Billionaire’s Retribution

I bankrupted my own company to take my girlfriend's public, making her dream a reality.

At her IPO celebration, I planned to reveal myself as a billionaire heir and announce our relationship.

But she stepped on stage arm-in-arm with another man.

Jason, she said, trembling with excitement, the pregnancy rumors are truehe's the father!

Silence filled the room. Everyone turned to me.

I stood, forced a smile, and started clapping. The crowd erupted.

Watching Emma glow in Jason's arms, I realizedif this was her happiness, I wouldn't stand in her way.

I walked out and called my father:

"Kill Emma's funding. Let her figure out the IPO alone."

My father, sharp as ever, knew instantly that something was broken between Emma and me.

He sighed, a heavy sound over the phone.

"Jacob, are you sure about this? If we pull this funding, Rosewood Tech won't just fail to go public. They'll go under completely. That hole from their tax evasion is too deep to fill."

He paused. "I won't ask why you're making this decision. I just... it's been seven years, son. I don't want you to have any regrets."

Seven years. After I got with Emma, I cared more about her career than she did.

When I first got involved, her company was a black hole, and to keep it from collapsing, I cannibalized my own successful business.

She'd cried, telling me how much it hurt to see me work myself into a bleeding ulcer for her, swearing she would never let me down.

She promised that once the company went public, we would finally make our relationship official.

So I worked even harder, all for the day I could stand by her side without hiding.

But promises? They're just hot air from the person making them, and only a fool believes them.

"Dad," I said firmly. "Just trust me on this."

He didn't press further.

The moment I hung up, Emma stormed out after me.

"Jacob! You're the host. You can't just walk out! That's so unprofessional!"

A cold, humorless laugh escaped my lips.

"My duties didn't include emceeing the public announcement of your affair."

Her face went rigid. "You're the host, you host the whole event! You don't get to pick and choose." Her voice rose, dripping with indignation.

"Besides, I was telling the truth. Jason is the father of the child in my belly! I can't very well lie and say it's you, can I?"

She hadn't told me she was pregnant. I found the test in the trash can myself.

I didn't question it, just naturally assumed the child was mine. I started taking even better care of her, and she let me, never correcting my assumption.

I never imagined I was just a placeholder, a glorified caretaker for another man's woman and child.

The thought was as nauseating as swallowing a fly. I didn't want to waste another breath on her.

"I'm going home."

After a quick shower, I collapsed onto the bed. My phone buzzed. It was a video from Jason.

I opened it, and the sounds of Emma's moans filled the quiet room, each one louder than the last.

She moved with him, trying different positions, her face a mask of pure ecstasy.

"Oh, Jason," her voice cooed from the speaker, "only with you... only with you does it feel like our souls are truly merging."

So, they really were a perfect match.

That video showed me a side of Emma I'd never known.

With me, she'd just lie there like a starfish, a mechanical, lifeless participant. I had always thought she just had a low libido.

Turns out, that wasn't it at all.

She just didn't love me.

My eyelids felt like lead weights. A wave of exhaustion washed over me, deeper than any I'd ever felt.

I, who always needed to get to the bottom of everything, now just wanted to sleep.

I dropped my phone and let the darkness take me.

In the dead of night, Emma came home, propping up a drunken Jason.

The blankets were ripped off me, and a blast of cold air hit my skin. I opened my eyes to see Emma's face, arrogant and demanding, hovering above me.

"You're sleeping on the couch," she ordered. "Jason's taking the bed."

She had always treated me this way, with a casual, high-handed authority.

After seven years, she was used to me being her servant.

I didn't move. "Doesn't he have his own home?"

"Can't you see he's drunk? I have to take care of him." Her tone was matter-of-fact, as if Jason were her rightful partner.

How considerate. I remembered the time I drank myself sick to land a deal for her company. I called her to pick me up, but she said it was too cold to go out.

I had to drag myself home, collapsing the moment I walked through the door.

I spent the night on the freezing floor and woke up with a raging fever. I had to call the ambulance myself.

She didn't visit me once in the hospital.

"Ah, I almost forgot," I said, my voice flat. "He's the father of your child."

Emma took my words as agreement. "Exactly. So are you going to move, or not?"

"Jacob, I know you're angry," she said, her voice softening slightly, "but I can't let my child call another man 'daddy'."

What a noble mother. But who created this mess?

I looked at her, truly looked at her, and for the first time, she utterly disgusted me.

I started to get up, but she stopped me.

Her expression was a mix of conflict and resolution. Finally, she let out a breath.

"The person I love is Jason. The baby and I... we can't be without him." She paused, as if offering me a grand concession.

"So, here's the plan. The three of us will live together. You'll keep managing the company, and you'll get your share. I won't cheat you."

A laugh bubbled up inside me. The sheer audacity of it. She wanted to have her cake and eat it too.

Make her grand public declaration with Jason, and keep me around as her free labor and glorified butler.

"No, thank you," I said. "Since you chose him, I wish you both the best."

Emma looked at me as if I'd told the funniest joke in the world.

"Can you stop being so dramatic? Without me, how would you even survive? I've been supporting you all these years." She waved a dismissive hand. "

Just stay put. The three of us can make it work. It was Jason's idea, too."

Just then, Jason made a retching sound. Emma immediately rushed to his side, all concern and worry.

I went to the study to sleep.

It wasn't long before the study door was being pounded on, the noise shaking the frame.

"Get up and make breakfast! Jason and I are hungry. We want noodles, hurry up!"

I pulled the covers over my head, pretending not to hear.

After a while, the knocking stopped.

My sleep was ruined anyway. When I finally got up, they were both gone.

Perfect. Time to pack.

The stench of stale alcohol in the master bedroom was overwhelming. She could really tolerate anything for Jason's sake.

I opened the closet. My clothes were just a few items, all of which I'd bought myself before moving in.

After a moment's thought, I gathered them all and threw them in the trash.

If I was letting go, I was letting go of everything.

Besides the clothes, I also threw out the matching couple's toothbrushes, slippers, and dishes I had bought. As I cleared things out, it dawned on me: the only person invested in our "couple" status had been me. Emma's set of everything was still in its original packaging, untouched.

As I was clearing out the shoe rack, I found something tucked away in a corner. A pair of men's underwear.

Not my size.

The blood in my veins turned to ice. I looked around the apartment, our home, and a sickening montage played in my mind: Jason and Emma, laughing, touching, living in every corner of this place, while I remained completely in the dark.

Thank God I was finally awake.

After shipping my few remaining personal effects back to my family's estate, I headed to Rosewood Tech to resign.

Beyond funneling resources to Emma from behind the scenes, I also held the official title of General Manager.

For seven years, day in and day out, I had been the one closing deals, solving crises, and pushing the company upward.

I pushed open the door to myto the General Manager's officeand found Emma and Jason wrapped around each other, directing a secretary who was packing up a desk.

My desk.

Now that they were public, they certainly weren't shy. I thought back to all the times I had asked, begged, for us to be more open, and how Emma had always refused.

She was the boss, she'd said, she had to set an example. What would happen if all her employees started office romances? How could she maintain control?

"Throw all of his junk out," Emma's sharp voice cut through the air. "I don't know why we let such garbage accumulate in here. It's cheapening the place."

They turned as I entered. Emma's face was a mask of cold indifference, while Jason shot me a look of pure, triumphant provocation.

"Jacob," Emma announced, her tone brittle, "in light of your immature behavior at the celebration party yesterday, you're being demoted. Jason will be the new General Manager. You can be his deputy."

She gestured towards Jason. "That funding deal from New York? You'll assist him in finalizing it from now on."

The New York deal. The one I'd spent a month wining and dining the client's representative for, drinking until I gave myself a bleeding ulcer just to get a foot in the door.

The deal that was only truly secured because of my father's influence.

Now that they thought it was a sure thing, they were trying to kick me to the curb and steal the credit. How utterly predictable.

I didn't bother arguing. I simply pulled the resignation letter from my jacket and placed it on the desk in front of her.

"Ms. Rosewood, this is my resignation. Please approve it."

The sudden move caught them completely off guard. Emma and Jason exchanged a shocked glance. She frowned, her eyes searching my face for some hidden motive.

Jason, however, was practically vibrating with excitement. With me gone, the projectand all the glorywould fall squarely into his lap.

"Come on, 'Deputy' Vance," he sneered.

"Are you really going to quit just because of a small demotion? Or do you actually think this company can't function without you? Pulling a stunt like this right before the IPO... real classy."

Any hesitation Emma might have had vanished at Jason's words. Her face darkened with anger.

"I don't know why I ever hired you in the first place!"

she snapped. "You want to leave? Fine! I accept. Now pack your things and get the hell out! And don't you ever think of setting foot in Rosewood Tech again."

I nodded, quietly placing my few belongings into a cardboard box.

Just then, Emma's assistant rushed in, out of breath. "Ms. Rosewood, the representative from the New York firm is here! They said they're ready to talk about the financing!"

Emma immediately started fussing over Jason, straightening his tie. "You've got this," she whispered encouragingly. "It's all been negotiated. All that's left is the signature. Don't be nervous."

"I won't," Jason said, puffing out his chest as he walked out of the office.

I finished packing and walked out with my box. In the hallway, I saw Jason, a fawning smile plastered on his face as he extended a hand to the representative.

"Hello, sir. My name is Jason Carter. I'm the new General Manager here, and I'll be handling the financing deal with you."

The representative didn't even glance at his outstretched hand.

His eyes lit up when he saw me. He immediately came over, taking the box from my arms.

"Mr. Vance," he said, his voice loud and clear for everyone to hear. "I've already been notified about the situation. I'm actually here today to officially cancel the investment."

He gestured vaguely back toward Jason. "This whole deal was contingent on your involvement, as a favor to your father. With you gone, there's no reason for us to stay."

The representative's words hit Emma and Jason like a physical blow. They stood frozen, staring at each other in stunned silence.

Emma's body started to tremble as she slowly approached me.

"Billionaire? You're the son of a billionaire? But... your company went bankrupt!"

"It did," I said, turning to face her fully. "My company went under. But that has nothing to do with my father's." My voice was flat, devoid of emotion. "And you, Emma, should remember better than anyone why my company failed."

At the mention of that, a flicker of guilt, or maybe just memory, crossed her eyes.

In the beginning, my company was far more successful than hers.

But to close the gap between us, to make her feel like an equal, I started diverting my best projects to Rosewood Tech.

When her team couldn't handle them, I stepped in to manage them myself.

Gradually, all my energy, all my resources, were poured into her company.

My own naturally withered and died.

I'd told myself it didn't matter. We were going to get married anyway; what was mine was hers.

How naive I had been.

After his initial shock, Jason let out a contemptuous laugh.

"Wow, Jacob. I never knew you were this kind of person," he said, shaking his head.

"You get demoted for incompetence and you throw a tantrum, trying to sabotage the company on your way out? I wonder how much you paid this guy to go along with your pathetic little act."

As he spoke, Emma's initial confusion hardened into conviction.

She always did believe every word that came out of Jason's mouth.

I couldn't be bothered to explain. I turned to leave, but Emma grabbed my arm, her grip surprisingly strong.

"Jacob, I can't believe you're so petty! You can hate me all you want, but you can't joke about the company's future!"

Her voice was shrill. "There are hundreds of employees waiting for this IPO, waiting for their stock options! And you're playing these childish games?"

I looked at her coldly. Her face was contorted with a rage so intense she looked like she wanted to tear me apart.

After all this time, she'd gotten so used to the heights I'd lifted her to, she'd completely forgotten she could never have reached them without me.

"Ms. Rosewood, I've already resigned," I said calmly. "Your company's problems are no longer my concern. Yelling at me isn't going to solve anything."

"You disrupted our entire IPO plan, and you think you can just walk away? In your dreams!"

Emma lifted her chin, falling back on her old tactics. "You have to fix this. If you don't, I'll never speak to you again."

It was her ultimate weapon. In the past, no matter how big our fight, those words were always enough to make me come crawling back, apologizing.

Not anymore.

I glanced at Jason. "Your boyfriend is standing right there. Aren't you afraid he'll get jealous, trying to sweet-talk me in front of him?"

I leaned in slightly. "Ms. Rosewood, you're pregnant. As a former employee, allow me to give you a piece of friendly advice: take care of yourself."

Without another word, I pulled my arm free and walked away.

The representative escorted me downstairs before leaving himself.

The deal had been one signature away from closing.

But they just couldn't wait. They had to have their premature celebration, their grand public announcement.

After returning to New York, my father arranged a marriage for me. I agreed without hesitation.

Things moved quickly. Our families met, terms were settled, and before I knew it, we were signing the license and planning the wedding.

Staring at the official document, I felt a sense of surreal displacement. The one thing I'd waited seven years for with Emma, I'd gotten from a near-stranger in a matter of days.

I suppose that's the difference between being loved and not being loved.

I thought I would never have to see Emma again. Then, the day after my wedding, she showed up at my front door.