right. People like him deserve to be investigated." I returned to my desk and opened my computer. An internal notice awaited me in my inbox. 'Subject: Investigation Notice Regarding Steven Lane. Pending the conclusion of the investigation, Steven's promotion eligibility and authority as project lead are hereby suspended.' The notice had been jointly issued by HR and Issac. I stared at the screen and tapped my fingers against the desk. At 2:00 p.m. sharp, I arrived at HR. Laura sat behind her desk. Issac and Selene sat across from her. The moment I entered the room, all three looked up at me. Laura gestured toward an empty chair. "Please take a seat." I sat down and placed my marriage certificate and a copy of Kayla's ID on the desk. "These are my wife's documents. We officially registered our marriage three years ago." Laura picked up the marriage certificate and flipped through it without a word. I then wrote down the hotel's booking reference and slid the paper toward her. "The hotel where the photos were taken can verify our stay. Please have HR obtain the front desk records, as well as surveillance footage from the public areas." Laura glanced at the paper. "Hotel records require a formal request. We can't get them immediately." "Then submit the request now." I pushed the paper a little closer. "You can't base an investigation solely on screenshots provided by Issac." A cold laugh escaped Issac. "Steven, where did you get that certificate? Photoshop is so advanced these days that fake documents are everywhere." Selene joined in. "I've seen Mr. Lane's wife before. She really is young enough to pass for a college student. Maybe he was tricked into marrying her. It isn't unheard of for women to pretend to be younger than they are." Laura tapped her knuckles against the desk. "Steven, can you contact your wife and ask her to come in? The company needs to verify her identity." I took out my phone. "Of course. She's available right now." I dialed her number, and she answered on the first ring. "Hello?" I glanced at the three people sitting across from me and lowered my voice. "Kayla, they're saying you're the college girl I'm keeping on the side." Silence filled the line for three seconds. Then she spoke. "Send me the address." After ending the call, I looked at Laura. "She'll be here in 10 minutes." Just then, Laura's phone chimed. She glanced at the screen. Her expression shifted slightly before she hurriedly placed the phone face down on the desk. Even so, I caught the message preview. [Request for hotel surveillance footage denied. Reason: Submitter lacks authorization.] I looked directly at her. "Who submitted the request on my behalf?" Laura placed her phone face down on the desk and replied, "That's not information you need to know." I did not press the issue. Judging by her reaction, someone had tampered with the evidence much sooner than I had anticipated. Chapter 3 Laura nodded and began sorting through the documents on her desk. Issac sat back in his chair with his legs crossed, looking like a man who already knew how the meeting would end. "I'm curious to see what kind of 'college girl' is going to show up and play along with this little charade." Selene let out a quiet giggle. "Maybe she'll show up wearing a ton of makeup. That would make the whole thing even less believable." I did not respond. I simply glanced at my phone. Three minutes passed. Then five. Laura was starting to lose patience. "Steven, is your wife actually coming?" "She said 10 minutes. There are 2 minutes left." Suddenly, Issac pulled a sheet of paper from his folder and slid it across the desk. "Since you insist she's your wife, we might as well wait for her and verify it in person. Still, until the investigation is over, I suggest you sign this interim agreement first." I lowered my gaze to the document. The first clause read: [Steven Lane voluntarily requests to suspend his candidacy for the current promotion due to concerns regarding his personal conduct.] The second stated: [For the duration of the investigation, he voluntarily relinquishes his position as project lead.] At the bottom, in much smaller print, was another line: [I confirm that the above decisions have been made without any form of coercion.] I looked up. "Is this a company requirement or a personal demand from you?" Issac leaned back in his chair. His tone sounded even more relaxed than before. "What difference does it make? Given the situation, the company has to consider the potential fallout. If you have nothing to hide, signing this is just a temporary formality. Once the investigation is over, you'll get your position back." I turned the document around and pushed it toward him. "And what happens if the investigation never ends?" Issac gave a short laugh. "Steven, your priority right now should be proving your innocence, not nitpicking the wording." Laura added, "This is merely an internal procedure. It will not affect the investigation whether you sign it or not." "Then why am I being asked to give up my promotion before the investigation is finished?" Her hand froze in midair. The smile slowly disappeared from Issac's face. "You're the person under investigation. Avoiding a conflict of interest is just common sense." "Selene is also a candidate for the promotion. Why isn't she being asked to step aside?" I turned toward Selene. Her expression changed immediately. She lowered her head and began shuffling through the documents in front of her. Issac tapped his knuckles against the desk. "Please do not twist ordinary workplace arrangements into some kind of personal vendetta." I did not argue further. Instead, I took out my phone and photographed the interim agreement. Then I pulled up the email informing me that my access privileges had been revoked. "My authority as project lead was revoked at 9:12 this morning. "At 2:27 this afternoon, Issac placed this document asking me to withdraw from the promotion competition in front of me. "Both incidents will be included in the investigation records, I assume?" Laura instinctively glanced at Issac. The look lasted less than a second, but it told me everything I needed to know. Issac's expression darkened. "Are you threatening the company?" "I'm preserving evidence." Silence settled over the conference room. Then footsteps echoed from the hallway. This time, they stopped outside the door. No knock came right away. Issac checked his watch and sneered. "If your wife really cared about you, she wouldn't keep you waiting like this. Maybe she doesn't even know how you've been introducing her to people behind her back." I met his gaze. "We'll find out soon enough." As soon as the words left my mouth, the footsteps approached again. A knock sounded at the door. I rose to my feet and opened it. Kayla stood outside. She wore a plain white T-shirt and jeans. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail. Not a trace of makeup touched her face. She looked every bit like a college student who had just stepped out of class. Yet a black document bag rested in her hand. She walked in and looked at me first, making sure no one had cornered me or pressured me into backing down. Only then did she place the bag on the table. It was a small, almost casual gesture. Even so, Issac sat up a little straighter in his chair. Selene, meanwhile, looked at Kayla with poorly concealed smugness. "So this is Mr. Lane's 'wife'?" Chapter 4 Kayla ignored her completely. Her gaze swept across the room before settling on Issac. She stepped forward. Her voice was soft but unmistakably clear. "Would you mind repeating what you just said?" Issac froze for a moment before trying to bluff his way through. "What did I say?" "You said I was the college girl Steven was keeping on the side." Kayla stood in front of the desk, her expression perfectly composed. "Isn't that right?" Without waiting for an answer, she turned to me. "Did they try to force you to sign anything?" "Yes." I picked up the document and handed it to her. She scanned it once, and her expression turned cold. "Voluntarily suspending your promotion? Voluntarily relinquishing your position as project lead?" She lifted her gaze to Laura. "Is this part of your process for verifying the facts?" Laura opened her mouth, then hesitated. "It's only a temporary arrangement. Your husband's position can be reinstated once the investigation is complete." "Then why does it say there was no coercion?" Kayla placed the document back on the desk and pressed a fingertip against the fine print. "Is it because you know this document does not look like something anyone would sign voluntarily?" Issac shot to his feet. "Ms. Stone, I suggest you watch your language. We received a complaint and are conducting an investigation in accordance with company policy." "Photographs, a formal complaint, hotel records. Which of those have you actually verified?" "The photographs are genuine, and there's more than one person making the allegations." "So you simply assumed he was guilty?" "I said there were reasonable grounds for suspicion." Issac clenched his teeth and held on to the last bit of justification he had left. "Any man seen entering a hotel late at night with a girl who looks barely 20 is bound to raise suspicions. As for whether she's really your wife, we can discuss that once her documents have been verified." Kayla glanced at the marriage certificate on the desk before looking back at him. "The certificate is right here. You have not verified the hotel registration or the identity of the other guest, yet you're already asking my husband to give up his promotion. And you call that reasonable suspicion?" Issac swallowed hard. "The company isn't a court of law. I'm simply carrying out my managerial responsibilities." "Then why did you send those photos to the executives' group chat before checking whether they were even true? Why encourage other employees to file complaints against him? Why try to make him sign a statement saying he stepped down voluntarily?" Kayla never raised her voice. Even so, with each question, the atmosphere in the conference room grew heavier. Selene could no longer stay quiet. "Who's to say you didn't have that marriage certificate made? It isn't hard to fake documents these days." I turned toward her. "The registration number and the official civil records can both be verified, but none of you bothered to check them." The color drained from Selene's face. Kayla set the black document bag on the desk with a quiet thud. "I came here to cooperate with your investigation. Before I even walked through that door, you had already decided my husband was guilty. Now you're trying to make it look like all of this was his own choice by pressuring him to sign a document saying he volunteered." Issac was starting to sweat, but he stubbornly maintained his composure. "Ms. Stone, there's no need to make this bigger than it is. If the investigation confirms that you're legally married, then at worst, this will turn out to be a misunderstanding." "A misunderstanding that costs an employee his promotion, strips him of his authority over a project, and gives more than a dozen people an excuse to gossip about his private life?" Kayla held his gaze. "Mr. Walls, please tell me, is this investigation really about uncovering the truth, or is it about making sure Steven loses his chance at a promotion?" Issac was about to respond when the door swung open again. The chairman strode into the room, accompanied by two formally dressed men. The moment he saw Kayla, he hurried over with a polite smile. "Ms. Stone, I didn't expect you to come in person. I was just planning to contact you about the contract renewal."