Chapter 1

The project my wife had been waiting for three years is about to breach the deadline, and she promised me that if it was completed by the end of the year, she would promote me to vice president.

But after I worked tirelessly to finish it, she promoted the male assistant, who had been with the company for less than three months, to vice president instead.

"Your abilities are impressive, but if it weren't for him negotiating, the project would have failed long ago."

Everyone thought I would be jealous of the assistant.

But instead of getting angry, I smiled and handed over my shares to the assistant.

"You're right. By the way, from now on, you'll be the company's new shareholder."

After all, no one knew that the reason the project had been allowed to be delayed again and again was because the client was my father.

Without my connections, the so-called big project would be nothing but a house of cards, and my wife would be unable to repay the loans, doomed to a life worse than death.

When I tossed the share transfer document to my wife's assistant, Ethan Bennett, everyone in the company was stunned.

For three whole years, many had worked hard on this project, pushing their bodies to the limit.

Though I didn't have many shares, once the project went live and the company went public, those shares could potentially skyrocket tenfold or even a hundredfold.

And I, Daniel Parker, so nonchalantly, gave them up.

These shares were worth far more than a vice president position.

Everyone's eyes were glued to the share transfer document, except for my wife, Ave Parker, whose face turned ashen. Her carefully applied makeup couldn't hide the anger.

"Daniel! If you're unhappy with my decision, you could've just said so directly!

"There's no need for this behavior, disrupting the company's atmosphere!"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

Disrupting the company's atmosphere?

She sure knew how to put a label on things.

Ever since she hired Ethan, I had become a villain in her eyes.

No matter what I said or did, I was always wrong.

Now, I had just handed Ethan a huge opportunity, why wasn't she happy about it?

What on earth was going through her mind? I was truly at a loss.

Meanwhile, Ethan was clutching the share transfer document tightly, his greed flashing in his eyes before he quickly hid it.

Then, he lifted his head, feigning a look of deep concern.

"Daniel, are you upset because you weren't chosen as vice president and think Mrs. Parker is biased?

"Please don't misunderstand. Mrs. Parker doesn't think you're incapable.

"It's just that she heard you're allergic to alcohol, and as vice president, you'd need to attend social events and drink. She was worried it might harm your health.

"Everyone knows how hard you've worked on this project, and I, as a newcomer, definitely can't accept these shares. Please take them back."

Although Ethan's words sounded nice, he showed no sign of handing over the document. Clearly, he wasn't willing to part with such a juicy prize.

As for what he said, it was laughable.

Only Ave and I knew about my alcohol allergy.

This was clearly a story they had already agreed on!

And the idea that because I couldn't drink, they would let a newcomer with less than three months on the job take the vice president position?

Anyone with half a brain would know there was something fishy going on here.

But I couldn't be bothered to argue anymore. Instead, I patted Ethan on the shoulder, speaking earnestly, "Ethan, no, Mr. Bennett, I'm truly grateful for how you've considered my well-being.

"Having someone as thoughtful as you in the company makes me feel at ease."

I even squeezed his shoulder to show my recognition and approval.

At this, Ave finally smiled in satisfaction.

"That's more like it.

"Of course, I won't treat you poorly, such an experienced employee.

"Later, at Ethan's celebration dinner, I know you can't drink, and I didn't want to drag you into it, but since you've shown such understanding, you can come, too."

Seeing her act like she was doing me some huge favor, I nearly laughed in disbelief.

She took the vice president position without a word and now she was acting all nice, thinking she could send me off with a dinner?

I smiled with a fake grin and declined.

"No need. I don't eat with jerks. It's too much of a stomach-turner."

Ave's smile instantly froze.

She slammed the table and yelled, "Daniel! Do you really think you're that impressive?

"If it wasn't for Ethan's negotiating skills, this project would have long since been overdue and we'd have been held accountable. What do you think you had to do with it?

"Do you want me to fire you?"

I looked at her furious expression, feeling no emotion at all, even suppressing a laugh.

If she hadn't insisted on promoting Ethan, causing errors in the data, and pushing the task back over and over, we wouldn't have reached this point.

It was Ethan's fault. I ended up cleaning up his mess, and now it was being presented as his accomplishment.

Her ability to distort the facts was nothing short of brilliant.

With that thought, I pulled out the resignation letter I had prepared earlier, slamming it down on the table.

"Alright, remember to sign it."

I turned and walked out. Just as I was about to hail a cab downstairs, a red sports car suddenly screeched to a stop in front of me.

The window rolled down slowly, revealing Ethan's smug face.

Before I could react, he threw his coffee at me on purpose.

The cold wind of winter mixed with ice cubes from the drink, soaking my clothes, making it feel like a thousand needles stabbing me.

Ethan looked at me in my miserable state, no longer the humble figure he once was. His face twisted into a sneer.

"Look at you freezing and waiting for the bus, Daniel. If you were vice president, it would be so embarrassing to let that get out.

"Then again, not everyone has my great drinking skills to drag the client on like this.

"Alright, enough talk. I'm heading to the celebration dinner. It's almost the end of the year, so you can take your time finding a new job."

After saying that, he slammed on the gas and drove off.

But as Ethan's car disappeared, I couldn't help but smile coldly.

No one knew that the project had been allowed to be delayed this long not because of Ethan's so-called business negotiation skills.

Even with his drinking ability, the client wouldn't be dumb enough to ignore the losses in the billions of dollars.

The only reason was one thing.

With that thought, I immediately called the client.

"Dad, I've resigned. The project you gave to Ave's company can be canceled now."