I was scrolling through Reddit at work when I stumbled upon a trending post. [My company only has 20 people, and the boss is raffling off a $50,000 Mercedes-Benz for the Christmas party. Is this normal?] Curious, I clicked on it. The comments were filled with sarcasm and doge emojis. [Plot twist: The boss bought it for himself and called it a raffle.] The original poster (OP) quickly replied, denying it. Someone else chimed in: [Then it’s definitely for the boss’s wife.] OP replied with a smirk emoji. [Which ‘boss’s wife’ are we talking about here? 😉] The comment section instantly blew up. [Ah, so your boss has a whole harem of ‘wives’ then.] I was sipping the drama like good tea, but as I looked closer at the photo of the office in the post, a cold sweat broke out. It looked incredibly familiar. On the main desk, there was a hand holding a coffee mug. The platinum wedding band on the ring finger… was the exact same one I bought for my husband. Coincidentally, my husband’s startup also had around 20 employees. I froze. His company had another “boss’s wife”? Then who the hell was I? Just his top-performing sales lead who brought in million-dollar contracts for him? … To verify the post, I casually brought it up with my husband, Ethan, over dinner. “What’s the grand prize for your company’s holiday party this year?” Ethan’s eyes lit up instantly. A smug smile crept onto his face as he leaned in. “Babe, I was actually just about to tell you. We’re raffling off a brand-new Mercedes this year!” “It’s the best way to motivate the team. It’ll bring in even more revenue next year.” A Mercedes. It matched the Reddit post perfectly. Did Ethan really have another woman playing the role of his wife at his company? While my mind was racing, Ethan sighed dramatically. “Honestly, babe, more than half of our revenue comes from the clients you introduced us to.” “It’s such a shame that our holiday parties are on the same night. Officially and personally, you should have been the guest of honor at ours.” Without thinking, I blurted out, “Well, I can skip my company’s gala and go to yours instead.” Ethan panicked. His immediate reaction was a sharp, “No, you can’t!” Realizing he sounded too defensive, he quickly softened his tone. “Babe, your company is a multinational corporation with thousands of employees. Your gala is at a five-star hotel. Ours is just a cheap private room in a local diner. The scale doesn’t even compare.” “Besides, if you skip your own company’s party, people might gossip, and it could affect your promotion next year.” Usually, I rarely pried into Ethan’s business affairs, and I had never planned on attending his company parties. When he first started his business and was struggling, I literally begged my direct boss, Marcus, to give Ethan’s company a chance. Out of respect for my hard work, Marcus agreed to the partnership without hesitation. “I trust you, Chloe,” Marcus had told me. “I just hope your husband’s business standards match yours.” It was safe to say that with the massive contracts from my company, Ethan’s startup could easily make a fortune just by doing the bare minimum. But now that I thought about it… His company only had 20 people. If he truly wanted me there, changing the date of a small party wouldn’t have been a big deal at all. Was there a possibility… That he purposely chose the exact same night as my company’s gala just to keep me away? I rested my chin on my hand, lost in thought. A sudden pinch of pain in my fingers snapped me back to reality. For the past few winters, I had been riding a cheap electric scooter to work. I had thought about buying a car. But Ethan kept crying poverty to me. “The economy is so bad, babe. The business is barely surviving.” “If it weren’t for the contracts you secured for me, I’d probably have to file for bankruptcy.” I had felt so bad for him. He was working day and night, sometimes not even coming home. So, I buried my desire to buy a car to shield myself from the freezing wind. I kept riding my little scooter, and I even transferred all my personal savings to Ethan’s company as emergency capital. Now that the weather had dropped, my hands were covered in painful frostbite. And yet, Ethan was willing to spend $50,000 on a Mercedes to give to another “wife”! An uncontrollable rage flared up inside me. But I forced myself to look oblivious. I leaned against his shoulder and showed him my swollen, red fingers. “Look at my hands, Ethan. The frostbite is so bad this year.” “If only I had a car, I wouldn’t have to freeze every morning.” Ethan’s body stiffened visibly. He quickly recovered, rubbing my hands and blowing warm air on them, trying to play the doting husband. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I’ll buy you a nice pair of thermal gloves tomorrow.” “Besides, cars are a money pit. Gas, parking, maintenance… it’s a nightmare.” “Giving a car to an employee is just to lock them down so they keep slaving away for the company. If we buy another car for ourselves, our finances will be even tighter.” “Be a good girl, Chloe. I promised to spend Christmas with your parents this year. Let’s not worry about the car, okay?” No matter how much I wheedled, Ethan absolutely refused to let me attend his company party. Eventually, the conversation died down. But he could run, and he certainly couldn’t hide. On the day of their Christmas raffle, I took a PTO day and drove straight to Ethan’s office. 2. Though I rarely visited, I always brought Starbucks and pastries whenever I did. The moment I walked in, the employees gathered around me enthusiastically. “Hey, Chloe! Are you here for the party tonight?” Standing closest to the CEO’s office was Tiffany. The moment she saw me, she ripped her earrings off with lightning speed. Then, she grabbed her scarf and wrapped it tightly around her neck, hiding her chest. Her movements were fluid, but I caught it. At first glance, I recognized the diamond earrings and the matching necklace. They were my family heirlooms. When Ethan’s business was struggling with cash flow during the early stages, he had suggested I pawn my wedding jewelry to ease the pressure. Without a second thought, I had handed him everything. Lest he feel guilty, I had even comforted him, saying, “Take your time. Just focus on making the business successful.” Back then, I didn’t care about my lost jewelry. I only cared about Ethan. Now, I wanted to slap my past self. I wanted to march over and rip those diamonds off Tiffany’s neck. Instead, I forced a bright smile and greeted everyone. Hearing the commotion, Ethan rushed out of his office. His face paled, and he gave me a strained, fake smile. “Chloe? What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be preparing for your company’s gala?” I smiled and waved my phone. On the screen was a fake text draft I had prepared from my boss, Marcus. “Well, my boss Marcus said that since our company gave you guys so many contracts, we’ve never actually sent a representative to check out your team.” “So, he sent me here to evaluate the partnership and adjust next year’s budget based on your performance. You guys don’t mind, right?” The employees immediately chimed in. “Of course not! We wouldn’t even be here without you, Chloe!” I added playfully, “And I’m also here to try my luck for that $50k Mercedes. You guys don’t mind sharing the luck, right?” The happy smiles on their faces suddenly froze. Their eyes instinctively darted toward Tiffany, who was practically choking herself with her scarf. Some of their glances were filled with pure disgust. Clearly, everyone already knew that Tiffany winning the car tonight was a rigged deal. The room fell into an awkward silence. It was so quiet that I could hear the tinny sound of a Netflix show playing from Tiffany’s wireless earbuds. I walked over to her desk, looking curious. “Are you watching a show during work hours?” Tiffany flinched, pulling her scarf tighter, and looked at Ethan with pleading eyes. “I was just…” Ethan quickly jumped in to defend her. “Babe, you don’t understand.” “Tiffany is our top sales rep. She already hit her annual target weeks ago, so I gave her permission to relax a bit.” One of the employees in the back mumbled under her breath, “Top sales rep? She literally browses Amazon all day.” “The boss just handed all of Chloe’s client accounts to her. That’s the only reason she has those numbers.” I nodded, pretending to be impressed. “Ah, the star employee. No wonder you’re so relaxed.” “But if our star employee wins the grand prize tonight, won’t people suspect the boss of rigging the raffle to favor her?” Both of their faces went stark white. I seized the opportunity. “Speaking of which, how are you guys drawing the winner tonight? It’s not rigged, right?” The employees exchanged uneasy glances, too afraid to speak. Ethan cleared his throat. “I had Kevin from IT write a simple script. The digital screen will scroll through everyone’s names and avatars.” “When I press stop, whoever’s name is on the screen wins. It’s completely random and fair.” I gasped. “Oh, no. Digital scripts are the easiest things to hack or rig.” I looked at Kevin apologetically. “No offense, Kevin! It’s just that a $50k car is a huge deal. I don’t want anyone feeling cheated if they lose.” “Why don’t we do it the old-fashioned way? Write everyone’s name on a piece of paper, put them in a box, and draw one. It’s foolproof.” The employees’ eyes lit up with hope. Only Tiffany glared at Ethan with pure venom in her eyes. “But Boss,” Tiffany spoke up, her voice sharp. “Kevin worked so hard on that program. It would be a waste of his time to change it now.” Ethan agreed. “Babe, don’t worry. I’m here to oversee it. Nobody would dare cheat.” “Plus, the program is already done. No need to overcomplicate things.” I lowered my eyes, looking deeply hurt, and pointed to my phone. “Ethan, it’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s just that my boss, Marcus, is very strict about integrity.” “If he thinks your company is shady with a simple raffle, he might reconsider our million-dollar contract for next year.” Then, I sighed and turned to leave. “You know what, if you guys think I’m being annoying, I won’t stay for the party.” “I just hope Marcus doesn’t take it the wrong way.” Hearing that their livelihoods were on the line, the employees instantly panicked. “No, no! The paper slip idea is great! I don’t mind at all!” “Yeah, Chloe, please stay! And make sure to say some good things to Marcus for us. We need that contract!” I smiled gently. Sorry, guys. I have no intention of doing that. 3. Later that evening, the Reddit OP updated the post. [Manifesting that I win the $50k Mercedes tonight! 🚗] The comments laughed: [Didn’t you say the car was for the boss’s side chick?] [Bro, are you the side chick? 😂] OP replied: [Nah, the boss’s actual wife showed up. She forced them to do a paper slip draw. It’s totally fair now.] [With the big client (the wife) watching, the boss doesn’t dare cheat. We actually have a real shot at winning now!] *** Inside the rented party room, I looked around but couldn’t find Ethan or Tiffany. I walked down the hallway and finally spotted them in a dim corner near the restrooms. Tiffany was clinging to Ethan’s chest, sobbing. “It’s all Chloe’s fault! The car was supposed to be mine, and now it’s gone!” “I already told my family back home that my rich CEO boyfriend was gifting me a $50k Mercedes and driving me home for Christmas!” “Now that the car is gone, how am I supposed to show my face?” My heart sank. Ethan had promised to spend Christmas with my parents. But he had already planned to drive Tiffany to her hometown? Ethan, however, seemed entirely unbothered. He stroked her back gently. “You should thank Chloe. If we used the digital program, everyone would know I rigged it for you. They’d complain.” “But with the paper draw, even if I rig it and you win, they’ll have to shut up because it looks like pure luck.” Tiffany’s eyes lit up. “Really? You can rig a paper draw too?” Ethan nodded confidently, kissing her tears away. “Not only is the car yours, but I am yours too.” “For Christmas, I’ll drive you back to your hometown in that brand-new Mercedes, loud and proud.” Tiffany squealed with delight, but then frowned. “But what about Chloe? What are you going to tell her?” Ethan smirked. “I’ll just make up an emergency at the office right before we leave.” “She’s so gullible. She’ll believe anything I say.” With that, Ethan lifted Tiffany’s chin and kissed her deeply. I clutched my chest, feeling a dull ache, then quietly turned around and walked back to the party. After dinner, it was finally time for the raffle. When Ethan called my name first, everyone let out a breath of relief. It was the consolation prize—a cheap pair of $5 thermal gloves. Ethan walked over, grabbed my frostbitten hands, and looked at me with fake devotion. “Babe, this is perfect for you. We really are soulmates.” I sneered inwardly. You spent $50,000 to rig a car for Tiffany. But my Christmas gift is a $5 pair of gloves bought with company money. Well, Ethan, let’s see if you even have $50,000 left after tonight. As the names were drawn one by one, the tension in the room grew. Only half the employees were left, and the grand prize was still up for grabs. Everyone was praying for a miracle. Only Tiffany sat there calmly, filing her perfectly manicured nails. “And the winner of the Mercedes-Benz CLA is… Tiffany!” Ethan shouted, trying to sound surprised. The room went dead silent. Tiffany stood up gracefully, walked up to the stage, and gave Ethan a tight hug. “Thank you, Boss! And thank you, Chloe!” “Especially Chloe! Your luck must have rubbed off on me!” Ethan patted Tiffany’s shoulder, his eyes lingering on her. “Tiffany is our top performer. She deserves this car, and I’m sure the whole company agrees!” A few people clapped half-heartedly. Most of them shot me looks of deep pity as I stood there holding my cheap gloves. On Reddit, the OP updated again: [Raffle is over. I actually feel so bad for the boss’s wife.] [It was supposed to be a fair draw, but the side chick still won.] [The wife got a pair of $5 gloves, and the side chick got a $50k Mercedes. She even mocked the wife on stage.] [The contrast is brutal. I feel sick for her.] Ethan stumbled back to his seat next to me, smelling of alcohol, and raised his glass. “Chloe! Thank god for your suggestion! This proves the raffle was 100% fair and based on luck!” “The top sales rep got the car. This proves hard work brings good luck. I’m so happy!” “Next year, let’s work harder! If we double our revenue, I’ll buy everyone a car!” I smiled, keeping my mouth shut. As the party began to wind down, people started packing up to leave. I suddenly gasped, dropping my phone onto the table. It was a loud, deliberate sound. “Ethan… my boss Marcus just texted me. He said our company is cancelling all contracts with your startup for next year!” The drunk employees instantly sobered up. They sat up straight, panic written all over their faces. “Chloe, what do you mean? We didn’t do anything wrong! Why are they cancelling?” I stared directly into Ethan’s eyes, speaking slowly. “Marcus only sent one sentence.” “*A”*A man who treats his wife like garbage will eventually ruin his own business.*” A collective gasp echoed through the room.
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “460895”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster
Leave a Reply