Canceled by My Own Company:The Billionaire’s Live-Stream Revenge

The company had a stellar year after going public, so I prepared a special New Year gift for every employeea set of traditional spring couplets and a shopping gift card worth $450.

What I got back wasn't gratitude.

Grant Delgado, you actually sent us this? The messages flooded in, vicious and unrelenting. "You bloodsucking parasite! You're worse than an animal!"

I stared at my phone, chest tight with disbelief, and called Natalie Brooks to vent.

The moment she saw the photo of the couplets and gift card, her voice changedturned strange, almost unrecognizable.

"These couplets... you picked these out? As a New Year gift?" A brittle pause. "If that's true, we're done. I'd rather die alone than marry someone like you."

The line went dead.

Before I could process what had just happened, Reg Dickerson burst through my office door, face drained of color.

"Sir, this is bad. The employees posted your gifts online. The internet is tearing you apartour stock price is in freefall!"

I pulled up the link. The comments hit like a freight train.

"Is this CEO insane? Sending THIS as a New Year gift? This breaks every law of human decency. My worldview is shattered."

"Which company? Drop the name so we can all avoid them!"

"It's Xiliang Biotech. Their office is right downstairs from me. I'm going to throw rotten eggs on everyone's behalf. Reading this post gave me three new ulcers."

I needed to understand. What was wrong with the couplets?

I scrolled through hundreds of comments. Not one person explained. Just wave after wave of profanity, death threats, andmy stomach lurchedphotoshopped funeral portraits of me. Of my family.

My breathing turned ragged. I kept scrolling, fingers shaking, vision tunneling.

"Sir? Sir!"

Reg snatched the phone from my grip. His hands clamped down on my shoulders.

"Public sentiment has snowballed. Our stock hit the daily limit down." His voice was urgent, almost pleading. "For the company's sakeyou need to do damage control. Now. Go apologize. In person."

"Apologize?" I shook him off. "For what?"

My eyes burned as I slammed my palm against the desk. "Tell me, Reg. I gave every single employee spring couplets and a generous gift card so they could have a good holiday with their families. What exactly am I supposed to apologize for?!"

Reg stared at me. Disappointment carved deep lines into his face. A vein throbbed at his temple.

"Cousin." His voice dropped, low and heavy. "Xiliang Biotech is the culmination of everything we've built together."

"This year, I drank myself into a stomach hemorrhage networking for this IPO. I did that for us." He stepped closer, jaw tight. "And now, because of you, our stock has cratered. Billions in market valuegone. Everyone's sacrifices, erased."

"And you won't even say you're sorry." He shook his head slowly. "Grant... I've never been more disappointed in anyone in my life."

He turned toward the door.

"Wait!" I grabbed his arm. "Reg, this company is my life's work too. Justtell me. Why is everyone attacking me? What did I do?"

Reg inhaled sharply. Once. Twice.

Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the couplet scrolls. He unrolled it slowly, holding it up so the crimson paper faced me directly.

"Look at it yourself." His voice was ice. "Tell meis this appropriate for a New Year's gift?"

I stepped closer. Read the couplets once. Twice. A third time. Ran my fingers over the paper, searching for something, anything.

Nothing.

"What am I supposed to see?" The words came out barely above a whisper. "It's just... an ordinary couplet. Is there a character I shouldn't have used? Is the 'fortune' symbol printed wrong? Or..." A chill crept up my spine. "Is someone setting me up?"

Reg's composure finally shattered.

The scroll struck my face with a sharp crack.

He stormed out, and his parting words hit me like a blade of ice:

"Grant Delgado, you're absolutely hopeless!"

By now, I could no longer fool myself into thinking this was some kind of prank.

Everyone seemed convinced I'd committed an unforgivable crimeyet no one would tell me what exactly I'd done.

I was the only one left in the dark.

What could possibly be wrong with the Spring Festival couplets I'd sent to my employees?

After a long hesitation, I dialed my mother.

"Sweetheart! Your father and I were just chatting with some of the senior board memberswe heard about all that nasty talk online. Are you alright? Don't let it get to you. Mom and Dad will always have your back!"

Her words hit me right in the chest. The grievance I'd been holding back nearly spilled over.

These were the people I trusted most. The people who loved me most.

And now they'd been dragged into this storm of online hate because of mecompletely innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire.

My eyes stung. My voice cracked. "Mom, Dad... I'm so sorry..."

"Lee Delgado, get over here! Our boy's been through hellhelp me figure this out!"

Mom shouted for my father while continuing to comfort me: "Honey, show us what you gave the employees for the New Year. Let's see what this misunderstanding is all about."

I glanced at the couplets and gift cards tossed aside on my desk. My stomach clenched.

My first instinct was to make up some excuse.

After all, the image of my employee's girlfriendthe board secretaryturning on me in an instant was still seared into my mind.

But I still couldn't see what the problem was.

I needed to ask someone I trusted. Only then could I put together an effective PR response.

And who in this world could I trust more than my own parents?

With that thought, I steadied myself and held the couplets and gift cards up to the phone's camera.

"See? This is what I prepared for the employees"

Halfway through my sentence, I watched their expressions shift.

Both faces turned dead serious.

A wave of dread washed over me. I opened my mouth to explain, but Mom beat me to it.

"Grant Delgado, this is what you prepared for your employees? Have you lost all sense of decency? Do you even have a conscience?!"

"Just let me explainI had no idea"

Dad's brow furrowed with unmistakable disgust. He cut me off without hesitation.

"Everything we taught you all these yearsdid it all go in one ear and out the other? No wonder you're getting dragged online. You deserve this!"

The call ended.

When I tried calling back, the line was dead.

They'd blocked me.

I stood there trembling, unable to process what I'd just heard from my own parents.

Thennoise from outside.

I looked down through the window. A crowd had gathered at the entrance of the building, hazy shapes milling below.

Employees. Holding banners.

I could just make out the words: "Xiliang Biotech is finished."

More and more people joined. Security was starting to lose control.

This was spiraling faster than I'd imagined.

No. I couldn't let this continue.

I grabbed my phone and dialed the one number that might pull me out of this fire.

The supplier. The couplets had come from them.

"Hello, is this Sparkline Gift Co.? This is Grant Delgado, Chairman of Xiliang Biotech."

"As you've no doubt seen, the couplets I purchased from you have caused a major incident. My company's stock price and reputation have taken a serious hit. Sparkline should be taking responsibility for this, wouldn't you agree?"

I paused deliberately.

And sure enough, the voice on the other end shot back:

"Excuse me? You're the one who tampered with those coupletswhat does that have to do with us? Plenty of companies buy couplets from Sparkline. Your old rival Witter Biotech, for examplethey didn't have any problems, did they?"

"You're the one with dirty handsdon't try to drag Sparkline through the mud with you. I'm warning you, keep spreading these lies and we'll see you in court. You'll be drowning in lawsuits!"

I pulled up a search for Witter Biotech on my phone, scrolling rapidly until I found what I was looking forphotos posted by their employees showing off their New Year couplets.

Identical. The exact same couplets I was holding.

But here was the strange part: the posts were flooded with nothing but warm wishes and grateful comments. So satisfied with our holiday gifts! Not a single complaint.

What the hell was going on? The same image, two completely opposite reactions.

A suspicion began to crystallize in my mind.

Someone set me up.

I cleared my throat and softened my tone, smoothing things over with a few conciliatory words before getting to the point.

"You've seen the fallout. My company's taken a massive hit, and we need serious damage controlfast."

"But this situation is complicated. Odds are, someone engineered this trap specifically for me. The investigation will take time, and I can't afford to miss the window for crisis management." I paused, letting that sink in. "I need you to find someone in your procurement department willing to take the fall temporarilysay it was a clerical error that caused the whole mess. I'll compensate them generously. Once I've uncovered the truth, I'll clear their name completely."

"Could you ask around? See if anyone's willing to help?"

The man on the other end swore under his breath, ready to refuse.

Then I named the figure.

Silence.

"...I'll need to run this by my superiors. I'll get back to you."

The moment Sparkline confirmed they were on board, I ordered the PR department to draft a statement and buy trending placement. Holiday couplets resulted from procurement error at vendor level.

Finallyfinallythe bleeding started to slow.

I stuffed the couplet and gift card into my pocket and headed straight for the nearest police station.

Along the way, I stopped a few friendly-looking pedestrians.

Pulled out the couplet. Asked them what was wrong with it.

Every single one of them took one look and their pupils contracted, faces twisting with shockthen rage.

A few recognized me. The cursing that followed could have peeled paint.

"It's the New Yearget that cursed thing away from me! Disgusting!"

"Grant Delgado, working for you must be eight lifetimes of bad luck..."

"I've seen heartless bosses before, but sending this as a holiday gift? You're not even trying to hide it!"

By the time I reached the station entrance, my hair looked like a bird's nest and my down jacket was leaking feathers from where it had been torn.

Then a voice exploded behind me.

"Grant Delgado! You have the nerve to send those cursed gifts and then waltz in here to file a report?!"

I turned.

The employees who'd been holding banners downstairs. Every single one of them. Faces bruised, eyes blazing.

The one in front grabbed my collar and drew back his fist.

"Delgado, you're giving us answers today!"

I squeezed my eyes shut

"HANDS OFF!" An officer's roar split the air. "This is a police station! You want to start a brawl here? Looking for another night in holding?"

I exhaled, heart still hammering.

Fumbling in my pocket, I shoved everything into the officer's handsthe couplet, the gift card, all of it.

"Officers, pleasesomeone's trying to destroy me. You have to help."

The words poured out: the inexplicable online attacks over simple couplets, the stock price in freefall, every suspicion I'd been piecing together.

The officers examined the couplet and gift card, turning them over slowly.

Their expressions hardened. Grew cold.

Ice slid down my spine.

I opened my mouth to ask what was wrong with the couplet

One of them looked up sharply.

And finally spoke the truth that had turned my employees against methat had made the entire internet want my head: