John sat at his desk, staring out the window at the bustling city below. As the successful CEO of a large FMCG company, he was used to being in control, but today he felt a slight sense of unease. He knew he was good at his job, ruthless even, but he also knew that he couldn't let his guard down for a second.

He glanced at his watch, noting that it was almost time for his meeting with his board of directors. He stood up, straightening his tailored suit, and made his way to the conference room.

As he entered the room, he was greeted with a round of applause from the other members of the board. He smiled politely, but inside he was seething. He didn't need their approval or their praise. He only cared about one thing: making as much money as possible for the company.

"Thank you, everyone," he said, taking his seat at the head of the table. "Now, let's get down to business."

For the next hour, John led the meeting with his usual competence, deftly handling any objections or concerns raised by the other members of the board. He was a master at manipulating people and situations to get what he wanted, and it showed in the way he conducted the meeting.

But as the meeting came to a close and John returned to his office, he couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right. He knew that he was a womanizer, regularly cheating on his wife with a string of different women. He also knew that he was only pretending to be kind-hearted to his employees, when in reality he wanted to exploit them for his own gain.

He sighed, running his hand through his handsome features. He didn't like who he had become, but he didn't know how to change. He was trapped in a life of wealth and power, with no way out.

As he sat at his desk, lost in thought, his assistant buzzed through on the intercom.

"Mr. Thompson, your wife is on line one. She says it's urgent."

John's heart sank. He knew that he was in for another confrontation with his wife, and he didn't have the energy to deal with it. But he also knew that he couldn't avoid her forever.

He picked up the phone and took a deep breath. "Hello, dear," he said, trying to sound cheerful. "What can I do for you?"