Byron's POV

After six years of secretly dating my CEO girlfriend, she finally agreed to let me meet her parents.

But the night before our planned visit, she didn’t come home. The next day, she strutted into the office with a hickey on her neck and her ex by her side.

They chatted like no one else was in the room, acting as if I, her actual boyfriend, didn’t even exist.

I heard a coworker mutter under their breath, “Didn’t that guy just join the company a few days ago? Damn, he already landed the CEO? Another pretty boy living off a woman.”

Before I could say a word, my girlfriend snapped back sharply, “Dexter is a top recruit I personally hired. If you’re not capable, don’t project your bitterness onto him. I won’t tolerate anyone speaking ill of him.”

The deputy GM, who knew our relationship, asked curiously, “Wait, who is this guy? I thought you were her boyfriend.”

I gave a cold smile. “Not for long.”

——

He blinked in surprise, but my girlfriend was already walking up to me.

“Your recent performance has been disappointing. Step down for now. Let Dexter take over. You’ll assist him.”

Hearing that, the entire room fell silent.

I’d been by Harriet Patton’s side since we founded this company. I wasn’t just a co-founder, I was the backbone of this place.

I’d always delivered results. But now, without warning, she was pushing me aside for a rookie who barely knew his way around the office. She even wanted me to assist him.

I kept my face still and said nothing. However, her face turned grim.

She frowned at me and demanded, “Did you not hear what I said?”

Dexter Fields’s eyes flashed with mockery, and he smiled. “Well, Byron’s been here since the start. Naturally, he’s proud. It’s understandable he wouldn’t want to work under someone like me.”

He sounded polite, but the tone was as fake and bitter as a bitter gourd.

Harriet scoffed. “Proud? What does he have to be proud of? If it weren’t for me, a guy with a two-year college diploma like him wouldn’t have even made it through the door. Now I’m just taking back the special treatment, and he can’t handle it?”

Then she added, scoffing, “Did he really think just because he’s been here longer, he can boss me around?”

Her words cut deep. She painted me as deadweight, someone who contributed nothing and coasted by.

But the truth was, I’d done just as much for this company, if not more, than she ever had.

And that diploma she mocked me for? That was because of her, too.

We were both kids from poor farming families, determined to make something of ourselves in the city. That dream brought us together.

But her family couldn’t afford tuition or living expenses. So, they were about to marry her off just for the bride price.

As such, she came to me crying, saying she didn’t want to drop out. She begged for help.

Because I loved her, I didn’t hesitate. I gave her my own tuition money and dropped out myself.

I worked long shifts in greasy, rundown restaurants just to cover her living costs.

Years later, when our startup finally took off, I thought I could finally get back on track. I enrolled in a junior college, planning to go for a full degree.

But she told me the company needed me, that I couldn’t afford to take time off.

So to this day, I only have that two-year diploma.

And now she’s using that same diploma as a weapon against me.

Everyone in the room was staring at me with the same look—doubt, disdain, even pity.

I clenched my fists, but when I met her cold gaze, I suddenly lost the will to fight.

Her expression was tight, brows furrowed. The love she once had for me was gone.

I let out a bitter laugh and turned away. At the printer, I pulled out a fresh resignation letter.

“If someone like me isn’t qualified because of my diploma,” I said flatly, “then I guess I don’t belong here. After all, this company doesn’t hire anyone below a bachelor’s.”

She froze, clearly not expecting that.

But within seconds, she had wiped away any trace of surprise.

Byron's POV

“I don’t care if this is some kind of tactic, playing hard to get or pulling the old ‘leave to be missed’ trick,” Harriet snapped. “Once you walk out, there’s no coming back. Our company isn’t some revolving door.”

I gave her a cold glance. “Alright.”

With that, I turned to leave.

Just then, Dexter leaned in close and whispered something in her ear.

Whatever he said made her expression shift instantly. Her face darkened as she suddenly snapped at me in disgust.

“So that’s why you’re walking out? You’re just waiting for me to come running after you, aren’t you?”

I frowned, confused, until she tossed a thick stack of documents at me.

It was the contract I had signed just a few days ago.

Dexter clicked his tongue dramatically and said, “Come on, Byron. Everyone knows you and Mr. Thompson from that partner company go way back. Now that the deal’s not yet finished, you suddenly want to leave? What, are you trying to use this to blackmail the company?”

He paused, looking all innocent. “I get that you’re not thrilled about working under someone new like me. But hey, this was the CEO’s call. You’re not seriously going to go against her, are you?”

Harriet’s face was flushed with embarrassment. Clearly, she was imagining all kinds of scenarios.

Back in the day, I probably would’ve panicked. I would’ve scrambled to explain myself, insist I wasn’t playing games or making power moves.

But now?

Now, all I felt was bitter amusement.

She knew full well that I was the one keeping this company steady, but she’d never admit it.

Instead, she kept pushing me down, using me when it suited her and discarding me when it didn’t.

And before, because I loved her, I let it slide. I made sacrifices.

Now I just felt like a fool.

I’d thrown away my future for her—my pride, my reputation—and I didn’t even get to be called her boyfriend in the end.

You’d think I’d be furious, but honestly, I felt nothing. Not anger, not sadness—just numb.

I quietly copied all the project files from my computer and placed them neatly on the desk.

“These are the project details,” I said calmly. “Pricing info’s all included. You can use this to move forward with the client. I won’t say anything to them.”

Then I turned and walked away without looking back.

But I could feel her gaze burning into my back the whole way out.

The moment I stepped outside, the air felt cleaner, sharper. Like I could finally breathe.

But I hadn’t even taken a full breath when I heard heels clicking behind me.

Harriet followed me out.

She grabbed my arm, her brows furrowed tightly. “You left just like that? I barely said anything. What’s that supposed to mean? Weren’t you the one who said you were willing to step back and let me run the company?”

I let out a cold laugh. “Yeah, I said I’d step back. But I didn’t say I’d let you humiliate me while you parade your new boy toy around.”

She didn’t just come home last night, she even showed up at work with Dexter, flaunting hickeys like trophies.

And now she had the audacity to suggest I assist him, a clueless, fresh-out-the-box pretty boy.

I might be loyal, but I’m not stupid.

She stomped her foot in frustration and shot back, “Boy toy? What are you even talking about? There’s nothing between me and Dexter! Stop being so jealous over nothing!”

I was just about to fire back when Dexter walked up.

He wore that fake-apologetic smile like it was part of his uniform.

“Sorry, Byron,” he said with a slight bow. “I didn’t realize you quit because you were jealous.”

He let out a little sigh. “I mean, yeah, I got drunk with a client yesterday, but it was all for work. The CEO was just taking care of me, that’s all. Nothing happened between us. Please don’t get the wrong idea.”

His words sounded sincere, but he made sure I saw the fresh scratch marks on his neck.

This guy wasn’t apologizing. He was rubbing it in.

In the past, I probably would’ve exploded. I would’ve demanded answers from Harriet, forced her to swear off him forever.

But after years of this same exhausting cycle, I was done. She never changed. And now, I didn’t want to keep trying.

I stared at him in silence, expression unreadable.

That’s when Harriet suddenly reached for my hand.

Byron's POV

“I know you're only acting out because you're jealous,” Harriet said softly, trying to sound understanding. “I’ll just chalk it up to you losing your temper and won’t hold it against you.”

Her voice turned gentle, almost coaxing. “But there’s a dinner party tonight, and we really can’t do it without you. Can you just get ready and come with me?”

It was obvious she was trying to play nice, trying to soften the tension, but all I felt was bitter irony.

If it weren’t for that dinner tonight, I doubt she’d even be talking to me.

Then my eyes landed on Dexter, and I froze.

He was wearing my shirt.

Not just any shirt. It was the one Harriet bought me on our third anniversary. A limited-edition dress shirt she’d said was “just for you.” I loved that shirt so much that I barely wore it. It felt too special.

Now it was wrinkled, smelled like alcohol and cigarettes, and worse, I recognized a few cigarette burns along the sleeve.

I remember hanging it out to air a few days ago, then it disappeared. Now I knew why. She’d given it to him.

Something I’d once treasured had been reduced to an afterthought.

It was sad and laughable at the same time.

Seeing me undeterred, Harriet let out a sigh.

“Fine,” she said, sounding a bit impatient. “Come with me to this dinner, and I won’t touch your position at the company. Happy now?”

Still, I stayed silent.

So, she went on, assuming I still cared. “You’re just worried about Dexter stepping over you, right? Okay, I’ll make it fair. You two can have the same title. Satisfied?”

Then she added, like it was some grand concession, “Honestly, if I wasn’t worried about upsetting you, Dexter would’ve been made a manager the moment he walked in.”

I looked up and met her eyes. “If you want to promote him, go ahead. It’s none of my business.”

Her expression darkened. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

I gave a low laugh. “It means I already handed in my resignation. I don’t work here anymore. You don’t need to explain anything to me.”

“And by the way, we’re done. I’m breaking up with you,” I added before I forgot.

Her eyes widened in shock. “What did you just say?”

Without another word, I took out my phone and blocked her number right in front of her.

“Do I really need to explain what ‘break up’ means?”

She stared at me like I’d slapped her. Her voice was sharp with disbelief.

“You’re seriously dumping me? What happened to you wanting to meet my parents? Now you pull this crap?”

I chuckled and said, sounding amazed, “Oh, now you remember your parents? Funny, I thought you’d forgotten.”

I sneered. “So, how was the booze at the bar last night?”

Yesterday was supposed to be a big day for us. I’d spent months planning, buying gifts, and trying to make a good impression on her family.

I waited for her the whole day, sitting on the couch at home from morning to night. But she never showed up.

Instead, I saw pictures online where Dexter was grinning like a fool, clearly drunk and having the time of his life. And right there, in the middle of it all, was Harriet curled up against him, cozy, smiling, and not caring about the world.

I waited for her to explain, to apologize.

But she never did.

In fact, she acted like it never happened and even had the audacity to ask me to work under him.

She was so heartless.

Even now, after everything, she didn’t show guilt, just anger. She pointed at me furiously and snapped, “I’ve told you, the company hasn’t gone public yet, and it’s still small. You know my parents only care about my younger brother. They wouldn’t take me seriously without real success. And you never understood that! You kept pressuring me to introduce you to them like it was no big deal. I just went for a few drinks to take the edge off. What’s so wrong about that?”

I let out a laugh, half bitter, half amused. “Nothing at all. Do whatever you want. It’s your life. It has nothing to do with me anymore.”

Dexter suddenly stepped forward, switching from smug to self-righteous in a heartbeat.

“You’ve misunderstood everything!” he said firmly. “There’s nothing going on between me and the CEO. We’ve done nothing wrong. A clear conscience fears no shadow!”

Harriet looked at him with eyes full of emotion, then turned to glare at me, her voice icy with resentment.

“Go ahead and make a scene if you want. I’ve said all I needed to say.”