My CEO Girlfriend Gave My Game of the Year Award to Her Intern, So I Walked Away

Theater: NovelMaster  |  Language: English  |  NEW

Synopsis

When the Game of the Year results were announced at The Game Awards, I was preparing to propose to my girlfriend, the studio’s CEO.
Instead, right in front of the press and blinding flashes, she placed the golden trophy directly into the hands of my intern.
"Without you, this game would never have existed."
The cameras pivoted instantly to Lucas Evans, who was standing beside me, instantly hailing him as the industry's newest prodigy.
Chloe Miller leaned in, whispering a cold warning into my ear:
"He’s new. He needs a prestigious award to jumpstart his career. Don't make a scene, Ethan. If you can't be supportive, we’re through!"
I was so furious that I actually laughed. Not only did I refuse to cover for her lie, but I also stepped down from my position as Creative Director on the spot.
I had built this entire team from scratch with my own hands. Without me, this studio wouldn't even survive its first anniversary!
Chloe walked down the stage holding the trophy, the media cameras tracking her every move.
My heart was pounding, palms slick with sweat as my fingers tightened around the velvet box hidden in my coat pocket.
Inside was the ring I had chosen to propose to her with tonight.
After seven years together, I had finally gathered the courage to ask her to marry me.
And this Game of the Year award was supposed to be my ultimate proposal gift to her.
Seeing the radiant smile on Chloe’s face, I reached out to take the award. But before my fingers could graze it, another hand shot out beside me and firmly took hold of the trophy.
"Lucas, this honor belongs to you."
Chloe brushed right past me, leaving me frozen in place, and handed the trophy to Lucas, my intern.
Her eyes were filled with uncharacteristic tenderness as she declared into the microphones:
"Without you, this game would never have existed."
A rapid barrage of camera shutters erupted instantly.
"I heard he’s a fresh graduate! A true boy genius!"
"Wait, wasn't Ethan Vance the Creative Director? Did he steal credit from his junior?"
"Definitely! Why else would Chloe Miller give the award to Lucas instead? She probably couldn't stomach someone taking credit for others' work!"
"What an insane scoop... tomorrow's headlines are going to be wild!"
Whispers spread through the crowd like wildfire. Listening to the chatter, Chloe finally deigned to glance at me.
Her face turned icy, and her hushed voice carried an unmistakable threat.
"He’s new. He needs this award on his resume. Don't be petty. If you act up right now, we’re done!"
Catching the dark expression on my face, Lucas offered me a mocking smirk from the corner of his eye.
"I could only make this game thanks to Ethan's guidance," Lucas said with feigned humility, stepping forward. "Here, Ethan, you take it."
Wearing a generous, innocent smile, he abruptly shoved the heavy trophy into my chest.
Before I could even get a proper grip, Lucas yanked his hands back. I could only watch helplessly as the golden trophy crashed against the marble floor.
Panic flared in Chloe's eyes. She turned to me, hissing with venom:
"Lucas was being considerate of you, and you can't even show a shred of gratitude? You drop it on purpose to throw a tantrum?!"
Looking at the utter disgust and annoyance in her eyes, I almost burst out laughing.
Gratitude?
I spent five years bleeding for this project, pulling all-nighters with my team, pitching to countless investors, and pouring my soul into every line of code and design. Yet with a single sentence, Chloe handed all of that credit to Lucas.
And she expected me to thank the thief who robbed me of my life's work?
Seeing me standing silently without an ounce of remorse, anger crept onto Chloe's face.
What she hated most was losing face in public. She immediately threatened:
"Apologize to Lucas right now, and I’ll let this slide! Keep giving me that stubborn attitude, and you can kiss your Director title goodbye!"
Looking at how fiercely she shielded Lucas, my heart turned completely cold.
Seven years together. Seven years of compromising, tolerating, and yielding, foolishly believing I could melt her icy heart with enough devotion.
Yet an intern who had joined the company less than three months ago received more warmth and protection from her than I ever had.
What did everything I had done for her all these years mean to her?
Back in college, when she wanted to start an indie game studio, I abandoned my finance degree and learned game design from scratch just to support her dream.
She was blunt and hot-tempered, constantly offending clients and publishers. It was me who showed up at investors' doors with coffee and gifts, smoothing things over and salvaging deals.
She wanted to be the powerful female CEO, so I happily stepped back into the Director seat, handing her the spotlight while doing all the grunt work...
When the game shot to number one across Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox within a week of release, I thought the time was finally right to propose.
I never imagined that everything I had sacrificed would be casually gifted away to someone else with a single word.
Looking at the trophy lying on the floor, the passion that had fueled me for years chilled into ash.
If that was the case, let it burn.
The game, and this seven-year relationship—I was done with both.Chloe’s patience ran out, and she gave my shoulder a hard shove.
"What are you standing there spacing out for? Apologize already!"
I let her momentum push me two steps back. Taking my hand out of my pocket, releasing the ring box, I lightly brushed off the spot where her hand had just touched my jacket.
"Apologize? He doesn't deserve it."
Chloe's expression hardened when she saw my dismissive gesture.
"What did you just say? Ethan Vance, do you really think that just because you made..."
She caught herself, quickly scanning the reporters nearby, and swallowed the rest of her sentence.
"Fine. You've been dead weight at the studio anyway—no real talent, useless at closing deals. Maybe I should just give the Creative Director position to Lucas!"
I nodded calmly.
"Sure. Give it to him. I wish him every success."
Seeing how easily I agreed, Chloe actually hesitated.
Deep down, she knew what I was capable of.
"It’s just an award," she softened her tone slightly, trying to throw me a bone. "You need to fix your temper."
In the past, whenever she showed even a hint of softness, I would readily take the out and apologize.
Not today. I was done bending over backward.
I shook my head, unclipped my keycard badge from my chest, and handed it to her.
"While you're at it, consider this my resignation."
Fury ignited in Chloe's eyes. Stunned that I hadn't backed down, her voice sharpened into a shriek.
"Fine! Resignation accepted!"
"Ethan, do you really think this company can't run without you? Don't flatter yourself!"
"Lucas is twice the talent you are! When you come crawling back on your knees begging for your job, don't expect me to take you back!"
Her words only made me want to laugh.
I built that studio from the ground up. I handpicked and trained every single member of the dev team.
Without me, that company wouldn't just stall—it would collapse!
Seeing that I didn't care in the slightest, Chloe’s face turned stormy.
"Lucas, ignore him. Pick up the trophy. We still have an exclusive interview to do."
"Let's see how many days he lasts out in the cold!"
She genuinely believed that, just like before, I would come crawling back within forty-eight hours to make amends.
This time, she was dead wrong.
When I drove back to the studio, several team members were still burning the midnight oil.
Without disturbing anyone, I quietly packed my belongings at my desk.
Even though I was the Creative Director, my desk sat in the open floor plan with everyone else; I had never had a private office.
I didn't even have a decent spot by the window. My desk was wedged into a cramped corner next to supply boxes.
When Chloe assigned it to me, she had sounded so righteous:
"Everyone knows you're with me. I have to be stricter with you so the others don't cry favoritism!"
So, I did the heaviest lifting in the company without a single perk or executive privilege.
Meanwhile, Lucas...
I glanced toward the dark private office down the hall.
Though officially my assistant, he spent all his time shadowing Chloe.
Within a month of his arrival, Chloe had him moved directly into her personal executive suite.
"Lucas needs quiet to think. The bullpen is too loud for him."
Back when I was pulling seventy-hour crunch weeks to hit release deadlines, my nerves were completely frayed, and even a dropped pen shattered my focus.
Do you know what Chloe told me back then?
"You’re a grown man, why are you being so dramatic? Instead of whining about special treatment, focus on your work!"
Some people truly never deserved your loyalty.I let out a bitter chuckle, picking up my moving box. As I headed for the exit, one of the late-night developers spotted me.
"Ethan? What are you doing back? Aren't you supposed to be at the gala accepting the award?"
The others looked up from their monitors and gathered around, excitement buzzing in their voices.
"Game of the Year is definitely ours! We were just debating what victory pose you'd make holding that trophy!"
"Seriously! Ethan spent five years leading us through the trenches to make this happen. We're definitely getting bonuses after this win, right?"
"Without Ethan, this studio wouldn't even exist! The boss should give him equity at this point!"
Every single person on the team saw my sweat and blood. The only one who treated it like trash was Chloe Miller.
We were supposed to be partners in life and work, yet she showed me less respect than a random coworker.
Under their eager gazes, I offered a weary, bitter shake of my head.
"We won the award. But I resigned."
The room went dead silent, followed by an immediate uproar as everyone asked what happened.
Without saying a word, I brought up the live stream recording on a workstation monitor.
As the playback finished, shock turned into raw, boiling outrage across their faces.
"If you're out, Ethan, I'm out too!"
"Count me in! We walk together!"
"Chloe went too far! Kicking out the main architect of the entire game to prop up her pet intern? Is she out of her mind?!"
I sighed softly, raising a hand to calm them down.
"Most of you have rent to pay, families to feed. What are you going to do, starve with me?"
Seeing their stubborn determination, I smiled faintly.
"Take your year-end bonuses first."
"I’m starting my own indie studio. If you still want to work with me when the time comes, I’ll have a desk waiting for every single one of you."
Cheers and promises echoed through the bullpen.
Over the past five years, I had earned their loyalty with every line of code we debugged together.
Chloe assumed that my position was just a gift from her, that anyone could replace me. She had no idea that I was the glue holding the entire studio together.
Before the noise died down, the office doors clicked open. Chloe and Lucas walked in.
Her arm was looped intimately around Lucas's, a triumphant smile lighting up her face. She hadn't even noticed her lipstick was smudged.
"Game of the Year is officially ours! Dinner’s on me tonight, everyone!"
Her announcement fell into an icy, suffocating silence.
Instead of the cheering she expected, the developers offered polite, muttered excuses, their eyes fixed with open contempt on Lucas, who stood awkwardly holding the trophy.
"Chloe... do they not like me?" Lucas whispered, his voice trembling with practiced innocence. "It’s my fault. I shouldn't have stolen Ethan's spotlight."
He looked at Chloe like a wounded puppy, playing the victim to perfection.
Predictably, Chloe spun around and glared at me, her voice turning razor-sharp.
"Ethan Vance, in my office. Now!"
Once the door clicked shut, Chloe stared at me for a long moment, her expression softening into patronizing exasperation.
"Ethan, why are you acting like such a child?"
"Lucas has massive potential. Giving him the spotlight helps us retain young talent, which benefits our studio in the long run! You’re still young. You'll have plenty of chances to win awards in the future."
Chloe walked around her mahogany desk and reached out to hold my hand, trying to appease me.
"You're my boyfriend. If I gave the award to you, people would say I'm biased and playing favorites!"She looked at me with open reproach, as if I were the one throwing an unreasonable temper tantrum.
Then my eyes caught the faint, poorly concealed hickey on the side of her neck, and a wave of nausea washed over me.
Always the same excuse.
Every single time, she used the word "family" to bind me, demanding that I surrender everything and happily play the role of her personal blood bag.
A crushing exhaustion weighed down my chest. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the small velvet box.
"You say we're family. Then will you marry me?"
Chloe froze. Staring at the ring box in my palm, her eyes flickered with panic and hesitation.
"Isn't it a bit early to talk about marriage? I want to stabilize our company's valuation first."
A cold, mocking smirk touched my lips. I had known that would be her answer.
"Seems like I'm not quite 'family' enough for you after all."
Having her hypocrisy laid bare on the spot, Chloe's face drained of color, then flushed with embarrassment.
"Ethan Vance, don't push your luck!"
I raised my arm and tossed the velvet box straight into the trash can beside the desk.
"Ms. Miller, when I handed in my badge earlier, I forgot to mention the breakup. Let's make it official now."
Chloe’s jaw clenched, her voice dropping into a venomous register.
"You're serious? You're actually walking away from this company and breaking up with me?"
"Our studio is on the verge of becoming a top-tier industry titan! Don't you dare come crying to me when you regret this!"
I wanted to laugh. Regret?
The only thing I regretted was not seeing through her shallow manipulation years earlier.
I turned and walked out of the office, leaving her furious shouting behind me.
The moment I decided to walk out, I had already made up my mind to start my own venture.
Right outside the doorway, Lucas was standing with a bucket of dirty mop water.
"Oh, Ethan! I'm so sorry, I was just trying to mop up and I accidentally spilled dirty water all over your moving box!"
Looking at my soaked project notes and files, I stepped forward and landed a clean, brutal punch square against his nose.
"No problem. Just collecting what you owe me."
Leaving him howling on the floor clutching his bleeding face, I adjusted my collar and walked out the front doors.
After leaving the studio, I leased a modest office space and began reaching out to angel investors and former industry contacts.
Five years of building games had given me a network of trust that meant I didn't have to start from absolute zero.
Within a month, my new indie studio was up, running, and gathering serious momentum.
I was just checking my phone to confirm a meeting location with an investor when an Instagram notification popped up from Chloe’s account.
In the photo, her hand was intertwined with Lucas’s, identical diamond bands glistening on their fingers.
The caption read:
"Engaged! Walking down the aisle at the end of the month. Thank you all for the love and blessings!"
The woman who spent seven years preaching about how she was anti-marriage and needed to focus on her career had agreed to a shotgun wedding with an intern in less than four weeks.
I felt a pang of disgust for the seven years I had wasted on her, but mostly relief that I had woken up in time.
Opening my contact list, I calmly blocked and deleted Chloe Miller without a second thought.
Even though I had left, my bond with the original dev team remained rock-solid.
Over WhatsApp, they kept me updated on the train wreck unfolding at the old studio:
"Can you believe this clown as our Director? To cut costs, he fired our entire concept art team and replaced them with AI generators! The gaming community on Twitter and Reddit is tearing us apart!"
"He scrapped our fair, cosmetic-only monetization model! He said it 'wasn't profitable enough' and turned the game into a predatory, pay-to-win loot-box machine. Daily active users are cratering by the thousands every single day."
"He even installed his useless cousins into HR and accounting while laying off senior engineers! None of us can stand working here anymore!"
Reading their messages, I typed back:
"My new studio is almost ready to expand. Would you guys be interested in coming over?"Their replies came back instantly, overflowing with excitement. They were practically waiting to get fired by Lucas so they could jump ship with severance packages.
As the studio's metrics plummeted, Chloe finally swallowed her pride and called me from an unknown number.
"Ethan, please stop being angry with me. Just come back."
"You can't have the Director title back, but I've saved a Senior Manager spot for you. Even though Lucas and I are married now, he's very generous. He won't hold a grudge against you."
Staring at the caller ID, I replied flatly:
"Are you finished? Because I'm blocking this number next."
Chloe’s voice flared with frantic rage: "Ethan Vance! Don't you dare act so high and mighty!"
"I'll have you know we're on the verge of closing a massive funding round with Apex Ventures—the biggest venture capital firm in the industry! Do you really think I can't survive without you?"
"What can that pathetic little garage studio of yours even accomplish? Just wait until you come crawling back to beg me for scraps!"
She slammed the phone down. I pulled the device away from my ear, staring at the screen with an amused smirk.
Apex Ventures?
Wasn't that the exact VC firm I was meeting this afternoon?
That afternoon, when I arrived at the convention center where the venture pitch was being held, I immediately spotted Chloe and Lucas lingering by the entrance, desperately buttering up Mark, the executive assistant to Apex Ventures’ managing director.
"Mr. Mark, our studio just won Game of the Year," Chloe pleaded, her face plastered with an eager smile. "If Apex chooses to invest in our next round, the returns will be astronomical!"
Lucas nodded rapidly beside her.
"Yes, exactly! Please, just give us five minutes to present our pitch to Mr. Harris directly!"
Mark’s face was etched with deep irritation; it was obvious they had been hounding him for an hour.
Then, his gaze drifted past them and landed on me. His eyes lit up instantly.
Chloe tracked his gaze, turning to see me. Her brow furrowed, and a sneer of utter contempt spread across her lips.
"Well, well. Regretting your choices already, Ethan? Coming here to beg for my help?"
"I must say, I'm impressed you managed to find out I was pitching to Apex today."
"If you apologize to Lucas right now, maybe once our funding clears, I'll be generous enough to hire you back as an unpaid intern!"
I let out a soft laugh and met her eyes.
"Why would I go back? What reason does anyone have to board a sinking ship on the brink of bankruptcy?"
Chloe’s expression turned venomous.
"Godslayer" is the top-rated action title on the market! Stop projecting your pathetic jealousy onto us!"
Instead of arguing, I gestured toward the massive digital display in the lobby.
The news anchor on the live broadcast was breaking down the day's trending tech headline:
"Breaking news this afternoon: The acclaimed title 'Godslayer' has been abruptly pulled from multiple digital storefronts following massive player backlash. A class-action complaint has been filed alleging consumer fraud and predatory deceptive practices, leaving the developer facing potentially devastating liabilities..."

Chapters (5)

Chapter 1   Chapter 2   Chapter 3   Chapter 4   Chapter 5

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Watch & Promotions

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