Library
Search
Short
He Helped Me Fail 99 Times

He Helped Me Fail 99 Times

Short Story · Romance
By:  E. L. KnoxCompleted
Language: English
goodnovel4goodnovel
9Chapters
5.1Kviews
Read
Add to library

Share:  

Report
Overview
Catalog
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP

Synopsis

Winning Back the Wife

Unattainable Love

Bias

Melodramatic

Tragic Love

Regret

The explosion wiped out my parents—and their company. All I had left was some insurance cash and a pile of patents nobody cared about. I begged their old partners to back me. Crickets. Then Alex Ross strolled in, played the hero no one asked for, and proposed. Five years deep into our marriage, after my 99th FDA rejection, I finally cracked. I was in the garage when I heard his phone on speaker. Mark's voice came through: "Dude, you're still handing Lily Emma's blueprints before she even files? How many times has she flopped now? Girl's relentless, huh?" Alex? Straight-up ice. "Ninety-nine. She'll quit soon." "You're really tanking your wife to boost Lily's brand? Worth it?" "Lily's launching her new product tomorrow at the Boston Medical Summit. Patent number 100. Watching her blow up from nothing... makes me proud." "But it's all Emma's stuff. Your dad made you marry her for her brain, didn't he?" "Don't bring up my father." His voice turned sharp. "He forced me to dump Lily. I just played along." I sank into the driver's seat, frozen. I wasn't a partner. Just a pawn—revenge bait for his dad and backup fuel for his ex.

View More

Latest chapter

More Chapters

You may also like

Related Novels

New Release Novels

To Readers

Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.

No Comments
9 Chapters
Chapter 1
Alex stole my work 99 times to make his girlfriend famous.What he didn't know? The girl he worshipped killed my parents. And the one who saved his life when he was circling the drain? Yeah—that was me. The same girl he wrecked for five straight years.***Mark wouldn't drop it. "Emma's actually a good person. Don't you feel even a little guilty?""Guilty?" Alex started the car. "I gave her a cushy life. She should be grateful.""Lily blew you off when you tried to help her before, and now she's making bank off stolen tech. You really think she loves you? She's going after Emma on purpose.""Shut up!" Alex slammed the brakes. "She only said no to save face. Now we're equals. When the timing's right, I'll ditch Emma and go public with Lily."Mark shot back, "And Emma? You nuked five years of her life. She'll fall apart.""She won't know," he said, all calm now. "I've got it mapped out. After the divorce, I'll throw her enough cash to coast."In the end, it was just a trade. She
Read more
Chapter 2
I opened the door and just stood there.Right on the wall: a giant oil painting. Chestnut hair. Green eyes. Lily.The frame was worn—like someone kept touching it.The shelves? Packed with framed photos. All her.So every time he said he had "urgent work" in here... he was just "mourning" his ex.In the center sat a small safe. I typed in Lily's birthday. Click.No cash. No jewelry. Just piles of printed emails.My hands shook as I flipped through them. All from her:[Alex, got the stent design. It's perfect.][The valve idea is brilliant. Thank you, love.][Patent #73 approved! Love you!]He stole everything—my work, my research—and I fell for the whole act.At the bottom, an unsent draft:[Dear Lily, once patent #100 is yours, I'll propose. Legally, I'm married, but my heart's always been yours. I'll give you that dream wedding. Love you forever, Alex.]My hands wouldn't stop shaking.Five years ago, Alex said a big wedding felt "off" after my parents died. So we hit t
Read more
Chapter 3
The next morning, I rolled up to Alex's company.Right as I hit the steps, I heard her."These years... have you been okay, Alex? I loved your emails. Flew in on a private jet—got kinda lonely."His voice went soft. "You've been through a lot.""Don't." She laughed. "If it weren't for you, I'd still be scrubbing glassware. Seriously—thank you."I won't swing by your place before the launch—just in case Emma flips. She used to pity me, remember? Now that the tables turned, she might not take it well."Classic Lily. Steals everything, then cries victim.After my first FDA rejection, I asked if her product copied mine. She sued me for defamation. Almost dragged me to court. Alex hired a top lawyer and made it disappear.I thought he was protecting me.Now it just felt pathetic.Through the cracked door, I watched him pull a flash drive from his safe and hand it over."This is Emma's latest artificial heart design. With this, your launch will blow the medical world away."Lily
Read more
Chapter 4
That evening, Alex's assistant swung by for the rings and said Alex was off to Boston for work.Later that night, I got a friend request.Lily.I accepted. She sent a video.On a yacht in Boston Harbor, Alex—white tux, on one knee.Fireworks lit up the sky as they kissed and slipped on the rings.I typed four words: [Wish you the best.]Then deleted the chat.***Three days later—launch day—Alex texted, begging me to attend Lily's big event.I showed up at the Boston Convention Center. Security stopped me."Invitation?" the guard asked, all business."I'm Alex Ross's wife."He gave me a quick once-over, eyes flickering with judgment."Mrs. Ross? Without an invite, I'm afraid—"A Rolls-Royce rolled up.Lily stepped out in a designer gown. The crowd practically bowed.The guard's whole vibe flipped. He sprinted over, grinning like a fanboy."Dr. Hartway! Welcome! Everything's set just how you wanted."Lily gave a tiny nod.The guard glanced back and saw me still there
Read more
Chapter 5
A few minutes later, Alex stepped out of the hall.Lily rushed over. "Totally my fault—I forgot to send Emma the invitation. Let's head in together."He led me inside, turning to everyone nearby. "My wife's here to learn from Dr. Hartway's experience."The second he said it, the whole room iced over. I was already the "failure"—now people straight-up avoided me.Alex stuck close to Lily, walking her around like she was the main event. He kept introducing her to investors, cozying up like they were some power couple.She clung to him more than once, and yeah, it stung. Bad.The air felt thick, like I couldn't breathe. I stepped out of the restroom—and there she was. Lily, blocking my way.She clocked how pale I looked and smirked like she'd just scored. "Well, Mrs. Ross? Wild seeing you hit rock bottom."I clenched my fists, staring her down. "What's that look? Don't forget—you begged me for help with tuition fee. This is how you treat someone who had your back?"Lily dropped t
Read more
Chapter 6
"Ridiculous!" Lily shrieked. "All my research is original!"She shot Alex a desperate look.He stepped up fast. "I'm Alex Ross, Emma's husband. I can vouch—my wife had zero R&D skills. This has to be some mix-up.""Exactly!" Lily jumped in. "Emma's just bitter. She's always hated my success—this is revenge, plain and simple!"The lawyer let out a dry chuckle. "Mr. Ross, sounds like those online leaks hit a nerve."He pulled out a thick file. "Here's the tech transfer agreement signed by Ms. Emma Ellington. Ninety-nine patents—same as the ninety-nine products under Lily Hartway's company."She backed it with full R&D logs, timestamped files, original datasets. My client paid $1.5 billion for it."Gasps ripped through the room."$1.5 billion? Emma Ellington's research is worth that much?""If it was fake, who'd drop that kind of cash on it?""Hold up—there's a leak online! Look!"Someone held up their phone, screen lit with everything I'd posted.Emails. Chat logs. Patent ove
Read more
Chapter 7
Alex dropped Lily off at the hotel."Don't stress. Sleep it off. It'll all blow over by morning." He sounded more hopeful than convinced."You're not gonna ditch me, right?" She clung to his hand."Never." He gave her a quick forehead kiss. "I've gotta clean up the PR mess."Later, his driver called it the worst ride of his life. "Mr. Ross yanked the wheel and drove like a maniac. Thought we were gonna die."The mansion door slammed open. Alex charged through the house like a storm."Emma!" His voice cracked. "Come on, stop hiding. We need to talk!"Nothing but echoes.In the bedroom, her drawer hung open. The wedding photo was gone—just a dusty outline left behind. Her vanity was wiped clean, though the faint scent of jasmine still clung to the air.He bolted into the closet. Half empty. No jewelry box. The anniversary necklace—gone.The study? Stripped bare. Five years of files, lab notes, scribbled research—even the textbooks—vanished like she'd never been there.Alex sto
Read more
Chapter 8
One month later—Geneva, Switzerland.I stood in my new office, staring out at Lake Geneva."Dr. Ellington, your team's ready," my assistant said, stepping in. "Best in their fields.""Perfect." I turned, smiling. "Tell them—we start tomorrow."For the past month, I'd buried myself in research. What Alex stole? Barely scratched the surface. Out here, I was finally free. And the ideas? Endless."One more thing," she added. "There's this guy from the U.S. Been downstairs three days. Says he—""Have security deal with it.""H-He said he'll pay to see you." She dropped her voice. "Board thinks, if the offer's big enough..."I frowned. "How much?""Two hundred million. USD."I laughed—dry, bitter. Nice try, Alex.In the conference room, I barely recognized him.Alex—once the polished Wall Street golden boy—now looked wrecked. Gaunt, hollow-eyed, barely holding it together."Emma!" He stood, voice cracked."Ten minutes." I sat, all business."I know I deserve to die." Tears wel
Read more
Chapter 9
I thought turning down that $200 million "meeting fee" would finally make Alex quit.Wrong.For two weeks, he stalked me—cafés, grocery runs, even my morning lake jog.Every time, same whisper: "I'm sorry." Then poof—gone before security got close.Until time number 99.That day, he was outside my office. Clean suit, slick hair—like a ghost of the guy I used to know.In his hands? A massive bouquet of white lilies."Five minutes," he said. "Just five."Security moved. I waved them off."These are for you," he said, holding out the bouquet. "Your favorite. Remember?"I stared. Tried not to laugh.Newsflash: I'm allergic to lilies. Always have been. Took allergy meds every time he brought them home. What I actually loved? Wild daisies off the side of the road.But I played the part. Perfect wife. Perfect lie."I don't want them." I stepped back.His face fell. He chucked the bouquet into the fountain."Emma, I lied to you 99 times. This is my 99th apology." He exhaled. "Ca
Read more
View More
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status