All Chapters of Lost the Company for “True Love”: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

Adrian Cole was already losing patience.“Claire Bennett, are you done yet? Is this really worth making such a scene over? Just pay the penalty, and I’ll transfer it back to you later. Happy now?”He glanced at Rebecca Shaw, his tone softening.“She’s new. If you embarrass her on her first day, how is she supposed to manage the team?”I looked at him.So her dignity mattered.Mine didn’t.Rebecca smirked at me.“Didn’t you hear Mr. Cole, Claire?”She tapped the payroll report in her hand.“I’ve reviewed your records. Top performer? That’s a joke. The AI payroll system is completely objective. If you’re only getting the minimum base salary every month, that means you’re not contributing anything meaningful.”She crossed her arms, her voice turning sharp.“People like you sit around doing nothing while collecting a paycheck. Honestly, you should’ve been fired a long time ago. Mr. Cole kept you out of kindness. A ten-thousand-dollar penalty is already generous.”I looked at Adrian, holdin

Chapter 2

Every year, I brought in millions in contracts for the company.And every month, I chose to take the lowest base salary.Because I believed what belonged to Adrian belonged to me too.As long as the company was doing well, that was enough.I never expected that decision to be used against me.Fine.If they wanted numbers, I’d give them numbers.The audit would take two days.During those two days, I stopped working completely.Every order I was handling stayed on hold. When I got bored, I played games. When I was tired, I just leaned back and rested.Rebecca couldn’t stand it.She slammed her hand on my desk.“Claire Bennett, do you have zero work ethic? This is an office, not your living room.”I looked up at her, annoyed.“You’re in finance. Why are you acting like you run the company? Anyone watching would think you’re the CEO.”Someone nearby laughed.Rebecca’s face turned dark.“You still haven’t paid the penalty from earlier. Pay it now.”When I didn’t respond, her tone got sharp

Chapter 3

I read the audit result again and again.It still didn’t make sense.I had brought in nearly eighty percent of the company’s contracts. Under any normal commission structure, I should have earned millions every year.So how did I end up owing the company money?There was only one explanation.Someone had tampered with the calculation.I looked at Adrian Cole.He looked back at me with undisguised contempt.“Claire Bennett, I hope this teaches you where you stand.”His voice was cold.“Don’t test my patience again. I won’t push this further. Apologize to Rebecca. If she’s willing to let it go, things can go back to normal.”I clenched my hands and slowly shook my head.“Adrian, I will never apologize to her.“And I will never accept this result.”I looked him straight in the eye.“I’m going to find out exactly what you did.”Under their mocking stares, I turned and walked out.I called the AI audit appeals line. After a long wait, I finally got an answer.The problem came from an agreem

Chapter 4

Adrian and Rebecca were even more careless than I expected.It didn’t take long for me to collect everything I needed.Then I requested a new payroll audit.The result came out on the same day as the company gala.Perfect timing.I sat in a quiet corner of the ballroom and waited for the show to start.A wave of whispers swept through the room when Adrian walked in with Rebecca on his arm.She wore a custom designer gown and looked ready to be admired. Almost every man in the room turned to look.People quickly surrounded them.“Mr. Cole and Ms. Shaw look amazing together.”“What a perfect pair.”“With you two here, the rest of us are just background.”Adrian clearly enjoyed it.At the crowd’s urging, he even linked arms with Rebecca and drank a toast.Not long after, a business partner called him away.Rebecca’s gaze swept through the room.The moment she spotted me, her eyes lit up.She walked over quickly.“Claire, as far as I know, you weren’t invited tonight.”She looked me up and

Chapter 5

By now, the whole room was watching.People pulled out their phones and started recording.“This is insane. Rebecca is Mr. Cole’s mistress, and she still had the nerve to act that arrogant?”“I saw her showing off in front of Claire earlier. Shameless.”“A cheating husband and his mistress picked the wrong woman to mess with.”Rebecca’s face went stiff.Her eyes darted around, and within seconds, she found a way out.“I didn’t know Mr. Cole was married to Claire.”Her voice trembled just enough.“No one in the company knew. I was lied to too.”She covered her mouth, tears gathering in her eyes.“I’m not the other woman. I’m a victim.”For a moment, the room hesitated.Adrian and I had kept our marriage private for years. No one in the company knew. And the company did have a rule against managers dating subordinates.Some people began to soften.“If Adrian lied to her, then maybe she really didn’t know.”“As long as she didn’t knowingly get involved with a married man, the real problem

Chapter 6

I tilted my head and smiled at him.“Then call them.”The room went quiet again.I looked at Adrian and said clearly,“You know exactly why the last audit came out that way.“You submitted the agreement we signed during our marriage. I gave up my commissions to help your company survive. I took only a base salary for years.”My voice cooled.“And you repaid me by cheating on me, humiliating me, and treating me like a fool.”I pointed at the screen.“Now I have proof our marriage has broken down. The agreement is no longer valid, so everything has been recalculated.“Adrian, you lost.“Everything here is what you owe me.”His face turned red with rage.For a long moment, he could only point at me.Then he finally snapped.“Claire, you investigated me behind my back? You’re disgusting.“I don’t accept this result. I’ll appeal. I’ll demand another audit.”His voice grew louder.“The company is mine. I will never hand it over to you.”Rebecca finally recovered too.Standing beside him, she

Chapter 7

The day after the gala, I completed all the paperwork for the company transfer.When I walked back into the office, I found Adrian still sitting in the CEO’s office, refusing to leave.I frowned.Everything had already been finalized. There was nothing left to argue about.When Adrian saw me, he forced his expression to soften.“Claire, I know you’re angry. I was wrong about Rebecca. I’ll cut her off completely.”He stepped closer, lowering his voice.“Let’s stop this. Give the company back to me, and we can go back to how things were.”He paused, as if offering something valuable.“I’ll make our relationship public.”For a second, I almost thought I had misheard him.Then I laughed.“Adrian, where do you get the confidence to say something like that?“When I was willing to give you respect, you didn’t value it.“Now you’ve lost everything, and you still think you get to negotiate with me?”I looked him up and down.“Do yourself a favor. Take a look in the mirror. Do you really think I

Chapter 8

After taking over the company, I spent the next few days going through every department.Then I made changes.The people who had been coasting on connections were removed.The ones who actually did the work were promoted.I adjusted the reward system and increased commissions for high performers.At first, everyone had been nervous.They thought the company would fall into chaos after the leadership change.But within days, things stabilized.No layoffs.Better incentives.Clear structure.For the first time, people felt like their work actually mattered.Morale rose almost overnight.A few days later, Rebecca made her move.Just as I expected.She reported the company for tax violations and showed up with investigators.But after several rounds of checks, nothing came up.The accounts were clean.The acting finance manager had already sorted out the messy records left behind.Rebecca stood there, stunned.Before she could react, I called the police.“I’d like to report someone for mal

Chapter 9

Adrian looked nothing like the man he used to be.His suit was wrinkled, his eyes dull, the confidence that once defined him completely gone.When he spoke, his voice was hesitant, almost pleading.“Claire… I miss you.”He swallowed, like the words were hard to get out.“I lost my way for a while, but I know I was wrong now. Please forgive me. I won’t make you angry again.”There was a time when that tone alone would have softened me.Now, I didn’t even want to look at him.“Adrian,” I said calmly, “we have nothing to do with each other anymore.”“Go wherever you want. Just don’t stand in my way.”I stepped past him.But he grabbed my arm, unwilling to let go.“Claire, I finally understand. You were the one who truly cared about me.”His grip tightened.“I’ll treat you right from now on. After everything we’ve been through, you can’t just let it all go, can you?“Let’s start over. The company is yours. I don’t want anything anymore. I just want to stay by your side. Please.”I pulled m

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