The Prize Box Betrayal

At the company's annual gala, my CEO girlfriend made a special exception for the new intern and let him draw from the prize box as many times as he wanted. The first time, he drew my $300,000 year-end bonus. He blinked at me and laughed. "Sorry, Evan. But you're such a good guy. You won't hold it against me, right?" The second time, he drew my vice president position. My girlfriend, Vanessa Sloane, did not hesitate. She ordered on the spot, "Clear out the vice president's office immediately. From now on, he can transfer over and work as Ryan's assistant." The third time, he drew a public three-minute French kiss with Vanessa. Amid the cheering, Vanessa blushed and kissed him with lingering enthusiasm. Only after she caught sight of my stiff expression did she pull away, still unsatisfied, and say impatiently, "Ryan won the prize. This is a company benefit. You're a grown man. Don't be so petty." I let out a cold laugh, lowered my head, and texted the chairman at corporate headquarters. "Since when does our annual gala include a benefit where the CEO has to kiss someone?" "Dad." Chapter 1 The moment my message went out, Vanessa Sloane's light, careless voice drifted over again. "Evan, it's the company's annual gala. Don't ruin everyone's fun. "Ryan drew that kiss fair and square. Who are you making that face for?" My gaze moved to the raffle box in front of Ryan Mercer, and my blood seemed to chill inch by inch. At tonight's gala, every employee had one chance to draw a prize. But the raffle box in front of Ryan had clearly been made for him alone. Every prize inside it was mine. My salary. My bonus. My position. Even my girlfriend. And I had known nothing about it. Until this very moment, everything I had was being handed away through his little raffle. "Vanessa, I don't care what kind of prizes you want to give him. But why are all the prizes things that belong to me?" Vanessa froze for half a second. Then she straightened, even more self-righteous than before. "I'm the CEO of this company. I can put whatever I want in the raffle. "Besides, what have you contributed to this company? Why should you get that huge year-end bonus? Why should you keep sitting in the vice president's chair?" I almost laughed from sheer anger. I had contributed nothing? Had she forgotten I was the top salesperson in the entire company? For years, I had trained myself inside this unimpressive little subsidiary under my family's group. I stayed up all night writing proposals, drank through client dinners until my stomach bled, and went to the emergency room more times than I could count. That was how I had earned the vice president title and the $300,000 bonus. And now she wanted to give all of it to Ryan. "Don't be mad, Evan." Ryan smiled at me with open provocation. "Blame my luck. I somehow drew all your things. But... I'm not done drawing yet." As he spoke, he reached into the raffle box again. Someone beside him leaned over curiously. "Reward: spend New Year's Eve with CEO Sloane, to be handled however you wish..." "Whoa, what does 'handled' mean? In bed or out of bed?" "Obviously in bed. Assistant Mercer, you'd better think hard about how you want to 'handle' her." Crude laughter burst out around us. Ryan took advantage of it and wrapped an arm around Vanessa's waist. "Vanessa, how should I 'handle' you tonight? Like last time in your office, or do you want to try something new? Don't worry. No matter how much you beg, I promise tomorrow you won't even be able to stand straight." Vanessa's cheeks flushed. She laughed softly and shoved him, coy and indulgent. "Stop saying that. It's embarrassing." The laughter around them grew louder. Only I stood there, pain stabbing through my chest again and again. The glass in my hand shattered with a sharp crack. The sudden sound made the room go still. Only then did everyone remember that I, the official boyfriend, was still standing there. A flicker of discomfort passed through Vanessa's eyes. She came over and reached for my hand. "Evan, you're not angry, are you? "Ryan is young. He doesn't understand certain things. Of course I have to teach him myself. "We slept together, but we're still innocent. Be generous. Don't be such a sore loser." Chapter 2 Ryan curled his lips beside her, his eyes full of challenge. "Exactly, Evan. Vanessa sponsored me since I was little. Between us, there's no difference between men and women. Don't overthink it. "Even if we slept together, it was only because Vanessa is kindhearted. She was teaching me how to be a man. It has absolutely nothing to do with your filthy guesses. We're innocent. Pure, even." The fury shot straight to my skull. Innocent. What a beautiful word. Ryan Mercer had been the poor student sponsored by the Sloane family. Since childhood, he had followed Vanessa around. In the past, they often behaved ambiguously too. But whenever I brought it up, Vanessa would get irritated. "Can you stop imagining things? Look at him. How old is Ryan? "In my eyes, he's just a child. If you keep being suspicious like this, we're breaking up." Because of that sentence, I never dared question her again. I had secretly loved Vanessa for seven years before I finally won her over. I truly liked her. Whenever I saw them being close, I comforted myself by thinking I must have misunderstood. After all, there really was a ten-year age gap between them. Only today did I learn that age did not matter at all. Those two had been sleeping together for a long time. "Don't be mad, Evan. "I've grown up beside Vanessa. Every experience I've had with being a man came from her. "We've been used to it for years. We didn't think there was anything strange about it." As he spoke, he deliberately paused, took off his watch, and pressed it into my hand with a considerate expression. "This watch was a birthday gift from Vanessa. I'll give it to you as an apology. Don't be angry with her." "Why would you give that to him?" Vanessa snatched the watch back and looked at me with unconcealed disgust. "You didn't do anything wrong. I spent $30 million at auction to get this for you. Why should he have it? Does he deserve it?" My mind exploded. Thirty million? My memory flashed back to a month ago. That night, I had been drinking with clients and passed out drunk. When I woke up, Vanessa was crying beside me. There was a streak of bright red on the sheets. During all our years together, she had always shyly said she wanted to wait until our wedding night. I respected her and had never crossed that line. At that moment, I had been struck by panic and guilt. She cried and accused me of ruining her, then raised the bridal gift to $30 million on the spot. Filled with guilt, I gave her every cent without a second thought, just begging her not to be angry. Only now did I understand. It had all been fake. She took the bridal gift I gave her and used it to buy Ryan a birthday present. And that bloodstained sheet... I looked up and stared hard at Vanessa, nearly swallowed by rage. She and Ryan had been involved for ages. How could she possibly have had a first time left? Everything had been a setup to scam me. Ryan glanced at me smugly. Then he suddenly buried his face in Vanessa's shoulder, his voice choking. "I'm sorry, Vanessa. I've made things difficult for you again. "I didn't think Evan would mind my existence so much. If I'm making you two unhappy, then from now on... from now on, I'll stay far away from you." He lifted his wet eyes and looked at Vanessa like some fragile, wounded thing. "What nonsense are you talking about? I won't let you leave." Vanessa instantly hugged him tighter. When she turned back to me, her gaze was as cold as ice. "Evan, look what you've driven Ryan to! "I order you to apologize to him right now. Immediately. "Otherwise, we're breaking up." Chapter 3 "I'm not apologizing." I clenched my fists, my gaze cold. "If you want to break up, then let's break up." The air froze. All the color drained from Vanessa's face. Then she screamed hoarsely. "Evan! What are you pretending for? "Break up with me? You're just a lapdog who follows me around. You won't be able to leave me in this life." I lowered my eyes. It felt as if a knife had been carved through my chest. I was not surprised Vanessa would say something like that. After all, ever since college, I had followed behind her. Later, I even gave up an eight-figure offer to stay and build this company with her for years. Almost everyone knew I loved her to the bone. But that love had become a blade used to wound me until I could barely breathe. "Evan, stop being stubborn." Ryan sighed deeply and advised me in a low voice. "Think about how well Vanessa usually treats you. "Besides, with your background, where else will you ever climb up to a rich heiress like her?" His words were full of mockery, and they gave Vanessa more confidence. "Did you hear that?" Vanessa straightened again, her face returning to that condescending sneer. "Evan, everything you have is something I gave you. "To put it plainly, you're a useless kept man. What right do you have to talk about breaking up with me?" I snapped my head up, filled with absurd disbelief. A kept man. What a joke. Had she forgotten that headquarters paid me more than $10 million a year? Only to keep her happy, I never kept a cent of it. The moment my salary came in, I handed everything to her. So in her eyes, all of that had become her money. And I had become a kept man. Even more ridiculous, what kind of rich heiress did Vanessa Sloane think she was? The company she managed was nothing more than the least important subsidiary under Russell Group. If I had not hidden my identity to accompany her supposed self-made journey, she would never even have had the chance to meet me. But when she saw me standing there in silence, she thought I had softened and become afraid. She took my hand, her voice coaxing. "Evan, it's good that you can understand. "I'll be honest with you. Women at our level can afford to be a little playful. Ryan is young and adorable. I like him, and I plan to keep him by my side. But he won't threaten your position. "From now on, as long as you're obedient and do what you should do, you'll always be my official partner." Crack. I couldn't take it anymore. I pulled my hand free and slapped her hard across the face. The sound of the slap rang through the room, and everything went silent. "Evan! You dare hit me?" Vanessa clutched her cheek and shrieked in disbelief. My eyes were filled with naked disgust. "Hit you? You deserved it. "A woman with no shame like you is lucky all you got was a slap. "If it were up to me, you'd be run out of town for what you've done." Vanessa's face went white as paper. Her lips trembled, but she could not form a single sentence. "Evan, you've gone too far!" Ryan rushed over to support her, then turned and glared at me. "Vanessa, look at him. You've spoiled him rotten. If he dares raise a hand today, he'll dare turn the whole company upside down tomorrow." As he said that, a vicious light flashed in his eyes. "Looks like I need to teach him a lesson for you." He turned toward the employees who had frozen in place and shouted, "What are you standing around for? "Evan has lost his mind. Hurry up and teach him a lesson! "Whoever beats him into submission today gets a bonus from Vanessa. Double year-end bonuses!" Chapter 4 As soon as Ryan finished speaking, the employees looked at one another. As vice president, I had never treated any of them badly. I fought for bigger project bonuses for them, took the blame whenever something went wrong, and even privately lent money when their families had emergencies. Naturally, no one was willing to step forward right away. The tightness in my chest eased slightly. But the next second- "I'll do it!" A fawning voice broke the silence. My assistant, Leo, bent low and squeezed out of the crowd, his face piled with flattery. "Assistant Mercer... no, Mr. Mercer. Why dirty your hands with this kind of rough work? Leave it to me. I guarantee I'll make this ungrateful thing kneel and apologize to you and Ms. Sloane." My fists tightened until my knuckles turned white. Nausea rolled through me. Leo was my assistant and my apprentice. He had followed me since graduation. I taught him how to write proposals by hand and brought him along to meet clients. I never imagined the first person to betray me would be him. "Smart kid." Ryan laughed smugly, then turned and ordered the rest of them. "What about you? Move! Whoever hits hardest gets the biggest bonus." He paused, his tone turning threatening. "And anyone who refuses doesn't need to come to work tomorrow." Everyone had families to feed. Faced with that threat, they could only force themselves toward me. "Mr. Russell, sorry. We don't have a choice." A fist slammed into my forehead. "Ah!" Pain ripped through me. My vision went black, and the taste of blood surged into my throat. "Vanessa!" I roared hoarsely, clinging to my last shred of hope. "Are you really going to watch him have me beaten to death?" Vanessa glanced at me, then quickly looked away, her voice cold. "You brought this on yourself. Learn your lesson, and you'll behave in the future." The moment she finished, countless fists came down on me. Pain swallowed my whole body, and my heart went completely numb. I did not know how long it lasted before the beating finally stopped. The crowd stepped back, panting hard. They looked frightened and guilty, not daring to look at the bloody mess I had become on the floor. Vanessa's gaze swept over me. Her pupils contracted slightly, and one foot moved toward me almost instinctively. "Everyone barely started, and Evan already can't take it? Is he pretending?" Ryan speculated maliciously, then shook his head as though he had misspoken. "No, no, of course Evan wouldn't pretend. "Vanessa, maybe he's just weak. Why don't we let him get up and apologize, then call it quits? He looks kind of pitiful." "Pitiful? It's all an act." The flicker of panic in Vanessa's eyes was instantly replaced by anger. Her face turned iron gray as she pointed at me and snapped. "Evan, you even dare play tricks on me! "Keep hitting him. Hit him until he can't get up. Hit him until he sincerely admits he's wrong." At her words, the crowd closed in again like wolves. I dragged my almost shattered body backward. The pain was so intense I could barely breathe. There were too many of them. If this continued, they really might beat me to death. "Vanessa!" I used the last of my strength to roar, "If you dare let them kill me today, you'll regret it." But Vanessa did not even look at me. The group came closer, and fists rose toward me again. "Stop!" At that critical instant, a thunderous shout exploded through the hall. The doors to the venue flew open, and my father strode in. "Who gave you the nerve to touch my son?"