My Exile Was the Start of Her Bankruptcy

On the day we succeed in securing a project worth a billion dollars, my girlfriend, the CEO, Vanessa Oswald, throws a celebration party. Amid the festivities, I hear Cameron Ingall, the project manager that Vanessa recently brought in, smugly tell everyone else, "There's no way he can be made the vice president. Ms. Oswald has told me she'll be sending him off to Fennoria to start a new branch there…" Snickering, I turn to Vanessa, who has arrived late, and tell her what I just heard. "Who knows where he heard that rumor from. How can I leave when we just closed the deal? I guess he doesn't know that we've been dating for ten years and are about to announce our engagement this evening!" However, with a remorseful expression, Vanessa takes my hand and says gently, "What he said is true, Shane. Now that the company is growing, it's the perfect time for us to expand into new markets. I know it'll be tough for you in Fennoria, but you're the only one in the company who can take the mantle. "You can let Cam handle the project we just won the bid for. He only recently joined the company and needs an achievement like this to bolster himself. You're already a well-known project manager in the industry anyway. What difference would just one little project make to you?" When she notices my unpleasant expression, she tries to placate me. "Relax. Once you come back, I'll make you a vice president and have a baby with you, okay?" I let out a self-deprecating chuckle. After tossing the ring I was going to use to propose to Vanessa this evening into the fountain, I call up Vanessa's business rival. "I hear you're a charitable woman, Ms. Stewart. Would you be willing to take me in, along with a one-billion-dollar project?" Chapter 1 After hearing what I said, Julia Stewart let out a soft chuckle. "Well, I'm sure you know just how much I love causing trouble for Vanessa. "That being said, you rejected all of my previous attempts to poach you. Why have you changed your mind right when you're about to be promoted to vice president and have your relationship with her made public?" Instead of answering her questions, I said calmly, "In that case, I'll trouble you to get things ready for my onboarding in three days, Ms. Stewart. I'll deliver on the one-billion-dollar project within two months." The moment I finished speaking, a stir rose from the dining hall behind me. I looked over and saw Vanessa Oswalrd announcing that Cameron Ingall would be promoted to vice president and take over the one-billion-dollar project. Having heard it over the phone, Julia laughed. "Settle things with her first. If you need any help, feel free to reach out. I'll be waiting." I hummed in acknowledgment before ending the call. Amid the thunderous applause, someone remarked, "At least the company is finally rid of Shane. I was so sick of him throwing his weight around just because he's got a few achievements to his name." "Seriously, what is he even good at? He only gets to land one decent project after another because he's distantly related to Ms. Oswald." "Exactly. How can a college dropout like him compare to Mr. Ingall, who even completed a master's degree abroad?" They made no effort to hide their insults from me. Even the looks they shot me were filled with undisguised disdain. At that moment, I realized just how ironic and humiliating it was that I'd put up with everything in silence for so many years. Vanessa and I founded the company together. I was responsible for 90% of the business deals we managed to close. But according to them, I was just a distant relative of Vanessa who was mooching off her. But it made sense. Back then, Vanessa had said that office romances would affect the workplace, and that as the company's leaders, we had to set an example. She told me to keep our relationship strictly under wraps. I'd been so blindly in love with her at the time that I went along with everything she said. Once, after work, an employee saw us chatting together. Rumors that we were dating started circulating. When Vanessa found out, she was extremely displeased. Not only did she clarify that I was her distant relative, but she also gave me a harsh talking-to. Ever since then, she made it even more of a point to keep her distance from me. Meanwhile, because I was supposedly her relative, I was often the subject of everyone else's gossip and criticism. They did it behind my back at first, but as Vanessa's attitude toward me worsened, they began to mock me openly. As I was lost in thought, I heard some words of praise ringing out. Chapter 2 One of the employees declared, "Ms. Oswald and Mr. Ingall are such a great match for each other! They're wearing matching outfits today, right?" I looked over at Vanessa and Cameron. The colors of their outfits matched. Standing under the light, they looked like the perfect couple. Meeting my gaze, Cameron said insincerely, "I have Shane's kindness to thank for my promotion to vice president. Not only did he voluntarily give the project to me, but he even proposed going to Fennoria to develop a new business market for the company. "I suggest we all raise our glasses and send him off with a toast!" After saying that, he brought over a glass of wine for me. I glanced at him and said, "Sorry. I don't drink." Vanessa frowned at my refusal and snapped at me, "Cam is kindly offering a toast to give you a proper send-off! How dare you refuse him like that? You—" Cameron cut her off and "helped me out" by saying, "It's my fault for stealing Shane's promotion to vice president. It's understandable that he's mad at me. I should've considered his feelings. Here. I'll do three shots as an apology to him." Under the pretense of smoothing things over, he was in fact playing the victim to garner Vanessa's sympathy. He'd been using this very trick to keep her firmly wrapped around his thumb ever since he joined the company. Even though his clumsy acting was clear as day, she fell for it every time. As a result, she constantly used the excuse of not wanting the company's projects to be monopolized by one person to repeatedly strip me of my resources and achievements. She handed all of them over to Cameron, blatantly favoring him. Just as Cameron picked up a shot of vodka, Vanessa immediately stopped him with a look of pure concern. Then, she glared at me, her expression stormy. "You know full well that Cam has a weak heart, and you're still forcing him to drink as an apology to you? Are you trying to get him killed on purpose? Are you seriously going to stoop to such viciousness just to become the vice president?" She stood protectively in front of Cameron, her voice icy. "If someone as petty and conniving as you becomes the vice president, the company will soon be reduced to a laughingstock! This just proves I made the right decision by promoting Cam instead! He's a kind and talented man. How is he not better than you in every way? "You're going to finish ten bottles of vodka yourself as an apology to Cam! Or else, I won't forgive you!" She swiftly instructed the server to bring over three bottles of vodka to me. As I stared at the three bottles of high-proof vodka, I smirked mockingly. I had no idea whether Cameron had a heart condition. However, in the past eight years, I'd tirelessly devoted myself to the company. I constantly worked overtime and often drank myself silly just to keep our clients happy. Unsurprisingly, my health had deteriorated ages ago. In fact, I had to have stomach surgery just earlier this year. The doctor had warned me not to touch any more alcohol. Otherwise, it could easily lead to a gastric perforation and cost me my life. At the time, Vanessa had held my hand and stared at me in concern. She said she would promote me to vice president so I wouldn't have to run around entertaining clients anymore. But now, she'd not only given the promotion to Cameron instead, but was even demanding that I drink ten bottles of vodka without any regard for the fact that it could kill me—all because of Cameron's pity ploy. It hit me that Vanessa didn't care the least bit about me, and at that very moment, I lost all feelings for her. When she saw that I wasn't moving, she tried to use a position in the company to persuade me. "As long as you drink the vodka and apologize to Cam, I can consider letting you be a department head or something." She was smirking confidently, as if fully certain that I'd give in just to be made the head of a random department. But I said nothing. I took out my phone and, with everyone looking on, submitted my resignation. "You're right. I'm a petty, conniving man who doesn't deserve to stay in the company. Therefore, for the sake of the company, I hereby submit my resignation," I announced. Vanessa assumed I was deliberately acting out in defiance. Her expression turned colder as she issued me an ultimatum. "Are you threatening me with your resignation? Fine. So be it. You can resign, but don't even think about getting a single cent of the bonuses from your previous projects!" Chapter 3 Only then did I remember that the bonuses from projects I had led before still hadn't been paid out, each project worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Previously, Vanessa kept claiming the company was short on funds and that she would pay me my bonuses later. At the time, I figured that we would eventually become a family anyway, so I said there was no rush. Who would've thought those bonuses would now become her leverage against me? Snorting, I shot back at her, "I don't want the bonuses. Process my resignation now." Vanessa flew off the handle. "Fine! Have it your way! Don't even think about ever coming back to the company!" Did she seriously think her company was some kind of heaven that everyone was trying to get into? I wanted to laugh, but I didn't make a sound. Once she approved my resignation, I turned around and walked off without pause. When I got back to the house, I immediately reported Vanessa to the SEC, the Securities and Exchange Commission, for violating legal protocols during the bidding process. The next day, the moment I opened my eyes, Julia called me. "How did things between you and Vanessa blow up like this?" I was completely confused. Once Julia realized that, she sent me a screenshot of Vanessa's Instagram story. I also saw the litany of messages I'd received. Vanessa had blocked me and was spreading rumors on her Instagram, accusing me of using my position to embezzle money, siphoning off over 100 million dollars from the company. She even claimed I was a problematic employee and said the entire industry should blacklist me. I was outraged. She'd already stolen so much from me, and she wanted to continue kicking me while I was down? She was biting the hand that fed her! I asked Julia to help me take screenshots of everything Vanessa posted as evidence and immediately contacted a lawyer to file a lawsuit. Once that was done, I responded by posting the legal notice from my lawyer on my social media. "Nothing but fabricated lies. I will pursue this to the end." I went to the company to collect my things and complete the final paperwork for my resignation. Since I had no projects left to hand over, the process went smoothly. Just as I was leaving the company, Cameron showed up and stood in my way, looking completely indignant. "Nessie cried all night because of you, and she cried even more after seeing that you're suing her. Her eyes are all swollen! "I know everything is my fault. If you're angry, take it out on me. Don't hurt Nessie. You two have been together for so many years now!" He'd already benefited from the situation, yet he was still trying to act all innocent and generous. Well, sadly for him, I wasn't as easily fooled as Vanessa. Scoffing, I shot back, "Since you know you're the one at fault, go apologize to her. Why the hell are you coming to me?" I turned to leave, but Cameron suddenly grabbed me, his voice choked as he cried out, "I'll get on my knees and beg, okay? Is that enough for you? Please don't do this to Nessie!" Annoyed, I shook off his hand. I was about to retort when I saw his body tilt backward and roll down the steps. Right on cue, Vanessa appeared. Once she saw Cameron tumbling down two steps, her eyes instantly turned red with anger. "Shane! I've known you for ten years, but I guess I was wrong about you the whole time! Cam is already willing to humiliate himself by kneeling in apology to you, yet you still kicked him down the steps! "Do you know how hard he's been working to handle the mess you left behind? He hasn't slept all night! Look at his dark circles. He's completely worn out!" She made it sound like I'd committed some egregious crime—like I'd forced Cameron to become a murderer or something. I simply eyed her calmly and reminded her, "According to you, losing one night's sleep is enough to be considered working hard and being completely worn out, huh? "What about when I used to pull multiple all-nighters to create our project budgets and bidding proposals? What about when I had to stay up all night to take care of our critically ill investor? Why didn't you mention how worn out I was from working so hard? "If he's incompetent, just admit it. Don't use anyone else as an excuse." I'd rendered Vanessa speechless. All she could do was turn purple from rage. "You've gone too far!" After throwing those words at me, she left with Cameron. I couldn't be bothered to pay any further attention to them. Instead, I headed back to the house to pack my belongings. Vanessa and I had paid the down payment on the house with the first profits we earned, and the property was solely under her name. Although it was fairly small, it contained all of the loving memories we'd shared over the past six years. Chapter 4 I opened the closet. Inside hung several sets of matching pajamas, and below them were the plushies we'd won from the claw machines together. As the fond memories of the past flashed in my mind, I let out a small sigh and sat down by the desk. My eyes fell on the loving photos of the two of us on the desk, as well as the journal beside them. Back then, Vanessa and I had been completely in love. We both had bright hopes for marriage. She had excitedly used the journal to map out our future married life. But now, years had gone by with the journal simply collecting dust on the desk. It was just like our relationship, which had been shrouded by years of neglect without me even noticing. There was no longer any reason to revisit it. I was still lost in my reverie when Vanessa walked into the house with a limping Cameron. Frowning, I got up. Vanessa walked over, grabbed my hand, and said sweetly, "Cam hurt his ankle because of you. He can't move around easily. I'm not comfortable leaving him alone, so I brought him here to stay with us while he recovers. You'll just have to sleep on the couch for the next few days, okay? "Oh, and babe, why don't you make Cam some nourishing food later? It'll help with his recovery." Who did these two think I was? Some kind of saint? "Not doing it," I flatly refused her. Unexpectedly, Vanessa didn't argue with me. She simply sighed. "Then I'll do it." As she put on the apron, she said ever so nonchalantly, "Shane, I know you feel indignant and upset, but I don't want to lose a talent like Cam. I'll make some of your favorite food, so let's just sit down and talk calmly later, okay?" She took my silence as agreement and added pitifully, "I'm sorry about what I posted on Instagram. I only did it in the heat of the moment. I've deleted my posts, so you delete yours too, okay? "I'll send someone else to Fennoria. You can just rest for a few days and come back to the company afterward. I promise I won't ask you to entertain any more clients for the company. All you have to do is give Cam some guidance." I was wondering why Vanessa had suddenly changed her attitude and had even taken the initiative to cook. As it turned out, it was still for Cameron's sake. I snorted right in front of her. She used to say that cooking would make a woman age quicker and that I'd stop loving her if that happened. Throughout these years, I'd been the one cooking all of our meals. Well, she certainly wasn't worried about how cooking was going to make her age quicker now. The difference in the way a person acted when they loved another or not was so painfully obvious. I had no interest in playing whatever twisted game they had going on here. Turning around, I went back to the room to pack my luggage and leave. Inside the room, Cameron was holding a delicate ceramic urn, turning it over in his hands. Seeing that, I said grimly, "Put it down." The urn contained the ashes that belonged to Dolly, a kitten that Vanessa and I adopted together. Seemingly knowing how important the urn was to me, Cameron smirked sinisterly. "Sure," he said before deliberately loosening his grip. The urn hit the floor with a loud crash and shattered into pieces, the ashes scattering everywhere. Seeing Cameron lift his foot as if to step on ashes, I instinctively shoved him away. He fell and cried out in pain. Vanessa came rushing over after hearing the commotion. When she found out I'd pushed Cameron just because of Dolly's ashes, she lost her temper and slapped me across the face. "You attacked Cam over the ashes of a dead cat? That's too much of you!" I rubbed my stinging cheek. From the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Camerona's gloating expression. At the very next second, he said in a choked voice, "It slipped out of my hand by accident, Nessie. I had no idea it was so important to you guys." Vanessa's heart ached for him. She quickly helped him back on his feet, comforting him gently, "Who says it's important? It's just trash. I've been meaning to throw it out for ages now. It's so creepy to have an urn of ashes in the house!" She and I had met because of Dolly, which we adopted after we graduated from college. Chapter 5 Dolly had spent five years with us, witnessing the happiest moments of our lives with us. Back then, Vanessa loved Dolly and treated her like a daughter. She'd been devastated when Dolly died and suggested keeping Dolly's ashes in the house with us. But now, she was calling Dolly's ashes trash. Perhaps the trash wasn't Dolly's ashes but me. After bending down and painstakingly gathering the ashes, I said to Vanessa in a calm voice, "I won't be returning to the company, and neither will I delete what I posted on Instagram. You can forget about the one-billion-dollar project, too." Vanessa didn't take me seriously. Sneering, she retorted, "Don't make me laugh. The contract's already signed! I doubt you can change anything." Without speaking, I threw down my set of keys to the house and walked off. … The next day, I met Julia at a restaurant. She brought an industry giant with her, a businessman by the name of Graham White. We'd only just taken our seats and exchanged a short round of pleasantries when Vanessa showed up at the table with Cameron by her side. Seeing me with Julia, Cameron decided to cast the first tone by saying accusingly, "This explains why Shane resigned from the company without any fuss. He had something going on with someone else all along." Vanessa's scowl deepened. She grabbed me and questioned, "Have you betrayed me all along?" Picking up her cup of coffee, Julia spoke up before I could say anything. "What betrayal? Shane has already resigned, hasn't he?" "I'm referring to our relationship!" Vanessa snapped as she glared daggers at Julia. Julia burst into laughter. "Oh. I thought you two broke up ages ago. After all, it seems to me that you're far more intimately involved with that other man beside you right now." "Do you think everyone is as much of a slut as you are, Julia? Cam and I have a strictly professional relationship!" Vanessa immediately defended herself. However, Julia simply let out a meaningful hum, remarking, "Oh. I didn't know there were strictly professional relationships that involved holding hands and going on holidays together. Guess I need to keep up with the times." "Why, you—" Infuriated, Vanessa was about to fly off the handle when Mr. White came out of the restroom and walked back toward the table. The moment Vanessa saw him, she immediately had a fit. "I knew it! You teamed up with Julia to steal the company's projects! No wonder we've been failing to secure a deal with Mr. White after negotiating with him for so long!" After saying that, she turned to Mr. White with a fawning smile. She introduced herself before attempting to besmirch Julia and me. "They're two peas in a pod, Mr. White! They're both unscrupulous schemers with no conscience to speak of. If you work with them, sooner or later, they'll stab you in the back! "Why don't you consider working with my company instead? This man here is an incredibly talented professional who studied abroad and came back with a master's degree…" Vanessa wasn't done singing her own company's praises before Mr. White interrupted her in displeasure. "I haven't chosen to work with your company because Julia is my niece." As soon as he said that, Vanessa was rooted to the spot. She hadn't fully wrapped her head around the situation before Mr. White continued, "Rest assured that I will never be working with your company in the future either. "After all, my niece is an unscrupulous schemer, which means I'm not much better than her. I wouldn't want you to have to worry about me stabbing you in the back, too." Vanessa didn't think she'd end up offending a business magnate of his standing. As she tried to stammer out an explanation, she got a call. She wasn't going to take it, but once she noticed that the call was from the SEC, she immediately answered. While she thought it was a call from the authorities informing her that her project had been approved, what she heard instead was, "Ms. Stewart, your company committed multiple violations during the bidding process. The contract is now void, and you will be facing penalties for breach of contract."