The Ex-Husband's Costly Gamble

Tags: Scheming Secretary, Rigged Raffle, Anniversary Gala Drama, Revenge Resignation At the company’s tenth anniversary gala, my husband’s secretary drew the raffle tickets. When it was time to draw the grand prize, the secretary drew his own name. My husband asked what prize he wanted. He pointed straight at the bracelet on my wrist. I flatly refused. How could my personal jewelry be offered as a company prize? The secretary immediately whined to my husband, "That bracelet is a limited edition. There's only one in the world." My husband gestured for me to hand the bracelet over. I stood my ground and argued back, but he slapped me across the face in front of everyone. "It’s just a bracelet. Don't ruin the mood of the gala tonight." I smiled faintly, took off the bracelet, and handed it to the secretary. That bracelet was a wedding gift from my husband. I had treasured it for ten years. Now, I was ready to throw away both the bracelet and him. I forced a polite smile. "Have fun, everyone. I won't stay. I still have a contract to review, and the client is rushing me." Under the scrutiny of everyone's eyes, I turned and walked away. Behind me came Miles's mocking laughter. "A grown man, so petty he can't even part with an old bracelet." Chloe asked with feigned distress, "Mr. Miller, do you think Isaac is mad at me?" "He wouldn't dare," Miles declared arrogantly. Stepping out of the banquet hall, I took a deep breath. My chest felt crushed under a suffocating weight. I never imagined Miles would humiliate me publicly just to indulge a secretary. In his eyes, what was I even worth? Back in my office, I numbly finished my pending tasks. Then I dialed an old friend. "Rachel, is your company still hiring?" Her interest was instantly piqued. "Wait, are you quitting? You're welcome here anytime! Honestly, your talent is being wasted there." Rachel and I used to be colleagues. Back when the firm had an open promotion, I voluntarily stepped aside. Miles had just started his company and begged me to help him. For his sake, I gave up my own career and became his most reliable right hand. After years of hard work, the company had grown into an impressive firm, but I had been reduced to an unwanted veteran. Miles complained that I was getting old, out of touch with modern trends, and he stopped assigning me crucial tasks. Some employees even whispered behind my back, mocking me for riding his coattails to a position I didn't deserve. Meanwhile, Rachel's career had soared. She was already an executive managing director. On the drive home, the pale band on my left wrist left by years of wearing that bracelet was glaringly obvious. A wave of bitter sorrow washed over me. Miles had put that bracelet on me himself on our wedding day. He said he had searched everywhere for it, hoping it would stay by my side and keep me company whenever he couldn't. I treated it like a priceless treasure, never taking it off once. Yet today, simply because Chloe asked for it on a whim, he demanded I give it away. A ten-year marriage. In the end, I had nothing left to show for it. If that was the case, there was no reason to waste my life staying by Miles's side. The moment I walked through the front door, Miles called. "I'm not coming home for dinner tonight. It's a company party. Just figure out something on your own." I answered flatly, "Got it." "Look, it's just a bracelet. Is it really worth pouting over? If you like it that much, I'll buy you another one later." Before I could answer, he hung up. He was right. It was just a bracelet. Since his heart was no longer mine, why should I obsess over a piece of jewelry? A bitter smile touched my lips. I opened a cup of instant ramen and poured boiling water over it. Miles used to work tirelessly, often forgetting to eat. I spent years finding ways to cook nutritious meals for him, nagging him to eat properly. He always brushed me off, saying home-cooked meals were too much hassle and instant noodles were fine. The pantry was always stocked with instant noodles, but I never let him eat them. In the end, all those noodles went into my stomach. Once, during a major company launch, the whole team worked late into the night. There wasn't enough time to order takeout, so instant noodles were handed out to everyone. The second Miles saw the ramen on Chloe's desk, he blew his top. "Isaac, how could you feed Chloe this junk? He's a core member of this team!" Before I could explain, Miles dragged Chloe out to a five-star hotel buffet nearby. The noodles in my mouth suddenly tasted rancid. My stomach turned with nausea. I dumped the cup into the trash can and cooked myself a proper, hearty meal. From now on, I was going to take care of myself.Miles didn't return until near midnight. Chloe was supporting him, half-drunk, as they stumbled through the door. "Isaac, Mr. Miller drank quite a bit tonight. Take good care of him." I reached out to take Miles from Chloe, but Miles shoved my hands away. "Get off me!" He turned toward Chloe, his drunken eyes soft and flirtatious. "Chloe, stay and have another drink with me..." Chloe leaned close, whispering against his ear, "Mr. Miller, don't be impatient. I'll drink with you tomorrow." His breath brushed over Miles's ear, causing Miles to instantly melt, resting his entire weight against Chloe's shoulder. The ear was one of Miles's most sensitive spots, and Chloe clearly knew how to play him. The sight before me burned my eyes. I yanked Miles away. "Chloe, you can leave now." Holding Miles close, his signature cologne momentarily clouded my judgment. I guided him onto the bed. Looking at his flushed, handsome face from the alcohol, I couldn't resist leaning down to kiss him. Miles instinctively responded at first. Then his eyes fluttered open. The second he realized it was me, he shoved me away violently. Sobered up by the shock, his expression darkened. "What do you think you're doing? I'm not feeling well tonight." With that, he steadied himself and headed straight into the bathroom. I sat on the edge of the bed in defeat, any warmth completely extinguished by his icy rejection. Ever since Chloe became his personal assistant, he had refused to be intimate with me. When Miles emerged from the shower, he had sobered up completely. Glancing at the dishes on the dining table, his lips curved into a sarcastic smirk. "Oh, eating this well by yourself? Here I was, worried you hadn't eaten, so I brought you takeout. Guess I was wasting my time." With that, he glanced at a plastic bag sitting near the entryway. The crumpled bag sat in the corner like forgotten trash. I opened it. Inside were some cold, leftover prawns and crab claws. Yet I was severely allergic to shellfish and had never eaten seafood in my life. Seeing my furrowed brow, Miles snapped impatiently. "I went out of my way to bring you food, and that's the face you make?" I clenched my fists until my nails dug into my palms, my voice dead cold. "I'm allergic to shellfish." Miles glanced at the food inside the bag, his face tightening uncomfortably. He hurriedly explained, "Chloe loves seafood, so we ordered mostly seafood tonight. Since you already ate, just throw it out if you don't want it." I remembered a time years ago when I accompanied Miles to a business dinner and accidentally ate something containing shrimp. My face swelled up instantly, and I went into anaphylactic shock on the spot. Miles had been furious, chewing out the client right then and there. After that, he strictly ordered everyone around us never to order seafood when I was present. He used to love me to his core. But the person he cared about now was no longer me. Miles ignored me, heading into the bedroom and shutting the door, locking me out. We had survived the seven-year itch, only to stumble and fall at our tenth anniversary. Staring at the closed door, I fell into deep thought.Miles and I were college sweethearts. We fell in love at first sight during Freshman Orientation Week. Even back then, Miles stood out from the crowd. While others were busy gaming and partying, he used his sharp business instincts to run small ventures across campus. By graduation, while our peers were anxiously handing out resumes, he had already founded his own tech startup. I admired his ambition and supported him unconditionally. Until one day, he complained to me that building a business was too brutal, that he was running into dead ends everywhere. Without hesitation, I quit my promising corporate job and went to his side. I didn't care about money, and I didn't care about fame. I only wanted him to achieve his dream. Now, he was indeed a celebrated young CEO, while I had lost everything I once held dear. The next morning, I arrived at the office on time. As usual, I walked into the breakroom to pour some coffee. At the doorway, I overheard a group of colleagues gossiping excitedly. "Did you hear? Mr. Miller said yesterday he's granting Chloe ten percent of the company shares. Is that for real?" "Mr. Miller always follows through. When has he ever gone back on his word?" "Chloe is his handpicked executive assistant. Of course he's treated differently." "I just feel bad for Isaac. After all these years at the company, he got nothing." ... Hearing their words sent sharp spasms of pain through my chest. My knuckles turned white around the mug. Noticing me enter, the group scattered like startled birds, not daring to say another word. In a daze, I went to pour the coffee. My hand trembled, and boiling water splashed across my skin. With a sharp crash, the mug slipped from my fingers, shattering against the floor. I couldn't believe it was true. I had to hear it from Miles myself. I turned on my heel and stormed toward his office. Pushing the door open, I found Chloe gently massaging Miles's temples. Chloe cooed softly, "Mr. Miller, is the pressure okay?" Miles looked thoroughly relaxed, a softened, pleased smile playing on his face. When I barged in, Miles's expression instantly hardened. "Haven't you read the employee handbook? Entering the CEO's office without permission is a violation. Go to HR and pay the fine." A bitter laugh rose in my chest. To help him manage the company, I had drafted that very handbook myself. Now, he was using it against me. Unable to suppress the fury inside me any longer, I raised my voice. "Miles, on what grounds are you giving Chloe ten percent of the company's shares? What has he ever contributed to this company?" Miles looked up at me, his gaze dripping with disdain, as if looking at an unruly pet. He smirked coldly. "Isaac, who told you that?" I slammed my hands onto his desk, my eyes bloodshot. "It doesn't matter who told me! Just tell me if it's true!" "And what if it is? It's my company. I can give shares to whoever I want. Who are you to question my decisions? Isaac, know your place. In this company, my word is final." His tone was suffocatingly condescending. I stood frozen, completely at a loss for words. When I helped him launch this business, I never asked for a single share. I had always believed that loving someone meant giving everything without reservation, so I never brought up money. Now, with the company gearing up for an IPO, even a fraction of equity meant millions of dollars. He could casually hand Chloe a ten percent stake, yet I didn't even own a single percent. Standing beside him, Chloe looked up at Miles with a wounded expression. "Mr. Miller, maybe you should take it back. Isaac is upset. I haven't earned it, I really shouldn't take it." Miles patted Chloe's hand reassuringly. "Who says you haven't earned it? Just having you around makes me feel years younger. That's your contribution. Unlike him—a petty man who only cares about getting his hands on my assets. Let me make this clear: I built this company, and it has nothing to do with you. You're getting old, yet instead of focusing on your work, all you do is throw jealous tantrums." Miles looked at me with open disgust, as if I were a piece of filth. "Get out." My ears rang with a deafening buzz. My mind went completely blank, the world around me fading into silence. In his eyes, this company—the one I had bled and sweat for—had nothing to do with me. I walked out of his office in a daze, every organ in my chest aching as though crushed under a truck. Returning to my desk, I could feel the pitying stares from the people around me. Just then, Rachel's call came in. "Isaac, how are things going on your end? I happen to have an open management spot waiting for you." I took a deep breath, gathered my composure, and spoke calmly. "I'll report in three days."