I helped my wife, Rachel, start a tech company. I even served as the chief R&D engineer, pouring my heart and soul into the code. At the launch event, Rachel was just about to credit me for the groundbreaking new software. But suddenly, a little boy rushed onto the stage. The boy cried and looked up at her. “Mommy! You said Daddy was the one who did all the work! Why are you giving the credit to this uncle?” Rachel, who had always claimed she hated kids and would never have them, did something that shocked me. She picked up the boy with practiced ease and gently cooed in his ear. “I was just joking earlier, sweetie. Of course, this company belongs to the three of us!” Then, Rachel turned her cold gaze toward me. “Frank, you might have developed the project, but without Mikel’s help, you wouldn’t have pulled it off anyway!” I almost laughed out loud. Mikel’s “help”? Did sleeping on the couch and playing video games in the lab all day count as help? Without a second thought, I ripped off my Chief Engineer badge, threw it straight into the trash can, and smiled. “Since Mikel is so outstanding, why don’t you two just get married today? It’s a double celebration!” I didn’t tell them that there was still one fatal bug in the program that I hadn’t fixed yet. Without me, this company would crash. Hard.
“Oh, look at Mr. Monroe. Usually so arrogant, locking himself in his office all day. Turns out he was just riding on someone else’s coattails!” “I knew it! ‘Chief Engineer’? What a joke. He’s nothing without Mikel!” “Stealing credit and hitting on the boss. He’s truly shameless.” “She already has a family, and he still clings to her every day. How disgusting.” Listening to the whispers of my employees, my clenched fists slowly relaxed. Maybe I was just too angry to care anymore. My heart suddenly went cold and numb, like still water. Mikel put on a show, waving his hands in mock humility. “Oh, come on, guys. I only helped with the core algorithm. Most of the credit still goes to Frank.” It sounded like he was praising me. But in reality, he was telling everyone that he was the mastermind behind the core tech, and I was just a useless figurehead. “Frank, don’t be so petty,” Rachel said, frowning. Her eyes were filled with protectiveness for Mikel as she looked down at me. She gently stroked the boy’s hair. I couldn’t believe my eyes. This was the same Rachel who used to detest children. Now, she was acting like the most loving mother in the world. “Mikel, don’t say that,” Rachel said softly, her voice filled with pride. “Others might not know, but I do. I know how much sweat you put into this project. You deserve all the glory.” She gave Mikel a flirtatious look. If slacking off in the office counted as “sweat,” then yes, he worked incredibly hard. Looking at Mikel in his tailored suit, I laughed. The guy didn’t even graduate from high school. He started out as a street thug, learned a tiny bit of basic coding, and now he was standing here basking in the applause of the tech elite. To get this company off the ground, I had pulled all-nighters for a week straight until I collapsed and ended up in the ICU. And now, this useless slacker who had been at the company for less than six months was calling me petty. It was hilarious. What did my years of silent support and sacrifices even mean to her? My legal wife was standing on a stage, holding another man’s kid, playing happy family. I guess the internet was right. Years of devotion can’t compare to a single look from a first love. I swept my cold gaze across the room, finally letting it rest on Rachel and Mikel. My eyes were filled with pure contempt. To put it bluntly, I built this company from scratch. I provided the funding. I wrote the code. Without me, this place would have gone bankrupt years ago. Those long nights of coding were brutal. But I kept pushing because I thought I was building a future for Rachel and me. But now? They looked like a happy family, and I looked like an intruder in my own life. Suddenly, a familiar, annoying voice cut through the crowd. “Oh, look. Isn’t that Frank? What are you still standing here for?” I looked up. Rachel’s best friend, Lillian, was walking over, swaying her hips. She was dripping in designer logos and heavy makeup, her eyes filled with mock pity. “Lillian? You made it!” Rachel smiled in surprise. Lillian linked her arm through Rachel’s and shot me a nasty look. “Of course! I wouldn’t miss your big day for the world.” “Such a successful launch! You’re finally on top.” Then, she turned her eyes to Mikel, practically beaming. “Mikel, you are amazing! I always knew you had it in you. Handling the core R&D of such a massive project… Rachel is so lucky to have you.” Mikel fake-smiled. “You flatter me, Lillian. It was a team effort.” Lillian waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, don’t be so modest. Everyone knows you did the heavy lifting. Unlike some people who sit in their offices doing God-knows-what, yet have the nerve to steal credit.” My face went pale with anger. “Lillian, watch your mouth. Do you think I don’t know what you’re trying to do? Who do you think funded this company all these years?”
Lillian let out a sharp laugh. “Funded? Please. All I saw was you walking around like you owned the place. What did you actually contribute?” “If Rachel hadn’t been nice enough to give you the title of Chief Engineer, you’d be nothing!” “Exactly, Frank. Just let it go,” Rachel chimed in, her eyes full of disgust. “You haven’t achieved anything real in all these years. If it weren’t for me, would you even have the chance to work on a project of this scale?” “Do you have any idea how much Mikel has sacrificed for me and this company?” I looked at Lillian, then at Rachel. The disappointment was crushing. “I treated you like a friend, Lillian. And this is how you stab me in the back?” “Stab you in the back?” Lillian scoffed. “Mikel is the sole heir to the Miller Group! That’s a multi-billion-dollar tech empire. He’s too polite to call you out on your lies, but you’re really pushing it now.” I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. I gave them one last, cold look. Then, I turned around and walked out of the venue. As I passed the trash can near the exit, I tossed my ID badge inside without looking back. I went straight to my office. This place used to be my battlefield for love. Now, it was just a graveyard of cold memories. I quickly packed my personal things. Then, I sat in front of my computer. There was indeed a fatal bug in the program. It was a major flaw. But because of the tight deadline, I had planned to fix it after the launch event, since the software wouldn’t be deployed for another week. I laughed at myself. Now? Not my problem anymore. All this time, I had hidden my true identity because I didn’t want Rachel to feel pressured. I didn’t want her to think I was only with her because of my family’s wealth. I was the real heir to the Miller Group. The empire was founded by my mother, Victoria Miller. I took my father’s last name, Monroe, to keep a low profile. I wanted to make it in the tech world on my own merit. I never expected a con man like Mikel to steal my identity and my work. I began wiping my personal data from the company database. Looking at the files and reports I had spent years writing, my heart ached. I had carried Rachel on my back, lifting her company up, hoping to turn it into a second Miller Group. I wanted to prove to my family that I could do it. And now… I shook my head, telling myself to stop looking back. I sat at my desk under the dim light. The divorce papers in front of me felt like a sick joke. I signed them and left them on the desk. As expected, Rachel signed them the very next morning. She signed so fast, it was as if she was terrified I would change my mind. Right after signing, she and Mikel started showing off their “love” right in front of me. Mikel wrapped his arm around her waist, and she leaned into his chest like a delicate doll, looking at me with triumph and scorn. I didn’t waste another second. I grabbed my suitcase and left. I didn’t even have a friend in this city to say goodbye to. After graduating from Switzerland, I had met Rachel. Back then, she was tough, ambitious, and driven. For her, I had fought with my family and moved to California, dedicating my life to her dream. As my flight took off from California, my mind was incredibly peaceful. With my mother’s backing, I quickly took my rightful place at the Miller Group, taking charge of our most critical projects. A few weeks later, the Miller Group hosted a major tech summit. It was meant to attract large investments and officially introduce me as the new head of the division. The venue was stunning. Crystal chandeliers cast brilliant light over the polished marble floors. The massive conference tables were beautifully arranged with nameplates, high-tech displays, and champagne. I didn’t expect to run into Rachel so soon. She and Mikel were actually there, representing their company. Seeing me, Mikel let out a mocking sneer. “Well, well, look who’s here. Isn’t this Frank, the loser who got kicked out of the company? How did a nobody like you sneak into a place like this?”
Our old company had some reputation in the valley. So, quite a few people knew about the drama between Rachel and me. However, none of them knew my connection to the Miller Group. As people started staring and whispering, a familiar, sharp voice echoed from behind us. “You two should watch your mouths. With Frank’s talent, he can succeed anywhere. Unlike some people who only know how to talk a big game.” Sienna walked up, wearing a stunning pink evening gown. She had a delicate, doll-like face, but her eyes were sharp as needles. Mikel smirked, deliberately raising his voice so the whole room could hear. “Oh? What’s the matter, Frank? Since you got fired, have you resorted to being a sugar baby just to get into these events?” Rachel sneered along. “Exactly. I thought you had some pride left, Frank. Turns out you’re just selling your body now that you don’t have me.” Sienna’s face darkened. “I don’t think a failing company like yours has any right to question Frank’s abilities!” Mikel snorted. “Abilities? If he’s so capable, why did we kick him out?” Sienna let out a cold laugh, looking at Mikel with absolute disgust. “Do you really think you’re a genius?” “From what I know, you’re just a pathetic thief who stole someone else’s code.” The crowd broke into hushed whispers. They all knew about the breakthrough software Rachel’s company had just launched, but they had only heard her side of the story. Rachel’s face flushed red. “Don’t talk nonsense! Mikel did everything for the company!” Sienna smirked. “Did everything? A guy who can’t even write a basic loop?” I didn’t know how Sienna found out about that. Sienna was the daughter of my father’s close friend, the head of the Sterling Group. She was my date for the evening. I gently patted Sienna’s shoulder to calm her down, pulling her slightly behind me. Seeing me protect Sienna, a flash of jealousy crossed Rachel’s eyes. She bit her lip and hissed, “Frank, you’re just a kept man living off a rich girl. Don’t get too arrogant. Let’s see how long she keeps you around before she gets bored.” Mikel laughed loudly beside her, his laughter echoing offensively. Just then, a staff member ran into the hall, looking pale and panicked. He whispered something into Rachel and Mikel’s ears. In an instant, the color drained from their faces. Their smug smiles vanished, replaced by sheer terror. “What did you say?!” Mikel raised his voice in shock. “How could there be such a massive system crash?!” Rachel trembled, her voice cracking. “What’s going on? Didn’t we run all the tests?!” Their loud panic drew the attention of the entire room. I smiled to myself. The unfixed bug had finally exploded. Within minutes, murmurs rippled through the crowd. “Hey, did you hear? Rachel’s company launched a software with a massive bug. It just crashed their biggest client’s database. They’re facing a multi-million-dollar lawsuit.” “Whoa, really? That company is done for.” “I knew that tech was too good to be true. Turns out it was just a broken piece of junk.” The gossip spread like wildfire. Rachel and Mikel looked like they were about to throw up. Rachel gritted her teeth, glaring at me with pure rage. “Frank! You did this, didn’t you?! You left that bug on purpose!” I smiled coldly. “Rachel, don’t be ridiculous.” “Didn’t Mikel design the core technology? What does a bug have to do with me?” Rachel grabbed Mikel’s arm, panicking. “Mikel, what do we do? We can’t afford that kind of payout!” “Aren’t you the heir to the Miller Group? Call your family! Get them to use their resources to fix this!” Mikel’s eyes darted around frantically, sweat pouring down his forehead. “Rachel… it’s… it’s not that simple. I can’t just make decisions for the Miller Group by myself.” Suddenly, the room went completely silent. The summit was starting. My mother, Victoria Miller, the founder of the Miller Group, walked onto the stage wearing an elegant designer dress. She looked around the room, her eyes softening as they landed on me. She smiled into the microphone. “Today, I want to introduce someone who is vital to the future of the Miller Group. My son, Frank Monroe.”
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