The Billionaire's Revenge

The company had finally gone public. At the VIP celebration gala, Chloe Sterling kissed her male assistant, Julian Mercer, right in front of everyone.

She pulled out a diamond ring, looking at Julian with eyes full of tenderness. "You are my lucky star.

Without you, I wouldn't be where I am today." "Darling, will you marry me?" Julian nodded, his face flushed with excitement.

After slipping on the ring, he didn't forget to cast a smug, mocking smirk in my direction.

I, however, calmly pulled out my phone and dialed a familiar number. "Dad, I want to come home." On the other end of the line, my dad laughed. "What's wrong?

Do you want the family to pump more money into your girlfriend's company again?" "No problem.

I can write a check for a hundred million right now, and more if she needs it." "But son, aren't you ever going to tell her who you really are?" I took a deep breath. "I don't want you to invest anymore.

I want our family to completely withdraw all capital and dump her company's shares!" My words silenced my dad on the other end of the line.

After a long pause, he asked cautiously, "Son, did you two have a fight?" "Chloe's company just had its IPO. This is her golden era.

If we pull our funds and dump the shares now, her company might tank and face delisting in no time..." Before he could finish, I gritted my teeth. "She just proposed to her male assistant at the celebration gala." Crash!

It sounded like my dad smashed something expensive on his end. He let out a furious roar. "That ungrateful bitch! I'll ruin her!

I'll make sure she's blacklisted from the entire business world and ends up begging on the streets!" After hanging up on my furious dad, I noticed that quite a few people at the gala were looking at me with weird expressions.

Some were pitiful; others were gloating.

They whispered among themselves, pointing fingers at me. "I really thought Chloe would propose to Ethan tonight." "Yeah, Ethan has been by her side for years, struggling with her through thick and thin.

Who would've thought she wouldn't choose him in the end?" "If I were Chloe, I'd choose Julian too. Julian has massive connections.

He can help the company way more in the future." "True. In the adult world, pure love is a joke. It's all about benefits." "Ethan has no money and no background.

Aside from knowing Chloe earlier than Julian, he has zero advantages." "I heard the company's successful IPO was all because of Julian's connections.

Apparently, one of Julian's older relatives is close to a cousin of the Vance family.

Once they connected, the Vance family invested a hundred million and cleared up some major roadblocks for the IPO!" "The Vance family?

The billionaire Vance family?" "Oh my god, Julian is seriously connected!

No wonder Chloe couldn't wait to propose to him tonight!" While the crowd gossiped, Julian stepped down from the stage, holding a glass of champagne, and walked straight over to me.

He gave me a provocative, smug smile. "Ethan, I told you before.

Pure love doesn't pay the bills." "My family connections got us linked to the Vance family, which will take Chloe's career to the next level. But what about you?

What can you do for her besides being a useless drag?" "Fate is written in the stars.

Sure, your last name is Vance too, but too bad you weren't born into the billionaire Vance family. You're just a penniless orphan.

What right do you have to stand in the spotlight with Chloe?" "You need to know your place.

Some things just can't be forced, right?" "If I were you, I'd voluntarily hand over your remaining shares to the company..." Before he could finish, I cut him off coldly. "Does homewrecking other people's relationships give you that much of a hardon?" "Did you forget how you used to suck up to me when you first joined the company?" "Has anyone ever told you that your smug, socialclimbing face is actually pathetic?" Julian's face instantly darkened.

A flash of malice crossed his eyes, but he forced a fake smile, raising his glass. "Whatever you say. I won.

Winners take all, and losers suck it up." "When Chloe and I get married, you have to come.

If you're not there to watch us, I feel like the wedding just won't be complete." Even an idiot could hear the dripping sarcasm in his voice.

I narrowed my eyes and said softly, "Sure. I'll make sure to prepare a massive wedding gift for you two.

I guarantee it will make you both scream with excitement." Julian sneered. "I'll be waiting." As soon as the words left his mouth, Julian pretended to lose his balance.

He stumbled, tilting his glass, and poured the champagne straight over my head. A few people nearby gasped. Julian said in a mocking, theatrical tone, "Oh my!

I'm so sorry, I tripped!" "What a waste of good champagne." I clenched my fists, suppressing the urge to beat him to a pulp.

Under his mocking gaze, I looked over at Chloe, who was standing not far away. She completely ignored what was happening here.

She was busy laughing, drinking, and socializing with the company executives and partners. At that moment, I deeply questioned my past self. Was I braindead back then?

How did I ever fall for someone like her?

I didn't cause a scene with Julian. Even though I took the hit, I controlled the urge to rip him apart. Chloe's attitude was already crystal clear.

If Julian and I started a physical fight at the gala, Chloe would definitely take his side without hesitation.

When I left the party in a disheveled state, Chloe didn't even cast a single glance my way. This was the woman I had loved so deeply. Love is blind. That saying couldn't be truer.

Who was to blame? Only my own blind eyes. Back at my apartment, I threw all of Chloe's personal belongings into trash bags.

Especially the sweet, cheesy love letters I wrote her years ago. I used to treasure them like gold, but now, I tore them to pieces and threw them in the trash can.

These things, just like that toxic woman, belonged in the garbage. I thought I would cry hysterically after being betrayed by Chloe. After all, I used to be a sensitive guy.

Since I started dating her, she had been the center of my universe. She once promised me, with eyes full of love, that she would love me until the day she died.

I used to dream about our wedding day and our future together. I had told her so many times that if she ever left, I wouldn't know how to keep living.

But now that this day had actually come, I didn't shed a single tear. I didn't even feel sad. Crying for that trash? She didn't deserve it. Just then, the door opened.

Chloe walked in, smelling heavily of alcohol. Julian's arm was wrapped tightly around her waist, marking his territory, and he flashed me a provocative smirk.

Chloe looked at me with a flicker of complexity in her eyes. "I'm here to pack my things," she said coldly. "I won't be living here anymore.

You..." Before she could finish, I said flatly, "Your stuff is already in the dumpster downstairs." Chloe raised an eyebrow and sighed. "Ethan, don't you think you're being too harsh?" "Even if we couldn't end up together, we can still be friends..." I cut her off again with a cold laugh. "Ms.

Sterling, aren't you being incredibly hypocritical?" If we had broken up amicably, sure, maybe we could be friends. But what was this?

Chloe publicly stabbed me in the back, making me look like a clown at her celebration party. She watched Julian pour champagne over my head and didn't even blink.

And now, she wanted to be friends? Did she think I was some kind of idiot she could keep playing with? Chloe frowned.

Before she could speak, Julian chimed in with a sneer, "Ethan, let's cut the crap." "You need to sign your shares back over to the company." Chloe nodded in agreement. "As long as you give the shares back, I can give you one million dollars as compensation." "And I'll give you another million to make up for what I owe you.

What do you think?" "Two million dollars is a lot of money.

If you spend it wisely, it's enough for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life." Two million dollars to buy out my founding shares and all the years I spent building this company with her?

How cheap. I asked coldly, "And what if I say no?" Julian sneered, "Ethan, don't reject our generosity." "Greed can be dangerous.

You won't be able to handle the consequences." Was he threatening me now?

Just as I was about to mock him, Chloe's face turned icy. "Your tiny percentage of shares won't affect the company much.

I'm being nice by negotiating with you." "If you think you can control me with those shares, you're being naive." "Ethan, don't forget the employment agreement you signed.

Once you leave the company, you can't take those shares with you." "And if I want to force you out of the company, I have a million ways to do it." "Think carefully." Looking at Chloe's threatening face, I really wanted to run into the kitchen, grab a knife, and chop this disgusting couple into pieces.

But I held back. She was right about one thing. If she wanted to force me to resign, it wouldn't be hard.

After all, before the IPO, my executive power had already been completely stripped by her and Julian. I was still the Vice President on paper, but it was just an empty title.

A few minutes later, under Chloe and Julian's smug, ecstatic gazes, I signed the share transfer agreement. Then, they tossed a check onto the table and swaggered out.

They got what they wanted, so they didn't want to waste another second with me.

Looking at the twomilliondollar check, I snorted, ripped it to shreds, and threw it in the trash.

I wasn't just throwing away the check; I was throwing away every last bit of my feelings for Chloe. I'd let this trashy couple celebrate for a few days.

At their wedding at the end of the month, we would settle the score.

If Chloe and Julian hadn't come to threaten me tonight, maybe I would have just let my dad pull the investment and leave it at that. But they crossed the line.

Now, there was no way I was letting them off easy. Over the next few weeks, the news of Chloe publicly proposing to Julian at the IPO gala went viral on social media.

The trend was huge, even surpassing celebrity gossip. At the same time, a massive amount of smear campaigns against me flooded the internet.

I was dragged to the top of the trending topics on Instagram and TikTok, with thousands of netizens attacking me. "Ethan Vance looks decent, but who knew he was such a scheming, toxic ex!" "He was jealous of betterlooking male employees, abused his power, and cheated on Chloe with sugar babies behind her back.

No wonder she dumped him!" "He's nothing compared to Julian. He doesn't even deserve to wipe Julian's shoes." "He actually tried to extort all of Chloe's shares!

How shameless!" "I heard he even physically assaulted Julian in the office. His abusive behavior makes me sick!" These smear campaigns were completely fabricated.

I didn't even need to guess to know that Chloe and Julian were behind this. Chloe wanted to protect her "boss babe" image.

Since her company had just gone public, any stain on her reputation would be weaponized by her competitors. So, she painted me as a toxic, greedy ex.

By dragging my name through the mud, nobody would judge her for dumping me for her assistant. And Julian, of course, couldn't wait to see me ruined.

After all, I had publicly slapped him at the office a while ago. He hated me to the bone and had been looking for a chance to crush me.

The reason I slapped him was because I caught him hitting on Chloe and intentionally provoking me in the office. I lost my temper and hit him.

And because of that slap, Chloe began to strip away my authority. Did I regret it? Not at all. If I could go back in time, I wouldn't just slap Julian. I would slap Chloe too.

I scrolled through the hateful comments on TikTok with amusement. Who knew how much money Chloe and Julian had spent on fake bots and PR. Tomorrow was their wedding.

I couldn't wait to see their reactions when they opened my special wedding gift. I was actually looking forward to it.