My Tech Library Self Destructs Tonight

I survived on three hours of sleep a day for three months straight. I led my team to create a viral, record-breaking app that hit a hundred million users in its first week.

At the victory banquet, my wife announced she was giving the entire million-dollar bonus to her little brother, the PR manager. She tossed me a few half-off mall coupons instead.

"You're just a coder. What do you need all that money for? Take these and buy some decent clothes. Stop embarrassing me by looking like a basement-dwelling loser every day."

I pleaded in a low voice.

"Sienna, are you crazy? My dad is waiting for that money for a specialized nebulizer to save his life! Tell me you're joking."

She just leaned against her "little brother's" arm, looking down at me with disdain.

"Your dad is already in that state. Don't waste any more of society's resources."

"If he passes, the best I can do is pick out a nice burial plot for him!"

Looking at Sienna's smug face, I didn't get angry. Instead, I smiled.

She probably forgot one thing.

The core algorithm and the user growth model of that viral app were built using my private, undisclosed technical library. The ownership belonged entirely to me, not the company.

I nodded with a smile and initiated the self-destruct and migration sequence for the tech library that very night.

01

As soon as she finished speaking, I accidentally knocked over my wine glass.

Sienna's face darkened instantly.

"It's a big day for the company. Do you have to make me miserable?"

"Your dad's illness has always been the same. He survived on cheap medicine before, so why can't he now? Rhys, stop being so vain. Do you think my money grows on trees?"

She shoved the coupons into my collar.

"Today is Jordan's celebration. Don't cause trouble! Apologize to Jordan, give him a toast, and we'll forget this happened."

I was almost amused by her absurdity. I grabbed her hand.

"From the algorithm to the code, I built every inch of this app while working myself to the bone. He's a PR manager. What does he have to do with technical development? Me, apologize to him? He's not even in my league!"

The next second, Sienna slapped me across the face.

"Shut up!"

"Jordan worked hard too. Do you think maintaining the company's image is easy? You have no idea how much promotion and effort he put in to get this app launched!"

She raised her hand to strike again.

Jordan rushed over and caught her arm.

"Sienna, don't be mad. Rhys isn't wrong... In his eyes, a little PR manager like me is nothing compared to a star developer like him."

"You should take the million back. Consider it an early birthday gift from me."

The moment he said that, Sienna was so moved that she interlaced her fingers with his.

"Jordan, don't worry. What belongs to you, nobody can take away!"

She turned to glare at me, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"See? This is what I call class."

"He's always thinking of me, giving me gifts and money. Not like some people who only know how to hold their hand out!"

"Rhys, Jordan is your junior from the same college. How can two people from the same school be so different? You don't have an ounce of his ambition or maturity."

My heart twisted with pain.

To help Sienna's company go public, I hadn't slept properly for months.

I had been rushed to the ER for oxygen more than ten times due to extreme exhaustion.

But in her eyes, I couldn't compare to Jordan, a man who only knew how to sweet-talk and steal credit.

I opened my mouth to argue.

Suddenly, my phone rang.

It was my mother, her voice filled with panic.

"Rhys, your dad's asthma is back. He's in the hospital. The doctor says if he doesn't get that specialized nebulizer soon, he won't last. You know our situation. I don't have a job, and our savings are gone from his previous treatments."

"You said there would be a big bonus once the project succeeded. Can we... can we get it early to save your dad? I'm begging you."

I turned pale with fear.

The high-end nebulizer cost $4,600. I checked my bank balanceDI had exactly ninety-nine cents left after paying my phone bill.

I gripped my phone, swallowing my pride and my anger.

I forced a smile and pleaded with Sienna, lowering my voice.

"Sienna, you heard that. My dad is back in the hospital. He needs that nebulizer to stay alive. Can you just lend me five thousand? I'll pay you back as soon as I get my next paycheck."

She tossed her hair, her eyes filled with undisguised contempt.

"Can't you come up with a better lie to scam me? Last week you said your dad was stable. Now you need five thousand? Rhys, your little tricks are pathetic."

My knuckles turned white as I held my phone. My face burned with shame. My throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton, leaving me powerless to fight back.

To her, I was just a loser who only knew how to ask for money.

But she forgot that since the day we married, I had handed over every cent of my savings and my salary to her.

I even had to ask her for permission to spend fifty dollars on my phone bill.

How could I possibly have five thousand dollars?

"Sienna."

02

Jordan spoke up, gently patting Sienna's back.

"Rhys wouldn't lie about his dad's health. Five thousand isn't a lot. Let's just give it to him. After all, if the old man dies, a funeral will cost tens of thousands anyway."

Sienna's expression softened at his words.

She pinched Jordan's cheek affectionately.

"You're too kind, Jordan. Anyone else would have stopped putting up with his pathetic games a long time ago."

She opened her phone, her finger hovering over the transfer button, but then she stopped.

The eyes that used to look at me with love were now cold and calculating.

"You want the money? Fine. But you need to show some respect when asking for a favor."

My heart sank. I knew what was coming, but for that five thousand dollars, I had to endure it.

"You were pretty arrogant just a minute ago, weren't you?"

Sienna tilted her chin up and pointed at the glass in front of Jordan.

"Apologize to Jordan, give him a toast, and down this entire bottle of vodka. Then I'll send you the five grand."

She slammed an unopened bottle of high-proof liquor onto the table.

"If you're too chicken to drink, that's fine too."

"Kneel and bow to Jordan. Five hundred dollars for every time your head hits the floor. Ten bows for five thousand. How about that?"

The room erupted in laughter.

Someone whistled and cheered.

"Rhys, just do it! Five grand for ten bows is a steal!"

"Yeah, why care about pride? It's not like you have any dignity left anyway!"

The laughter felt like whips across my back. My blood boiled with humiliation.

A real man only kneels to his parents or the heavens. Who the hell was Jordan to deserve a bow from me?

"Sienna, let's just forget it."

Jordan pretended to pull on Sienna's sleeve, but his eyes were full of triumph.

"Rhys didn't mean it. There's no need for this..."

"No!"

Sienna brushed him off, her gaze becoming even more vicious.

"He embarrassed me in front of everyone. He has to pay! Drink it or bow, Rhys. Your choice!"

I looked at the text from my mother: "The hospital is demanding payment." I thought of my father gasping for air on a cold hospital bed. My heart felt like it was being crushed.

Five thousand dollars was his life. I couldn't gamble with it.

"I'll drink."

I grabbed the bottle and twisted the cap. The sharp scent of alcohol hit my nose. Without hesitation, I tilted my head back.

The liquor felt like a burning blade sliding down my throat, scorching my insides instantly.

The laughter died down, replaced by the sound of me gulping.

My stomach turned over, and my vision blurred, but I didn't stop. I stared at my phone, waiting for the notification.

As the bottle emptied, my phone chimed: "You have received $5,000."

I exhaled, my hands shaking so hard I could barely hold the device. With the last of my consciousness, I transferred the money to my mother.

The moment the message sent, the world went black, and I collapsed.

The last thing I heard was Sienna's annoyed voice.

"What a buzzkill. Now someone has to carry him out."

When I woke up again, the air smelled strongly of disinfectant.

"Are you trying to kill yourself, kid?"

The doctor looked at my chart with a serious expression.

"Chronic sleep deprivation caused severe damage to your stomach lining. Then you downed a bottle of hard liquor on an empty stomach. You had a stomach perforation. If you had arrived any later, you'd be dead!"

A stomach perforation...

I let out a bitter laugh, touching my aching abdomen. I didn't regret it.

At least my father had his nebulizer.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated. It was a message from Sienna.

"Since you're awake, get your butt back to the office. The app's backend is crashing. Jordan says only you can fix it. Don't ruin the company's chance to go public!"

I looked at the message and laughed.

The laughter made my stomach hurt, and tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.

She probably didn't know that right before I fainted last night, the self-destruct program for the tech library had entered its final countdown.

In twenty-four hours, every core function of the app would be paralyzed.

03

I didn't reply to her. Instead, I contacted a lawyer and drafted a divorce agreement.

Then, I started sending out my resume.

Halfway through, someone knocked on the hospital room door.

"Come in."

I sat up straight, surprised by the person who walked in.

"Sylvie? What are you doing here?"

Sylvie walked to my bedside and placed a fruit basket on the nightstand, her eyes full of reproach.

"How else? I had to ask around to find you. Rhys, you really know how to hide."

Before I could recover from my shock, she continued.

"My HR team said they received a resume with a technical background so brilliant it was blinding. I took a look andDwowDit's my old classmate, the one Sienna snatched away from me years ago."

She raised an eyebrow, her admiration clear.

"That app that's about to go public... you built the core algorithm and the backend architecture yourself, didn't you? People in the industry have been eyeing that tech. Only someone like Sienna would treat a diamond like a common rock, forcing you to work yourself to death."

Her words stung, exposing all the bitterness I had kept bottled up.

My throat tightened, but I stayed silent.

Sylvie seemed to read my mind. She leaned back in her chair, tapping her fingers on the armrest.

"Don't play mute with me. I know you've been mistreated. You know the history between Sienna and me."

She paused, a hint of nostalgia in her eyes.

"In high school, we fought for the top of the class and the title of Prom Queen. Later, she found out I liked you, so she put on that sunny act to cling to you. She literally stole you from right under my nose."

I looked up at her, stunned.

Back then, Sylvie had never confessed to me.

Sienna, on the other hand, had suddenly claimed she fell in love with me at first sight. She followed me around like a puppy every single day.

She was like a bright sunflower, always facing me.

Who could say no to the sun?

So, we ended up together quite naturally.

"And then..."

Sylvie smiled, her tone honest.

"Once you chose her, I stopped chasing. But I couldn't stand losing to her. She wanted to start a tech company, so I decided to become the best in that field."

"I didn't expect her to be so lucky. With a technical genius like you, her company's path to going public was effortless."

"By the way, why isn't Sienna here? Did you guys fight? Stomach bleeding is serious; you need someone to take care of you."

At the mention of Sienna, the light in my eyes dimmed. I forced a raspy laugh.

"No... I've already hired a lawyer. I'm drafting the divorce papers. That's why I'm looking for a job."

Surprise flashed in Sylvie's eyes for a brief moment, followed by understanding.

She leaned forward, her gaze intense.

"Well, isn't that a coincidence?"

She pulled a business card from her bag and pushed it toward me. The title "CEO of Future Tech" was prominent.

"Instead of starting from scratch somewhere else, come to me. I know your worth. I happen to have an opening for a CTO... You can pick your own team, your salary will double, and you'll get project dividends."

"Rhys, I lost you to her once. This time, can you give me a chanceDand give yourself a chance too?"

04

Her gaze was clear and sincere, moving me deeply.

I looked at the card and thought about Sienna's cold message.

Suddenly, I felt that this revenge could be handled in a much more elegant way.

I picked up the card and agreed. "Okay. I'll do it."

"Perfect!"

She practically jumped up with joy.

"I'll have my assistant send the offer to your email. Once you're out of the hospital, come straight to the office and pick your new workspace!"

She reminded me to rest well and then hurried out on her high heels.

Just as her footsteps faded down the hallway, my door was kicked open.

Sienna stormed in and, without a word, threw her designer handbag directly at my face.

I tilted my head to avoid it. She didn't stop, screaming at me.

"Rhys! Are you freaking blind?!"

She stood by the bed with her hands on her hips, her heavy makeup twisting into a mask of rage.

"Did you see my messages? The backend is crashing, and Jordan can't handle it. And here you are, playing dead in a hospital bed!"

I leaned against the headboard, watching her hysterics. It was pathetic.

"Can't you see? I'm hospitalized."

"Hospitalized for what? If you're not dead, get your ass to the office!"

Sienna lunged forward and grabbed my hospital gown, her eyes vicious.

"You're intentionally holding the admin permissions hostage just to squeeze more money out of me, aren't you? Now! Give the access to Jordan immediately!"

I pulled my gown back and coldly spat out two words.

"No way."

Sienna's anger sputtered for a moment.

Then, as if remembering something, she forced a sweet, sickening smile and tried to take my hand.

"Rhys, don't be like this. Once the company goes public and the app starts making real money, you'll get your share. I remember everything you've done for the company."

I pulled my hand away and scoffed.

"You remember? Then why do I have zero shares? Why did you give my project bonus to Jordan?"

The smile on her face froze.

She stuttered, "We're husband and wife. We're a team. What's mine is yours. Why be so petty about the details..."

"Mine?"

I raised my voice, the anger in my chest boiling over.

"I've worked for your company for three years. Have I ever seen a cent of salary? My payroll is linked to your account. Every time I get paid, you transfer it out immediately. I have to beg you for fifty dollars to pay my phone bill, and you call that 'mine'?"

I pulled the divorce agreement from under my pillow and shoved it at her.

"Sienna, let's get a divorce. I'm not handing over the permissions. This tech is mine, and neither of you is touching a single line of it."

Sienna's fake smile shattered, her face turning pale.

"You wouldn't dare! I won't sign those papers!"

"You won't?"

I smirked and pulled another document from my lawyer's folder.

"Either sign the divorce, or sign this equity transfer. Give me 5% of the company's shares, and I'll give you the access."

Sienna stared at the words "5% Equity." Thinking about the massive profits from going public, she hesitated for only a second before grabbing the pen.

"Fine! I'll sign!"

She scribbled her name without even glancing at the divorce clauses tucked inside the contract.

Just then, the door was kicked open again.