The employee with the worst sales figures at our company had to do a walk of shame wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with "Ultimate Loser." This time, the bottom spot belonged to my wife’s old flame, but she swapped my sales champion numbers with his. Everyone stared, jaws dropped, when they saw I was the one branded the loser. Her golden boy, Spencer, just smirked, tossing the shirt at me. "A bet's a bet. You're not gonna chicken out, are ya?" My wife, Chloe, secretly texted me: "Do me a favor, Liam. Spencer’s sensitive; a stunt like this could mess him up psychologically. You’re different. You’re the sales king, thick-skinned. This is nothing for you. If you do this, I’ll finally agree to have a baby with you." I didn’t respond. She got impatient, stood up, and slammed her hand on the table. "This rule was set a long time ago! Either wear it or expect your pay and bonus to be docked. Your money or your pride, your choice." A grin spread across my face as I tossed my employee ID on the table. "Sorry, I choose to quit. I'm done with you, and I'm done with this company." 1 The moment I said it, the entire room went into shock. Everyone knew I’d been the sales champion for five years straight. I’d brought in almost all the company's business. Me leaving was like cutting off the company's lifeblood; the whole place would probably collapse. An employee immediately spoke up for me: "Ms. Lin, Liam’s been our top seller for so many years. It’s just one slip-up. Does he really need to be punished like this?" My wife, Chloe Lin, kept a stern face, her fingers flying across her phone, texting me. But I just placed my phone face down on the table, not even glancing at it. An older colleague I was close to got anxious, giving me a look that screamed, "Just apologize, man!" "Liam, if you two want to fight, do it at home. Don’t bring your drama to work." But he didn’t get it. This time, I was dead serious. I’d helped Chloe build this company from the ground up. I’d hustled for every single client. But I barely saw any of the money, and after seven years of work, closing countless major deals, I was still just a junior manager. Every time a promotion came up, she’d talk about retaining talent and then give the supervisor position to someone else. "Honey, we're married. What's mine is yours. It's just a title; we don't need that." I believed her. I watched her go through ten supervisors in five years, none of them me. This was our seventh year of marriage. On our anniversary, she got drunk and excitedly promised: "Honey, if you’re the sales champion one more time, the supervisor position is yours." I worked like a man possessed, fueled by adrenaline, and secured first place by a landslide. I thought it was a sure thing this time. But then her old flame, Spencer Thorne, was suddenly parachuted in, taking the position that should have been mine. I confronted her. She explained: "Spencer has a Ph.D. from overseas. I paid a fortune to recruit him. He’s better suited to manage the company than you are." She urged me to prioritize the company's interests. Seeing Spencer’s fancy degree, I gritted my teeth and swallowed it. But what happened? A quarter later, Spencer, the whiz kid she had such high hopes for, was at the bottom of the performance chart, doing worse than a newbie who’d only been there for half a month. This time, I’d planned to use his failure as an opportunity to reclaim the supervisor role. I never imagined Chloe would abuse her power to swap our numbers just to protect Spencer, even trying to force me into this humiliating public display. This was just too much! The atmosphere in the conference room was incredibly awkward. No one dared to speak. Chloe, seeing I wasn’t replying to her messages, was getting anxious and was about to say something. Spencer, mimicking me, took off his ID badge and, feigning distress, said: "Forget it, I’ll be the one to leave. It's all my fault for insisting on following the rules and upsetting everyone." "Liam was the former sales champ, and he's Ms. Lin's husband. I really should have shown him more respect." "It’s all my mistake. I’ll apologize to him right now." With that, he raised his hand and slapped himself across the face. The crisp sound of the slap echoed, stunning everyone. My phone wouldn’t stop vibrating. Watching Chloe fuss over Spencer, comforting him, I curiously opened my phone. A small group chat was buzzing with activity. "There goes Spencer, the drama king, with his little act again. I really don’t get why Ms. Lin made him a supervisor. No talent, but so arrogant." "Last time, Ms. Lin snatched my deal and gave it to him. He was so high and mighty, not only did he piss off the client, but he also blew the deal." "And Ms. Lin didn’t even blame him! She called me in and chewed me out for half an hour, saying my clients were low-class and if I brought in any more like them, I’d be fired." Suddenly, a cough was heard, and the chat went silent. Clearly, someone realized I was in the group and clammed up. I raised an eyebrow. Chloe had previously asked me to introduce my clients to Spencer, which I’d refused. I hadn’t realized she’d actually stoop to pressuring employees to hand over their clients to help Spencer boost his numbers. This was her "highly educated talent"? This was her idea of fairness and justice? Her bias was so blatant, yet she still talked to me about what was best for the company, for our family. As I saw it, she was only doing what was best for her love life! Chloe, still unaware of this, spent a good while whispering sweet nothings to calm Spencer down. Then she turned to me, her voice sharp: "Who hasn't been the 'Ultimate Loser' at some point?" "You weren't born a sales champion either. Back in the day, you were fine doing frog jumps on the street wearing the 'Ultimate Loser' shirt. What’s wrong now?" "I think you’ve gotten a big head now that you're older." She criticized me mercilessly in front of our colleagues, assuming I’d cave like before, out of respect for our marriage and to save her face. Little did she know, I had a temper too. She was the one who broke faith first; she couldn't blame me for not playing along. I smirked and threw down the printouts of the real data I’d prepared. They clearly showed my performance miles ahead in first place, while Spencer was the one at the bottom. I said calmly: "If I had lost, I’d own up to it. But I will not take the fall for someone else." "Everyone, take a good look. Who’s the real 'Ultimate Loser' here?" 2 Sheets of paper fluttered through the air. Everyone present saw the contents and their mouths fell open in shock. They hadn't expected Chloe’s favoritism towards Spencer to go this far. Many shot me sympathetic glances. Realizing the truth was out, Chloe’s face changed. She slammed the papers onto her secretary’s face, fuming: "Are you blind? I asked you to print some data, and you managed to screw it up this badly?" "Pack your things and get out now!" The secretary was stunned. "Ms. Lin, it wasn’t me, I didn’t…" She started crying, but before she could even explain, HR dragged her out to be fired. But everyone knew Chloe was just putting on a show, scapegoating the secretary. Seeing Chloe about to dismiss the meeting, I held up the "Ultimate Loser" T-shirt. "Hang on, the shirt hasn’t been worn yet. Where’s everyone going?" Spencer’s face was ashen; he looked like he was about to bite his lip until it bled. But I wasn’t about to let him off the hook. "What’s wrong? Now that it’s your turn, Supervisor Spencer isn’t so keen on following procedure?" The downtrodden employees’ eyes lit up, and they chimed in: "Come on, Spencer, it’s just a T-shirt. No big deal." "Yeah, we’ve all worn it. You need to set an example, Supervisor Thorne." Seeing Spencer cornered, Chloe’s face fell, her concern obvious. She slammed her phone down on the table. She seemed to be yelling at the employees, but her words were clearly meant for me: "Have you made your calls? Done your client follow-ups? All you do all day is engage in this infighting. If you have this much energy, why not go close a few more deals?" "Meeting adjourned!" She really was protective of Spencer. Back when Spencer’s cronies were ganging up on me, she said internal competition was a good thing. Now that Spencer was the one being cornered, she sang a different tune. Seven years of marriage, ending up like this. It was utterly pointless. All eyes were on me. I led the way out of the conference room but didn't go back to my desk. Instead, I walked straight out of the company. Chloe saw this and, ignoring the strange looks from everyone, rushed after me. When we were alone, she grabbed my arm, her tone softening. "I’m sorry, honey. I was wrong." "You know, Spencer is a supervisor I personally promoted. If he seems incompetent, the employees will question my judgment, won't they?" "I was afraid they'd badmouth me, so I just had a moment of foolishness. Can you give me another chance?" It was always like this. In public, she played the strict boss; in private, she was the gentle wife, cooing and apologizing, making me give in time and time again. But after this, I would never believe her lies again. "Don’t say any more. I..." I started to speak, intending to refuse, but was cut off by a ringing phone. She answered it, then hurriedly thrust a card into my hand. "Honey, here’s your debit card back. I won’t control your finances anymore." "Take some time off to rest. Don’t worry, I’ve got things covered at the company." She rushed back into the company building. I didn't get a chance to tell her that this time, I was really leaving and wouldn’t be giving her another chance. I drafted my resignation letter, and just as I was about to send it, a client called. His father was sick, and he was out of town and couldn’t get back. I immediately drove to his house, took his father to the hospital, got him water, and ran errands. Chloe thought a fancy degree was all it took to close deals. She didn’t understand that we were in a service industry. Clients could take their projects anywhere. What they valued most was the personal connection, the emotional labor. I had deep, life-long bonds with my clients. These were connections no one else could poach. I stayed at the hospital until the client’s family arrived, then left. After a busy day, I randomly stopped at a mall, planning to grab a bite. And there I saw Chloe and Spencer, arm in arm, shopping. Spencer’s friends were teasing him. "Spencer, you landed a rich and beautiful girlfriend! Why’d you wait so long to introduce us?" Chloe shyly lowered her head. "Work’s been so busy. My treat today, to make it up to everyone. Don’t hold back, eat up!" As she finished speaking and was about to lead them into a restaurant, her eyes suddenly met mine. She flinched and instantly let go of Spencer's arm. 3 "So sorry, something came up. Let's do this another time." Chloe quickly apologized and had Spencer send his friends away. Once everyone was gone, she followed me into the restaurant and sat down opposite me, explaining: "Honey, don't misunderstand. I was thinking about how you were wronged today, so I wanted to buy you some new clothes to make up for it." "I was worried I’d pick something you wouldn’t like, so I asked Spencer to help me choose." Saying this, she handed me the bag she was holding. "Didn’t you say your clothes were too low quality? See, I bought you something nice." I opened it and looked at the tag. Over $1,500. Expensive, indeed. But it wasn’t my size. A men’s small. Only someone with Spencer’s lanky build could fit into it. This was clearly bought for Spencer. She buys me $9.99 T-shirts but shells out over a grand for Spencer. What a great wife. I couldn't be bothered with her and called the waiter to order. Chloe interjected, "Let me handle small things like this." She rattled off a list of dishes, all my favorites. Then she came behind me, massaging my shoulders, gently pouring me wine. She even blew on a piece of freshly cooked pork belly to cool it before placing it in my bowl. The waiter serving us remarked, "Your wife is so thoughtful." But I just found it laughable. It was only when I closed a big deal, or when she needed something from me, that I received this kind of meticulous care. I used to find this public-private contrast of hers rather charming, quite interesting. But thinking about it now, she was just incredibly utilitarian. Perhaps she never loved me at all. She was with me only for what I could provide. I opened my mouth, "Chloe, we..." The word "divorce" was still on my lips when she stuffed a piece of cantaloupe into my mouth. "This melon is so sweet, you have to try it." Spencer, waiting on the side, was getting antsy. He kept making faces at Chloe. "Chloe, isn't there something you forgot to say?" Chloe paused, her tone softening even more. "Honey, you've been so tired lately. It's time for you to take a break. While you're resting, let Spencer handle your clients." "Don't worry, the commission will still be yours. You won't lose out." I put down my chopsticks. Sure enough, when someone's too nice for no reason, they're usually up to no good. I knew it. Every bit of kindness she showed me came with strings attached. Seeing my expression darken, Chloe meekly peeled an orange for me, coaxing, "As a senior employee, you should also give the newcomers a chance to learn and grow, right?" I sneered, "Sure." Chloe was overjoyed, thinking I’d agreed. I spread my hands. "Once I resign, all my clients will be his anyway." With that, I immediately typed up my resignation announcement and posted it on my professional networking site. Less than ten seconds after I posted it, my phone started buzzing like crazy. 4 "Are you insane? I haven’t approved your resignation! How could you just post it online?" Chloe was instantly furious. Before she could even scold me, her own phone exploded with notifications. She scrambled to reply to each one: "So sorry, just a little spat between husband and wife. Don't mind us." "Resign? No way. He might leave the company, but he wouldn’t leave his family, would he?" "He’s just throwing a bit of a tantrum. I’ll talk him around." I didn't give her any face. I turned and walked out. Chloe wanted to chase after me but was stopped by the waiter to pay the bill. By the time she got outside, I was long gone. Chloe completely panicked. She called me 99 times. I didn’t answer. Then came a flood of apology texts. "Honey, I was just spitballing. You could have just said no." "Please, please reply. Don't give me the silent treatment, okay?" I hung up on her call again. But then, I unexpectedly received a message from Spencer. Curious, I opened it. It was a log of his chats with Chloe. Chloe, who with me couldn’t go three sentences without talking about work, was chatting with him daily about food, drinks, and everyday life. Just as I finished reading, Spencer sent more: photos of them on vacation together, and expensive gifts Chloe had bought him. "Liam, you didn't know, did you? Chloe and I never really broke up." "She even paid for my studies abroad." "Speaking of which, I should thank you for working so hard. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be where I am today." No wonder Chloe was always "traveling for business" to the US in previous years. Turns out she was going on dates with Spencer. I checked the balance on the debit card she’d "returned" to me. Only a few hundred bucks left. I then checked the transaction history. It was full of large transfers and charges from romantic restaurants. Clearly, she’d been using my money to support Spencer, and then had the gall to use his education to put me down. I didn’t respond to Spencer’s provocations. Instead, I forwarded the records to my lawyer. Then I replied to my clients, one by one: "Yes, I’ve resigned. And I’m planning to get a divorce." A woman like that? Good riddance. After replying, a major client tipped me off: "Is Spencer Thorne from your company? Liam, old buddy, you’ve really fallen on hard times if even a greenhorn like him dares to try and poach your clients." To help Spencer, Chloe actually dared to use my client list, to steal my deals. She’d truly shed her last shred of dignity. Since that was the case, I decided to play along and see who would be the real winner in the end. The moment I had the client pretend to agree to her advances, Chloe's calls and messages trying to win me back stopped. The next day, Chloe messaged me directly, telling me to come to the company to process my resignation. I didn't say much, just hailed a cab and went. In the office area, Chloe was popping champagne. "A major client is renewing their contract today! This is all thanks to Spencer. Therefore, I’ve decided to promote Spencer to Director, effective immediately." Chloe led the applause. But most people just looked at me, heads down, and the applause was sparse and reluctant. Seeing me arrive, Chloe raised an eyebrow, her demeanor changing. She looked down at me condescendingly. "Liam, let me tell you, without this company, you’re nothing." "You see now, anything you can do, Spencer can do too." "I advise you to just swallow your pride, apologize, admit you were wrong. If I’m feeling generous, I might even let you come back." Spencer jumped in to smooth things over, laughing. "Liam is your husband, after all, and he’s worked diligently for so many years. It really isn't fair that he's been stuck as a junior manager." "How about we give him a supervisor position? He can work under me. I’ll be sure to mentor him." Chloe smiled and clapped, praising Spencer’s generosity, then threw a contract in front of me with a 90/10 split. "From now on, for any deal you close, he gets ninety percent, you get ten." "Sign it, and the supervisor position is yours. If you don’t agree, then you can just resign." Two documents lay before me. She thought I would compromise. Instead, I picked up the resignation form and signed it. "Please expedite the processing, make it urgent." Chloe’s face turned utterly ugly. She was about to yell at me when the major client arrived. She glared at me. "Liam, when all your clients have been poached by Spencer, we'll see what leverage you have left to be so arrogant with me." She and Spencer went forward, all smiles, to shake hands. "Mr. Peterson, you’re here to renew your contract, right? This way, please." The major client walked over to me and smiled. "Actually, I'm here to terminate our contract." "Oh, and by the way, 56 other clients have authorized me to terminate their contracts as well."
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