Misery Loves Company Novels & Stories

"Alexia, don't take any of the company's holiday bonus boxes. You're not one of us—there's nothing for you." My manager, Kevin Davis, delivered the notice coldly, as if he were commenting on the weather—routine, impersonal. My hand stilled on the mouse. "The rest of you, come with me. We're heading to the company gala to collect your million-dollar bonuses!" My colleagues filed out in high spirits. I watched their retreating backs and answered with a bitter, "Okay." I was a contract worker. For seven years, I had always been the odd one out in the department. Our ID badges said it all—blue for full-time employees, gray for me. Time off was no different. Full-time employees had weekends; I got one day off a month. As for pay and benefits, they enjoyed meal allowances, housing subsidies, team outings, afternoon snacks, holiday gifts, year-end bonuses… I received a fixed salary of three thousand dollars a month. I sat down, opened my computer, and returned to the candlestick charts of my stocks. They didn't know that I was the company's largest anonymous individual shareholder. And they certainly didn't know that tonight, at the company gala, I would step onto the stage as the new Chairman—and my very first proposal would be to lay off their entire department.

When I submit my resignation letter, my boyfriend, Daniel Carter, happens to have an arm around the new intern, Kimberley Lester, while teaching her how to secure a deal that's worth ten million dollars. After he's done with his lesson, he finally spares my resignation letter a glance. "What are you on about this time, my dearest sales champion?" I reply calmly, "I've already transferred all details of the company's clientele to others. I don't want any bonuses and commissions of this quarter. In fact, I've already had the finance department recall the funds and list it as the company's funds." Daniel is stunned for a moment. But he still thinks that I'm trying to gain his attention by sacrificing my own benefits. "You don't want money, huh? Then what do you want? You want me to fire Kimmy? Or you want me to give you some of the company's shares?" He passes a cup of coffee to me, thinking that I'll act the same way I did in the past—that I'll endure everything and keep working my ass off for the sake of my sales team. But I just shake my head. Now, I just want Daniel to watch his company fall into bankruptcy.

"I can't wait anymore. Make love to me, Damien. I want you. Now!. After the death of Richard Hale, the fate of the Hale Hotels was left in the hands of Richard’s firstborn son, Adrian Hale. But when Adrian found out about the company’s seemingly unending debts, he was desperate to find ways to pay the debts and keep the company. Scrambling to save his family’s company, Adrian Hale was shocked when the young billionaire hotel magnate Damien Cross approached him with a deal. It was to buy his company, call off his company’s creditors and let him lead it in exchange for his sister’s hand in marriage. Furious at the deal, Adrian was worried about his sister having a long-time boyfriend and tried to find another way to fight bankruptcy. Following his grandfather’s request about being married, the billionaire Damien Cross was set to find a perfect wife…or groom. He was gay, and that was the problem. Upon seeing the opportunity in the youngest daughter of Richard Hale, he thought that he could finally be at peace and get married even though it was against his own will. But then everything changed when the oldest son of Richard Hale barged into his office and led him to discover a better deal.

My wife, Vivian Lane, is the wealthiest woman. Her assistant had made it clear he had three "do-not-disturb" rules: no messages after work, no calls on weekends, and absolutely no contact when he was in a bad mood. Because of this, the company lost a major deal—one worth over a hundred million. Yet the assistant looked completely unbothered. "Sorry, I had no idea one phone call could make such a difference. If something goes wrong and I have to be the one to take the blame, fine—I'm just another cog in the machine." My wife snapped, "Who said anything about blaming you? You did exactly what you were told." She shot me a look of pure irritation. "You take the profits from the project, and when things fall apart, you dump it on the regular employees? Is that how you run a business? If your company folds over something this small, it just proves you're not fit to be in charge." It suddenly clicked, and I let out a quiet laugh. So she thought this project belonged to my company? I didn't bother correcting her. To be honest, I couldn't really hold it against her—after all, it wasn't my company going under.

Anastasia Arlington was not the same woman she had been when she had first met Vincenzo . She had grown to become someone strong who people looked up to . She was not the naive wife who had married him because she did not have any other choice . She was the face of his company . The company that had been in his family for years was finally hers . She had not let love define her and blind her . Only she could think about things of the best interest to her and taking the company was what she needed . Not because sye loathed her husband or anything but to be quite fair he had robbed her of the perfect fairly tale. Did the perfect fairytale exist ? She heard a knock on her door and wondered who it was when she did nit have a meeting scheduled. "Vincenzo what a nice surprise , I thought you had chemo right now ?",she asked him as she stood up . He looked disheveled, no longer the man she had once married . The man that every woman in New York wanted to be seen with . Now he was scrawny and looked like each breathe would surprisingly be his last . "I was headed there until I got the news that you bought shares and threw me out of my company ",said Vincenzo and Anna just chuckled .

At the company's annual gala, the CEO announced that this year's top sales performer would receive a two-million-dollar year-end bonus. I was the top performer. However, my manager called me into his office the very next day and explained that the company was cutting costs and improving efficiency. As a result, my bonus had to be reduced. I initially assumed everyone's bonus was being cut. Then, I found out I was the only one getting shortchanged. Even worse, they handed my position to a useless coworker who could barely do the job. I understood everything immediately. 'So this is how it is. You're tossing me aside after you got what you wanted from me.' Fine. I stopped putting in any effort from that day forward. I clocked in, did the bare minimum, and watched the company slowly fall apart. Sales began to drop month after month. Even the major clients I had already secured began withdrawing their investments. That was when the CEO finally panicked. He showed up at my front door, begging me to fix things. I kicked the door open and looked down at him. "You think a garbage company like yours deserves my help?"

After I help my boyfriend register his company and successfully land his first deal, he finally decides to make our relationship public. But his junior from college, who's always had this weird hostility toward me for no reason, beats me to it by sliding into the seat next to him. She leans against my boyfriend's chest, her voice smug and satisfied. "Didn't you say you'd wait until the company officially launched? So why the rush now?" My boyfriend says nothing. Instead, he hands her a share certificate and announces to the entire room that she's the company's largest shareholder. The room explodes. Everyone starts whistling and cheering them on. The junior takes the opportunity to kick me while I'm down, throwing insults my way. My boyfriend doesn't just fail to stop her. He actually joins in with his own snide remarks. "Sure, you helped me set up the company and brought in our first client, but she's the one who can actually take us somewhere." I don't get angry. I graciously acknowledge the junior's new position. I want to see how far they would get without me, their biggest asset and most valuable connection.

He was a boy who loves to play with fire, and she was the perfect match. Kat was up against the world alone until she met Surge, a boy who was rough around the edges and she got swept up into his world.

Eve is left with no choice other than getting married to Jason who is arrogant and has not an iota of respect for her. Eve is in need of changing the poor status of her family and Jason needs to secure his company by getting a wife. Their marriage is built on pretence and deceit for the sake of keeping his company and her family's new wealth. However, things change the minute Jason finds out Eve was a virgin the next morning after their first sex.

Rain had a one night stand with a stranger after she found out about her cheating boyfriend that lasted for three years. The day after, she was instructed by her parents to sign a contract in compensation for her upbringing misfortune to their family. That contract is a marriage certificate. She got married without meeting her husband. Three years later, she was called at the company that she's applying. Not knowing that the boss of this company is her husband and the stranger who's the father of her triplets.