My Biased Wife Ended Up With Nothing

On the day before the Christmas holidays start, my wife, Irene Owens, intends to promote me and give me a raise in order to celebrate my feat of closing a hundred-million-dollar deal. But her assistant, Cody Harrington, purposefully feeds her some cake. Irene, who's known to be a germaphobe, doesn't show any trace of disgust as she subconsciously accepts the spoon, which is tainted with Cody's saliva, into her mouth. The employees begin cheering for them on the spot. Some ask if they are about to get married. Not only does Irene not refute those questions, but she also promotes Cody to a department manager on the spot. When a colleague next to me realizes how silent I've been, he nudges me in the side. "Hey Seb, you're the veteran employee who's stuck by Ms. Owens' side for so long. Why aren't you reacting to the news?" I merely sneer as I toss my share transfer agreement to Cody. "A promotion isn't enough, is it? You can have these shares as your wedding gift." Chapter 1 "Hey, Seb! So that's why you were printing out the share transfer agreement so early in the morning today! As it turns out, you were bringing it here the whole time!" "It's no wonder that you've been such a loyal employee to Ms. Owens for so many years now! You really do get your news so much more quickly than the rest of us!" Everyone in the private room turned to look at me at once and began clapping and cheering loudly for me. The atmosphere was bustling and lively, as if it were Irene Owens' and Cody Harrington's wedding day today. Meanwhile, Irene looked at me with an embarrassed look on her face. She couldn't even manage to smile. And I found it simply ironic. Hadn't she just been all smiles earlier when she ate that piece of cake right from Cody's fork and promoted him? I suddenly got to my feet, nodded politely at the crowd, and said, "My apologies, everyone, but I've got some private matters to attend to, so I won't be joining you for the fun anymore." Then, I turned and left without waiting for Irene to say a thing. At first, I had brought the share transfer agreement with me, thinking of using it as collateral to borrow money from a wealthy businessman to alleviate the company's imminent cash flow crisis. Over the past few years, our company appeared to be doing very well, but in reality, its cash flow had always been very strained, all thanks to Irene's greed. If it weren't for my continuous and strenuous efforts to keep the company afloat, it would have collapsed and gone bankrupt a long time ago. But now, Irene had thoroughly disappointed me. So, why should I even bother with her anymore? However, I'd only just taken a few steps when I suddenly heard Cody's panting voice behind me. "Sebastian, wait! You forgot to bring your share transfer agreement with you!" Then, another hand grabbed me forcefully from the back, stopping me from leaving. It was Irene. Her hair was a disheveled mess, and it was obvious that she'd come running after me. She frowned and yelled at me in anger. "Cody just asked you to stop! Are you deaf or what?" I stopped in my tracks. Cody finally caught up to me. He then said apologetically, "I didn't mean to steal the spotlight from you on purpose, Sebastian. It's just that I thought that cake tasted really delicious, and my first thought was to share it with Rene as soon as I could." Then, he made a show of grabbing my hands and stuffed the transfer agreement into my hands. "Don't get mad at us for that. You must take this important document away with you!" I reached out, meaning to shove the agreement back toward him. However, Cody panicked and thought that I was really going to take it back from him. He clutched the agreement tightly and quickly yanked it back toward himself. A split second later, his face turned deathly pale as he doubled over, clutching his chest while gasping loudly for air. I watched coldly as he continued with his award-winning acting. It was terrible, so to speak, but yet, some people still fell for his dumb act hook, line, and sinker. Irene immediately rushed over to hold Cody's swaying body up. She then hollered at me, screaming, "Cody's having another attack! Sebastian Hart! Hurry up and call the ambulance!" I continued watching coldly as she retrieved a bottle of meds from her purse like she's done it a hundred times before and kneeled on the ground without any hesitation despite her claims to be a mysophobe. Chapter 2 Irene sat down on the floor at once just so that Cody could use her lap as a pillow while lying on the ground to keep his breathing even. However, my eyes were filled with contempt and sarcasm. Whenever Cody got "sick" like this, she would immediately disregard everything and get frantic with worry, fussing over him like a mother hen. Meanwhile, if I suffered from gastritis and was covered from head to toe in cold sweat, she'd just look at me in disgust and blame me for being slow with my work. The ambulance arrived quickly that night. Cody lay quietly in the hospital bed while Irene gently tucked him in as if he were more fragile than glass. Moments later, she suddenly reached out and flung the transfer agreement in my face, growling as she chided, "It's all your fault! What did you have to bring out the transfer agreement out of the blue for? "Cody would never have gotten such a shock if you hadn't suddenly acted so strangely and pulled this stunt on him!" I ducked slightly, turning my head to the side, letting the agreement barely graze my ear before hitting the ground behind me. I knew that she was just taking out her anger on me because Cody was ill. In the past, I would have been extremely jealous of her excessive concern for him and gotten into an argument with her. But now, I felt listless and exhausted. I simply hummed in response. Irene looked at me in surprise. After a pregnant pause, she rubbed her fingers together and softened her tone, picking up the agreement and handing it back to me. "Cody is just a young man, and he's way too easily embarrassed. I can't possibly refuse to eat the cake from him, can I? He's suffering from a heart condition after all. He wouldn't be able to accept the rejection. "But don't you ever use your shares for terrible jokes like this anymore. I'll reluctantly forgive you this one time." I knew that this was Irene's way of "giving me a way out". However, I was done compromising all the time. I said calmly, "Anything else? If not, then I'm leaving now." Irene stared at me for a long time. Then, she finally sighed and said, "That's enough. Why do you have such a dark look on your face? You're making it seem as if I'd just wronged you terribly or something. "Don't you know that I'm just doing this for your sake? You're so immature and unreliable. You'd never be respected even if I were to promote you. "Here. Take this extra money and go buy yourself some cigarettes." Then, she took her phone and began tapping on it. Seconds later, I received a Venmo notification that she'd just transferred 2,020 dollars to my account. During the years we'd been married, she always said that she was afraid I'd spend all my money on useless things, and so, she didn't just take all my salary from me—she also only gave me 2,000 dollars a month for my expenditures, and she always had to review every expenditure I made. I was responsible for handling all three meals a day and paying for all the household utilities, and yet, every time I asked her for more money if the cost went a little over, she would glare at me with an icy, scrutinizing gaze that made me feel like I was sitting on pins and needles all day. And now, she was even being reluctant about giving me the extra 20 dollars for "cigarettes". However, all it took was for Cody to whine to her, and she would readily pull out her credit card for him to use however he liked. It wasn't that I'd never gotten into an argument with her over this before. But every time, she would glare coldly at me and say that Cody was her assistant at work and, therefore, responsible for her social engagements and living expenses. So, it would only be right for him to take more money from her than I did. Then, she would blame me for all of my unreasonable spending afterward. I had no other choice but to take up side hustles to supplement my income. I worked non-stop every day without a second of rest, and I could feel my body beginning to give out. Yet, Irene would still nag me nonstop, telling me to spend less money because it was hard for her to keep the company going as it was. I stared at the 2,020 dollars displayed on my screen and found it hilarious and laughable. Then, I unlinked our accounts with a cold expression on my face. I didn't need her money. I didn't even care about her money anymore. I simply looked up at her and said, "Okay." After turning and walking out of the ward, I placed a call to one of my old friends, Zachary Cook, and said, "Zach? I've thought it through. Help me schedule my onboarding at the company next Monday." Zachary was delighted and immediately agreed. He then told me how excellent the conditions were at his company in Merunica and how much they would welcome talent like me. Chapter 3 I didn't put my phone down until the sun had set. Zachary was right. If I had accepted his invitation to start a business with him overseas back then, I would have already been quite successful by now, if not thriving. But yet, for the past ten years, I turned down countless offers from big companies, taking the lowest pay while doing the most work in this small company, all for the sake of keeping Irene company. It had been a complete waste of my youth. And now, I was finally tired of it all. I wanted to just live for myself. After reaching home, I hurriedly packed up my bags and belongings. Actually, aside from a few personal items, I didn't own anything else in the house. In fact, I felt like I was a guest in my own home. Irene had locked up all of the valuables in the house—from the safe containing her fine jewelry to her wardrobe full of formal wear. She was so guarded against me, it was as if I were a thief. I caught sight of a game console tucked away at the very bottom of the desk drawer. It was something that both Irene and I had bought in the early days of our company. We'd made quite a lot of money back then, and in a moment of excitement, I decided to buy this game console for myself as a reward. However, after only playing it a few times, Irene said that I was wasting my time and, in turn, doing a terrible job at the company. If she said that I wasn't allowed to play it, I didn't even dare to ask permission for it anymore. In my eyes, her orders were absolute and not to be contested. But now, I wasn't going to be treating her words like the gospel anymore. I retrieved the game console and turned it on. The screen lit up, to my surprise. It was still functioning very well. After playing for a couple of rounds, controlling my character to run around in the game and battle a few "villains", I realized that I never felt any of the excitement I used to feel for this same game I played in the past anymore. It was just like my relationship with Irene. There was no going back to how things used to be in the past. I put the slightly dusty game console back inside the desk drawer where I'd found it. When I looked up at my phone screen again, I realized that it was already past midnight. I had been so used to working overtime until this late at the office for so many years that I wasn't even feeling sleepy yet. However, I had to catch a flight tomorrow, so I decided that I had to get some rest. After washing up, I lay in bed and scrolled for a while on my phone. I happened to see Cody's latest Instagram stories just then. He had posted a photo of Irene sleeping peacefully next to him in his hospital bed. His caption read, "I just told my boss I wasn't feeling well, and she immediately came to look after me. Are y'all jealous of me yet?" I snorted coldly. He sure wasn't wasting a single opportunity to flaunt his close relationship with Irene. And from the looks of things, I figured that she would be staying the night at the hospital tonight and not come back anymore. I put my phone on the bedside table and finally closed my eyes to go to sleep. I fell into a deep sleep in almost no time. However, around 3:00 am or so, I was suddenly rudely awakened by the sound of the front door slamming open. One second later, Irene's voice was heard throughout the house. "Sebastian! I'm ravenous! Make me some supper!" In the past, I would always stay up late and wait for her to get home every night, no matter how late it was. I would always have some sort of supper waiting for her, along with a warm cup of hot cocoa, waiting on her hand and foot until she finally went to bed. But today, I just got out of bed and locked my bedroom door to stop Irene from disturbing me. I thought that it was a little strange, however. Every time Cody got "ill" and had to be hospitalized, she would always stay at the hospital for the entirety of the night without ever coming back. The first time she didn't return home, I'd gotten so worried about her because I thought she'd been involved in a car accident. After getting the local police to help locate her, they found her at Cody's house instead, taking care of him because he had a fever, cooking and cleaning for him. Back then, I'd even gotten an earful from Irene for being over-controlling of her life and suffocating her. When I snapped back to my senses, I heard her pounding against the locked door, exclaiming in confusion, "Why did you lock the door? Didn't you hear what I said? I'm starving! "Don't tell me that you went to bed without waiting for me! You were never like this in the past. What the hell is wrong with you, Sebastian Hart?" Chapter 4 Irene used to think that I only stayed up late at night waiting for her because I hadn't been working hard at the office and therefore wasn't able to sleep at night. So, she would coldly tell me to focus more on working hard instead. But now that I was ignoring her at night, she was still as unhappy and unsatisfied as ever. She was just so hard to please. I rolled over, frowning as I pulled the covers over my head. Still, she continued pounding on the door. Her voice softened as she said in a helpless manner, "I know that you're still mad at me, but I'm back now, aren't I? "Excuse me, Mr. Sebastian Hart, but I'm really starving and ravenous. Why isn't there anything edible in the fridge?" I ignored her again. Her voice grew more and more frustrated as she began threatening me next. "Sebastian! If you keep this up, I'm leaving now!" I used to be the most afraid of Irene leaving. She also knew that it was my biggest weakness and often used it against me so that I would relent and immediately give in to her wishes, begging her not to least. But all I wanted now was for her to shut up and stop disturbing me while I was trying to sleep. I felt for the noise-cancelling earplugs in the bedside table drawer and fell back asleep once more. … I woke up very early the next morning, but my head was as clear as the day. I heard some rustling sounds in the living room and went out cautiously before realizing that it was Irene. She was ironing a shirt, her lips slightly pursed, with a serious look on her face. I was confused. Why wasn't she at the hospital taking care of Cody? She seemed to have sensed my eyes on her and looked up. Then, she walked over to me with the white shirt she'd just ironed and held it up to me before nodding in approval and saying, "It's pretty befitting. Makes you look a lot more alert than usual." I looked at the clothing label and saw that it was from a luxury brand that she often bought her clothes from. A second later, she turned around and shook the sleeves of the shirts, muttering, "Your physique is about the same as Cody's. If you look alright in it, I bet he looks even more stunning in it. I really do have a good eye for things after all. "But why is it still so wrinkly after lying around for just a few days? I've been trying to get the creases out of it since forever. This won't do…" Then, she suddenly turned around as if she'd just thought about something and beckoned toward me with her fingers. "You. You often do the ironing in the house, don't you? Iron this shirt." I sneered coldly in my heart. I knew it. Irene couldn't possibly even be thinking of trying to win me back. She only had eyes for Cody and Cody alone, after all. I shook my head, rejecting her. She didn't seem surprised. She just pouted and said, "I knew you'd refuse to do it. What a petty loser. Whatever. Cody wouldn't mind as long as I gave it my best shot." She then glanced at the watch on her wrist and exclaimed in shock. "Shit! It's almost his breakfast time!" Then, she hurriedly brought out a gift box and carefully folded the shirt before boxing it up nicely. I had more important things to do than to argue with her. I went back into my room and nudged the divorce agreement toward her. "Sign this before you leave." She didn't even glance at it as she continued carefully ruffling the ribbons on the gift box to make it look prettier. Her head was bowed as she casually said, "We'll talk about whatever documents it is another day. I'm busy. I need to go back to the hospital to take care of Cody." I stopped her from leaving and handed the divorce agreement to her. "It won't take a single minute of your time." She frowned before finally taking a look at the document in my hands. Then, her eyes narrowed at once. However, she seemed to think of something immediately, and a look of frustration crossed her face. She yelled at me instead. "Sebastian! Did you think you could walk all over my head just because I was being nice to you last night? "All I did was eat one single bite of Cody's cake, and you ended up being just a petty, jealous loser that you're even divorcing me over it? "How could you still be so petty and immature even after so many years?" Chapter 5 I shook my head and continued nudging it toward Irene. I stated, "Just sign the divorce papers. You'd be able to make it official with Cody once I'm gone anyway. Isn't that so?" "Sebastian!" Irene was really enraged this time. She snatched the papers from me and tore them into pieces. "I already told you that there is nothing going on between Cody and me! Do you not understand a single word I said? "I'm telling you, if you dare to make another huge fuss about this again, the celebration party will be called off, and you can firmly say goodbye to all your promotions and raises next time!" Then, she turned on her heels and left without another word, without giving me a chance to speak. I clicked my tongue impatiently. Since things had turned out like this, I decided that perhaps I should just hand in my resignation first. I turned on my phone, and countless text messages immediately popped up on Slack. "Mr. Hart! Why aren't you putting in any overtime for Christmas? Do you know what time it is? Why aren't you at the office yet?" "Wow, Seb, has the sun risen in the west today? This is the first time I'm seeing you not at your desk early in the morning. Have you already stopped being a workaholic?" I didn't reply to a single text message. I first handed in my resignation to the HR department before contacting a lawyer to have the share transfer agreement notarized. I kept my word and gave the shares to Cody as their wedding gift. I wasn't going to go back on my word. However, just a short while later, I received a notice that my resignation had been rejected. I called up the HR representative, and they simply said helplessly, "We're sorry, Mr. Hart, but it was Ms. Owens herself who rejected your resignation. There's nothing else we can do about it. "Also, this is Ms. Owen's location. She wants you to see her there if you have any questions." As expected, it was the private restaurant that she and Cody often went to. By the time I arrived, the atmosphere was cheery and lively, bustling with activity. "Mr. Harrington! You're such a young and promising lad, and the company's future is going to depend on your leadership!" "Mr. Harrington, please accept my best wishes for you and Ms. Owens. I hope you'll both be taking your relationship to the next level real soon!" I frowned hard and pushed open the door to the private dining room. Everyone in the room was leaning toward and crowding around Cody, who was sitting at the head of the table. He was wearing the white shirt Irene brought him this morning, and he looked every bit the professional. The work tag bearing the title of "Department Manager" was also already pinned to his chest, where it was prominently on display. As soon as the people caught sight of me at the door, the clinking of glasses in the room ceased, as if time had suddenly stood still. Cody stood up first, breaking the tension. He went up to me and tugged me into the room by my arms like we were best buddies, smiling as he said, "Sebastian! Why are you only here now? I've been waiting for you. Hurry up and take a seat!" I chuckled mockingly and flung his hands off. What was the point of taking a seat? They were already done eating, with only bones and leftovers left. Did he think I was a beggar or something? Meanwhile, Irene, who had been sitting straight in the corner ever since I appeared, finally moved. She shielded Cody behind her and crossed her arms over her chest, scoffing coldly in my face. "Didn't somebody threaten to resign just a while ago? Why did you come all the way here now to join in the company's team-building activity instead?" I took a look around the room. Almost everyone notable was there. They were all people whom I knew well, and yet, not a single one of them had informed me about this "team-building" activity. They all looked awkward and embarrassed, and none of them dared to look me in the eye. I didn't even have to use my brain to know that this had to be all Irene's doing. She had to have told them not to inform me of this, afraid that I'd throw a tantrum and make a huge fuss about it. Also, what kind of team-building was this anyway? It was obviously a celebration for Cody's promotion instead. Irene kept her chin high as she snorted and said haughtily, "I don't think you're suited to be a department manager at all, Sebastian Hart. You're way above your league. "You're too impetuous. You should start all over again as an intern from now on." With the CEO of the company speaking to me that way, the other colleagues immediately and naturally understood the implication and quickly chimed in with their support. Chapter 6 "That's right, Sebastian! I also think that you've gotten a lot cockier lately. Listen to the boss and do as you're told." "You used to work all year-round without ever taking a break, but you actually dared not to come in for overtime today. I really think you need to work on your work ethic more." Cody then cocked an eyebrow at me while standing behind Irene, his lips curving upward in a smug grin. He knew that he'd gotten the better of me. He feigned innocence as he gently tugged at Irene's sleeve, saying, "Don't do this, Rene. I only just joined the company half a year ago. It's obvious that I'm the one out of my league because Sebastian has been working here many more years than I have! "He's been here so long that you should still reward him for his loyalty even if he never made any contributions after all." Irene's eyes flickered as she said disdainfully, "Cody, you earned this promotion yourself because of your skills and abilities. As for someone else, he only got his promotion because of his seniority. If seniority alone could get someone promoted, then maybe he should be the CEO instead." I chuckled sarcastically at that. Back then, when we first started the business, I had felt sorry for her and thus took on the most responsibilities myself, moving around the executive departments while letting her be the high-ranking decision maker of the company. I had diligently created a lot of value for the company over so many years, and yet, she ignored all of that and made me out to be completely worthless instead. I cocked my eyebrow and said coldly, "Kindly approve of my resignation as soon as possible, Ms. Owens. Otherwise, I'm going to get the Labor Department involved." She still didn't think much about it and cackled. "That's enough, Sebastian. Stop pretending like you're actually going to resign for real. Where else can you go anyway? Don't you dare forget that you also have shares in this company too." She looked like she had everything under control, as if she'd already seen right through me and that I was simply throwing a huge hissy fit. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't have been more wrong about everything. I replied coldly, "Ms. Owens, I have already transferred all of my shares under Cody's name. I don't want anything else. I just want to resign." Irene's expression froze on her face. She stared at me incredulously. The people from the legal department then whispered in her ear. "Ms. Owens, it's true that we've already received the share transfer notice from Mr. Hart's lawyer." Cody, who had been watching the drama unfold by the side, suddenly realized that he'd just been struck by a windfall. His eyes lit up at once, and his face turned bright pink with excitement. "Sebastion! You shouldn't have transferred the shares to me out of spite! Quick, tell me, how can I return them to you?" I nearly laughed out loud at his horrible acting. Irene's eyes widened into saucers. She then frowned hard with a bewildered expression on her face as if she'd just encountered the most difficult problem in her life. She seemed to only realize now that I was set on leaving. And that thought sent her into a panic. She fought to keep her composure and tried to coax me to stay by painting a rosy picture for me. "Sebastian, our company is about to go public. If you're sensible and obedient, then I will also be promoting you soon. I'll also agree to your request in the past." I found it severely laughable. Even now, she still didn't have the courage to openly and honestly disclose her marital status to the rest of the company. She still remained vague and elusive about it the whole time. And yet, I kept letting myself be gaslit by her time and time again for years. But now, I wasn't going to play her games anymore. I coldly showed her the digital plane ticket on my phone and sighed, saying, "Time waits for no one, Ms. Owens. My plane is leaving soon. You can talk to my lawyer after this."