From Fake Ruin to Real Ruin

The company was facing bankruptcy, and my husband asked for a divorce, wanting to shoulder all the debts alone.

I didn't agree. I worked eight jobs a day like a beast of burden, working from dawn to dusk to help him get through the crisis.

When I finally scraped together enough money and went to the company to find my husband, I accidentally witnessed him flirting with his young secretary.

"When is that old hag going to stop clinging to you?"

"What can I do? I sent thugs to threaten her, to intimidate her, but she still won't leave."

Turns out my husband never went bankrupt at all.

He even used my hard-earned money to buy the secretary a car, a house, and was planning a grand wedding for her.

I gritted my teeth, my eyes red with hatred.

When my husband proposed divorce once again, I signed the divorce agreement without hesitation, registered the patent first, and then reported his company for product infringement.

You like pretending to be bankrupt? I'll make you truly bankrupt!

"Quinn, the company really can't hold on anymore. Bankruptcy is imminent. I don't want to divorce you either, but as the legal representative of the company, I have to take responsibility. Only by divorcing can I avoid dragging you down with me."

In the office, my husband Adrian handed me the divorce agreement he had prepared long ago.

His words and expression were so sincere that I should have been deeply moved.

But I dug my nails into my palms, my heart growing colder inch by inch.

Because I had already seen through the massive lie beneath his devotion.

A month ago, the company faced bankruptcy. To avoid dragging me down, Adrian proposed divorcing me, wanting to shoulder all the debts alone.

I didn't agree. I worked eight jobs a day like a beast of burden, working from dawn to dusk to help him get through the crisis.

To save money, I sold off all my possessions, ate nothing but bread soaked in water for every meal, and passed out several times from low blood sugar at work, only to continue earning money after waking up.

But when I finally scraped together enough money and went to the company to find my husband, I accidentally witnessed him flirting with his young secretary.

Turns out my husband never went bankrupt at all. He was only pretending to be bankrupt to give his mistress a proper status.

He even used my hard-earned money to buy the secretary a car, a house, and was planning a grand wedding for her.

Now, looking at my husband's fake devoted expression, I just felt nauseous.

Seeing my silence, Adrian thought I disagreed again, and his tone became even more earnest.

"As my wife, you should understand my good intentions. Otherwise, I married you for nothing. Don't worry, this is just a fake divorce. Once the company gets through this crisis, I'll remarry you immediately."

Before he could finish, I interrupted coldly, "Fine, let's divorce then."

Before he could react, I grabbed the divorce agreement and signed it cleanly.

After seeing through Adrian's true face, I didn't want to be entangled with him for even a moment longer.

Adrian was shocked by my decisiveness. After all, he had been pressuring me to divorce for half a month.

He had even sent debt collectors to my house to smash things and intimidate me.

When I was trembling with fear, he would appear with deep affection, proposing divorce under the pretense of not wanting me to suffer.

But that only made me more determined to stick it out with him.

Thinking about it now, it was truly laughable.

Just as Adrian was about to speak, Melissa's pained cry came from outside the door.

The man rushed out to check on her.

Melissa held her scalded hand pitifully. "Mr. Grant, I'm fine."

Clearly not even her skin was red, yet Adrian's eyes were full of concern.

"How can you be fine? I'm taking you to the hospital right now."

Watching Adrian's retreating figure without a backward glance, I smiled bitterly.

In five years of marriage, he had never treated me this way.

In the early days of our startup, when I fainted from period pain after working overtime, he blamed me for dirtying the chair.

But now, he didn't blame Melissa for clumsily spilling coffee. Instead, he worried about whether she was burned.

I was so stupid before. The two of them were so obvious, yet I didn't see their affair.

I even ran around outside for their love, using my hard-earned money to build their future together.

After Adrian left, I walked out of the office.

Instantly, the envious and congratulatory looks my colleagues had been directing at the two of them turned into mockery and ridicule aimed at me.

"Did that old hag get scolded by Mr. Grant again?"

"She clings to Mr. Grant like glue every day. At her age, she has no shame. What makes her think she can compete with Miss Hart with that old face?"

"Miss Hart is ten times younger and prettier than her, a perfect match for Mr. Grant. As for her, she smells of old age and can't compare to a single strand of Miss Hart's hair!"

...

This wasn't the first time my colleagues had mocked me to my face.

I had been married to Adrian for five years, but he refused to make it public, claiming he was worried people at the company would say I got in through the back door.

To avoid suspicion, he wouldn't pick me up after work, making me take the subway and bus by myself. He was always cold and impartial to me at the company.

My colleagues were convinced Adrian hated me and often targeted me to curry favor with him.

Facing this humiliation, Adrian had always watched coldly, telling me this was his way of tempering my will.

Before, I firmly believed he still had feelings for me and swallowed my grievances in silence.

Now, I had seen through his true face!

I laughed lightly.

"A bunch of people who can't meet their targets---what right do you have to mock me, the top performer? If I were you, I'd be too ashamed to even stay at this company."

After shutting them down, I ignored their livid expressions and returned to my workstation.

As soon as I sat down, Adrian called, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Quinn, Melissa needs to be hospitalized for rest and can't work. As her colleague, you should share her workload. Hurry up and deliver the files to Mr. Lee at Sanctum."

Then Melissa's gloating voice came through.

"Mr. Grant, that's not appropriate. You know what Mr. Lee is like. Quinn will be taken advantage of."

Adrian sneered. "He's just an old pervert. It's not like she hasn't dealt with this kind of man before. Besides, she's in her thirties---what man would want to take advantage of an old woman? You, on the other hand, are the one most likely to be taken advantage of."

Without waiting for my refusal, Adrian hung up and sent me a message telling me where the files were.

All along, Adrian had pushed projects involving sleazy old men onto me, afraid Melissa would be sullied in the slightest.

After I finished the business while holding back my disgust, he would give all the credit and bonuses to Melissa.

Thinking of this, I deleted Adrian from my messages.

I took out my phone and sent a message to the relevant personnel.

[Hello, I want to register a patent.]

The staff accepted it immediately.

The reason the company developed so quickly was entirely due to the patent I held.

I had originally wanted to use this patent to help Adrian pay off the company's debts, but now he didn't deserve it.

This time, I would register it first and completely monopolize the patent rights. Then all the products his company produced would be infringing.

You like pretending to be bankrupt? I'll make you truly bankrupt!

After finishing all this, I was about to rest when my colleagues habitually dumped their unfinished work on my desk.

They ordered me to complete it for them as if it were a matter of course.

Someone even stuck a sticky note on my head telling me to go downstairs and buy things for them.

I had complained about this several times before, but each time Adrian told me to be more generous, saying my colleagues were just showing their trust in me.

And I would brainwash myself and accept it resignedly.

After all, this was a company I had built with my own hands. I didn't want it to be destroyed.

But over time, in their eyes, I became a soft persimmon they could bully and order around at will.

But I wasn't a soft persimmon. I had just loved the wrong person.

I swept my cold gaze over these people and threw the documents on my desk into the trash, tearing the sticky note to pieces.

"The company doesn't support useless people, and I'm not your mother to clean up your messes!"

"If you can't do anything, what are you doing at work? You might as well be reborn and start over!"

"If you put garbage on my desk again, I'll throw it directly into the shredder, grind it into powder, and stuff it in your mouths!"

My colleagues stood frozen in shock.

As the atmosphere grew tense, Adrian returned, supporting Melissa.

Seeing me, Adrian stormed over angrily and shoved his phone in my face.

"I told you to deliver the files to Mr. Lee, but you're here slacking off instead. Because of you, Mr. Lee gave Melissa a tongue-lashing!"

Looking up, I saw the phone screen displayed a conversation.

Because I didn't arrive at the restaurant at the time Adrian specified.

Mr. Lee sent a sarcastic message to Adrian: [Mr. Grant, if Miss Hart doesn't want to meet with me, you can just say so. There's no need to leave me hanging here. It seems your company's sincerity about this cooperation isn't very high.]

Adrian immediately apologized to Mr. Lee.

Mr. Lee blocked him directly.

Coming back to reality, Melissa stood nearby, crying. "Quinn, you can hate me, but you don't need to jeopardize everyone's jobs at the company, do you?"

"Mr. Grant, I should personally apologize to Mr. Lee. I'm not like some people who are selfish and take their salary for nothing..."

Adrian slammed the table hard upon hearing this. "You don't need to apologize. Someone else needs to!"

Seeing my complete indifference, Adrian roared again, "Quinn, you've done something that harms the company's interests. Shouldn't you apologize to everyone?"

My colleagues gloated and nodded in agreement.

I sneered back, "Isn't Melissa the one harming the company's interests? Mr. Lee specifically asked to meet with her to discuss cooperation, but she didn't go because of a minor injury and made me, someone who wasn't even involved in the project, do it for her. Isn't this her shirking work and responsibility?"

Everyone was speechless. They wanted to refute me, but I had presented solid reasoning they couldn't find fault with.

Melissa's eyes quickly reddened as she returned to her workstation to pack her things. "I'm sorry, Quinn. I'm sorry, everyone. It's all my fault. I'll leave and won't get in Quinn's way anymore."

Adrian grabbed her wrist.

My colleagues also comforted her, saying it wasn't her fault, while making veiled accusations against me.

"Mr. Grant, Quinn is twisting the truth. Miss Hart must have had a valid reason. And just now Quinn yelled at everyone like a lunatic, even accusing and threatening us."

Adrian immediately glared at me. "Quinn, apologize to everyone right now, or you can get lost!!"

Everyone was certain I would cave, looking down at me with raised chins, waiting for my humble apology.

At that moment, my phone received a notification.

[Miss Quinn, your patent application has been approved.]

I smiled. "Suit yourself."

Anyway, the patent application had been approved. After reporting the infringement, the company's bankruptcy was just a matter of time. Even if they begged me to stay, I wouldn't.

As my words fell, everyone looked shocked.

Melissa took the opportunity to add fuel to the fire. "Quinn, you did something like this and you still have the nerve to smile? Do you not take Mr. Grant seriously at all?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Just as everyone expected Adrian to fire me on the spot, he suddenly took a deep breath.

"Quinn, considering that at your age it would be hard to find another job, I'll only dock one month's salary and won't hold it against you. Come to my office."

Melissa glared at me resentfully, not expecting Adrian to side with me.

I followed Adrian into the office with a skeptical look, thinking he had changed.

But he hadn't. He was just slapping me before giving me a piece of candy.

In the office, Adrian held my hand with a look of helplessness.

"As my wife, why can't you be as considerate as Melissa? The fake divorce is to avoid dragging you down!"

"It's one thing if you don't understand my good intentions, but you embarrassed me in front of so many people."

"Didn't I tell you? Once the company gets through this, I'll remarry you immediately."

I shook off his hand, my face cold with a sneer.

He really was a master at pretending to be devoted, still thinking he could fool me completely.

But the company was indeed about to go bankrupt as he wished. I hoped he could remain this calm when that time came.

Seeing my silence, Adrian thought he had convinced me and took out a stack of documents from his drawer for me to sign.

I pretended to be confused, and he patted my head earnestly.

"This is a project transfer agreement. I want you to transfer all your projects to Melissa."

"Didn't you say before that you wanted to prepare for pregnancy and have a child? You shouldn't overwork yourself and need to rest well. Don't worry, I'll give you compensation, and Melissa will do her best to complete the projects for you."

No wonder he suddenly spoke up for me. There was profit in it.

I was worried about how to handle these hot potatoes after the company went bankrupt. Now someone was willing to shoulder the burden for me---why not?

I signed with a smile.

Adrian was very satisfied. After transferring the money to me, he called Melissa in.

In front of Adrian, Melissa expressed her thanks with false sincerity, a hint of triumph flashing in her eyes.

I ignored her and pretended to walk out of the office.

In reality, I hid by the door, carefully eavesdropping.

As soon as I left, Melissa couldn't wait to rush into Adrian's arms, hooking her arms around his neck and swaying as she pouted.

"Adrian, I'm angry. You actually sided with that old hag instead of helping me!"

"Baby, how could she deserve my help? I was paving the way for you. I just tricked the old woman into transferring all her projects to you."

"I finally kicked her out. Later I can get our marriage license with you and use her money to buy you a big mansion. How about that?"

Melissa kissed his face hard. "Honey, you're amazing!"

Watching their inseparable figures.

I turned around, leaving while taking out my phone to decisively report Adrian's company for infringement to the relevant authorities.

Processing would take some time.

When the time came, Adrian's and the company's death would not be far off.

Returning to my workstation, I ignored my colleagues' mocking expressions. Instead of working hard as usual, I slacked off the entire day.

...

As soon as it was time to clock out, I went straight home to pack my luggage, planning to move out and cut ties with Adrian completely.

As soon as I entered, I saw two brand-new marriage certificates on the table. In the wedding photo, Adrian and Melissa were smiling brightly.

The bedroom door was wide open. Adrian had his back to me, tangled with Melissa on the bedsheets I had carefully chosen.

Seeing me, Melissa smugly showed off the wedding ring on her hand, several times larger than the one I had when I got married.

If this were before, I would have been jealous and lost my mind.

But now, I was expressionless and turned to leave.

It was even better that they were married. That way, when the company went bankrupt, neither of them could escape!

That night, I slept comfortably in a hotel.

The next day, I arrived early at the new product launch venue, only to be stopped outside.

Melissa walked out smugly, her face full of mockery.

"Quinn, on behalf of Mr. Grant, I'm officially notifying you that you've been fired."

"Haha, today is the launch of the new product you developed, but it's a pity you can't see it anymore. Your husband has handed everything over to me. From now on, I'll replace you, become famous, and make a fortune!"

Adrian came looking for Melissa and showed no emotion when he saw me.

"What are you doing here making a fool of yourself?"

"The product inside is what I designed."

"What do you mean 'your product'? This is a product jointly developed by our company, and you're no longer part of the company. Leave now!"

What a perfect example of discarding someone after using them.

But not only was I not angry, I smiled.

Melissa thought I had gone crazy. "What are you laughing at?"

"Of course I'm laughing at your imminent doom."

This morning, the report had been processed, and news of the company's infringement quickly climbed to the top of the trending topics.

Just as I was about to speak, a group of reporters arrived at the venue.

Adrian thought they were here to interview him and immediately puffed out his chest.

"I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly. Our new product launch won't start for a while."

Melissa took his arm, looking at me coldly.

"Security, kick out the irrelevant people who have nothing to do with the launch. Don't block my camera."

The two stood in front of the camera together, ready to speak at length.

The next second, a reporter asked.

"Mr. Grant, what is your opinion on your company's infringement of a private patent?"