The new intern, on a crusade to "fix the workplace," decided to make me his first target. To get back at him, my CEO girlfriend—who loved me more than life itself—devised a plan to destroy him by setting him up for a fall. She kicked me out of my VP position and promoted him instead. She bought him a luxury car for his commute and a villa for a "dorm," insisting it was all part of the trap, begging me to be patient. Then my sister’s heart condition worsened. I begged my girlfriend for an adMarshall on my salary to cover the surgery. She agreed instantly. But on the day of the operation, I waited at the hospital from dawn until dusk. The money never came. The only thing that did was a notification—a social media post from the intern, dripping with mockery: "My CEO is too nice for her own good. An employee asked for a salary adMarshall… what if he just quits without paying it back? I rejected it on her behalf! PS: Next time you want to scam someone, at least come up with a believable excuse!" My sister died. Only then did my girlfriend finally call, her voice syrupy and sweet. "Don't be mad, honey. We'll just delay Annie's surgery for a couple more days. I have to endure this humiliation. The higher I build Leo up, the harder he'll fall. Don't worry, his birthday is in two days. I'm going to publicly humiliate him, make him lose everything. Then, we'll have a lavish wedding to make Annie happy!" But I already knew the truth. Her so-called "setup" was just an excuse for her blatant favoritism. I was done with her. 1 "Owen, are you sure you want to join us? This is fantastic! We leave in two days!" On the other end of the line, the HR manager from the European tech giant was ecstatic. They’d been trying to recruit me for seven years, even setting up a local branch office just to make it easier to poach me. "I'm sure," I said. The morgue was so silent I could hear my own voice echo. I took one last look at my ten-year-old sister, Annie, her small face tinged with a deathly blue. I signed the death certificate and found the coroner. He said the cremation fee was two thousand dollars, payable in adMarshall. After Annie’s health took a nosedive, my years of savings had vanished. My life had revolved entirely around my girlfriend, Stella, leaving me with no friends to turn to. After she demoted me from my VP role, even my colleagues kept their distance. Now, I couldn't find a single person willing to lend me money. My eyes fell instinctively to the watch on my right wrist. It was the first gift Stella had ever given me, a token of our love that had cost her three months' salary. She’d told me I was priceless to her. I had tried to sell it earlier today, but the appraisal was only $3,000—nowhere near the $30,000 needed for the surgery. A drop in the ocean. I couldn't bring myself to part with it then. Perhaps it was fate telling me to let it go now. I listed it online for a low price of $2,000, and a local buyer contacted me almost immediately. As I rushed out to make the exchange, I was knocked to the ground by a black-suited bodyguard. My phone skittered across the pavement, the screen cracking. When I looked up, I saw Stella pushing a wheelchair-bound Leo into the hospital, flanked by an entourage of doctors, nurses, and more bodyguards. Her face was etched with worry, a fine sheen of sweat on her forehead. Our eyes met for a fleeting second before she looked away. A nurse helped me up, sighing under her breath. "Talk about different fates. That CEO's boyfriend just sprains his ankle and the entire hospital staff is on call. Meanwhile, there's a little girl with a heart defect who can't even afford her surgery fee…" I shook my head, telling her I was fine. A moment later, Stella strode back towards me, her expression grim. She grabbed my arm and pulled me down to the underground parking garage. Inside her car, with no one else around, she scowled. "Are you so desperate for money you'd follow me here?!" Realizing her tone was too harsh, her features softened slightly. "Leo twisted his ankle coming down the stairs. He's being such a drama queen, refusing to get it checked unless I'm with him." "I know you're still angry about him rejecting your salary adMarshall. Here, take this and go," she said, her voice dropping. "Don't let Leo see you. He'll get the wrong idea." She didn't even realize that while her words called him a drama queen, her eyes held an unmistakable, melting fondness. She used to look at me that way. When I had a simple stomachache, she’d sit by my hospital bed all day, personally making me congee until her hands were covered in blisters. Stella took out her phone. A second later, mine buzzed. A transfer of $200. She smiled, a little too brightly. "Leo likes to check my phone. He'd be upset if he knew I was giving you too much money privately. Use this to buy Annie some nice supplements. Cheer her up, okay?" I clenched my phone. We were supposed to be the real couple, yet here we were, sneaking around like criminals. A bitter, self-mocking laugh escaped me, and I transferred the $200 right back to her. She froze, halfway out of the car, finally sensing something was wrong. She turned back, patting my hand. "Owen, I know you've been wronged. But to make Leo fall, we have to let him have everything first. The pain will be unbearable when he loses it all. That's how we'll get your revenge!" But the one who was losing everything, the one whose pain was unbearable… that was me. A year ago, when Leo first joined the company, he’d swaggered in, vowing to "rectify the workplace," and made me, the VP, his first victim. I asked him to print a document; he said he was hired to work, not be an errand boy. I asked my assistant for coffee; he snatched it and threw it in my face, telling me to do my own chores. Later, when I was on the verge of closing a multi-million-dollar deal, he refused to release the company seal, accusing me of trying to embezzle corporate assets. The client walked, and a month of sleepless nights went down the drain. I mentioned it to Stella, and she decided to get even for me, orchestrating this grand "setup." To destroy a man, first let him swell with pride. In the beginning, whenever Stella praised Leo with backhanded compliments, she’d always shoot me a conspiratorial wink. I’d stifle a laugh and play along, pretending to be crushed, which only fueled Leo’s ego. But slowly, the act became real. Stella's praise for Leo started to sound like genuine admiration. Her indifference and dismissiveness towards me felt less and less like a performance. A year ago, I lost my VP position. A week ago, my sister had a heart attack, triggered by the stress of seeing her future sister-in-law buying a house for another man. The surgery had a 100% success rate, but she died because her useless brother couldn't scrape together the fee. And now, the woman in front of me, my girlfriend, had changed somewhere along the way. A wave of utter desolation washed over me. "Stella, we—" The words should break up were on the tip of my tongue when her phone rang. The caller ID read "My Dearest Leo." Stella opened the car door, stepping outside to take the call. She never used to hide her calls from me; she’d put them on speaker to avoid any misunderstanding. Afterwards, she’d mock Leo's arrogance and swear she only loved me. Now, she leaned against the car door, her fingers toying with the hem of her blouse, a sweet smile on her face. Then, her voice rose in feigned surprise. "Your foot is still injured! Don't come looking for me!" The next moment, I saw a tall, thin figure limping into the parking garage. Stella rushed to meet him, catching him in her arms. Leo’s eyes found me in the passenger seat, and a cruel, triumphant smile spread across his face. He quickened his pace and yanked me out of the car. "Owen, who said you could sit in Stella's car? Can you afford to replace the leather seats if you get them dirty? Don't tell me you were trying to borrow money from her again. Sucking your ex-girlfriend dry… are you even a man?" As if to assert his dominance, he expertly slipped his hand into Stella's pocket, pulled out her phone, and unlocked it. Seeing the reversed transaction, he threw the phone to the ground. "Stella! I try to be considerate of you, but you're still hung up on your ex! Forget it, you don't have to take me to the doctor. I'd rather my leg just break!" He turned to leave in a huff. Stella, the decisive, formidable CEO, stood there, unable to argue. She started to chase after him, then stopped abruptly. She turned back, took my hand, and gave it a gentle shake, her voice earnest. "Owen, just two more days. Please, just bear with it for two more days. I'll make it up to you, I promise." It was her favorite way to get what she wanted from me, a display of vulnerability that used to fill my heart with tenderness. Now, it only filled me with disgust. Before I could pull my hand away, she was already gone, chasing after Leo. I stood there, motionless, wiping the back of my hand on my shirt. But Stella, in two days, I'll be gone. And I’m not taking you with me. 2 After leaving the garage, I quickly met the buyer and got the money for Annie's cremation. By the time I carried her ashes home, night had fallen. Stella wasn't there. But for the first time in months, she sent me a message, telling me she was staying at the hospital to take care of Leo because his leg was hurting too much. The last time she’d bothered to tell me her whereabouts was ages ago. For the first time, I didn't feel a pang of jealousy or demand compensation. I just opened my work software and submitted my resignation. It sat there, pending approval. I put my phone down and ignored it. With only two days left, I needed to pack. I’d go to the office tomorrow to tie up loose ends. Seven years of my life, condensed into a single 20-inch suitcase. The next morning, I was still asleep when a sharp knock woke me. It was Stella's assistant. She saw the packed suitcase and paused. "Mr. Hayes, are you going on a trip?" "Yes." She didn't press further. "Ms. Marshall would like you to come with me." I wanted to refuse, but the bodyguards behind her made it clear it wasn't a request. Our destination was a bridal boutique. Stella greeted me with a beaming smile, pulling me into a fitting room. She held up a custom-tailored suit and began to dress me, her head bowed as she fastened my tie. Looking down at the top of her head, I felt a strange sense of detachment. To make her "setup" convincing, she had maintained a physical distance from me, claiming she had to fool herself before she could fool others. As she fastened my cufflinks, she suddenly stopped. "Where's your watch?" Before I could answer, she chuckled lightly. "Oh, right. You probably put it back in its box for safekeeping." "My handsome Owen looks so dashing in a suit like this!" she cooed. "I've already had our wedding designed. It's a seaside ceremony, just like you always wanted, with a flower arch for Annie. She can be our flower girl, how does that sound?" Her words were soft and gentle, but they pierced my ears like needles. I clenched my fists, remembering Annie's last moments, her tear-filled eyes as she asked me, "Brother, why hasn't sister-in-law come to save me yet?" I remembered how Stella used to adore Annie, fussing over her health, telling her bedtime stories for hours without a hint of fatigue. Marrying Stella had once been my ultimate dream. A dream that would now never come true. "Stella, the wedding—" She smiled sweetly, placing a finger on my lips. "Our plan is almost complete. Tomorrow is Leo's birthday. I'm going to announce his termination in front of everyone. The house, the car—all of it will be reclaimed through legal action. He’s gotten used to a life of luxury; he won't even eat at a restaurant that isn't five-star. I can't wait to see what he does when he has nothing, when anyone can step on him. Let's see him try to 'rectify the workplace' then!"
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "384368", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel