Chapter 5

I picked up Karina's business card and agreed without hesitation. "Alright. I'm in."

"Perfect!"

She sprang to her feet, and her eyes were bright with delight. "I'll have my assistant send the offer to your email right away. Once you're discharged, come straight over and pick your office."

After a few more reminders to rest and heal, she turned around on her heels and left in a whirlwind.

The echo of her footsteps had barely faded when the door to the ward was kicked open.

Stacie stormed in and, without uttering a single word, flung her designer handbag in my face. When I dodged it, she furiously pressed on and screamed at me, "Reuben! Are you blind?"

With her hands on her hips, she stood at the foot of the bed, and her meticulously made-up face was twisted with rage.

"Did you not see my messages? Half the app backend has crashed, and Tory can't handle anything, but you're lying here playing dead!"

Leaning against the headboard, I watched her hysterical display and found it almost laughable. "Can't you see? I'm hospitalized."

"Hospitalized or not, get your ass back to the office right now—as long as you're not dead!"

She lunged forward to grab the collar of my hospital gown and fixed me with a ferocious glare. "You're deliberately holding onto the only backend admin access, just to extort money and control me, aren't you? Transfer the access to Tory right now!"

I yanked my gown back and spat out a cold word. "No."

Her fury stalled for a moment. Then, as if something occurred to her, she forced a sweet smile and reached for my hand.

"Calm down, Reuben. Once the company goes public and the app starts making a profit, you'll surely benefit. I've kept everything you've done for the company close to heart."

I turned my head away from her hand and couldn't help but scoff. "Close to your heart? In that case, why don't I own a single share of the company? Why did you give this year's project bonus to Tory instead?"

The smile on her face stiffened before she started stammering, "W-We're married. What's mine is yours, and what's yours is mine. Why are you suddenly trying to draw a line in the sand?"

"What's yours is mine?"

I raised my voice and could feel my anger boiling over in my chest. "I've worked for your company for three years, and I've never received a single paycheck.

"My payroll is tied to your bank account, so the money gets transferred out the moment it comes in on payday. I even have to submit a request just to top up phone credit. Is that what you call mine?"

I grabbed the divorce papers from under the pillow and held them out to her.

"Let's get a divorce, Stacie. I won't hand over the backend access. That technology is mine, so you and your team aren't getting anywhere near it."

Stacie's smile finally shattered, and her expression darkened to a gloomy shade. "You wouldn't dare! I won't agree to a divorce!"

"You won't agree?"

I curled my lips and took another contact from the file my lawyer had prepared. "Either sign the divorce papers, or sign this equity transfer contract and give me 5% of the company's shares once it's completed. Then I'll grant you access."

Stacie stared at the words "5% equity". After weighing the massive profits from the upcoming IPO, she hesitated briefly before gritting her teeth.

"Fine! I'll sign!"

She grabbed the pen and barely glanced at the divorce terms tucked into the contract before signing her name with a few quick strokes.

That was when the ward door was kicked open again.