LOGINMy fiancée of seven years, Scarlett Blair, sits on my boss' lap, peeling grapes for him. At the annual company gala, he stands on stage and beams as he deliberately awards me the title of "Most Selfless Employee". The giant screen behind him doesn't display my accomplishments. Instead, it shows surveillance footage of my fiancée in a skimpy outfit and black stockings, giving him a private work report in his office. It's taken down almost immediately and cited as a technical glitch, but the laughter that erupts throughout the hall is deafening enough to bring the roof down. In an instant, all eyes are on me, yet I smile like a blind man and walk up to the stage to accept the award. "James, a man has to be open-minded if he wants to get ahead in life. Don't you agree?" Zachary Trent pats my cheek, his eyes brimming with mockery. I nod obsequiously. "You're absolutely right, Mr. Trent. Thank you for the advice." The guests think I'm a coward, that I'm willing to swallow my pride and sacrifice every ounce of my dignity for a paltry eight grand a month. Little do they know, my phone's practically vibrating itself to pieces. Once I slip into the deserted emergency stairwell, I wipe the smile off my face and dial the phone number registered to the prestigious family compound in the capital. The call connects almost instantaneously, and a woman's lazy yet aloof voice comes through. "What's the matter? Is my husband showing off your wife in front of the entire company again?"
View MoreScarlett froze. "James, you—" I cut her off. "Mom ended up in the clinic because of you, yet you're still wearing a fake baby bump to deceive a 60-year-old woman. Do you have no conscience?" "I wasn't lying! I just wanted her to know that you abandoned—" "Shut the fuck up!" I took out my phone and pulled up a document. "Between the online loans and personal loans in your name, plus the cash advances you took out on credit cards using my ID, you owe a total of 876,300 dollars. "I've already hired a lawyer to dispute and freeze all the loans taken out using my identity. The bank has opened an investigation into the credit cards you obtained with forged signatures. Not a single cent of this debt will land on my shoulders. It all stays under your name." Scarlett blanched. "876 grand? That's impossible! I didn't borrow that much! The interest... It must've snowballed because of the interest..."I sneered. "When you were spending my money at nightclubs, why didn't you calculate th
Three days after the books were handed over, the FBI reopened its investigation into Zachary's case. The charges against him continued to pile up. Zachary went from being questioned as part of the investigation to being formally arrested and taken into custody. His legal team's request for bail was denied. On the fourth day, Sabrina took me to the detention center. The interrogation room was separated by a pane of glass. Zachary sat on the other side, his hair disheveled and stubble covering his jaw. His eyes were sunken. The moment he saw Sabrina, he leaned forward and braced his hands on the table. "Sabrina... you're my wife... We're married... You can't do this to me..." Sabrina leaned back in her chair and looked at him. "Married, you say?" Sabrina pulled out a divorce agreement demanding that Zachary surrender all his assets and pay compensation, pressing it against the glass. Zachary's eyes widened. "12 million dollars? Have you lost your mind? Where am I supposed t
I parked my car at the entrance to the alley and walked into the flea market alone. The construction supply store at the end of the alley had its metal roller shutter pulled down. The sound of chips clacking came from inside. I slipped inside. Four men were gathered around a table, gambling.The heavyset man seated at the head of the table had a scar on his face. He was none other than Zachary's cousin, Gabriel Scott. He looked up at me with a cigarette dangling from his lips. "Who the hell are you?""Mr. Trent sent me to pick something up." Gabriel's eyes shifted as he exchanged a look with the men beside him. Two thugs stood up and blocked my path.Gabriel blew out a ring of smoke and sized me up. "Didn't you hear? Mr. Trent's been arrested. Are you a cop, or did Zachary's wife send you?" "Neither. I'm James. I took over Zachary's position." Gabriel let out a derisive chuckle. "So you're the guy whose chick Zachary stole."The men beside him burst out laughing. I di
The security guards closed the door, and silence returned to the hallway. Sabrina wiped her fingers with a handkerchief and tossed it into the trash. "James," she called out, leaning against the desk and looking at me. "Zachary's position is vacant now. The company can't go a single day without someone in charge." Right after saying that, she pulled an envelope out of her bag and handed it to me. I opened it and found an official appointment letter naming me Deputy CEO of Ruth Construction Engineering Group, complete with the company's seal and all the necessary signatures. "As of today, Zachary's office, his authority, and his client connections are all yours." Sabrina gazed at me.I folded the appointment letter and slipped it into my inner pocket. By the time I left the dressing room, the news had already spread. The managers and team leaders all kept their heads down at their cubicles. I pushed open the office door. The ashtray and cups were still sitting on the desk.












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