I've worked with my wife, Naomi Prescott, for seven long years. Yet, she refuses to make my identity public in the company.

Naomi claims that she's worried that the entire company might think of me as a man who relies on his partner. Believing her excuse, I stick to myself and keep a low profile all this time.

But on the day my project team secures a ten-million-dollar business deal, Naomi is quick to make me give the credit to her childhood friend, Matthias Crowell.

When faced with my questions, Naomi retorts in a matter-of-fact tone, "Matt is new to the company. Can't a veteran employee like you take care of him at work?"

I'm furious, to say the least.

"What if I say no?"

Naomi throws a resignation letter at my face. "Well then, you can pack up and get lost, you pathetic loser!"

I pack my belongings calmly and leave the company afterward.

Three days later, Naomi's company is on the brink of bankruptcy. She sobs loudly as she begs me to return with her.

I produce a business card and give it to her. "Sorry, but I prefer being the boss of my own company. It so happens that my company still needs a janitor. I suppose I can reserve that position for you, seeing as we used to be married and all."

"Mr. Whitlock, your proposal is nothing short of perfection!" The woman sitting across from me closed the project proposal, her eyes shimmering with undisguised admiration. "Both the depth of the market analysis and the precision of the risk management far exceed our previous expectations. To be honest, it's been a long time since I've seen a proposal this impressive."

To produce this proposal, my team and I had pulled all-nighters for two weeks straight. Behind me, every member of the team looked giddy with relief.

Lyra Ellington was the Vice President of Dominion Group, a leading enterprise in Lakeshire. She was notorious in the business world for being fastidious and demanding. Earning her praise was no easy feat.

This partnership would shape Celestial Group's strategic direction for the next three years. However, my wife, Naomi Prescott, who was sitting beside me, shot me a fierce glare and snatched the proposal right out of my hands.

"Ms. Ellington, you flatter us," she said with a smile, though her gaze drifted past me and landed on Matthias behind me. "To be honest, the primary person in charge of this proposal is Matthias. Since he was a bit too nervous today, he had Kieran present it on his behalf."

In an instant, a heavy silence fell over the entire conference room.

The excitement on my team members' faces froze. Even the admiration on Lyra's face shifted into visible astonishment. Following Naomi's gaze, she looked at Matthias with confusion.

Matthias Crowell was Naomi's first love, who had been brought into the company only a week earlier as an intern assistant to the CEO. He rose to his feet with a bashful, modest smile and nodded at Lyra.

"Good day, Ms. Ellington," he began. "To be honest, for this proposal, I only did what I was supposed to do under the guidance of Ms. Prescott and Mr. Whitlock. I wouldn't dare take credit for it. Most of the credit belongs to Mr. Whitlock."

He said all the right things and carried himself with humility, yet the moment our eyes met, an imperceptible triumphant look and provocation flashed through his gaze.

I held his gaze with a poker face. He did what he was supposed to do? Since he joined the company, he hadn't done a single lick of work; he'd spent his days playing games at his desk. How shameless could he be?

Now, he was taking credit for two weeks of my hard work.

Naomi was pleased with Matthias' response. In an almost doting tone, she said, "You're far too modest, Matthias. Had you not stayed up several nights to gather that crucial piece of data, Mr. Whitlock would have nothing to work with. You should learn to accept credit where it's due. There's nothing to be embarrassed about!"

Lyra knitted her brow as her gaze shifted back and forth between me, Naomi, and Matthias. She didn't acknowledge Naomi's remark. Instead, she turned her attention back to me, a probing smile playing at the corners of her lips.

"Mr. Crowell, you're truly young and promising. May I ask who was behind the mathematical model for the three-year market growth forecast? Several of my company's data analysts studied it for quite some time, and they all admitted it was beyond them."

Matthias' expression instantly stiffened. He had no idea what Lyra was even talking about.

I had written that model myself, combining three different algorithms. It was so complex that even the industry's leading experts might struggle to fully understand it.

Matthias looked at Naomi for help. The smile on her face froze as well. Clearly, she hadn't expected Lyra to ask something so specific.

"This… is the result of our team's collective effort," she answered vaguely.

"Is that so?" Lyra smiled. A knowing glint flashed in her eyes, as if she had already seen through everything.

Then, she dropped the topic and raised her coffee mug at me. "I look forward to working with you, Mr. Whitlock."

Lyra deliberately emphasized that the cooperation was with me, making her stance crystal clear.

After seeing them off, the smile on Naomi's face vanished in an instant. She turned and looked at me coldly. "What's gotten into you today, Kieran? Ms. Ellington asked you a question. Why didn't you answer? Were you trying to embarrass Matthias?"

Before I could respond, Matthias walked over to Naomi with an aggrieved look on his face. "Naomi, please don't blame Mr. Whitlock. It's all my fault. My abilities are lacking, and I've embarrassed you."

He hung his head, as though he had suffered a grave injustice. "I only wanted to ease your workload. I didn't think… I'd mess things up."

Naomi's heart immediately went out to him. Glaring at me, her voice was filled with an irrepressible rage. "Kieran! Did you hear that? You're a long-time employee, yet you aren't even as considerate or sensible as a new recruit!

"As the company director, not only did you refuse to guide a newcomer, but you also tripped him up and suppressed him right in front of an outsider! Are you really that narrow-minded?"

Looking at the scene before me, I found it utterly laughable. I took a deep breath, suppressed the irritation in my chest, and tried to explain myself as calmly as possible.

"Ms. Prescott, I believe that in front of our partners, we should first and foremost demonstrate professionalism rather than personal sentiments. Ms. Ellington is here to see what we're capable of, not to watch us fight among ourselves."

"You…" Naomi was stumped, and her face flushed crimson.

Without sparing her another glance, I turned to my team. "All of you can head back. You've worked hard, so you can leave early today."

With that, I walked straight toward my office.

Matthias' voice rang out behind me, choked full of emotions. "Forget it, Naomi. Mr. Whitlock's right. I'm the one who isn't professional enough. I'll work harder from now on…"

I shut my office door, sealing out their voices. I sat down, closed my eyes, and massaged my aching temples.

For seven years, I had stood by Naomi's side, fighting our way from a scrappy ten-person workshop to the powerhouse we had become. I had thought we weren't just spouses, but also comrades-in-arms in the business world who could trust one another implicitly.

However, after Matthias appeared, she changed.

Naomi had started bringing Matthias to the office frequently. Employees who were unaware had even mistaken them for a married couple. Several times, I'd reminded her to be mindful of her status, but each time, she'd rebuked me, claiming I was being petty and narrow-minded.

Catching a reminder on my phone, I suddenly remembered I had an appointment with a client today. But as soon as I stepped out of my office, Matthias got in my way.

"Mr. Whitlock, you're so experienced and capable. There's still so much I need to learn from you." He lowered his head, but the words coming out of his mouth were laced with sarcasm. "It's just… it seems like you've gotten the wrong idea about me, Mr. Whitlock. Usually, you don't seem very willing to mentor me."

As soon as he finished speaking, several sympathetic gazes were cast my way. He looked exactly like a proactive, ambitious newcomer who was constantly being suppressed by a senior like me.

Naomi, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, looked even colder than before. The way she looked at me shifted from dissatisfaction to utter disappointment.

"Kieran Whitlock," she said, using my full name as we moved to the conference room. "Matthias is new. He's an intern. As the director, isn't it your responsibility to mentor him? The company isn't a one-man show; you have to give young people opportunities!"

At long last, it was my turn to speak. My voice was calm and emotionless. "Ms. Prescott, my team is built on merit, not connections. If you want me to mentor him, he needs to prove he's capable first."

A flicker of resentment flashed through Matthias' eyes, but he hastily put on an aggrieved look again. "I know I'm lacking, Mr. Whitlock. I'll work harder."

He turned toward Naomi and choked out, "Please don't blame Mr. Whitlock, Naomi. It's entirely my fault for being mediocre."

Naomi's heart ached for him. She walked over to Matthias' side and gently patted his shoulder to comfort him. That gesture alone caused the air in the conference room to freeze over.

"I'm very disappointed in you, Kieran," she said, holding my gaze. "From tomorrow onward, Matthias will be taking over Project Polaris, and you'll assist him."

Project Polaris was the company's most important overseas acquisition this year. I'd worked on it for an entire year and had successfully negotiated every single harsh clause. Now, at the very last moment, she wanted me to hand it over to an intern who couldn't even understand a financial statement?

I guffawed. This was truly ridiculous.

I looked at Naomi, the woman I had shared instant noodles with for a year, lived in a basement with for three, and helped rise to the position of CEO with my own hands. How could she have turned into someone like this?

"Ms. Prescott." I stood up and slowly straightened the cuff of my suit. "I'll say this one last time. My team does not support dead weight."

Then, without sparing another glance at her or Matthias, who stood beside her with a glint in his eyes, I turned and left.

Naomi's angry voice rang out behind me. "Who do you think you're giving an attitude to, Kieran Whitlock? If you don't want to work here, leave!"

I yanked the ID badge from around my neck and tossed it into the trash can. "Fine by me."

I returned to my office and started packing my belongings. In truth, there wasn't much to pack. Over the years, I had poured my entire heart and soul into the company, leaving me with a pitiful amount of personal belongings.

Julian Navarro, one of my subordinates, rushed in after me and clamped his hand over mine. "Kieran, are you really leaving?"

His eyes were red. "What's going to happen to the company? What will we do without you?"

I patted him on the shoulder. "Jules, remember, the world doesn't stop for anyone. However, some people, once torn from the soil that nurtures them, are nothing but weeds left to wither."

I placed a USB drive into his hand. "This contains all of my project reviews and client data backups over the years. There are things in there that will prove useful to you. As for everything else, it's out of our hands."

Less than an hour after I left, Naomi's decision was announced to the entire company via an internal email. I, Kieran Whitlock, had been relieved of my position as investment director for undermining team collaboration. The position will be temporarily filled by Matthias, an intern assistant to the CEO.

The second the email hit inboxes, the whole company erupted. I simply sat quietly in my cleared-out office, waiting for the final document—the handover document.

Matthias walked in with the stride of a victor. The human resource representative followed behind him.

He tossed a document onto my desk, raising his chin so high it was practically touching the ceiling. "Sign it, Kieran. Once you hand over Project Polaris, you can scram!"

I picked up the document. It was the final quotation contract for Project Polaris. All it required was my signature, followed by the corporate seal, before it could be officially sent to the other party.

I reviewed the pages carefully. The preceding clauses were all terms I had negotiated word for word, so I knew them by heart. But when I reached the price column on the last page, my pupils dilated in an instant.

I looked up at Matthias. My voice wasn't loud, but every single person in the office could hear me clearly. "The total project value is one billion dollars, Matthias. Why on earth did you fill in ten billion?"