I couldn’t believe it. Just because I pointed out an intern’s mistake in a meeting that could have cost the company millions, he felt humiliated and threatened to quit to the CEO’s fiancée. Without hesitation, Samantha stormed into my office and confronted me: “Couldn’t you have told him privately? Lucas is young and sensitive. Why did you have to embarrass him in front of everyone? Don’t forget his father is a major shareholder. Now you have two choices.” “One, I promote Lucas and make you his assistant. Then I’ll agree to announce our engagement.” “Two, you continue being arrogant, and we break up.” Seeing my silence, she smirked coldly: “I knew you wouldn’t pass up the chance to go public with our relationship.” “Now clear out your office for Lucas, and—” I cut her off calmly: “I’m sorry, but I choose option two.” “However, I’ll resign voluntarily. I wish you and Lucas a happy life together!” “Zachary, do you realize what you’re saying?” Samantha rushed over from behind her desk to confront me. It was the first time I’d seen her normally cool demeanor so shaken. I repeated quietly: “I quit. We’re done.” Ignoring her, I started packing up my personal belongings. I’d been with this company since its early days and had used this office for years. There was quite a bit to pack. I put my thermos, blanket and other items into a box, then organized my work files. Many of these were projects I was currently responsible for. A lot of clients only worked with us because of me, but I wouldn’t be able to see them through now. Samantha stared intently at my actions, her tone growing cold: “Zachary, you’re 34 this year. Getting to VP wasn’t easy. You know how brutal the job market is out there. Are you really going to throw it all away over this?” I said nothing, just printed out my resignation letter and signed it. Samantha’s frown deepened. Just then, Lucas the intern walked in carefully balancing a coffee mug. He glanced at me nervously. “Ms. Reid, is Zachary resigning to pressure me into leaving? Please don’t put yourself in a difficult position. Zachary’s been with the company much longer, I’ll go, I’ll go right away.” His eyes were red and brimming with tears. The hesitation in Samantha’s eyes immediately vanished, replaced by intense displeasure directed at me. “Zachary, I’ve given you an out. Why won’t you take it? Do you really think the company can’t function without you?” “Since you’re so determined to quit, fine. I’ll approve this resignation right now!” She snatched the letter from me, hastily signed it, and threw it back at me. Then she left, pulling Lucas along with her. Watching her cold demeanor, a wave of bitterness washed over me. Samantha and I had met in college. Back then, I came from a poor family and focused solely on my studies, often mocked by our classmates. It was Samantha who repeatedly stood up for me, chose to eat with me, even pursued me romantically. Throughout our four years of college, she was always gentle with me. After graduation, we started this business together, going through the toughest times side by side. We had promised to get married once the company stabilized. But everything changed when Lucas’s father became a major shareholder and placed him as an intern. Lucas was careless in his work and made frequent mistakes. Whenever I pointed them out for correction, Samantha would personally warn me not to bully the new guy. I argued that I was just looking out for the company’s interests, but she kept undermining me to protect Lucas. Now, just because I mentioned Lucas’s mistake in a meeting, she was using our relationship to force me to step aside. I should have let go a long time ago. After leaving the company, I immediately received a call from the HR department of Skyline Corp, the industry leader. “Mr. Foster, we heard you just resigned. I hope you don’t mind us reaching out. We’d like to extend another invitation for you to join us. Please consider it.” Over the years, many top companies had tried to headhunt me privately due to my excellent work performance. But I had devoted myself completely to Samantha, rejecting all offers and working tirelessly to build her company. Now I was left with nothing. They offered a salary three times higher than my current one, hoping I would consider. I finally agreed to meet the next day. I returned to the home Samantha and I shared, intending to pack my bags and leave. But when I opened the door, I saw Samantha in the kitchen, tenderly tying an apron around Lucas’s waist. “Ms. Reid, just stand back and watch. I promise the food I cook today will be exactly to your taste.” “Oh really? I’m quite picky, you know.” The two flirted and joked as if I wasn’t there, the atmosphere warm and intimate. A moment later, Samantha noticed my presence. The smile immediately vanished from her face as she said coolly: “Lucas, just cook for the two of us. Someone’s too proud to eat at home today anyway.” I knew she was taking a dig at me. I ignored her and bent down to change my shoes. Samantha frowned slightly, then lifted her chin to look at me: “Zachary, since you’re back, I assume you’ve realized your mistake.” “What are you standing there for? Go apologize to Lucas and ask for his forgiveness. I’m willing to overlook what happened this morning. I can even keep your position open at the company.” Seeing her superior attitude, I felt only coldness. No matter how close two people once were, we had truly grown apart. I still didn’t respond, just walked past her to the balcony to collect the laundry. Samantha’s face fell at being repeatedly ignored. She was about to speak when Lucas came over with a bowl of soup. He deliberately bumped into me, then let out an exaggerated cry of pain, falling to the ground with soup spilled all over himself! “Ah! It burns! Zachary, even if you resent me, you don’t have to go this far!” He clutched his reddened hand, tears streaming down his face. This was Lucas’s usual tactic for turning Samantha against me. At work, he would pretend to stay late, claiming I was overworking him. Or he’d spill water on himself and say I yelled at him. I used to ignore his antics, but this time, I didn’t want to let him have his way. Since he liked to say I bullied him, I’d give him what he wanted. Before Lucas could get up, I grabbed a plate from the table and dumped the food he’d just cooked all over him. Oily broth dripped from his hair as Lucas shrieked, tears flying. Samantha rushed over, roughly shoving me aside as she yelled: “Zachary, have you lost your mind?! Why do you keep targeting Lucas? You’ve disappointed me so much…” I smirked: “Disappointed? Good. Then we can go our separate ways from now on.” Samantha’s face flushed red with anger, speechless for a long moment. Lucas continued to cry pitifully, so she had no choice but to take him to the hospital. The apartment finally fell silent as the front door slammed shut. I let out a long breath, feeling some deep-rooted attachment slowly dissipate. With a bitter smile, I picked up my suitcase and walked out. Samantha, it’s truly over between us.
I returned to my old bachelor apartment. I had bought and renovated it years ago but barely lived here, choosing to stay with Samantha instead. Just as I was about to call a cleaning service, Samantha’s name flashed on my phone. I expected her to berate me, but her tone was surprisingly gentle when she spoke: “Zachary, stop being childish. Lucas is kindhearted and won’t hold what you did against him.” “Take the afternoon off to rest at home. Tomorrow, you can go to the office as Lucas’s assistant and help him oversee the projects. We’ll get married in three days. Isn’t that what you wanted?” Hearing the conditions for marriage, I felt only mockery. Over the years, I had brought up getting married many times, but Samantha always found excuses to delay. Now she was finally agreeing, but only for another man’s sake. I was about to speak when Lucas’s affected, pitiful voice came through the phone: “It’s okay, Ms. Reid. If Zachary becomes my assistant, he’ll just target me even more. I… I’m scared…” “I’m no match for him. I’m too stupid…” “Don’t worry, Lucas. I won’t let Zachary bully you with me around,” Samantha quickly soothed him, her tone so patient it was as if he were her boyfriend. I frowned in disgust and cut in: “Make me his assistant? Is he even qualified?” “If you think Lucas is so capable, why does he need an assistant? Surely he can handle the projects on his own?” Samantha paused, then snapped: “Zachary, what’s your problem? I’ve agreed to marry you, what more do you want?” “I’m giving you a chance and you’re not taking it. Don’t regret this!” With that, she hung up. I ignored this little episode and continued arranging for the apartment to be cleaned. After tidying up, I was scrolling through industry news on the couch when Lucas suddenly sent me a video call request. When I answered, Lucas was lounging in Samantha’s CEO chair with a smug expression, panning the camera around the office. “Hey Zachary, guess what? Ms. Reid asked me to work in her office and even got me water herself. Ever been treated this well?” Samantha had always been obsessive about cleanliness and hated anyone touching things in her office. Even I wasn’t allowed in without permission. Clearly, Lucas was the exception. Seeing I didn’t respond, Lucas continued gloating: “Ms. Reid has transferred all your projects to me. She’s made me VP to fully replace you. Face it, you’re yesterday’s news!” I laughed coldly: “Is that so? Well, you’d better do a good job then. Try not to bankrupt your precious CEO’s company too quickly.” “You son of a—!” Lucas was about to curse when the sound of a door opening came through. The video cut off immediately! I shook my head in derision. If Samantha really trusted Lucas with all the projects, the company was doomed. The next morning, I went to Skyline for my interview and agreed to start soon. As I was leaving, I suddenly received notifications that several accounts had been unlinked. Samantha and I used to share logins for many apps, believing we were an inseparable couple. It seemed Samantha had just gotten home and discovered I’d moved out. No phone call, just silently unlinking everything. I could guess how angry she must be. But it no longer concerned me. Over the next two days, I was busy with the new job. Samantha didn’t contact me directly. She just kept updating her social media with photos of her and Lucas together. She even changed our couple profile pictures on some platforms to solid black. I knew she was waiting for me to reach out and make amends, but I no longer cared. On the third evening, I returned home to find a cardboard box outside my door labeled “For Zachary.” I brought it inside and opened it to find mementos of my relationship with Samantha. There was the first love letter she wrote confessing her feelings in college, the matching accessories she bought for us, photos from our travels, even a lip print on paper commemorating our first kiss… Looking at these items brought back many memories. But in the end, we had drifted apart. I tossed them one by one into a fire pit, lit a match, and watched the flames consume the flickering images of the past. Yet I felt strangely calm. Just then, my front door burst open. Samantha rushed in, her eyes wide with shock. She frantically grabbed the burning photos with her bare hands, frantically patting out the flames. Her voice was shrill with panic: “Zachary, what are you doing burning all this?!”
It took great effort for Samantha to extinguish the flames. Her delicate hands were covered in blisters. She glared at me through tear-filled eyes: “Zachary, have you forgotten what these things meant to us? How could you burn them?!” I calmly asked: “Didn’t you send these over for me to get rid of? They’re useless now anyway. Might as well burn them.” Samantha stared at me in disbelief, seemingly shocked by how calm I was. After a long moment, she explained reluctantly: “Zachary, enough already. I admit that when you pointed out Lucas’s mistake at work, you were looking out for the company’s interests. I only asked you to apologize because Lucas is the son of a major shareholder.” “I know I hurt you. I’m sorry, okay? Come back as VP, on the same level as Lucas. Just try not to interfere with his work in the future. Is that good enough?” I silently looked at her, finding it all rather laughable. Samantha continued: “But there’s one condition. I hope you’ll apologize to Lucas before returning to the company. You did lay hands on him after all.” “As long as you can get him to forgive you, you can come back.” Hearing this, I suddenly couldn’t help but laugh. “Samantha, you’re really overestimating yourself. Did I ever say I wanted to go back? Asking me to apologize to Lucas? Frankly, he doesn’t deserve it.” Samantha’s face fell as I said this. She stood up angrily and slammed the door on her way out. The next morning at Skyline, I ran into Samantha and Lucas chatting happily as they approached the building. “Lucas, do well on this project and I’ll arrange a promotion for you.” “You’re so good to me, Ms. Reid.” As they were talking, Samantha spotted me and her expression immediately turned cold: “Zachary, what are you doing here?!” “Isn’t it obvious, Ms. Reid? Zachary must be too embarrassed to beg you at the office, so he came to intercept you here to get his job back.” Lucas smirked at me. Samantha’s expression softened slightly as she realized this, though she still put on a cold front: “I gave you a chance yesterday and you didn’t take it. Now you’re here pestering me again? Zachary, you really don’t know when to quit!” “Since you’re here, apologize to Lucas now.” She lifted her chin haughtily, once again the imperious CEO. Lucas looked at me smugly, putting on an act of magnanimity: “Oh come on, it’s fine. As long as Zachary doesn’t make things difficult for me at work in the future, we can get along as equals.” “No, he must apologize. Using physical violence crosses a line,” Samantha said coldly, sweeping her gaze over me. “This is non-negotiable.” I stared at their little act in disbelief. “Who said I came to apologize? I have no reason to go back to your company. Now if you’ll excuse me.” “Zachary, that’s enough! I’ve agreed to make you and Lucas equal VPs. What more do you want?” Samantha looked at me with disappointment. Lucas put on a knowing expression: “Oh, I get it. Zachary must be upset that I took over all his old projects. But Ms. Reid, he quit, so someone had to do the work.” “How about this – Zachary gets first pick of future projects, and I’ll take whatever’s left. That should be fair, right?” At this, Samantha’s eyes filled with even more disgust, as if I was being greedy and unreasonable. But I was truly exasperated. How could Lucas be so confident with his limited abilities? Wasn’t Samantha worried he’d mess things up? Whatever, it was no longer my concern. I shook my head without a word and turned to leave. Samantha was about to angrily berate me when her phone suddenly rang! Even without speakerphone, I could clearly hear the panicked voice on the other end: “Ms. Reid! We have a huge problem! There were serious errors in yesterday’s proposal that caused massive losses for the client. Now they’re threatening to sue the company! The project lead was… Lucas!” In an instant, Samantha’s face drained of color. She whipped around to stare at Lucas, her eyes sharp as knives. Lucas stumbled back a step, terrified. This marks the end of the free preview
“Ms-Ms. Reid, there must be some misunderstanding.” Lucas stammered, then suddenly pointed at me: “All these projects were handed over from Zachary. He’s responsible too!” “Zachary, don’t think you can dump this mess on me just because you quit. Don’t even try it!” To prove his innocence, Lucas started playing the victim again, sniffling to Samantha: “Ms. Reid, I only took over Zachary’s projects. He must be framing me.” “Don’t you trust me at all?” Seeing his pitiful act, the suspicion in Samantha’s eyes melted into tenderness. She glanced at me with a frown, then said gently to Lucas: “Alright, let’s head back to the office and sort this out. Of course I believe you.” “If Zachary’s behind this, I’ll make sure he takes responsibility!” Before leaving, Samantha gave me a long, hard look. Lucas flashed a triumphant smirk as he left: “See that, Zachary? No matter what, Samantha will always believe me over you!” I just stared at him like he was an idiot, walking past him to the elevator. I couldn’t believe I’d witnessed such a farce on my way to work. That afternoon, I heard through the grapevine about what happened at Samantha’s company. Since I had previously handled all the projects, the clients trusted me and hadn’t questioned things too much. But this time Lucas was in charge, and he’d made a ton of mistakes causing serious losses. Now the client was threatening legal action after learning the project lead had been switched without notice. Samantha was scrambling to deal with the fallout. “Ms. Reid, I had no idea such a small issue could have such serious consequences.” “I’m so sorry, I really am.” “What do we do now? Should I go apologize to the client? Ms. Reid, please don’t ignore me. My heart is breaking.” A former coworker secretly recorded this conversation outside Samantha’s office. Upon confirming Lucas was truly responsible, and that he’d made basic, careless mistakes, Samantha exploded in anger! For the first time, she threw the rejected proposal documents in Lucas’s face in front of everyone. Lucas was completely stunned. He tried to cry and act pitiful again, but this time Samantha wasn’t moved. She stormed back to her office. Lucas chased after her, frantically apologizing. But Samantha wasn’t having any of it. In the past, whenever I caught Lucas’s mistakes and fixed them before any damage was done, Samantha always downplayed the issues and told me to be more lenient. Now that it was costing real money, she was no longer telling others to be understanding. She was furious that Lucas couldn’t handle even the simplest tasks. “Lucas, when Zachary used to point out your work problems, I defended you. I never imagined you could be this incompetent!” “I can’t stand the sight of you right now. Get out!” Lucas had never been scolded like this by Samantha before. His pride wounded, he ran out. The recording ended there. I sighed, thinking this was probably karma – you reap what you sow. I thought the incident would be over after they paid damages, but that evening, I found Samantha waiting outside my door.
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