The room erupted in mocking laughter. Someone even whistled and egged me on.

"Do it, Reuben! Ten apologies for five thousand dollars is easy money!"

"Yeah! Why should you fight money? It's not like you've got any dignity left anyway!"

The laughter lashed at me like a whip on my back, which hurt so much that I could feel my blood boiling with fury.

I didn't do anything wrong. Why should I apologize?

He pretentiously tugged at Stacie's sleeve, though smugness was hidden in his eyes. "Just forget it, Stacie. Reuben didn't mean it, so there's no need to take it this far…"

"No way!" she snapped, shaking him off.

Her gaze turned vicious as she continued, "He embarrassed me in front of all these people, so he has to apologize to you today! Either drink or apologize, Reuben. You choose."

I looked at the message from Mom on my phone, which read "Medical bills overdue". As I pictured Dad gasping for air on the hospital bed, my heart felt like it was being crushed by an invisible hand. The pain was nearly suffocating.

Five thousand dollars was Dad's life on the line, so I couldn't afford to bet anything on it.

"I'll drink."

When I grabbed the bottle of tequila and twisted the cap off, the sharp scent rushed into my nose. Without hesitation, I tipped my head back and chugged it down.

The tequila burned down my throat like molten knives and ignited my stomach in searing pain, instantly setting my insides on fire. The jeers around me slowly faded until all that remained was the sound of my desperate gulps.

My stomach churned violently, and my vision darkened, but I dared not stop. Instead, I kept my eyes glued to the phone screen, waiting for the money transfer alert.

When the bottle emptied, the ping of a notification finally broke the silence. "Payment of five thousand dollars received."

As I let out a shaky breath, my hands shook so badly that I could barely hold the phone. With my last shred of consciousness, I transferred every penny to Mom.

Once the bank transfer went through, everything went dark, and I collapsed heavily to the floor.

The last thing I heard was Stacie's impatient voice. "What a buzzkill. Now we have to get him out of here."

…

I woke up to the smell of disinfectant filling my nose.

The doctor held a medical chart and sternly snapped, "Do you have a death wish, young man?

"Your stomach lining is severely damaged from continuous all-nighters, and you chugged an entire bottle of high-proof tequila on an empty stomach, so it triggered a gastric perforation. You wouldn't have made it if you'd arrived a minute later."

Gastric perforation…

I smiled bitterly and pressed a hand to my still-cramping stomach, but I felt no regret now that, at the very least, Dad's medicine was paid for.

In the next second, my phone buzzed with a message from Stacie.

"If you're awake, get back to the office ASAP! There's an issue with the app backend, and Tory says only you can fix it. Don't delay the company's IPO!"

As I read the text, I suddenly burst out laughing. The movement sent a sharp spasm through my stomach as tears slipped uncontrollably down my face.

She probably had no idea that just before I passed out last night, the self-destruct protocol for the tech database had entered its final countdown. The app's core functions would crash completely within 24 hours.

Instead of replying to her message, I contacted a lawyer and drafted the divorce papers. Then, I started sending out résumés.

Halfway through my job applications, there was a sudden knock on the door of my ward.

"Come in."

When I noticed who the visitor was, I sat bolt upright in shock.

"Karina? What are you doing here?" I asked.

Karina Sherman walked to the side of the bed and set the fruit she was carrying on the nightstand. Her eyes were full of reproach.

"Why else would I be here? I had my men asking around forever before I found you here. Honestly, you're something else, Reuben. You really know how to disappear when you want to."

I was still trying to process the shock of seeing her when she continued, "One of my men told me they received a résumé with such an impressive technical background that it practically glowed.

"I clicked on it and thought, 'Well, look at that! Isn't this the old classmate I lost to Stacie back then?'"

She raised an eyebrow and didn't bother to hide the admiration in her tone. "You single-handedly built all the algorithms and backend for your app that's about to launch, right?

"People in the industry have had their eyes on the tech for a while now, and only Stacie would treat a unicorn developer like a disposable intern. All she does is work you to the bone and force you to pull all-nighters."

Her words were like a needle pricking right through all the grievances I had bottled up over the years. I gulped and said nothing in response.

"Don't play mute with me. I know you've suffered a lot. You're perfectly aware of my messy history with Stacie, aren't you?"

As she paused, a flicker of nostalgia crossed her eyes.

"In high school, Stacie and I fought over everything, including top grades and the campus belle title. Later, when she found out that I liked you, she started putting on that sunny, harmless act and stuck to you until she took you from me."

I jerked my head up to look at her.

Back then, Karina had never confessed to me, while out of nowhere, Stacie had suddenly claimed it was love at first sight. She had stuck to me like stubborn glue and followed me around every day.

She was like a sunflower in full light, who was always all smiles for me. Honestly, no one could say no to someone as bright as the sun, so we inevitably ended up together.

Karina smiled and continued in a surprisingly casual, unbothered tone, "After that… I backed off when I realized you had chosen her, but I couldn't stand the thought of losing to her.

"When she decided to launch a startup and build an app, I made up my mind to become top-tier in the exact field.

"Still, I never thought she'd end up luckier than me. Since you're her technical backbone, getting her company listed on the IPO was a breeze.

"Oh, and why isn't she here? Did you have a fight? A patient needs proper rest, so someone has to be taking care of you."

The light in my eyes dimmed at the mention of Stacie. I forced a crooked smile and replied in a hoarse voice, "No… I've found a lawyer, and I'm drafting the divorce papers. That's why I started looking for work."

The shock in Karina's eyes lasted only a second before it turned into a knowing smirk. She leaned in and fixed me with an intense stare.

"Well then… Isn't that a perfect coincidence?"

She reached into her bag, grabbed a business card, and handed it to me. The words "CEO of Future Tech Innovations" stood out in bold, sharp lettering.

"Instead of starting from scratch somewhere else, come work for me. I know what you're capable of, and it just so happens that I'm missing a CTO…

"You can pick your own team, earn twice your current paycheck, and receive project bonuses.

"I lost to Stacie once, Reuben. Will you give me a chance and give yourself one, too?"

Her eyes were so clear and sincere that I felt something shift inside me.

As I looked at the business card, I was reminded of Stacie's cold, lifeless message. It suddenly struck me that revenge could perhaps take a far more elegant form.

I picked up Karina's business card and agreed without hesitation. "Alright. I'm in."

"Perfect!"

She sprang to her feet, and her eyes were bright with delight. "I'll have my assistant send the offer to your email right away. Once you're discharged, come straight over and pick your office."

After a few more reminders to rest and heal, she turned around on her heels and left in a whirlwind.

The echo of her footsteps had barely faded when the door to the ward was kicked open.

Stacie stormed in and, without uttering a single word, flung her designer handbag in my face. When I dodged it, she furiously pressed on and screamed at me, "Reuben! Are you blind?"

With her hands on her hips, she stood at the foot of the bed, and her meticulously made-up face was twisted with rage.

"Did you not see my messages? Half the app backend has crashed, and Tory can't handle anything, but you're lying here playing dead!"

Leaning against the headboard, I watched her hysterical display and found it almost laughable. "Can't you see? I'm hospitalized."

"Hospitalized or not, get your ass back to the office right now—as long as you're not dead!"

She lunged forward to grab the collar of my hospital gown and fixed me with a ferocious glare. "You're deliberately holding onto the only backend admin access, just to extort money and control me, aren't you? Transfer the access to Tory right now!"

I yanked my gown back and spat out a cold word. "No."

Her fury stalled for a moment. Then, as if something occurred to her, she forced a sweet smile and reached for my hand.

"Calm down, Reuben. Once the company goes public and the app starts making a profit, you'll surely benefit. I've kept everything you've done for the company close to heart."

I turned my head away from her hand and couldn't help but scoff. "Close to your heart? In that case, why don't I own a single share of the company? Why did you give this year's project bonus to Tory instead?"

The smile on her face stiffened before she started stammering, "W-We're married. What's mine is yours, and what's yours is mine. Why are you suddenly trying to draw a line in the sand?"

"What's yours is mine?"

I raised my voice and could feel my anger boiling over in my chest. "I've worked for your company for three years, and I've never received a single paycheck.

"My payroll is tied to your bank account, so the money gets transferred out the moment it comes in on payday. I even have to submit a request just to top up phone credit. Is that what you call mine?"

I grabbed the divorce papers from under the pillow and held them out to her.

"Let's get a divorce, Stacie. I won't hand over the backend access. That technology is mine, so you and your team aren't getting anywhere near it."

Stacie's smile finally shattered, and her expression darkened to a gloomy shade. "You wouldn't dare! I won't agree to a divorce!"

"You won't agree?"

I curled my lips and took another contact from the file my lawyer had prepared. "Either sign the divorce papers, or sign this equity transfer contract and give me 5% of the company's shares once it's completed. Then I'll grant you access."

Stacie stared at the words "5% equity". After weighing the massive profits from the upcoming IPO, she hesitated briefly before gritting her teeth.

"Fine! I'll sign!"

She grabbed the pen and barely glanced at the divorce terms tucked into the contract before signing her name with a few quick strokes.

That was when the ward door was kicked open again.