On April Fool's Day, my boss, who was also my girlfriend, asked me to hand over a $5 million deal to a new intern. I refused and, in return, got cold looks from everyone at the office.

　　"It's April Fool's Day. Can't this guy take a joke?"

　　Rumors spread, and I was pressured into resigning. My girlfriend smirked, and the intern took over my position that same day.

　　A year later, I became a rising star while her company teetered on the edge of bankruptcy. I threw her own words back at her. "Weren't you the one who loved a good joke? How's the company doing now?"

　　On this April Fool's Day, I closed another $5 million deal. Aimee, still my girlfriend back then, frowned and tentatively asked, "Adam, Frankie really needs this deal to get established in the company. Why don't you let him have it?"

　　"Yeah, Adam, with your skills, you can easily close another deal in the future," Frankie chimed in.

　　Looking at their faces, I felt a surge of disgust. Aimee was my college sweetheart, and Frankie was a protégé I had personally trained. Now, they were ganging up on me, trying to climb higher at my expense. I shook my head, refusing to give in.

　　I knew Frankie's capabilities. Giving him this deal would only lead to disaster. Aimee looked furious, her face darkening as she slammed her hand on the table.

　　"Adam, the company has given you so much over the years, and now you won't even give up a single deal? You've really disappointed me!"

　　She stormed off, expecting me to follow and apologize, as I always had in the past. Over the years, I've always compromised, but this time, I stayed put. Seeing this, Frankie chuckled and followed her, leaving me to watch them walk away together. I was slightly taken aback. When did they start getting so close?

　　I thought the matter would end there, but it didn't. The next day, the entire office was buzzing with gossip. As I presented my slides, the room quieted for a moment before the whispers began again. I clenched my fists, trying to keep my composure.

　　"Why should we listen to Adam? He's just a kept man."

　　"The company would be better off without him!"

　　I couldn't hold back and slammed my hand on the table, glaring at them. "If you don't want to listen, you can leave."

　　"Why should we leave? Yesterday was April Fool's, and the boss was just joking around, but you had to make it a big deal and embarrass her."

　　The colleague who spoke was clearly angry. If this presentation weren't crucial for the company's future, I wouldn't have wasted time with them. But then, they all started leaving the room.

　　"Right now, Aimee's the boss, not you."

　　"Stop acting like you're in charge."

　　Their words made it clear they were trying to undermine me to curry favor with Aimee. But I wasn't concerned with their petty power plays; my goal was the company's success.

　　Unfortunately, that was just the beginning.

　　"Adam, there's a lot of discontent with you right now. Why don't you let Frankie take over as director for a while? Yesterday was just a joke; if you help him with the next deal, I'll reinstate you."

　　Aimee sat in her chair, looking down at me. I stood in the middle of the office, aware that our colleagues were watching through the open blinds. This was her way of asserting control.

　　"The deal was mine; I closed it. Why should I just hand it over? You know full well that it was your idea to bring Frankie into this. Now, with all these rumors, who do you think benefits the most?"

　　I calmly explained everything to her, not wanting to see her make a mistake, especially since I still cared for her.

　　To my surprise, Frankie burst into the room.

　　"Adam! How could you say that about me behind my back? Is the deal only your effort? I worked hard, too! Or are you questioning Aimee's decision?"

　　Frankie's boldness reminded me of myself in college. Aimee looked shocked, her eyes fixed on him. His words seemed to solidify her resolve.

　　"I'm the boss here. Either step down or pack your things and leave!"

　　My chest tightened, and anger welled up inside me, nearly choking me. My eyes turned red from my rage. I couldn't believe our years together meant less than a few words from an outsider.

　　"Fine, I'll go, but you need to settle my commission first."

　　Aimee stood up, slamming the table in anger. "You just want the money? Fine, but you only get half. The rest goes to Frankie. And from now on, we're done."

　　I turned and walked out, but not before running into a few coworkers in the lobby who couldn't resist taunting me.

　　"Oh look, it's our former boss, Adam! What's wrong? Got kicked out even though you're good at living off a woman?"

　　"Frankie's gonna be our new boss soon. Next time we meet, we won't be on the same level anymore."

　　I looked up at these lackeys, a slow smile spreading across my face. "April Fool's Day is all about fooling idiots like you. Move it, or get out of my way."

　　"You—!" One of the men raised his fist, his face contorted with anger, but I wasn't afraid. After a moment, he lowered his hand. I had always been mild-mannered, so my sudden outburst left them speechless, their threats dying in their throats.

　　They were a bunch of cowards who only picked on the weak.

　　I sneered and left the company. Not long after, Aimee couldn't wait to post about our breakup on social media with the caption, "Finally single, time for some me-time!" There was even a faint silhouette of a man in the photo.

　　Her friends flooded the comments.

　　"I always told Aimee to dump that deadbeat. Cheers to freedom!"

　　"Frankie seems great—handsome and caring. Aimee, you should give him a chance."

　　Most of the comments were bashing me, painting me as a useless freeloader in their eyes. I felt disheartened, knowing Aimee had likely stirred up these opinions behind the scenes. Just then, my phone buzzed with a message.

　　"Mr. Barlow, I heard you've left your job. Would you consider joining our company?"

　　It was an offer from a leading firm, extending a warm welcome. I stared at my phone in silence. Aimee would never know that while she was busy tarnishing my reputation, my skills were already recognized in the industry. While she enjoyed her comfort, I was the one driving the company forward. Without me, the company was nothing.

　　I quickly accepted the offer. The terms were excellent, even better than my previous job by a significant margin. After finalizing my resignation, I soon started at the new company.

　　On my last day, Aimee sat there sipping soup, looking utterly content.

　　"Adam, thanks for leaving me. Now I can truly enjoy life. This soup was made by Frankie's mom herself—you wouldn't know how this feels. They've shown me so much love. It made me realize how worthless your affection was because you could never make me happy."

　　I shook my head, saying nothing, while she continued to gloat.

　　"You're such a loser. You can't even stand up to me now. You know, in a relationship, the one who isn't loved is the third wheel. You were always the third wheel in my life because I never loved you!"

　　Aimee's eyes blazed with intensity, her voice rising. I had to get to my new job and had no time for her rant. As for her and Frankie... Well, we're done, and she can live her life as she sees fit.

　　But just as I left, Aimee eagerly took Frankie out on a date. I stared hard at the upscale hotel, a place where Aimee and I had dined many times. Now, she and Frankie were walking in, holding hands like a couple in love. They practically clung to each other and smoothly booked a room.

　　I took a deep breath and drove home. The first thing I did was check the surveillance footage. Our shared apartment had cameras for safety, covering the entrance and the hallway.

　　I hit play, and soon enough, the sound of heavy breathing and moans filled the room.

　　"Babe, are you sure bringing me here won't get us caught?"

　　"If we get caught, I'll just break up with him. If it weren't for his usefulness to the company, I'd have left him already. I'm sorry I made you keep this relationship a secret."

　　And just like that, they didn't even make it inside the apartment before they were all over each other. In all our years together, Aimee and I rarely kissed, but she'd known Frankie for just two months.

　　The surveillance footage could be stored for fourteen days, and for ten days straight, Aimee brought Frankie to our place. While I was out securing a $5 million deal, she was with another man in our home.

　　How could I not be furious?

　　My phone lit up with a notification—$80,000 had been deposited into my account. A mere fraction of what the deal was worth, the rest of the money had clearly gone elsewhere. But I would make sure to get what was rightfully mine from Aimee.

　　Aimee, Frankie, and the company—I wasn't going to let any of them off the hook.

　　A year later, my career was thriving, and I had mastered the core technology of a new project that could potentially crush Grandview—my former company. However, it wasn't time yet.

　　Over the years, Aimee had handed over the company's reins to Frankie, even renaming the company Irwin Group. She distanced herself from the center of power, unaware that the company was teetering on the brink of collapse. Frankie had been siphoning off funds, gradually hollowing out the company's financial resources.

　　Now, they needed a substantial influx of cash to support the next project. They reached out to my current company, hoping for a financial injection.

　　As the person in charge, I had to attend the meeting in person, making it my first time stepping back into the company after a year.

　　"What are you here for? Sign in," the receptionist demanded, her tone condescending. She was one of the employees who had given me a hard time before.

　　"If you're here to beg for money, our CEO doesn't have time for you."

　　"I'm here for a partnership."

　　"A partnership? You think you're fit to partner with our CEO?"

　　Just then, Frankie and Aimee came down the stairs.

　　Aimee, visibly pregnant, looked tired but still had an air of smugness. Upon seeing me, she wrinkled her nose in disgust.

　　"Didn't I give you $80,000 already? Have you spent it all? I don't have a penny for you. Get out."

　　Frankie let go of Aimee's arm and rushed toward me. "Aimee's my wife now. Stop pestering us! Where's security? Get this intruder out of here!"

　　Seeing my assistant behind me, Frankie became obsequious. "You must be the director we're waiting for. We're looking forward to this cooperation."

　　The employees around us sprang into action, pouring coffee and cutting fruit, ready to usher my assistant inside. No one paid me any attention.

　　My assistant finally snapped out of it and announced, "You've got it wrong. This is Mr. Barlow, our director, and I'm his assistant!"

　　"What? He's the director? Is this an April Fool's joke?"