1 On my birthday, my best friend Brody gifted me a tabby cat. In the middle of the night, the little thing actually looked at me, shook its head, and sighed. “He looks decent, but how can someone be this clueless? He has no idea his best friend and his girl are stabbing him in the back.” I froze, wondering if I was hallucinating. I was holding a resignation letter I had just pulled from my drawer, planning to quit my job alongside Brody so we could travel the world together. “While he is busy drafting his resignation, Brody is pulling strings behind the scenes to take over his promotion as General Manager of Marketing.” “I have to hand it to his girlfriend, Daisy. Her scheme is viciously brilliant.” “What a shame. The other cats around the block say this firm is about to lock in a massive ten-billion-dollar funding round. The future here is golden.” The voice in my head sounded again. It was coming from the cat. My hand stopped. The pen hovered over the paper, and then I slowly tore the resignation letter into pieces. I had barely tossed the scraps into the trash can when my phone buzzed. It was a text from Brody. Hey bro, let’s set our final day for next Monday! He even attached a photo of his own signed resignation letter. A second later, a message from Daisy popped up: Did you submit your resignation yet? I stared at the screen, my mind racing. I could not bring myself to accept the reality of their betrayal. The three of us had grown up together. Brody had followed me around since we were kids, and I had always protected him like a younger brother. When he struggled to find a decent job, I brought him into my company, mentored him, and even handed him some of my best clients. He used to praise me to everyone we met. And Daisy had been promising to marry me since we were teenagers. She confessed her feelings to me when she turned eighteen, and we had been together for almost seven years. “That luxury watch Daisy gave him for his birthday? It is just Brody’s discarded secondhand piece. There is a tiny scratch at the bottom. You would need a magnifying glass to see it.” “She has been lusting after Brody since they were kids.” The tabby cat’s voice echoed in my head again. I rushed to the closet, pulled out the watch box, and inspected the back of the case under a bright light. Sure enough, etched into the metal was a tiny, faint scratch forming two letters: B.T. Brody Taylor. At that moment, the final shred of hope in my heart shattered. The love and friendship I had cherished for years were nothing but a lie. “But that watch holds a secret three-million-dollar jackpot.” The cat’s inner voice chimed in once more. I whipped my head around to look at it. The tabby hopped onto the windowsill, casually licking its paw as it continued its silent monologue. “According to the fat white Persian cat at the pet store, the watch brand ran a limited-edition serial-number sweepstakes. The winning number matches the code on this exact watch.” “Daisy did not leave her contact details at the store when she got it.” “The deadline to claim the prize is in three days!” I forced myself to snap out of my shock. I quickly scrolled through my chat history with Daisy, found the address of the luxury boutique, and made a mental note to claim the prize after work tomorrow. A few days ago, Daisy had insisted that I put down a million dollars for a house and add her name to the title. Only an idiot would do that now. I was going to buy a penthouse in cash, entirely under my own name. Suddenly, my phone rang. It was Daisy. “Lucas, are you asleep? Why aren’t you replying to me and Brody?” “Did you finish writing your resignation letter? Brody says Hawaii is amazing this time of year. I already booked the flights for next week. You can’t back out.” Always Brody. She used to explain it away by saying, “We are a couple, Lucas. Brody is all alone, so we need to look out for him and make sure he feels included.” I had trusted her completely, never questioning her motives. “I just finished it. I was in the shower,” I replied smoothly. “Awesome! We are finally going to live our childhood dream of traveling the world!” Daisy laughed, her voice as sweet and gentle as ever. “Go to sleep, babe. I love you to the moon and back.” If this were yesterday, those sweet late-night words would have warmed my heart. Now, they made my stomach turn. From this moment on, I would not waste another second on a rotting relationship or a fake friendship. The next morning, I arrived at the office half an hour earlier than usual. As I parked my car, I spotted two familiar figures nearby. Daisy and Brody were locked in a passionate embrace, kissing for a solid three minutes before separating. Brody gave her a lazy, satisfied smile. “You were amazing last night.” “Oh, stop it. I am always exhausted because of you. You are like a wild animal in bed,” Daisy giggled, swatting his arm playfully. I gripped the steering wheel, my knuckles turning white. They had been sleeping together behind my back. “By the way, do you think tricking Lucas into quitting is a bit much?” Brody asked, though there was no real guilt in his voice. “Every man for himself, Brody. Besides, Lucas is resilient. He will find another job easily. He is too sentimental to ever suspect you anyway,” Daisy smiled, adjusting her lipstick in the mirror. “And once we get married, I will use his money to support you.” A cold shiver ran down my spine. This was the woman who had promised to love me forever. She was more toxic than a viper. Fortunately, the tabby cat had warned me. It was not too late. I did not storm out to confront them. Instead, I quietly recorded a video of them on my phone, waited in the car for another ten minutes, and then headed up to the office. “Hey, Lucas!” Brody was already waiting outside my office door, a bright smile on his face as he grabbed my shoulder. “Let’s go hand in our resignations to the boss.” “Sure,” I nodded, playing along with his little game. As we reached the executive suite, Brody suddenly slapped his forehead. “Oh, shoot! I think I left my resignation letter at my desk. You go in first, Lucas. I will run back and grab it.” “Alright.” I walked into the president’s office. I could practically hear the sigh of relief Brody let out behind me. He thought his trap had sprung. Mr. Kane looked up from his desk and gestured for me to sit. “I heard rumors going around that you are planning to leave us. Don’t tell me you are here to hand in a resignation?” It seemed Brody had already started spreading rumors to pave the way for his own promotion. “Of course not, Mr. Kane,” I said, shaking my head. I handed him a sleek folder. Inside was not a resignation letter, but a comprehensive, highly innovative marketing proposal for our upcoming product launch. Mr. Kane scanned the pages, nodding slowly. A broad smile spread across his face, and he gave me a thumbs-up. “This is brilliant, Lucas! Absolutely outstanding!” “To be honest, the General Manager position has been vacant for a while. The board has discussed it, and we want you to take over the department. The official announcement goes out next Monday.” “If this campaign succeeds, the executive vice president position is yours, along with a significant share of company stock.” I stood up and shook his hand. “Thank you, Mr. Kane. I won’t let you down.” As I stepped out of the office, my heart was pounding with a mix of excitement and lingering dread. If I had not heard the cat’s thoughts, I would have walked away from a stellar career. Brody and Daisy would have stepped on my back to climb to the top, laughing at my stupidity the whole way. I returned to my desk. Brody walked in a moment later under the pretense of handing me some files. “How did it go, Lucas? What did Mr. Kane say?” “Not much,” I said, keeping my tone neutral. “Wow, he didn’t even try to convince you to stay?” Brody scoffed, though a gleam of triumph flashed in his eyes. I chose not to expose him just yet. By the time the workday ended, Daisy was already waiting for me in the parking lot. She was sitting in the passenger seat of Brody’s car, her legs crossed high, showing off a lot of skin without a care in the world. Brody slid into the driver’s seat, his eyes lingering shamelessly on her legs with a smirk. I used to think their closeness was just the innocent bond of childhood friends. I had been incredibly naive. “Lucas!” Daisy leaned out the window, offering a sweet smile. “Brody found this incredible new steakhouse downtown. I sent you the address. Let’s go grab dinner.” “You two go ahead. I have some things to take care of,” I replied calmly. Daisy frowned. “Come on, whatever it is can wait. Dinner with Brody is way more important.” “Yeah, bro, don’t be a party pooper!” Brody added, trying to guilt-trip me. In the past, I would have yielded to keep the peace. Now, their manipulation just felt pathetic. “No, really. Something came up at home.” Without waiting for their reaction, I walked over to my car, started the engine, and drove straight to the luxury watch boutique. “Hello, sir,” I told the sales associate, handing over the watch. “Could you please verify if the serial number on this watch won the sweepstakes?” The associate took the watch, typed the code into the system, and gasped. “Yes, indeed! Congratulations, sir! You have won the three-million-dollar jackpot. Please follow me to process the claim.” The entire process took less than half an hour. Shortly after, a notification chimed on my phone. After tax, a cool two point seven million dollars had been deposited into my bank account. I knew Brody and Daisy would find out about this soon because the boutique was going to put up a huge promotional banner outside the store next week. I immediately contacted a real estate agent and bought a luxury riverfront condo I had been eyeing for months. I paid for it in full, cash upfront. After securing the deed, I went home and discussed the situation with my parents. When they learned about Daisy and Brody’s betrayal, they were shocked but stood by my decision completely. Just as we finished dinner, my phone buzzed. I had been added to a group chat with Daisy and Brody. Brody sent a voice note, chuckling: Lucas, since you ditched us for dinner tonight, you are paying the bill! Daisy immediately chimed in: It is only three thousand eight hundred dollars, babe. Just Venmo us. Normally, I wouldn’t have thought twice about sending the money. This time, I put my phone on silent, went to take a shower, and ignored them completely. By the time I got out, there were dozens of missed notifications. Brody: Bro, why aren’t you replying? Daisy: It has been twenty minutes, Lucas. The waiter is standing right here waiting for the card. Brody: Man, I guess our friendship doesn’t mean much to you anymore. Finally, Daisy wrote: Fine, Lucas. If you are going to be this petty, we will just pay for it ourselves! Only then did I reply: Just got out of the shower. Neither of them replied. In the past, I would have sent them each a grand to smooth things over. Looking back, I had been an absolute fool. I didn’t bother trying to appease them tonight. I gave the tabby cat a handful of freeze-dried treats and sat down at my computer to polish my marketing campaign for Monday. The cat jumped onto my desk, staring intently at the glowing screen. “The neighborhood cats say the CEO absolutely loves pets, but he keeps up a cold, professional front to protect his image. He has been complaining that none of his employees have pitched a pet-friendly marketing campaign.” Inspiration struck me like a bolt of lightning. I immediately began integrating pet-centric elements into the launch strategy. I worked through the night. Just as the sun began to rise, my phone rang. It was Daisy. “Lucas, you were way too selfish last night. Refusing to pay the bill really hurt Brody’s feelings.” “He was almost in tears. He saw a designer gold chain at the mall the other day. Why don’t you buy it for him to make up for it?” I almost laughed out loud. She really was dedicated to using my money to pamper her secret lover. “It is for the sake of our trio, Lucas. A little compromise won’t kill you,” Daisy continued. “If you cover the cost, Brody will forgive you, and I won’t be mad at you anymore.” If I were still in the dark, I would have done anything to save our relationship. Too bad for them, I knew the truth. “I stayed up all night working. I don’t have the energy to go to the mall. Why don’t you go pick it up?” I said, keeping my voice flat. “Perfect!” Daisy squealed, assuming I had agreed to pay, and hung up happily. A moment later, Brody sent a text: You are the best, bro! I am not mad at you anymore. Love ya! I ignored the message, tossed my phone onto the nightstand, and went to sleep. When I woke up in the evening, my phone was flooded with texts from Brody. I found a better one! It is eighteen thousand eight hundred dollars. Buy this one for me! Daisy: Since you didn’t reply, we assumed you agreed. Brody bought it on an installment plan. You can pay off the balance later. Brody: If we pay it off within a month, there is zero interest! Don’t forget, bro! He had already posted a picture of the bracelet on social media, conveniently leaving out who was supposed to pay for it. The comments were full of people envious of his luxury lifestyle. Someone asked if he had gotten a massive raise. He replied: Oh, it is nothing special! Daisy commented: Brody is just incredibly successful. Anyone reading would think Brody was a self-made millionaire, when in reality, he was just a parasite feeding on my hard work. My own watch had cost barely a thousand dollars, yet he had the nerve to demand an eighteen-thousand-dollar bracelet. They certainly loved spending money when it wasn’t theirs. I didn’t say a word. I wanted to see how Brody, who lived paycheck to paycheck, would handle the payments once I refused to pay a single dime. On Monday, Brody strutted into the office flaunting his new bracelet. He made a point of walking over to my desk and talking loudly. “Hey, Lucas! What do you think? Looks pretty slick, right?” “Very nice,” I smiled. Several coworkers gathered around, admiring the flashy jewelry. “Wow, Brody! How much did that set you back?” “Eighteen thousand eight hundred,” Brody bragged, while subtly nudging my arm, signaling me to keep quiet and play along to save his face. In the past, I would have kept his secret to protect his pride. Now, I let him have his moment. After all, I wasn’t the one paying for it. “Oh my gosh, eighteen grand?! Brody, I had no idea you were rolling in cash like this.” “I wish I were as successful as you.” “Lucas, look at your little protégé. He is doing way better than you are.” “Seriously, Lucas brought him into the company, but Brody is the one wearing an eighteen-thousand-dollar piece. Lucas has nothing.” The coworkers gossiped, praising Brody while putting me down. Brody didn’t say a single word to defend me. Instead, he bathed in their admiration, his chest puffed out with pride. I just stood there and smiled. “Alright, everyone! Quiet down!” Mr. Kane walked into the department, holding a folder. “I have an announcement regarding the promotion for the General Manager of Marketing.” Brody’s smile widened. His eyes practically sparked with anticipation as he prepared to step forward, fully expecting his name to be called. The rest of the office turned to look at him, assuming the promotion was his. After all, the rumors of my resignation had been circulating for days, and with my help, Brody’s sales figures were the second highest in the department. But in the next second, Mr. Kane turned his eyes toward me. “Starting today, Lucas is officially promoted to General Manager of Marketing.” The smile on Brody’s face instantly froze. He whipped his head toward me, his eyes wide with utter shock.
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