{"id":7255,"date":"2026-09-06T16:11:01","date_gmt":"2026-09-06T16:11:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=7255"},"modified":"2026-09-06T16:11:01","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T16:11:01","slug":"on-my-first-day-as-ceo-my-husbands-secretary-called-me-an-intern-by-sunset-i-learned-the-company-and-my-marriage-had-been-built-on-a-lie-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=7255","title":{"rendered":"On My First Day as CEO, My Husband\u2019s Secretary Called Me an Intern. By Sunset, I Learned the Company\u2014and My Marriage\u2014Had Been Built on a Lie."},"content":{"rendered":"

The first person to insult me on my first day as CEO was my husband\u2019s secretary.<\/strong><\/h1>\n

She stood in front of the executive elevator, looked me over, and smiled as though she had already decided my value.<\/p>\n

\u201cCustodians and interns use the service elevator.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

For a second, I thought she was joking.<\/p>\n

Then I noticed the employees behind her dropping their eyes.<\/p>\n

I wore a plain beige dress and low heels. For six years, I had managed overseas projects where hard hats and laptops mattered more than designer bags. Apparently, headquarters had turned clothing into a caste system.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not a custodian,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you\u2019re an intern. Interns use the service elevator too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her nameplate read JANG CHIN TONG \u2014 EXECUTIVE SECRETARY TO PRESIDENT SHIAO.<\/p>\n

My husband\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

My husband\u2019s secretary.<\/p>\n

I had been married to Shiaoza for ten years and had never met her.<\/p>\n

A woman near the elevator whispered, \u201cPlease. Just take the service elevator. Secretary Jang can make your life difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes it go to the sixty-eighth floor?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. It stops at sixty-three.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what do employees do?\u201d<\/p>\n

She hesitated. \u201cTake the stairs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFive floors?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jang laughed. \u201cIf five flights are too much, maybe they don\u2019t belong at this company.\u201d<\/p>\n

The employee flushed.<\/p>\n

Something inside me went cold.<\/p>\n

Three days earlier, the board had voted to place company operations under me. The formal announcement was scheduled for ten that morning. Shiaoza knew I was returning, but he had been strangely vague, claiming he was \u201cburied in meetings.\u201d<\/p>\n

He did not know the board had finalized my title as Chief Executive Officer.<\/p>\n

Neither did his secretary.<\/p>\n

I moved toward the elevator.<\/p>\n

Jang blocked me again.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is for executives.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why are you still here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I\u2019m going upstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her face tightened. \u201cDon\u2019t dirty the elevator.\u201d<\/p>\n

I pressed the button.<\/p>\n

When the doors opened, I stepped inside.<\/p>\n

Jang followed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re finished,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ll have your internship canceled before lunch.\u201d<\/p>\n

I watched her reflection in the mirrored wall.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince when does an intern\u2019s future depend on whether she obeys the president\u2019s secretary?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone under President Shiao passes my inspection.\u201d<\/p>\n

That told me everything about the culture my husband had allowed to develop.<\/p>\n

On the executive floor, Jang loudly repeated what had happened. Within minutes, strangers warned me that offending her was equivalent to offending President Shiao.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe trusts her more than anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe spoils her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s his right hand.\u201d<\/p>\n

One woman whispered, \u201cApologize before he finishes his meeting. He can make sure you never work in this industry again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then I noticed the watch.<\/p>\n

White ceramic. Diamond markers. A tiny silver crescent above the six.<\/p>\n

Only ten existed worldwide.<\/p>\n

A month earlier, I had asked Shiaoza to buy that exact limited-edition watch for his mother\u2019s birthday. I had been stuck in Boston closing a deal, and he promised to handle it.<\/p>\n

Now it circled Jang Chin Tong\u2019s wrist.<\/p>\n

The elevator suddenly seemed irrelevant.<\/p>\n

She caught me looking and raised her hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou like it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere did you get it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her smile softened almost affectionately.<\/p>\n

\u201cPresident Shiao gave it to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ten years of marriage shifted inside my head.<\/p>\n

Late dinners. Weekend conferences. Urgent balcony calls. His phone always face down. His constant reassurance: \u201cDon\u2019t overthink it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jang misunderstood my silence.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh. I understand. You\u2019re after him.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stared at her.<\/p>\n

Continue reading <\/a><\/h1>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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