Sloane cut my salary and gave the money to her assistant Aiden, then told me I was “too emotional” for questioning it. When I reminded her I’d built the company with her, she didn’t even look up. “Stop acting entitled,” she said. Aiden smirked and added, “Maybe you should step aside.” That was the moment I understood they expected me to obey forever. So I placed my resignation on her desk and watched her smile collapse. My fiancée Sloane, the CEO, told me the company wasn’t doing well and cut my salary in half. But then I saw her assistant Aiden bragging on Instagram. “The boss not only gave me a raise but also bought me a luxury car because she was worried I’d be tired from work. She’s so thoughtful!” In the photo, he and my fiancée were standing in front of a newly purchased million-dollar luxury car, looking blissfully happy. I pondered for two seconds, then hit the like button. That evening, Sloane called an emergency meeting. Using the excuse that I was disrupting the company’s atmosphere, she withheld my entire month’s salary and gave it to her assistant as compensation for emotional distress. Everyone looked at me sympathetically, thinking I would go crazy and make a scene. But I just calmly packed up my things from my desk and handed my resignation letter to her. “Docking my salary isn’t enough for bullying a colleague? I’ll resign voluntarily.” As soon as I finished speaking, Sloane’s assistant Aiden quickly chimed in. “Dane, how can you resign over such a small matter?” “You’ve been with the company for so long, and Sloane has always been so good to you. If you resign at this critical moment, how will everyone view Sloane?” “Sloane, please come and talk Dane out of it!” Sloane might have wanted to persuade me earlier. But after hearing Aiden’s words, her anger grew. She snorted coldly: “Why should I persuade him? If he wants to leave, let him leave. I have nothing to hide, I’m not afraid of what anyone might say.” Then, without hesitation, she signed my resignation letter and threw it in my face. The onlooking colleagues were dumbfounded. A colleague who was close to me quickly whispered, urging me to apologize and not to act on impulse. Almost everyone present knew that I had helped Sloane build this company from scratch. When the company was short on money, I worked tirelessly to secure investments. When projects couldn’t be completed, I led the team in pulling all-nighters to get the work done. I had poured countless hours and emotions into every aspect of the business. Now that the company had completed its financing and was about to go public, anyone in their right mind wouldn’t leave at this time. But I remained calm, picking up the resignation letter from the ground. “I’ll leave after I finish handing over my work.” “No need for a handover, just get out now,” Sloane said coldly, pointing at the door. Seeing this, I said nothing more. After saying goodbye to a few people, I picked up my things and left. Before I left, I looked back at Sloane one last time. I clearly saw a flash of complexity in her cold, calm eyes. Of course, I knew why. She didn’t think I would leave. We had fallen out before, but after leaving for a short while, I would always regret it and go back to her as if nothing had happened, apologizing and continuing to work as usual. But perhaps she didn’t know that this time was different from before. My patience with her had finally run out. I walked to the parking garage. I found my old car that I had been driving for ten years, with several patches of paint worn off. Next to it was parked a brand new top-of-the-line Porsche, the one Sloane had just given to Aiden today. There were many empty spaces in the garage, yet he chose to park right here. I understood. This was his way of taunting me. These weren’t just two cars; they were more like the two of us. I had been with Sloane for ten years, yet I wasn’t as valued as Aiden who had only joined ten months ago. I laughed self-mockingly and got into my car. Just then, a text message came through. I opened it to see a transfer from my friend. This morning when Sloane said the company wasn’t doing well and wanted to cut my salary, I was worried she was under too much pressure. I immediately contacted a friend and borrowed fifty thousand dollars. I had originally planned to give it to her, but then I inadvertently saw Aiden’s Instagram post about Sloane buying him a new car. At that moment, I was surprisingly calm, feeling neither sad nor jealous to the point of madness. Perhaps it was because it had happened too many times. Aiden had been recruited into the company by Sloane as an exception. His work ability was a complete mess, but Sloane, who had always been serious and meticulous about work, could tolerate his mistakes time and time again. From small things like serving plain water to clients during meetings while getting milk tea for herself, to big mistakes like sending the bottom-line price list to partners instead of the quote list, causing the company to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars. When I questioned Aiden about these issues, Sloane would unhesitatingly stand in front of him to protect him. She would look at me with impatience. “Aiden just graduated, isn’t it normal to make some mistakes? Why are you being so harsh on a newcomer?” Over time, Aiden became increasingly arrogant, to the point where he didn’t take me seriously at all. Soon after, I left the parking garage. As I was waiting for the barrier to rise, my car suddenly jolted. Realizing I had been rear-ended, I got out of the car, only to see Sloane and Aiden getting out of the car behind, hand in hand. “I’m so sorry… Oh, Dane, it’s you?” Aiden immediately walked up, looking distressed at his dented car front. “But why did you brake so suddenly? I didn’t have time to react.” “What a shame, Sloane just gave me this new car,” he added. Sloane also looked at me with a gloomy face and said coldly, “Did you do this on purpose? Did you know Aiden was behind you and deliberately brake to get revenge?” I almost laughed at her accusation. It was always like this.
She would push all the blame onto me without distinguishing right from wrong. Before I could say anything, Aiden’s eyes slowly turned red. “Sloane, don’t blame Dane,” he said. “Dane just resigned because of me, it’s normal for him to be angry with me.” “After all, it’s all my fault.” As he spoke, he clenched his fist and hit his forehead hard, as if in frustration. But just before his fist touched his forehead, he deliberately loosened his grip. Sloane couldn’t see through this act. Her eyes filled with concern as she gently rubbed his forehead, saying lovingly, “It has nothing to do with you. Don’t take everything on yourself.” After saying this, she glared at me angrily. Seeming to get more upset the more she thought about it, she poked my forehead hard. “Dane, can’t you learn from Aiden and take some responsibility?” “He knows how to be humble. You’ve been working for so many years, why are you still so childish and arrogant?” I stumbled back a couple of steps from her push. After regaining my balance, I found it somewhat amusing. Over the past year, it had been Aiden constantly stealing my achievements and scheming to pin blame on me. Now suddenly he was humble and responsible, while I was childish and arrogant. Knowing that talking further would be a waste of breath, I couldn’t be bothered to say anything more. I turned around, preparing to leave. “Wait a moment,” Sloane suddenly stopped me. I thought she was going to scold me again and defend Aiden, but to my surprise, she pulled me aside. She spoke earnestly. “Dane, I admit my attitude towards you today was indeed too harsh.” “But it’s because I have high expectations for you, that’s why I’m so strict with you.” Hearing her gentle words, I was still a bit confused. However, I soon understood her intentions. Sloane smiled lightly at me and patted my shoulder. “I’ll withdraw your resignation letter. Just come to work as usual, but find a time to apologize to Aiden in front of everyone.” “Also, you’re fully responsible for this rear-end collision. I’ll deduct the compensation from your salary later.” I realized what was happening. I let out a sneer and looked up at Aiden. He had probably already known what Sloane was going to say. His face was full of smugness as he winked at me provocatively. I sneered again. “No need.” “As for who’s responsible for the rear-end collision, we can check the surveillance footage. If that’s not enough, you can call the police.” “I have things to do, I’m leaving now.” With that, I left directly. Sloane was fuming behind me: “I’ve already given you a chance, don’t regret it!” Regret? I won’t regret it. I got back in my car and sent a message to my friend. “I’ve resigned. I can start working at your company tomorrow.” My friend called back in less than half a second, his tone excited: “Are you serious?” He sounded a bit unsure: “Do you want to discuss it with Sloane again?” My friend and Sloane had started their businesses around the same time. Compared to Sloane who started from scratch, my friend had more resources and could offer more attractive benefits. My friend was in desperate need of excellent technical talent, so he promised me higher shares and profits to get me to help them out. He even made an exception and offered to let me work part-time after learning about my relationship with Sloane. But for Sloane’s sake, I had refused without hesitation. When I was at my lowest point, lying in the snow almost freezing to death, it was Sloane who dragged me into a police station and saved my life. I was very grateful to her, so I gave up everything and devoted myself wholeheartedly to the business, doing everything I could to help Sloane’s company grow step by step. But now it seemed that she didn’t care at all. Moreover, after so many years, I had more than repaid her kindness. I didn’t need to keep compromising myself anymore. “No need, I can make my own decisions,” I replied. After chatting with my friend for a bit more and confirming the time to sign the contract, I drove home first to get the documents needed for signing. I thought Sloane wouldn’t be back until late at night as usual. But to my surprise, she walked into the living room not long after, talking happily on the phone with Aiden. Seeing me, her face immediately darkened. She deliberately rolled her eyes at me before pushing open the bedroom door. I knew she was waiting for me to coax her. Every time we had an unpleasant encounter at the company, I would always find ways to apologize to her and beg for her forgiveness. Even when she was the one at fault, I would still have to swallow my pride and admit I was wrong. Before, I thought I should do this, whether it was to repay her kindness or to maintain our relationship, I should pamper her. But now I just found it boring. I focused on looking for things in the drawer. After a while, she came out of the room with a gloomy face. “Has Aiden’s car been fixed? Have you fixed your car?” she asked. I knew this was her signal of giving me a chance to make up. In the past, I would have thought she had forgiven me and would have rushed to please her. But now, I didn’t even look up as I replied indifferently, “It’s just an old car, not worth fixing.” Sloane frowned. “What do you mean by that?” I looked up at her in confusion, not understanding what she was unsatisfied with now. This car had been scratched many times before. When I said I wanted to fix it, she would say the same thing I just said. I thought she was going to get angry again, but to my surprise, she let out a sigh. “Aiden has indeed been doing well at work lately, so I gave him a car to keep him motivated.” “You’re my boyfriend, and when we get married, won’t the company be yours too? Why do you have to be so calculative about salary with him?” “Dane, everything I do is for the company. I don’t want other colleagues to think I’m favoring you.” Realizing she was actually trying to explain to me, I was a bit surprised. She had never bothered to explain these things to me before. But I knew clearly that these were just excuses.
In the company, all the colleagues knew how Sloane treated me and Aiden differently. Projects that I had worked on for three days straight, she would suddenly hand over to Aiden on a whim. He would just make a PowerPoint presentation, and it would become Aiden’s achievement. Clients that I had negotiated with for days and were about to sign contracts, she would take Aiden to have one meal with them under my name, and the contracts would become Aiden’s accomplishment. There were countless such incidents. Over time, other colleagues only felt that Sloane favored Aiden more. Some even thought Sloane didn’t like me, and because of this, I endured quite a bit of side-eye and bullying in the company. She saw it but pretended not to notice. I didn’t want to explain. Anyway, even if I did, she would say I was making excuses. “Oh,” I responded indifferently. “You don’t need to tell me these things. I have nothing to do with the company anymore. Do whatever you think is best.” Sloane didn’t say anything. Finally, she let out a sigh. She walked up to me, stood on her tiptoes, and wrapped her arms around my neck, her breath warm against my skin. “Actually, I have my own selfish reasons. I want you to take a break for a while and think about our wedding.” “When are you planning to propose to me?” she asked with a coy smile. But I had already proposed many times before, and each time, she had rejected me. Every time we had a fight, she would use marriage to coax me. Sometimes, I felt like I wasn’t her boyfriend, but more like a dog she was toying with. I didn’t say anything. Sloane then scratched under my chin like she was teasing a dog. “Don’t be angry anymore, can you smile for me?” she said. As she spoke, she deliberately kissed my Adam’s apple, as if trying to please me. She rarely took the initiative to be intimate with me. In the past, I would probably have been very happy. After her advances, I would have taken control, only to be pushed away by her, laughing as she called me dirty-minded. Thinking about it now, I really found it quite boring. I pulled her arms away and wiped my throat with a wet wipe. Sloane stood there as if struck by lightning, dumbfounded. “You’re disgusted by me?” she asked. “I have to go out later, I’m going to change clothes now,” I said flatly. I turned around, ready to go back to the bedroom. Sloane tried to follow, but I closed the door without hesitation and locked it. “Fine! Don’t regret it!” Sloane seemed to have really gotten angry this time. After throwing out these harsh words, she kicked the door hard and stormed off. When I came out of the bedroom, the living room was already empty. Sloane had sent a message in the company group chat saying she was treating everyone to dinner and asked who wanted to join. Everyone remained silent. Only Aiden sent three “excited” emojis in a row. I knew Sloane was deliberately trying to make me jealous. This had happened many times before. Every time it was like this – other colleagues were unwilling to participate, and only Aiden would enthusiastically respond. In the past, I would have already been jealous and followed them, only to be mocked by them. Now, I couldn’t be bothered. I went directly to my friend’s place to sign the contract. My friend was very happy and specially arranged a celebration dinner for me. After three rounds of drinks, I went to the restroom. As I was walking, I heard familiar voices from a nearby private room. I instinctively stopped. Through the slightly open door, I saw Sloane nestled in Aiden’s arms. I don’t know what they said, but Sloane was laughing uncontrollably. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Aiden quickly lowered his head and kissed her lips. Sloane was stunned for a moment but didn’t push him away. “Sloane, when are you going to break up with Dane?” Aiden asked. “I can’t wait to be with you. Do you know how upset I am every day seeing you with him?” Aiden said with a grieved expression. Sloane moved her lips, seeming to want to say something. Finally, she hugged Aiden back, gently patting his back like comforting a child. “Wait a little longer,” she said. “It won’t be too long.” The two of them cuddling intimately looked exactly like a couple. I sneered and didn’t watch any further. Back in the private room, after a few more drinks, we called it a night. As we were entering the underground parking garage together, my friend suddenly pulled me in front of a top-of-the-line Porsche and asked if I liked it. I nodded, not quite understanding. Thinking it was his new car, I was about to compliment him when my friend suddenly shoved a set of car keys into my hand. “It’s for you,” he said. He winked at me. “I’ve been wanting to replace that old car of yours for a long time. It’s in such bad shape. Now that you’ve joined us, it’s time for an upgrade.” I was about to refuse, but he seemed to already know what I was going to say and went straight to the point: “I heard Sloane gave a car to that new guy in your company. With his terrible skills, he can drive a luxury car, so of course you can’t be worse off than him.” “You know, I’ve seen the stuff that new guy of yours produces. The style is different every time, obviously copied from somewhere. I don’t know how he’s managed to stay in the company…” Perhaps it was because of the alcohol, but my friend spoke without any filter, complaining non-stop about Aiden. I remained silent. What he said was right. All those things were actually done by me and other colleagues in the team. Almost every time, just as we were about to finish, Sloane would demand that we hand it over to Aiden. That’s why Aiden’s style was always different. Even my friend, who wasn’t in the company, could see through this. Yet Sloane somehow couldn’t understand. I thanked my friend and chatted with him for a bit more before heading home. As I opened the door, I saw Sloane already sitting on the living room couch. “Where have you been?” she asked. She seemed to be in a good mood, her tone much lighter. The scene of her and Aiden embracing in the hotel flashed before my eyes again. I felt a wave of nausea.
“Had dinner with a friend,” I said flatly, walking straight towards the bedroom. After just a couple of steps, Sloane suddenly blocked my way, frowning. “You’ve been drinking?” “Didn’t we agree that you wouldn’t drink when I’m not around?” I couldn’t help but sneer. The implication was that I could only drink when I was helping her entertain clients. I didn’t say anything. Sloane, however, seemed to think of something and suddenly smiled, looking somewhat smug. “You’re still upset about me going out with Aiden, aren’t you? If you didn’t want me to go out alone with him, you could have just said so. Was it necessary to drink so much?” “You’re overthinking it. My drinking has nothing to do with you,” I said. I felt tired and sat down on a chair. “But I do have something I want to tell you.” “What is it?” Probably thinking I was going to apologize, Sloane’s tone became even more smug. “Let me tell you in advance, it’s too late to apologize to me now. I’m very angry about what happened this afternoon.” “Don’t think a simple apology will make me forgive you.” As she spoke, she rolled her eyes at me. I pretended not to see it and said, “I…” Before I could finish, her phone rang. Sloane looked down at it. I noticed the caller ID was Aiden. “Wait a moment, I need to take this call,” she said. With that, Sloane had no intention of paying any more attention to me and was about to answer the phone. I looked at her cold and resolute back, and calmly spoke up. “Let’s break up, Sloane.” As soon as I said this, Sloane’s body seemed to freeze for a moment. “You want to break up with me over such a small matter?” Sloane looked at me in disbelief. After a moment, she said impatiently, “Why have you become so petty? It was just a dinner with Aiden, is it really that serious? Forget it, I have something to do. You calm down first, and we’ll talk later.” With that, she prepared to answer Aiden’s call again. It had always been like this. Whenever we had a disagreement, she would tell me to calm down on my own. This was often the beginning of our cold war. But almost every time, I would be the one to brainwash myself, convincing myself to accept Sloane’s perspective, then take the initiative to make up with her and apologize. At first, it was because I liked her and didn’t want her to feel wronged. Later, I couldn’t let go of our years of feelings, always thinking that if I endured a little more, things would get better after we got through this conflict. But year after year passed, nine years went by, and things never got better. Sloane answered Aiden’s call, smiling as she greeted him and was about to go back to the bedroom. I strode forward and took her phone. Without hesitation, I hung up. Sloane was a bit angry: “What are you doing?” “Let’s talk about us first. You’ll have plenty of chances to talk to him in the future,” I said, handing the phone back to her. Since I had already decided to leave, it was best to cut ties cleanly. I had no inclination for self-torture. “What is there to talk about? You really want to break up with me over this little thing?” Sloane snorted coldly, looking at me after sending Aiden a message. “I really don’t know what’s gotten into you. Do you realize what breaking up with me means right now?” “You have nothing now, you’re no longer good enough for me. Do you know how many people have advised me to leave you? But I’ve always considered our feelings and tolerated you time and time again. I’ve already compromised so much, what else are you unsatisfied with?” Sloane’s demeanor was imperious. Yes. Her net worth now far exceeded mine, and she had reminded me more than once that our relationship was unequal, that she was with me only out of consideration for our years of history. In the past, I had treated her words as playful banter between us. It wasn’t until recently that I realized she was serious. In her eyes, there was no reason for us to break up. It was about benefits, old feelings, charity, but never love. I was about to speak when she seemed to think of something else. She interrupted me and sneered, “Alright, I get it. I’ll restore your position in the company and give you some shares. Is that enough?” “No need,” I said. I found it somewhat amusing and shook my head. “It’s not because of that.” “Then what is it?” Sloane asked, puzzled. I didn’t hide it from her anymore and said calmly, “Let’s be frank. I heard everything you and Aiden said in the hotel today.” Sloane’s face froze. “You followed me?” “It was just a coincidence,” I said. But Sloane clearly didn’t believe me, looking at me suspiciously. In the past, I probably would have tried to prove myself to her, but now, I didn’t care at all what she thought. I went straight to the point: “Since you want to break up too, we’re on the same page. Let’s just end it.” “I won’t take anything under your name. Let’s part on good terms.” Now that everything was out in the open, I thought Sloane would agree readily, but to my surprise, she hesitated. “Dane, think it through. You’re not young anymore. If you break up with me now, with your conditions, you might not find a partner as good as me.” “What I said at the hotel was just out of anger. If you can apologize to me, I don’t necessarily want to break up with you.” “I’m not completely without feelings for you, you…”
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