All Chapters of When I Don't Get the Rewards I Deserve: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

Stacie Woodward's words had barely left her mouth when I knocked over my wine glass right there and then. Her expression darkened at once. "It's such a wonderful day, and you just have to ruin it for me, don't you? "Your dad's condition has been the same for years. He's managed with cheap meds, why can't it stay that way?"Stop being so selfish, Reuben Holt. Do you think my money grows on trees?"With that, she shoved a few discount coupons straight down my collar. "Today's Tory's celebration party, so I suggest you don't start trouble. Now, apologize to him, give him a toast, and we'll forget this ever happened."I almost laughed at the absurdity of her words and grabbed her wrist tight. "I wrote the algorithm and every line of code in the app by pulling all-nighters. "Tory's just a PR manager who doesn't know anything about tech development, yet you're making me apologize to him. He isn't even worthy of my apology."The next second, Stacie slapped me hard across the face. "

Chapter 2

Stacie's words broke me.To build that app and push Frostward Corporation toward an IPO, I had spent three straight months barely sleeping more than three hours a night.After pulling all-nighters daily like a night watchman, I had landed myself in the hospital more than ten times. But to her, all of that meant less than a man who talked pretty and took credit for other people's work.Just as I opened my mouth to argue, my phone suddenly rang. When I picked up, Mom's desperate pleas came from the other end of the line."Reuben, your dad's asthma has flared up again, and he's back in the hospital. The doctors say that if he doesn't switch to that best medicine soon, he may not make it much longer."You know how it is at home. I don't have a job, and our savings are completely tapped out from all these years of medical bills for your dad."You mentioned that you'd get a huge bonus once the development project has succeeded. Could you… get an advance just to save his life? Please… I

Chapter 3

The room erupted in mocking laughter. Someone even whistled and egged me on."Do it, Reuben! Ten apologies for five thousand dollars is easy money!""Yeah! Why should you fight money? It's not like you've got any dignity left anyway!"The laughter lashed at me like a whip on my back, which hurt so much that I could feel my blood boiling with fury.I didn't do anything wrong. Why should I apologize?He pretentiously tugged at Stacie's sleeve, though smugness was hidden in his eyes. "Just forget it, Stacie. Reuben didn't mean it, so there's no need to take it this far…""No way!" she snapped, shaking him off. Her gaze turned vicious as she continued, "He embarrassed me in front of all these people, so he has to apologize to you today! Either drink or apologize, Reuben. You choose."I looked at the message from Mom on my phone, which read "Medical bills overdue". As I pictured Dad gasping for air on the hospital bed, my heart felt like it was being crushed by an invisible hand. T

Chapter 4

"Karina? What are you doing here?" I asked.Karina Sherman walked to the side of the bed and set the fruit she was carrying on the nightstand. Her eyes were full of reproach."Why else would I be here? I had my men asking around forever before I found you here. Honestly, you're something else, Reuben. You really know how to disappear when you want to."I was still trying to process the shock of seeing her when she continued, "One of my men told me they received a résumé with such an impressive technical background that it practically glowed."I clicked on it and thought, 'Well, look at that! Isn't this the old classmate I lost to Stacie back then?'"She raised an eyebrow and didn't bother to hide the admiration in her tone. "You single-handedly built all the algorithms and backend for your app that's about to launch, right? "People in the industry have had their eyes on the tech for a while now, and only Stacie would treat a unicorn developer like a disposable intern. All she do

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 al

Chapter 6

Tory's lazy laughter drifted into the ward. "I told you I'd have to handle Reuben myself, Stacie. Look! I brought the old man for you…"I looked in the direction of his voice, and my heart clenched violently. Two hulking bodyguards were hauling Dad in between them. His face was deathly pale, his lips were tinged purple, and his breathing was so ragged that it seemed he could die at any moment. It was clearly an asthma attack.In Tory's hand, he was idly toying with a nebulizer.I demanded, "Let my dad go! Are you trying to kill him?"I struggled to rush over, but the two bodyguards charged and slammed me down, grinding my cheek into the cold floor.Tory walked over and raised his foot. Then, he stomped hard on my back, over and over with such force it felt like my spine might snap."If you want to save your dad, that's easy."He leaned in close to my ear and whispered in a vicious voice, "Give me the highest-level backend access and hand over all the technical documents. Oth

Chapter 7

"Garbage!"Stacie's voice went shrill as she slapped Tory hard across the face. Then, as if something suddenly occurred to her, she yanked out her phone and dialed my number with trembling hands.I looked at the name "Stacie Woodward" on the screen, and my finger hovered over the answer button for a moment. Then, I smirked and tapped on it.Once the call was picked up, her voice rose to a hysterical, almost deranged pitch. "Reuben! Where are you? You gave us fake access just to ruin us, didn't you? Get to the launch conference right now, or I'll never let this slide!"My voice sounded unnervingly calm against the chaotic noise of the launch conference. "What's the rush? I'm right here watching."As I spoke, I looked up at Karina beside me. There was a knowing smile in her eyes as she gave me a slight nod.Side by side, we made our way through the chaotic crowd. Some people snapped photos, others fought, and investors crowded staff members, demanding answers…Step by step, we app

Chapter 8

"You're the genius here, Reuben," Stacie said urgently. "You built that app from scratch, so you can definitely fix it, can't you? As long as you restore the backend, I'll deal with the investors."As for the past… I know I haven't treated you well, but I swear I'll change. We can settle down, and I'll even fire Tory right now, alright?"Tory let out a cry of disbelief. "Stacie! What are you saying?"Stacie didn't even hesitate to whip around and backhand him across the face. "Shut up! I'm talking to my husband, so you have no right to speak here!"I caught the flicker of pain in his eyes and couldn't help but feel a wave of bitter irony. Sure enough, no one could compare to her once she turned ruthless.She usually protected Tory like he was the apple of her eye, but if her interests were threatened, she wouldn't even hesitate to slap him. Somehow, that thought gave me a deeper chill.I took a step back to avoid her outstretched hand and flatly announced, "No. It can't be fixed.

Chapter 9

I watched Stacie completely fall apart and evenly continued, "I've had my lawyer compile all the evidence. "Tomorrow, we'll submit the report to the tax bureau and file a lawsuit against you for illegal employment practice and withholding wages. Expect a court summons, Stacie.""No! Don't!"Stacie's crying immediately amplified. She lunged at me like she was grabbing her last lifeline and clutched my arm. "I know that I've messed up, honey. I was really wrong! I was blind when I signed the divorce papers, so can we just pretend it doesn't count?"Tears, mixed with her smeared makeup, streaked her face. Her voice was thick with sobs and pleas."I shouldn't have gotten involved with Tory, withheld your pay, or forced you to do all those things… I swear I'll change all my previous behavior."Just don't send me to court or make me go bankrupt, alright? We're still married. You're my husband, and I'm your wife, so how could you be so cruel to me?"She shook my arm as if trying to

Chapter 10

All the grievances of the past three years, endurance, and the agony of seeing Dad get threatened by Stacie and Tory surged at once.I raised my foot and kicked Stacie away without mercy, so she lost her balance and crashed to the ground. When her lower back slammed into the steps, a pained grunt escaped her lips.I looked down at her pale face with a cold gaze as if I were looking at a stranger. "I'm so sick of watching you act all these years, Stacie. Perhaps our beginning was a mistake from the start."Now, I'm grateful that we can finally cut our losses in time."I took my phone from my pocket, tapped on an encrypted folder, and cast it onto the large screen for projection. Immediately, several photos appeared on the screen.All were of Stacie hugging and kissing different men at hotel entrances. The dates spanned three years that were painfully clear."And I have more than enough backups of your affairs during our marriage. If you keep harassing me, don't blame me for postin

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