My Brother’s Boss Thinks I’m His Mistreated Wife

I was on my way to deliver lunch to my brother when I was scrolling through Reddit and saw a post: "What should I do if I'm falling for my coworker's wife?" I casually dropped a comment: Don't be a homewrecker. The Original Poster (OP) replied almost instantly: "The woman I love just happened to marry the wrong guy before she met me. How does that make me a homewrecker?" "My coworker doesn't appreciate her at all. Look, this is the lunch his wife brought him. He waited until she left, then tossed it aside. He didn't even take a bite." "A guy who doesn't appreciate her doesn't deserve her." I clicked on the attached photo. Wait a minute... aren't those the barbecue ribs I just dropped off for my brother? 1 My heart started pounding. I quickly scrolled back to the top of his post, analyzing every single detail. The OP wrote that his coworker had just gotten married two months ago. Usually, he didn't pay attention to his employees' personal lives, but this guy was just too much. "It's bad enough he makes his wife drive all the way across town every day to bring him lunch, but he acts like he's royalty. He eats, pushes the containers away, and expects her to clean it all up. He doesn't care about her at all." The more I read, the more familiar it sounded. Coincidentally, my brother had also just gotten married two months ago. Before the wedding, my brother and I made a bet. If he actually managed to win over his dream girl and marry her, I’d deliver his lunch to the office every day for two months. To my shock, the idiot actually pulled it off. I had to honor the bet and essentially became his personal Uber Eats driver. The OP continued: "I couldn't stand watching it, so I privately hinted to my coworker that making his wife clean up after him wasn't a good look, and that she was working hard too. He just brushed it off and said, 'It's her job, don't worry about it.'" The OP was getting increasingly worked up: "He's an absolute jerk. Sometimes I watch her carrying that heavy insulated lunchbox, sitting quietly while he eats, and then silently packing up to leave. She looks so lonely and mistreated. It breaks my heart." The comment section was flooded with people agreeing: “Guys like that are the worst. They manipulate their wives but put in zero actual effort.” “I need to know who this is! The poor girl is too blinded by love. Tell her to run!” The OP sighed in the comments: "Exactly. She's so kind, beautiful, gentle, and understanding. My coworker doesn't deserve her at all." He added: "And he complains about her cooking! She works so hard to make those meals, and he critiques them! If she were my wife, I wouldn't care what it tasted like, I’d eat every last bite! She treats him so well, and he just bosses her around. I genuinely can't stand it." Okay, so... to mess with my brother, I occasionally dumped extra salt in his food. Naturally, he’d complain and refuse to eat it. I never imagined his coworker would misinterpret that as an abusive husband terrorizing his wife. Someone in the comments asked the OP what he planned to do. He responded bluntly: "What exactly do I need to do to make them get a divorce?" Redditors were telling him to calm down and not do anything crazy, but he was clearly obsessing over it. His replies were dripping with fixation: "I just can't take it anymore. If this keeps up, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold back." "It was pouring rain a few days ago. He chose to play Call of Duty on his lunch break instead of driving his wife home. He has a car! He could have at least let her take it! Instead, he made her stand in the freezing rain waiting for a ride. He's a monster!" Reading that, my memory instantly flashed back to that rainy afternoon. My brother had scarfed down his food because he was rushing to log onto a multiplayer lobby. He didn't even look at me, just Venmo'd me a hundred bucks and told me to get an Uber. While I was standing on the curb waiting for my ride, I got soaked. My hair and shoulders were drenched. Apparently, this guy had watched the entire scene unfold. Also, the reason I don't drive his car is that I don't have my license yet... The further I scrolled, the more the pieces clicked together. The coworker who showed off his wife, left her in the rain, and didn't appreciate her... was undeniably my brother, Mason. And the "mistreated wife" this OP was fiercely defending, obsessing over, and deemed too good for this world... was me. I stood on the sidewalk for a solid five minutes, completely stunned. My brain rapidly flipped through the faces of Mason’s coworkers I had seen recently. Who the hell was it? 2 Whenever I dropped off food for Mason, I never really paid attention to anyone else around. Now that I was trying to remember, my mind was blank. I couldn't grasp a single clue. Unable to figure it out, I made a silent vow: tomorrow, I was going to investigate. Normally, I ignored his coworkers, but today I kept my eyes peeled. Just as I handed Mason his lunch, a guy named Kevin walked out of the crowd and approached me. He chatted me up with a friendly smile and casually found an excuse to get my Instagram. My stomach dropped. Could... could it be him? But the moment I walked out of the office building, the Reddit post updated. The OP’s tone was so sour you could practically smell the jealousy: "I realized today that my coworker truly doesn't give a damn about his wife. Another guy from our department went out of his way to flirt with her today, smiling like an idiot, and her husband didn't even try to stop it. If you truly love someone, how could you let them freely exchange numbers with other men?" The commenters saw right through him: “I’m just sensing a deeply, deeply jealous soul here.” “Let’s be real, OP. You’re just mad you weren't the one getting her Instagram.” The OP’s reply popped up almost instantly, practically seething: "I've never even spoken a word to her! And they just openly exchanged socials right in front of me." "I don't care anymore. I'm making everyone in that department work mandatory overtime tonight." Staring at the screen, a chill ran down my spine. I instantly caught the most important detail. This guy had some serious authority in the company. He might even be top management. Otherwise, how could he force an entire department to work overtime with a single sentence? But I remembered Mason telling me his direct manager was a balding guy with a massive beer belly... Honestly, I had considered clearing up the misunderstanding quietly, worried that this might hurt Mason’s reputation at work. But seeing how unhinged and extreme the OP was getting, I abandoned that idea immediately. If he found out the truth while in this manic state, God knows what he might do. Right now, my only priority was avoiding the radar of this creepy, obsessed boss. 3 For the next few days, I continued my lunch deliveries, but I treaded incredibly carefully. I kept my head down, secretly observing everyone, but I still couldn't lock onto the guy hiding in the shadows. One afternoon, just as I got on the bus heading home, my sister-in-law, Emma, called me. "Harper, are you on the bus yet?" "Mason said he has to leave for a sudden, out-of-state business trip this afternoon. He needs you to swing by and bring his ID to the office." But the bus doors had already closed, and it was a hassle to get off and turn around. "Never mind, I'll just make the trip myself," Emma sighed. "I don't know what's going on. Mason has been insanely busy lately. The mandatory overtime was bad enough, but now a sudden deployment out of state?" Hearing that, I felt a twinge of guilt. The mastermind behind this brutal overtime was almost certainly the Reddit poster trying to punish Mason. When I got off the bus near the office, I saw Emma standing across the street with the lunchbox. Suddenly, my idiot, hopeless-romantic brother dashed out of the building like a golden retriever, pulled Emma into a tight hug, and started kissing the top of her head, completely oblivious to the public setting. I stood on the opposite sidewalk, rolling my eyes so hard I practically saw my own brain. Come on, guys. It's broad daylight. But right at that moment. From behind me, a low, suppressed, and faintly dangerous voice drifted over my shoulder. "He acts like that with another woman right in front of you, and you aren't even angry?" My heart leaped into my throat. I instinctively spun around. Standing before me was a tall, incredibly handsome man with a sharp, tailored suit and deep, striking eyes. He stood out effortlessly against the bustling street. I stared at that familiar, dazzling face, and the words tumbled out before I could stop them: "Caleb? Caleb Sterling?" Caleb clearly froze. A flicker of shock crossed his eyes, and his tone carried a trace of confusion. "You know me?" I looked at him, my heart inexplicably skipping a beat, but I put on my best innocent, sweet smile. "Of course I do! I graduated from Lincoln High too. My name is Harper. You were basically a legend there. When you were a senior, I was a freshman. You were the ultimate crush for half the girls in my grade." I paused, deliberately pretending I hadn't heard his opening line. I tilted my head, blinking innocently. "Oh, by the way, what were you just saying? A bus drove by, I couldn't hear you..." The dark intensity in Caleb’s eyes faded slightly. The corners of his lips curved into a faint, soft smile. "Nothing." His gaze dropped to the insulated lunchbox in my hands. "What are you doing here?" "I'm dropping off lunch for my family," I answered honestly. "Family?" he repeated softly, his eyes darkening a fraction. "Mhm." I nodded, tossing the question back. "But what are you doing here, Caleb?" He pointed a long finger toward the imposing corporate skyscraper across the street. "I work here." I was about to say more when my phone buzzed. It was Emma, asking if I was close. I quickly answered, "Be right there," and hung up. I looked up at Caleb and offered an apologetic smile. "Caleb, I have to run, it's urgent. Want to exchange numbers? Let's catch up sometime." A barely perceptible light flashed in his eyes. He pulled out his phone without a second of hesitation. After swapping contacts, I waved goodbye and jogged toward the building, my heart hammering wildly against my ribs. Based on what he had just said, I was 99% sure Caleb was the Reddit poster. So the guy who was losing his mind online, pining over a "mistreated wife," and torturing my brother with overtime... wasn't some balding middle manager. It was my untouchable, legendary high school crush. 4 After Emma handed off the ID, she had some errands to run and left. I looked at my brother, who was grinning like an idiot, glued to his phone texting his wife, and almost laughed out loud. I casually interrogated him and confirmed that Caleb Sterling was the undisputed CEO and heir apparent of the company. I genuinely never expected that the cool, distant senior from high school was secretly this possessive and unhinged in private. Thinking about his Reddit posts—She’s so pitiful, my coworker doesn't deserve her, I want them to divorce—and contrasting it with my reality of being Mason's unpaid delivery girl for the last two months... my mischievous streak ignited like a wildfire. Fate had literally handed me the ultimate prank script. It would be a tragedy not to play along. I deliberately lingered in the office a few minutes longer than usual, wandering over to the breakroom to get water. Sure enough, Caleb quietly appeared. It was strange. I'd been coming here for months; how had I never noticed him before? I pretended not to see him. I gently traced the edge of my thermos, keeping my eyes cast downward, exposing the delicate curve of my neck. I made myself look incredibly quiet, submissive, and like a woman silently enduring a world of grievances. A moment later, he actually approached me. The air around him felt heavy, making my pulse quicken. "Your family... makes you clean all this up by yourself?" He spoke in a low voice, heavy with undeniable heartache. "Does he treat you like this every time?" I looked up at him. I let a perfectly calibrated layer of sorrow and vulnerability wash over my eyes, then quickly forced it down, shaking my head gently. "It's fine. He's been busy with work lately. Doing a little extra doesn't hurt." With one sentence, I completely cemented the image of the long-suffering, neglected, overly-understanding wife in his head. Caleb's eyes darkened instantly, his Adam's apple bobbing hard. "Being busy is not an excuse to neglect you. Harper, you really don't need to put yourself through this." My heart did a violent flip. I don't know why, but hearing my name roll off his tongue sounded incredibly rich and magnetic. It made my ears burn. I lowered my head, hiding a victorious smirk. When I looked back up, my eyes were shining with a glassy, unshed tear. My voice was light as a feather, soft and helpless. "But I don't have a choice." As soon as I left the building and hopped on the bus, my phone buzzed with a Reddit notification. The OP had posted a new update, and the words were practically bleeding with longing and bitterness: "I finally gathered the courage to talk to her today. Turns out we went to the same high school. We could have known each other so much sooner, but fate is a cruel joke. That bastard husband of hers was hugging another woman right in front of the building. I don't know if she saw it, but it broke my heart. If I could, I would take her far away from a guy like that." Reading that, I felt a twinge of guilt. Was taking this prank too far? But right then, a notification popped up in my family group chat. It was Mason, wailing in despair: "SOMEONE SAVE ME! Our boss has lost his damn mind! He just assigned me to a six-month deployment out of state!! I JUST GOT MARRIED!!" Seeing Mason suffering so spectacularly, I burst out laughing. It didn't take a genius to figure out this was the jealous CEO's retaliation. Whatever, I'll let the game run a little longer. If Caleb was fully prepared to be a homewrecker, his moral high ground wasn't exactly pristine anyway. Even if the truth came out later, he’d probably forgive me, right? 5 After exchanging numbers, Caleb and I started texting occasionally. It started with polite small talk, but we quickly realized we had a ridiculous amount in common. We loved the same obscure indie films, drank the exact same niche coffee order, and shared identical tastes in music and books. With every new shared interest, his texts grew warmer and more eager. I could practically picture his eyes lighting up on the other side of the screen. One night, we were texting late, and he sent: "It's crazy how similar we are... I wish I had met you earlier." I stared at the message, smiled, and didn't reply. A few minutes later, the Reddit post updated. The frustration was palpable: "We have so many shared interests. We click perfectly. We're obviously meant for each other. What right does her husband have? He just got lucky and met her first. How is he worthy of her? I just can't accept this." My inner demon took over. I switched to my burner account and replied to him as a "concerned netizen": “Thinking about it won't change anything, bro. You need to show her your masculinity. Remind her who the better man actually is.” Caleb apparently took that advice straight to heart. Early the next morning, my Instagram feed refreshed with a new post from him. It was a gym mirror selfie. He was wearing a tight black tank top. His shoulders were broad, his waist narrow, and his abs were sharply defined. It was the epitome of lean, functional muscle. The sheer testosterone practically shattered my phone screen. I stared at those abs, silently nodding in approval. Damn. You could do laundry on those. I smirked and obediently hit the 'Like' button. On his end, he was probably losing his mind. That afternoon, the Reddit post updated again. The tone was completely panicked and confused: "I posted a gym photo, and I set the privacy so only she could see it. She liked it. What does this mean? Does she have feelings for me, or is she just mindlessly liking posts?" The commenters were merciless: “Are you an idiot? She’s stringing you along!” “A married woman liking a thirst trap? Neither of you are innocent. One’s a tease, the other’s a simp!” Caleb immediately jumped to my defense, fighting the commenters: "No, you're wrong. She's a wonderful person. She's just very polite and likes to support people's posts." The internet went feral: “Bro, you are down HORRENDOUS!!” I read through the comments, laughing so hard I almost rolled off my bed. Caleb was too entertaining. But Caleb was genuinely getting desperate. He was falling too deep. Unable to hold back anymore, he posted a fierce update: "I can't wait any longer. Her husband is blatantly physical with another girl. I'm going to make sure she sees the truth." Caleb moved faster than I anticipated. The next afternoon, just as I arrived downstairs at the office, I "coincidentally" bumped into him. His face was stormy. He handed me a photograph, his voice tight with suppressed rage. "Harper, look at this." In the photo, Mason was holding Emma on the sidewalk, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. The angle made it look incredibly illicit and scandalous. Those two hopeless romantics couldn't keep their hands off each other for five minutes. Caleb watched me staring at the photo and gently called out to me. "Are you okay?" I snapped back into character. I let my eyes immediately well up with tears. My fingers trembled slightly, like I had just been stabbed. My voice was breathless and hoarse. "...Who is she?" The anger in Caleb’s eyes was replaced by raw heartache. "I've seen them together several times. He hasn't told you." I gripped my phone, my knuckles turning white. I lowered my head, letting my shoulders shake just twice—the perfect picture of a woman utterly shattered but fighting not to cry. "He's been 'working late' a lot recently. So... this is why." Caleb reached out, lightly touching my arm before quickly pulling back, as if afraid of breaking me. "Harper, he is not worth putting yourself through this." I bit my lip, staying silent for a long time before slowly, painfully shaking my head. "No, we... we can't separate." Can't separate? Caleb froze completely. The shock, confusion, and agony in his eyes merged into something close to devastation. "He treats you like this, and you still refuse to leave him?" I looked up, my eyes red, my voice thick with unshed tears, but fiercely stubborn. "When you're in a marriage... you can't just walk away that easily. I can't do it." Caleb stared at me. His Adam's apple bobbed heavily. He looked like he was on the verge of a breakdown. He didn't push me. He just let out a soft sigh, a sound filled with helpless, agonizing pity. That night, the Reddit post blew up. You could feel the OP’s absolute despair through the screen: [She knows. She saw the proof with her own eyes, but she still refuses to get a divorce. How can she be so foolish? After everything he's done to her, what is she holding onto? I'm so terrified she's going to spiral. I'm afraid she's suffering all alone in the dark.] [I can't do anything right now except watch over her and make sure she doesn't do anything stupid.] Reading the post, my heart felt soft and strange. I had only meant to tease him, but over the past few weeks, his sincerity, his intense protectiveness, and his careful devotion had hit me right in the chest. I had to admit, it was working. I think I was actually falling for him. After debating with myself for a long time, I sent him a text: "Caleb, my head is a mess. I can't say this to anyone else, I only want to talk to you... Can I buy you a drink? I hope I'm not bothering you." He replied instantly: "You're not. I'll be right there." When we met, his eyes were full of undisguised worry. As soon as he sat down, he asked softly, "Have you eaten? Don't drink on an empty stomach." I kept my head down, my voice muffled. "I don't have an appetite." He didn't push it. He just poured me a glass of warm water and quietly kept me company while I sipped my drink. I deliberately drank a little too fast. Soon, my eyes were hazy, my cheeks were flushed, and I leaned against the table, acting thoroughly intoxicated. "Caleb... I'm just so sad." "I've been so good to him. Why doesn't he appreciate me..." His voice was incredibly gentle. "It's because he's blind. It's not your fault." I swayed my head, looking up at him through hazy eyes. I reached out and weakly grabbed the cuff of his shirt. "You're so good to me..." His breath hitched. Riding the wave of liquid courage, I leaned forward. My gaze drifted from his intense eyes to his slightly parted lips. Acting on pure impulse, I leaned in and kissed him. It was just a brief touch, and I tried to pull back. But the next second, his hand cupped the back of my neck, holding me in place, and he deepened the kiss. It started with restraint, but quickly escalated into an explosion of repressed emotion, a desperate, careful plundering. My heart was beating so fast I thought I was going to explode. Only when we were both gasping for air did he abruptly stop. He rested his forehead against mine, his breath scorching hot, his voice dangerously raspy. "Harper, don't do this... I'm terrified you'll wake up tomorrow and regret it." I didn't say anything. I just buried my face in his chest. Letting the alcohol take over, I completely passed out. Unable to wake me to get my address, he had no choice but to take me back to his place. He carefully laid me on his bed and tried to wipe my face with a warm towel. I kept my eyes half-closed, acting delirious, gripping his shirt tight and refusing to let go. I was woken up the next morning by the sunlight. The space next to me was empty, and faint noises were coming from the kitchen. I was instantly wide awake. Oh god. I had played way too hard last night. The sheer embarrassment was enough to make me want to dig a hole and live in it. I couldn't face him. I quietly slipped out of bed, grabbed my purse, and bolted. The second I got home, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Caleb: "Where did you go? Last night... I didn't cross any lines, so please don't be scared. It's just that I really, really like you, and I want to take care of you." My mind was a chaotic mess. I stared at the screen, unable to type a reply. Not long after, the Reddit post updated. The OP’s words were a mix of inner turmoil and ironclad resolve: "Last night, she asked me out for a drink to vent. I couldn't hold back, and I kissed her. I know it's wrong. I know I shouldn't have, but I couldn't control myself. That guy doesn't deserve someone as incredible as her. I've made my decision. I am going to steal her away from him, completely and permanently. I'm going to make them divorce." "Step one: Remove him from her sight." My heart dropped. The next second, the family group chat exploded with Mason's frantic messages: "HELP ME! The boss has completely lost his mind! He just personally ordered me to oversee the out-of-state project! For SIX MONTHS!!" "I LITERALLY JUST GOT MARRIED!!" I stared at my phone, completely paralyzed. The prank... had officially gone way too far.

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