Chapter 2

Serena wasn't done praising him. To emphasize the contrast, she turned her anger back on me.

"Sean, this core project has been in your hands for nearly a year, and we haven't seen a single viable result. How much longer do you expect me to wait?"

"What did you promise me when you took it on? If your skills are lacking, learn from Ethan instead of standing around making excuses!"

I let out a quiet breath and said nothing.

She seemed to have completely forgotten the endless nights I spent grinding out code and architecture in the early days. Back then, she leaned on me for every single decision, seeking my approval before taking a single step.

Once I stabilized the company and turned it into an industry powerhouse, she took all the credit for herself. Intoxicated by everyone calling her a self-made corporate queen, she now couldn't wait to discard the "useless" husband who had built her empire.

Serena kept lecturing me, her words dripping with disdain.

I walked straight toward Ethan. The room instantly fell dead silent, the air thick with tension.

Everyone thought we were about to throw punches. But I didn't raise a finger.

I simply unclipped my company badge, pulled out the freshly printed divorce agreement from my folder, and slapped them both directly into Ethan's face.

"Working is so exhausting anyway. Why don't I be generous and let you take my place as the CEO's husband, too?"

The moment the words left my mouth, the room erupted into collective shock.

"Ms. Vance is married? To Sean?!"

"Oh my god... is this an office drama love triangle? Are we really allowed to watch this?!"

In contrast to the chaos, my calm demeanor completely threw my colleagues off.

They assumed I had been pushed past the breaking point and gone insane.

After all, everyone had witnessed firsthand the blood, sweat, and tears I poured into this project over the past year.

Yet no one knew that the core technology existed only in my head. No one on earth could replicate it.

Serena's face twisted into an ugly grimace of pure contempt. "Sean Miller, what is the meaning of this? Do you have no professional integrity at all?"

How hilarious. I was willingly stepping down for Ethan, clearing every obstacle in his career path, and even handing over all my intellectual property. Wasn't this exactly what she wanted?

Ethan clutched my badge tightly, his eyes glued to it before he reluctantly looked up. "Sean... I had no idea you and Serena were married. It's my fault for not recognizing who you were. I apologize if I crossed a line."

"Still, Serena never announced your marriage publicly. Maybe... she just never felt confident in you."

"Of course, I don't mean anything bad by that! I can't accept the CTO position. Please don't take your anger out on Serena. Let me apologize on her behalf."

He held the badge out to return it to me, though his hands moved at a snail's pace, clearly unwilling to let go.

I gave a cold, detached smile. "You're joking. The position is yours now. It has nothing to do with me."

I pushed the project folders straight into Ethan's chest.

Serena eyed me suspiciously, but my expression was completely serene. In fact, a wave of pure relief washed over me. Seeing that, she nodded and told Ethan to take the files.

"At least he knows when to quit. Since Sean is willing to step aside, everything is yours now. Congratulations, Ethan!"

Ethan, having finally secured the position he had coveted for so long, thanked me repeatedly, the smug arrogance in his eyes impossible to hide.

I didn't care in the slightest.

The truth was, the breakthrough had already been achieved. I had planned to unveil the fully functional build at today's gala as a surprise gift to celebrate our milestones together.

Now, there was no need.

It took even me an entire year of non-stop mathematical modeling to solve those algorithmic bottlenecks. With his bought degree and non-existent programming skills, cracking the remaining core logic would be harder than climbing to heaven.

Everyone thought being the Chief Technology Officer was easy—just delegating tasks and bossing people around.

What they didn't realize was that the CTO not only architected the system, but also took full legal and technical liability when it failed.

Without my proprietary core code, the millions of lines already compiled were nothing more than digital garbage.

What was worse, the contractual delivery deadline with our top enterprise client was right around the corner.

When the deadline hit, Serena wouldn't just face tens of millions in breach-of-contract penalties—her entire company would crumble.

Seeing me stay quiet after stepping down, Serena seemed to feel a momentary pang of guilt.

She cleared her throat and said awkwardly, "Fine, don't just stand there sulking. The celebration lunch is starting."

"I specifically booked a private room at your favorite restaurant for today's banquet."

She turned her head away with an air of arrogant pride, acting as though extending an olive branch was an act of supreme mercy.

When something reaches peak absurdity, you can only laugh.

The mere thought of sitting at a table sharing a meal with these two revolting people made my stomach churn.

I turned on my heel and walked toward the exit.