“Yes! Of course I am,” Lucian said immediately.

Half an hour later, we met in a private room at a cafe.

Lucian looked at me. He spoke with a wistful, yet hopeful tone.

“Charles, I’ll be blunt. I’ve offered you the chance to join me countless times before, but you always turned me down for Joy.

“Honestly, it’s a shame! With your talent, staying at a small company like Zimmer Group is such a waste.

“Have you finally thought about my offer?”

I smiled wearily and nodded in response.

A glimmer of understanding flashed in Lucian’s eyes. He did not press further.

He slid a prepared contract across the table to me.

“The Chief Technology Officer position at InnoVigor Corporation has always been yours for the taking. The salary is exactly as I promised you, at the highest tier.”

Without hesitation, I picked up the pen and signed it.

Lucian had founded InnoVigor Corporation. It was a true industry giant.

The technical capabilities and market share for that company far exceeded those of Joy’s company.

Over the past few years, he had invited me to join him several times. The terms he offered grew more generous every time.

Back then, I was blinded by what I thought was love. All I cared about was helping Joy grow her company.

I politely declined Lucian every time.

I looked back and realized how absurd it all was.

Despite my years of wholehearted effort, I found myself in a position inferior to that of Joy’s sycophantic assistant.

After I was done meeting Lucian, I finally found time to visit my mother at the hospital.

When I reached the ward door, I saw an unexpected figure.

It was Joy.

She was sitting by the hospital bed, peeling an apple and speaking softly to my mother.

When she saw me enter the ward, she immediately walked forward and took my hand.

“Darling, I’ve taken care of everything for your mother. I also paid off all the medical bills.

“Don’t be upset with me anymore. Come with me to the office later, and I’ll have finance transfer your bonus. Now, you ought to stop being angry, okay?”

I was baffled when I saw her gentle behavior.

In all the years my mother had been ill, Joy had visited the hospital only a handful of times.

Each visit was rushed, and she never showed any willingness to stay a moment longer.

Why the sudden act of kindness? Had she actually come to her senses?

I knew her far too well to fall for that.

I turned aside to avoid her hand and said indifferently, “Tell me why you are actually here. Don’t beat around the bush, and get to the point.”

Joy’s face stiffened briefly before she forced out a smile again.

“Darling, I was wrong. I was thoughtless and made a mistake. You have every right to be angry.

“But this new product launch is too important for the company. You’re the only one who really knows the core specs and the entire control process. You can’t let a personal grudge jeopardize something this big.”

Well, that was expected.

The last trace of hope within me vanished completely when she revealed her true intention.

I deliberately shook off her hand and said coldly, “That has nothing to do with me anymore.”

Joy grew anxious.

She raised her voice and said, “How can this have nothing to do with you?! You’re the lead developer and my husband! The company’s interests are your interests. How can you just walk away?”

I laughed when I saw her entitled countenance.

“Joy, think about it. Do I own a single share of the company? Even if the launch succeeds, you get all the credit and the money. What’s in it for me?”

Without waiting for her response, I continued, “I never signed an employment contract with the company.

“If I choose to leave, you have no right to stop me.”

Joy’s face darkened. She looked at me venomously.

“Charles, I’ve been too easy on you. You refuse the easy way, so now you get the hard way. It’s time you learned your place.”

...

At Joy’s command, several bodyguards in black rushed into the ward. I tensed up.

“Joy, what are you doing?!”

She sneered and offered no reply. She merely gestured to them.

One of the bodyguards stepped forward and reached out to pull my mother’s oxygen tube.

I felt enraged. I lunged forward but was pinned down firmly by the other guards.

Joy watched me with calm composure.

“You want to leave? Fine! But before you go, hand over the new product’s core parameters.”

“That’s my own independent research. Why should I give it to you?” I said through gritted teeth.

In the face of a threat to my mother’s life, all my resistance crumbled.

I had no choice but to give them the password to the folder containing the parameters.

After she got what she wanted, Joy looked satisfied and gestured for the bodyguards to retreat. But she did not seem to want to leave yet.

I glared at her, trying to suppress my fury.

“You got what you wanted! What more do you want?”

Just then, the hospital room door pushed open.

Dale emerged with an undisguised smugness on his face.

Joy linked her arm with his and said sharply, “Because of your petty public scene over that bonus, Dale has had to put up with colleagues whispering behind his back for days. They say he doesn’t deserve his position, and it’s been weighing on him.

“A simple apology from you would be far too lenient. Dale, tell me, how should we punish him?”

Dale understood. He stepped forward, spread his legs, and pointed between his legs.

“Charles, crawl through here, and we’re square. I’ll consider the matter settled.”

When I saw Dale’s smug, gloating expression, I clenched my fists.

“What’s the matter? Don’t want to do it?”

Joy raised an eyebrow.

“It looks like you don’t care that much about your mother’s life, after all.”

I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down.

My pride was nothing compared to my mother’s life.

Slowly, I crouched down. Under their scornful gazes, I lowered myself bit by bit.

As I crawled between Dale’s legs, he deliberately lowered his body and whispered, “Charles, you don’t know this yet, do you? Joy said I’ll take all the credit for this launch.

“Pretty soon, everything you have will be mine.”

After enjoying my humiliation, the two smiled and strutted out of the ward with their heads held high.

I slowly stood up with a cold smirk.

In three days, it would not just be his “lucky day” for the product launch, but also the day the core patents under my name were released to the public for free.

I could not help but feel a little excited.

It would be quite a sight to see Joy’s face when she realized all her investments had gone to waste.

...

On the day of the new product launch, the venue was filled with a distinguished crowd.

Dale stood under the spotlight and spoke with glib confidence.

He was presenting the very proposal I had poured my heart and soul into.

Applause broke out periodically from the crowd.

I stood in an inconspicuous corner of the hall and watched him with an icy gaze.

At one point, Joy deliberately walked over to me, arm-in-arm with Dale.

“See? The company runs just fine without you. You think you’re far more important than you actually are.

“If you get down on your knees and beg, I might let you come back. You can work under Dale. I could even pay you $1,000 a month.”

Just as they were reveling in their moment, a sudden commotion arose at the entrance of the venue.

Several staff members from the Intellectual Property Office walked straight in.

“Ms. Zimmer, we have just received an official notice. All core patents related to the technology for the product that Zimmer Group is launching today have been made public and freely accessible as of midnight.

“No organization or individual may claim exclusive use or derive profit from these now-public patents.

“This launch event is to be terminated immediately. Any products based on these patents are prohibited from being sold.”

The previously noisy venue fell silent in an instant. All eyes were fixed on Joy.