My CEO wife, Gianna Richmond, plans on finally publicly announcing our marriage after our company successfully secures funding.

However, Shane Jagger, a junior colleague that she recently hired, suddenly takes the mic from her and bashfully says, "Ms. Richmond, I really didn't think that you would be making our relationship public so quickly. Aren't you spoiling me a little too much?"

Gianna doesn't refute that. Instead, she arranges for him to work on a very important project to help him fast-track his growth.

At once, all of her employees erupt in cheer and applause, praising them for being a match made in heaven.

A long-time colleague, Henry Danson, notices that I'm not saying anything in response, so he whispers to me, "Hey, Brandon, aren't you usually really good at pleasantries and networking? Hurry up and show some support!"

I decide not to make a fuss. Instead, I take off my project manager work badge and push it toward Shane instead, declaring, "I don't think just being part of the project is good enough for your status. You should be the project manager as well. Think of it as my gift to you for making your relationship public!"

Everyone in the conference room was shocked when they saw me handing my work badge to Shane Jagger, the junior colleague who had recently joined the company.

After all, I was the one who had worked tirelessly on this project for years. Once, I'd even passed out from low blood sugar due to overworking.

However, the shock only lasted for a short while. Some of my other colleagues began to cheer, and the cheering and clapping only continued after that until it reached its peak. They all praised me for my act of generosity and for being such a long-time loyal employee to the company.

Gianna Richmond was the only one who didn't join in on the cheering. She stood on the stage with her lips pursed, looking extremely hesitant.

I found her awkwardness extremely hilarious.

She was the one who condemned office romances the most, and yet, she and I had been married for seven years without anyone else knowing about it. I had always asked her to please make our relationship public, but she refused to do it every time.

I thought that I had finally convinced her to make our relationship public after securing the funding this round. However, I never thought that the plan would end up getting disrupted by Shane in the end.

Now, it no longer mattered whether or not Gianna wanted to make our relationship public anymore. I had already lost all interest.

"Alright. If there's nothing else you need me here for, then I'm going to leave now. Have fun, all of you!"

I then walked out of the conference room without waiting for Gianna to respond.

We had only managed to successfully secure the funding today because my project had been progressing very well and had great potential. It managed to attract additional investments from our partners.

The core patent for this project was also mine, and we had only achieved the results today because of my daily hard work and dedication to it.

However, now that she had immensely let me down, I wasn't going to be foolish enough to continue helping her anymore.

I instinctively took the elevator to the basement level, where the underground parking garage was. Then, I got into my car. The large bouquet of fresh roses I had prepared was sitting in the front passenger seat.

Gianna promised me that she would make our relationship public today, and I had been so ecstatic about it that I immediately bought these roses for her and even booked a candlelit dinner for tonight.

After getting my hopes up, all I got in return was just further proof of Gianna doting on Shane even more.

My eyes turned dim. I was just about to drive off when I suddenly caught sight of Shane standing in front of the car. My headlights were shining directly on him.

He looked absolutely smug as he toyed with the project manager badge on his shirt, boasting loudly, "Brandon Hemsworth, do you know that Gianna actually planned on making your relationship public today?

"However, all it took was just a single sentence from me for her to change her mind about it at once.

"She told me that she was going to give me a raise and a promotion after I'd worked under your program for a while. Say, I also heard that you never got any raises or promotions for the past three or four years. You're not going to get mad at me for this, are you?"

Shane then cocked an eyebrow while looking at me. His pale face was filled with malicious intent.

I found his petty, despicable face kind of laughable.

I used to be triggered by his secret provocations in the past, which made Gianna think I was intentionally targeting him at work. That was also the reason for most of our arguments.

But now, I couldn't be bothered about him anymore.

As expected, I soon heard the sound of high heels clacking behind him.

Shane’s expression immediately shifted. He clutched the work badge in his hand and tried to pry open my car window, crying out, "Wait, Brandon, don't be mad! Gianna didn't abuse her power to put me in your department and let me work under you! I was the one who asked her for a chance to learn from someone as brilliant as you!

"But if you're not happy about it, then I'll just ask to be transferred to another department instead. The project manager position can only belong to someone with as much senior experience as you!"

Shane spoke in a very low and humble voice as if I'd just scolded him earlier. He then carefully nudged the work badge toward me a little.

Gianna hurried up to him and immediately slammed her purse against my car windshield. There was a very loud thump.

She then started yelling at me.

"Brandon Hemsworth! Don't you know how to get out of the car when Shane is talking to you? What if you accidentally ran over him? Don't you know that is also considered workplace harassment?"

A mocking grin played on my lips.

I rolled down my window, wanting to say that I didn't want the position anymore. However, Shane thought that I wanted to snatch the work badge away from him, and a hint of panic appeared in his eyes momentarily. He hurriedly wound his fingers around the lanyard and gripped it tightly.

A split second later, he suddenly doubled over, seemingly in pain. He was clutching his stomach. His face paled as he whispered weakly that his stomach hurt.

His acting was horrible. However, that didn't stop certain people from falling for it.

Gianna stopped talking to me and immediately went over to help Shane up. Then, she rummaged in her bag for some painkillers and gave them to him.

Not knowing what to do next, she then turned to me and hollered, "Brandon Hemsworth! Get your ass down here and help me send him to the hospital!"

I rolled my eyes internally, starting up my engine once more and wanting to leave.

However, Gianna stood in front of the car to stop me from leaving. Her face was grim and serious. She looked as though she would rather let me run her over if I refused to take them to the hospital.

How ridiculous.

Some time ago, I had drunk a little too much at an intercompany event one night and suffered from stomach bleeding. While I was busy throwing up blood in the toilet, Gianna simply ignored my plight and suggested that I take some painkillers and call it a day.

Now, Shane was just pretending to be sick, and it got Gianna, who was always calm and aloof, to get all flustered and panicked without even caring about her own safety.

I frowned and gave in. I sent both of them to the nearest hospital, feeling frustrated.

At the hospital, Gianna finally heaved a sigh of relief after hearing from the doctor that Shane was fine. Her eyes were filled with gratitude.

However, I wasn't interested in continuing to watch them put on their bittersweet lovey-dovey act. I turned to leave.

Gianna ran up to me and cornered me in the hallway, grabbing me by my arm.

I frowned again. I thought that she was going to yell at me and blame me for making Shane sick. But moments later, she put the work badge on my shirt again and even helped me straighten out my coat, which had crumpled up a little.

She said softly, "Brandon, Shane's just fond of cracking harmless jokes here and there. It's not like you don't know there are still plenty more chances for us to make our relationship public next time. Just wait a while longer.

"The project manager position is a very crucial one. You shouldn't fool around with it. I won't hold what happened this time against you."

I just hummed nonchalantly in response.

Gianna looked up at me for a moment, looking like she was in a helpless dilemma, before handing me a crumpled-up box.

"Alright, Brandon. I saw the roses you prepared for me in the front passenger seat. I like them a lot. Go home and put the flowers in a vase for me, okay?

"Actually, I also prepared a gift for you."

I knew that this was one of Gianna's carrot-and-stick tricks again. She always used this tactic on me.

The box in her hand looked quite familiar. I recalled Shane posting a photo of a similar box on his Instagram feed before.

At that time, Shane had accidentally gotten some grease on a necktie that she had given to him. So, he said that he had no choice but to throw it away. Yet, there were clear elements of boasting in his caption.

Gianna had then commented on the post, saying that she would buy him ten more neckties as compensation.

I took the box from Gianna and opened it. In it lay a replica of a very expensive, designer necktie. I only rubbed my fingers against the edge of the tie, and the color faded immediately.

I also noticed that the receipt was still tucked inside the box.

Gianna never flinched whenever it came to buying luxury, designer items for Shane. And yet, now, she was trying to bribe me back with fake goods.

I didn't even bother exposing her. I simply replied, "Got it. If there's nothing else, I'm leaving now."

When I turned the corner, I caught sight of a trash can and threw the gift box into it without a second thought.

After that, I fished out my phone and called the company that had been trying to poach me for a long time, saying, "I've decided to accept your offer and work at your company."

Byte Technology, or Byte Tech, was a Wealth 500 company, and they had been trying to convince me to jump ship and work for them for the past few years.

However, I had decided to decline their offer and stay put where I was because I wanted to accompany Gianna and achieve our dreams together.

On the other end of the line, the HR representative, Daisy Lindt, continued briefing me on their company benefits and how much they would welcome a talented genius like me on board.

Our conversation went on for a while, and soon, I realized that I was already back at home.

I looked at the hour-long call log and gripped my phone even tighter.

I had given up a top-management position that was within grasp for Gianna's sake. I had given it up to start a company from scratch with her. I had then busied myself for years at the company, neglecting my health and being constantly on edge at work. Now, I was worn out, both physically and mentally.

Finally, our company took off, and we managed to achieve significant milestones, though we started from nothing. But now, I realized that Gianna's heart had quietly left me a long time ago.

I decided that I was only going to live for myself moving forward.

After thinking for a while, I texted our project partner, Ronan Walters, and informed him that someone else was going to replace me as the project manager.

Ronan's company had only been willing to collaborate with us and invest in our company because they thought highly of my work and wanted to continue working with me. They had also brought in a considerable amount of funding for our company because of it.

Now that I was leaving, I knew that I had to inform them about it.

After I was done sending the text message, I bought a plane ticket for the next day and began packing up my things.

I retrieved my coat from the bottommost drawer in the closet and didn't realize that I had also accidentally flipped open a photo album under it. I then caught sight of a photo of Gianna and me in the album.

The photo had been taken eight years ago, when Gianna and I first began dating. We were still young and shy with each other back then. Our faces in the picture were bashful.

I brought out the photo album and flipped through each page slowly.

Now that I thought of it, Gianna had been the one who suggested we take these photos. She said that she wanted to record our lives, especially our hardships, so that we could make up for them in the future.

Gianna and I experienced a lot of hardships in the past, and we used to live a difficult life back then.

We used to huddle together in a small, rented flat and watch pirated DVDs at night. We also used to fight over the last chicken nugget during Christmas dinner.

However, those moments of financial hardship still felt like happiness to me. They had served as motivation for me to continue fighting for our dreams.

Soon, the clothing we wore in the photos became brighter and more designer-like, while our photo backgrounds became fancier and more luxurious. Yet, the photos also became fewer and farther apart.

We used to take photos together once every few days, then once a month, then once a year.

Then, we stopped taking new photos since Shane appeared in Gianna's life.

Eventually, the only exchange Gianna and I still had with each other was the conversations we had with each other at work, with her as my superior and me as her subordinate.

I didn't know when it all began, but Gianna never even bothered anymore when she saw me skipping meals, bleeding from alcohol consumption, or getting injured when conducting experiments with our products.

Yet, she protected Shane like a mother hen, declining all intercompany events so that she could take Shane, who had gastric issues, out for dinner. It was as if she were trying to make things up to him. She was spoiling him rotten.

Feeling hurt, I once asked her why she behaved this way.

Gianna's eyes turned cold and steely at that time. She chided me, saying that she and I both came from nothing, and yet, I was very petty for my age, and that Shane was far more mature and understanding than I was.

She told me that she admired Shane's kindness and innocence, and she didn't want him to go through the same hardships that we both went through.

I quickly snapped back to the present and stared at the photo album that used to be full of loving memories between Gianna and me, suddenly realizing that none of this mattered anymore. So, I took the photo album and threw it into the trash can.

I continued folding my clothes and packing them away. My phone suddenly began ringing in my pocket.

It was a call from the five-star restaurant. The manager on the line said, "Mr. Hemsworth, I would like to remind you that you are half an hour late for your candlelit dinner reservation. If you do not arrive within the next ten minutes, I am afraid that we will have to give up your reservation for other paying customers instead."

I had always preferred eating stews and soups, but Gianna's favorite kinds of restaurants were steakhouses because she thought it was classier and more romantic. Thus, I had proposed to her at a steakhouse.

Since Gianna had promised to make our relationship public today, I even purposely reserved a spot at the best steakhouse in town to celebrate with a candlelit dinner tonight, but she ultimately left me hanging.

My eyes were indifferent as I said, "Cancel my reservation, please. You can give the table to someone else."