After fighting tooth and nail to get the company public, Julian, my CEO boyfriend, finally decided it was time to reveal our relationship. But his assistant, Chloe, beat me to the punch. She stepped onto the stage first, clinging to his arm, letting everyone assume they were the couple. Julian didn’t even bother to explain. Instead, he handed her a share transfer agreement, publicly announcing her as a new shareholder. The entire hall erupted in a buzz of whispers and cheers. Chloe seized the moment to mock me. Julian not only didn’t stop her, but his voice was chillingly dismissive: “Skylar, you did a lot for the company, but Chloe has exceptional talent. Only she can take us further.” Instead of getting mad, I just nodded in agreement, generously handing all my shares over to Chloe. I was genuinely curious to see. How they planned to grow the company without its biggest investor — me. 1. When Julian publicly announced Chloe as the new shareholder, the hall exploded with applause. I stood there, stunned, my brain foggy from days of endless overtime. For a moment, I actually thought I’d misheard. “You guys, look at Skylar’s face! It’s priceless.” “She’s been with the CEO for so long and only got two percent. Chloe’s barely been working here and she’s already got twenty percent!” “Skylar always used to nitpick Chloe’s work. Now she looks like the joke.” My coworkers deliberately spoke loudly, making sure I overheard. I knew they were doing it on purpose, trying to curry favor with Chloe by putting me down. And Julian wouldn’t stop them anyway. Chloe shot me a smug little smirk, then feigned a hurt tone: “Skylar, why aren’t you applauding? Do you have a problem with me owning company shares?” “I mean, based on seniority, perhaps they should have gone to you.” As she spoke, she slowly extended the contract towards me. Julian, as if afraid I’d actually take it, snatched the contract back, shoving it gently into her hands. He looked at her, a mix of helplessness and adoration. “Chloe, you’re too kind, but the company values capability, not seniority.” Then he shot me a cold glare. “And you, stop making a scene. Your mistake last time cost the company millions. Not firing you was already lenient enough. What right do you have to shares?” Watching them, a perfectly synchronized duo, I just found it pathetic. That mistake? Chloe caused it. But she was scared of being held accountable, so she pushed the blame on me. I’d shown Julian the evidence. He still didn’t believe me. But I was used to it. For years, Chloe’s work performance was mediocre, but she poured all her energy into messing with me. She was fresh out of college, a real sweet-talker. She’d managed to win over a lot of people, and even Julian thought she was innocent. So every time we clashed, Julian always sided with her and blamed me. It’s why my coworkers increasingly disrespected me. Chloe’s voice softened to a whisper: “But I’m worried Skylar might be upset…” She leaned into Julian, her face almost resting on his shoulder, an intimate pose. Julian didn’t flinch. He just glared at me, his face grim: “Skylar, who are you giving that look to?!” “This share transfer was my carefully considered decision. Don’t ruin the mood, don’t be a party pooper.” “Can’t stand it? Then leave!” Everyone immediately chimed in, agreeing with him. I knew Julian was just saying it out of anger, but I couldn’t help but laugh. I hustled, practically drank myself sick to get those clients. I pulled all-nighters to finalize those proposals. The company getting listed? That was all me. Now he wanted to kick me to the curb, tossing aside all my hard work with just a few words? I grabbed my bag and walked up to him. Chloe, thinking I was about to hit her, flinched and hid behind Julian. He stepped in front of her, glaring at me defensively. “Skylar, what do you want?” I pulled the stock ownership documents from my bag and handed them to him. “I just thought, she works so hard, the shares you’re giving her are too little.” “Here, give her mine too. Hope she keeps up the good work.” Chloe’s eyes lit up as she stared at the documents. Julian, though, looked at me suspiciously, remaining silent. A ripple of gasps spread through the crowd. They all knew how much I’d done for the company over the years, from its chaotic startup days through its toughest times. I’d handled the workload of several people, managed everything from fundraising to office errands. Now that the company was public and its stock soaring, my two percent was worth millions. Everyone had speculated how I’d fight for more, nobody expected me to just give it up. But what they didn’t know was that I was Julian’s fiancée. Julian had always hidden our relationship, worried about office gossip. But when Chloe appeared, I started to get uneasy and pressed him to make it public. After I kept pressing him, he finally agreed to announce it the day the company listed. Last night, I was so excited I couldn’t sleep. Who knew Chloe would just waltz onto the stage first, linking her arm with his? He didn’t even try to pull away. The entire room mistakenly thought they were a couple, and he just stood there, looking completely unfazed. It hit me then. He didn’t want to hide a relationship; he just didn’t want to publicize our relationship. He stayed silent. I didn’t push it. I turned to leave. After two steps, a hand grabbed my wrist. I looked back. It was Julian. I was surprised. He usually just let me go. He knew I loved him, I’d always come back to apologize. But then I instantly realized why he stopped me. He pressed his lips together. “Skylar, you’re too impulsive. You’re not as steady and composed as Chloe.” “I didn’t want to touch your shares, but your behavior today disappointed me. These shares have to go to Chloe.” I just laughed. He was deliberately putting me down, just so he could justify giving the shares to Chloe. Back then, I would have argued, but now, I felt absolutely nothing. I just gave a bland, “Oh.” Julian, expecting me to explode, froze. He was about to speak when someone from the crowd yelled for a champagne toast. Julian glanced at me, grabbed the contract, and turned away. I watched his back, then averted my gaze and walked straight out of the banquet hall. Once outside, I pulled out my phone. “Dad, I’ve decided. I’m coming home to take over the family business.” 2. My father owns over a hundred companies and is ranked among the top twenty wealthiest people. I’m a textbook heiress. But when I first met Julian, he told me about his childhood: his father was hit by a driver from a rich family who then fled the scene. His father died, and the driver, protected by his family’s influence, was only detained for a few days before being released. Because of this, Julian held a strong animosity towards the privileged class. To be with him, I hid my family background, rejected my family’s plans, and followed him to a strange city to start from scratch, investing all my savings to support his startup. Until yesterday, I naively believed we would finally have our happy ending. Now, I realized I’d been utterly crushed. After hanging up, I went back to the apartment Julian and I shared. The room was decorated romantically, heart-shaped candles on the floor, a huge bouquet of vibrant blue roses in the center. Tucked among the flowers was a diamond ring. Next to it, documents for a luxury apartment. These were all surprises I’d prepared for Julian. I’d imagined his reaction countless times, never thinking he wouldn’t even see them. I tossed everything out the door. Then, I booked a flight for tomorrow night. I needed one day to sort out work handovers. Ding! My phone buzzed. Chloe had sent a video: Julian was carrying her princess-style, her face flushed as she clung to his neck, burying her face in his chest, looking completely intimate, just like a couple. Coworkers around them were applauding and cheering, “Kiss her! Kiss her!” The video was quickly withdrawn, and Chloe sent another message: [Oops, wrong chat]. I knew exactly what she was doing. She’d been using these kinds of tricks for years. Before, I would have been furious and confronted Julian, only for him to snap back, “Can’t you stop being so paranoid and just focus on work?” At first, I even thought I was overthinking, until one time when he had a fever and mumbled Chloe’s name. That’s when I knew his heart had already strayed to her. But now, I felt absolutely nothing. I just blocked and deleted Chloe. Unexpectedly, Julian called me almost immediately: “Did you delete Chloe?” His voice was cold and accusatory from the moment I answered, not caring at all how she’d provoked me. I was numb. I answered flatly. “Why delete her? She’s your coworker, how’s she supposed to work now?” “She’s crying her eyes out because of you. Add her back and apologize, right now.” I sneered. “Do you even know what she sent?” He paused for a moment, then his nonchalant voice came through: “So what if she sent the wrong picture? It’s no big deal.” Of course. When it came to Chloe, he always took her side. I retorted, “Yeah, it’s not a big deal. Just like the last time she sent the wrong quote and cost the company millions.” That time, Chloe mistakenly sent the bottom-line price as the actual quote to a client, leading to partners canceling or demanding lower prices. All our hard work, down the drain. Julian just hummed. Clearly, he remembered that incident. He was silent for a few seconds. Then Chloe’s voice, choked with sobs, interjected from his end: “Julian, Skylar must still be mad about the shares… Let me apologize.” Julian’s voice softened as he comforted her, “No need, it’s not your fault. Let her calm down herself.” Then he hung up. In the past, after conflicts like this, he’d always use “calm down” as an excuse to go be with Chloe. But now, my heart was like still water. I calmly drafted my resignation letter and sent it to HR. 3. The moment I hit send, a wave of relief washed over me. Later that night, as I was sound asleep, Julian called again. “Come pick me up, I’m still at that hotel.” On the other end, it sounded like a party. In the past, I would have been out of bed, dressed, and on my way in a heartbeat. But now, I just yawned, my voice lazy. “Just take an Uber. There are tons of ride-sharing cars over there.” Julian’s tone was suspicious. “You were asleep?” “Yeah.” Before, every time Julian went out for work events, I’d worry about him and couldn’t sleep. But tonight, I slept soundly. Even this call felt like an interruption. Julian didn’t say anything. About half an hour after he hung up, I heard him come through the door. I happened to be using the restroom, and when I came out, we found ourselves staring at each other. “Good, you’re up. Can you make me some ramen? I’m a little hungry.” He said softly. I knew he was offering an olive branch, trying to mend things. Whenever we had a silent treatment spell, he’d show a little vulnerability to open up communication and bridge the gap. But that was because I loved him. When that love was gone, all I felt was annoyance. “Make it yourself, or order takeout if you don’t know how.” I said flatly, walking towards the bedroom. Julian stepped in front of my door, blocking my way. I caught a whiff of Chloe’s perfume on him. “Skylar, why are you still mad?” “I’ve already explained. It was all for the company. You can’t think that just because we’re public, everything’s smooth sailing. We need to work even harder to maintain it now.” “Chloe might not be the most capable, but she has a lot of connections, and she’s good at business networking. Plus, her family has businesses too, so there might be future dealings.” “Everything I did today was for the company. Giving her shares was just to better secure her loyalty.” I was surprised he was actually explaining himself today. But I didn’t know if he believed it, and I certainly didn’t. Too tired to argue, I just gave a faint “Mm-hm” and walked into the room. Julian seemed about to say something, but I shut the door on him. That move seemed to genuinely anger him. He kicked the door hard. “Fine! Skylar, be as dramatic as you want! Don’t come crying back to me!” The next morning, I walked out of my bedroom to find Julian sitting on the sofa, carefully smoothing out a brand-new dress. Seeing me, he immediately came forward with the dress, telling me to put it on without asking. I recognized it as a limited edition Chanel, not only expensive but incredibly hard to get. The internet was full of ads calling it the best gift a man could give his girlfriend. I’d even hinted to Julian that I thought the dress was beautiful. I changed in the bedroom and walked out, my throat tight. I was about to say something when he laughed. “You and Chloe have similar figures, so it fits you perfectly. I’m sure it’ll be just right on her too.” “Quick, take it off before you wrinkle it. I just finished ironing it.” With that, he reached out and took the dress off me. I watched as he carefully folded it back into the gift box, then he left, humming happily, with the box in hand. I knew he was doing it on purpose, punishing me for yesterday. But I didn’t feel angry. Just childish. After that, I took another call and headed to the company to process my resignation. The moment I walked through the main doors, I saw Chloe sitting on my desk, surrounded by a group of fawning coworkers, like she was the center of the universe. Seeing me, a coworker immediately stepped forward. “Skylar, go buy everyone coffee.” “Why should I?” I glanced at the clock; I wasn’t late. The person smiled smugly. “Julian just said whoever arrived last had to treat everyone to coffee, and that’s you.” “Oh, never mind, it’s fine.” Chloe stood up, deliberately smoothing down the dress she was wearing. I recognized it. It was the same one Julian said he was getting for her this morning. “How can we make Skylar run errands for us? I’ll go instead.” She said, raising her voice on purpose, but making no move to actually leave. Sure enough, the moment she finished speaking, Julian walked out of his office. Seeing Chloe in the dress, his expression faltered for a second, then quickly returned to normal. He deliberately smoothed down her collar and smiled. “It definitely looks beautiful on you.” Everyone around them started cheering. Julian’s face flushed, and he quickly glanced back at me. Was he afraid I’d still be jealous and make a scene? He was probably overthinking it. My heart was like still water at that moment, stirring no ripples. My lack of reaction didn’t seem to satisfy Julian. He said coldly, “I already said, whoever arrived last buys the coffee. What are you doing just standing there?” A coworker immediately pointed at me. “Skylar was the last one.” Julian, who already knew it was me, sneered. “Go on. If you don’t, I’ll fire you.” It seemed he hadn’t received my resignation letter yet. Seeing this, I didn’t hold back. I stated directly, “I’m here today to resign.” 4. My coworkers looked shocked. Some who were on friendly terms with me quietly tried to warn me. “Skylar, Julian just gave everyone a raise. It’s really dumb to resign now.” “And didn’t you hear? He was just joking with you.” My voice was calm. “I’m not joking. I submitted my resignation to HR yesterday.” Chloe’s eyes flickered with a hint of delight. But just as she was about to say something, she met Julian’s unreadable gaze and swallowed her words. Julian frowned deeply, his eyes on me filled with a complex expression. “Do you know the company’s current situation? If you leave now, do you know what you’ll be losing?” Of course, I knew. I’d be losing worries and shackles. Chloe, looking distressed, said, “Skylar, I get it. Are you still upset about me? Maybe I should be the one to leave.” “After all, you and Julian have worked together for so many years. It would be such a waste to leave now.” With that, she walked towards the door, her eyes secretly darting to Julian, waiting for him to stop her. I almost laughed. Julian, however, seemed oblivious to her little game. He immediately grabbed her hand, his voice doting. “This has nothing to do with you. If anyone leaves, it won’t be you.” A flicker of triumph danced in Chloe’s eyes. Perhaps seeing that Julian still hadn’t caved, she reluctantly said, “But Skylar has been with the company for so long. Fine, I’ll try to persuade her.” Chloe walked up to me. “Skylar, maybe you should really think about it again. We’d all be so sad to see you go.” “We were all just kidding earlier. We honestly see you as a good friend.” With that, she patted my shoulder, but when no one was looking, she twisted her fingers into my arm, hard. A sharp pain instantly shot through me. Without thinking, I pushed her away. Chloe fell to the floor, clutching her arm and gasping. Julian rushed to help her up, his eyes full of tenderness. He had never shown me such concern, not even when I’d drunk myself sick for a business deal. Julian slapped me across the face, yelling, “Skylar, what’s wrong with you?! Chloe was trying to be kind, and you attacked her?! You’re bullying a coworker!” Just then, HR walked over, seemingly to inform Julian about my resignation. Julian said without hesitation, “Process her paperwork, get her out!” After signing my resignation approval, he still seemed unsatisfied and continued, “The company is making hundreds of thousands daily now. Only an idiot would leave at a time like this.” “Chloe, don’t worry. In a few months, you’ll have everything you want, not just a house and a car.” “And the rest of you, too! The top performer next month gets a house, straight up!” Chloe’s eyes gleamed. Other coworkers excitedly chimed in. Julian became even more arrogant. “However, certain people, bullying coworkers, refusing to follow orders… I’ll make sure her background checks fail everywhere!” Others quickly followed suit, cursing me. Watching them in their near frenzy, I hesitated for a long moment before deciding not to speak. This morning, my dad had called and told me that Julian’s company’s biggest investor for the past two years was actually him. After learning I was resigning to come home and inherit the company, my dad had done another due diligence check on Julian’s company, was very unhappy with the results, and had already decided to withdraw his investment, citing breach of contract. I knew very well the weight of my dad’s subsidiary company in the investment world. Once he pulled his investment, forget about buying houses or cars. It would be hard for the company to last another month. Seeing me hesitate, Julian thought I was regretting my decision. He rolled his eyes at me and said coldly, “Some people, if you apologize to Chloe now, it might still be salvageable.” “Otherwise…” He hadn’t finished his sentence when Brenda, from finance, rushed in, looking anxious. “Mr. Kane, bad news! Our biggest investor just sent word. They found serious issues with our financial status, suspecting investment fraud. They’re not only withdrawing their investment but also suing us for triple the breach of contract fees!”
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