Chapter 1

After New Year's, my wife had her assistant, Marcus Smith, host the company's celebration banquet.

At the meeting, Marcus handed out bonuses to every employee—except me.

Just as I was about to step forward and demand an explanation, he publicly mocked me:

"Quinn Foster, you've contributed absolutely nothing to this company. How do you still have the nerve to stand here begging like this?!"

I gave him a slight smile, tore off my employee badge on the spot, and ground it under my foot.

As I turned to storm out, Marcus called after me:

"You can leave, but you need to leave the company uniform behind! Take it off right now!"

I froze. Did he really not know that I was the company's actual owner?

At that moment, everyone in the room was staring at me.

I dialed several times before the call finally connected.

Then Vivian Caldwell's impatient voice came through the phone:

"Quinn, what are you freaking out about now?"

"This meeting is critical for the company. Can't you wait until I get back?"

I glanced at Marcus from the corner of my eye and said firmly:

"No!"

The next second, Vivian started cursing at me through the phone.

"Yes! I told Marcus to fire you. Are you satisfied now?!"

I paused for a moment before speaking again.

"Give me a reason."

Vivian let out a scornful laugh and said coldly:

"A reason? I'm the chairman of Caldwell Group. Do I need a reason to fire someone?"

"You've held the title of Sales Manager for three whole years without a single shred of performance. How do you still have the nerve to ask me why?!"

By the end, even though I'd turned the phone volume to its lowest setting, Vivian's voice still echoed throughout the entire conference hall.

"Quinn, listen carefully! My Caldwell Group doesn't support deadweight!"

After that final statement, she hung up directly.

The room fell dead silent.

"Everyone just heard that, right? Even Vivian herself called Quinn deadweight. Why keep someone like that around?"

Marcus stood on stage, looking at me triumphantly.

"I suggest you pack up your things and go home to sleep."

Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly smiled at me.

"If you're going to live off someone, you should at least act the part. Don't you think I'm right, Mr. Foster?"

I looked at him expressionlessly and let out a cold laugh.

"So what Assistant Marcus is saying is that I'm completely unnecessary at this company?"

Seeing me deliberately walk into his trap, Marcus's face lit up with glee.

"Well, what else?"

"During work hours, you're either on your phone or playing games. You know absolutely nothing about the business. If it weren't for your relationship with Vivian, you would've been fired ages ago."

"Keeping deadweight like you at the company is just a waste of resources."

I held up my index finger and shook it gently.

"No, no, no. I think everything Marcus said before was correct, but there's one thing I disagree with."

Marcus looked somewhat surprised at my confident tone.

"What don't you agree with?"

"You don't actually think Caldwell Group can survive without you, do you?"

I gave him a slight smile, then nodded emphatically.

"You're absolutely right."

"If I leave the company, Caldwell Group will collapse immediately."

As soon as I finished speaking, the previously silent conference hall erupted.

"Oh my God, this guy is so full of himself. Caldwell is a publicly listed company, one of the top 500 nationwide. How could it possibly collapse because of one little manager?"

"Exactly! This guy just relies on being the chairman's husband. He's been lazy for years, doing no work but taking a salary for three whole years."

"He's so disgusting. How can people like this even exist? Pretty boy, freeloader—just go die already!"

The cursing around me grew louder and louder, but I didn't care at all.

Because every single word I said was the truth.

The reason Caldwell Group went from a tiny company with just a few people three years ago to a publicly listed corporation with over ten thousand employees today was entirely because of me—or rather, because of the power behind me.

It had absolutely nothing to do with the Vivian they kept talking about.

Back then, Caldwell Group's founder, Gregory Caldwell, traveled all the way from Boston to New York just to beg me to marry his granddaughter.

And he was holding a marriage contract.

It did indeed bear my grandfather's personal signature.

I was young back then and didn't understand what love was. I just figured that since my grandfather had arranged it this way, he must have had his reasons.

But I never imagined that after single-handedly building Caldwell Group into what it is today, they would turn around and call me deadweight.

At that thought, my anger surged.

Right then and there, I decided to confront Gregory Caldwell face-to-face and ask him clearly whether the Caldwell family was planning to turn their backs on me.

If he continued to let Vivian serve as chairman, I wouldn't mind sending the Caldwell family right back to where they were three years ago.

"Wait!"

Just as I turned to leave, Marcus's voice called out.

"You're just going to leave like that?"

I slowly turned back around and looked toward the stage.

"What? Is Marcus planning to invite me to stay for dinner?"

Marcus stared at me with a wicked grin for a long moment before speaking.

"Before you go, you need to leave the company's property behind."

I narrowed my eyes and met his gaze directly.

"I already gave you my badge. What else could there be?"

Marcus let out a scornful laugh, then raised the microphone in his hand.

"Take off that company uniform you're wearing!"