She Crashed and Burned Without Me

The conference room was packed with executives, yet deathly silent.My longtime colleagues watched me with undisguised anger and pity. I froze upon entering and instinctively turned toward the head of the table, where Catherine Sanders was seated.At that instant, my eyes widened in surprise."Cate, who is this?"I frowned and pointed at the man sitting beside Catherine at the head of the table.That seat was supposed to be mine.Ten years ago, Catherine's father died suddenly, leaving her a company buried in debt and on the brink of collapse. Just to be closer to the woman I admired, I gave up a high-paying overseas job and joined her without hesitation.Back then, the company was buried in debt. Employees fled one after another. I was her only remaining staff member.I wasn't just her secretary or her driver. I handled the company's workload, her logistics, and even the basic details of her daily living.It was no exaggeration to say that without me, there would be no Sander

I said nothing.Through the glass, I saw Catherine standing outside, wrapped in a pearl-white gown that accentuated her poised, cold elegance.Benedict stood beside her, and the two of them laughed together. A tightness gripped my chest.For Catherine, I had fought for ten full years. I went from a naive young man charging forward for love to a middle-aged man still holding the line for it. Along the way, I missed and lost far too much.I turned down high-paying overseas offers, rejected several women who pursued me, and pinned my entire heart on her. I even missed the chance to see my mother one last time.After everything we had experienced, I truly thought she understood my feelings. I was sure we were meant to be together, and yet…"William, stop hesitating," Lucas urged, jolting me out of my trance.After a brief silence, I said softly, "You joined Sanders Technology straight out of your internship. Are you really willing to leave?""He stiffened at my words, then said not

I let out a bitter laugh. "No. 1 employee? I poured my heart and soul into this for ten years, nearly losing my life in the process, yet in your eyes, I was nothing more than an employee? I was the biggest fool in the world. I was truly blind and stupid."Catherine was visibly impatient. "Can you stop bringing up your sacrifices all the time? I know you gave a lot to the company, but isn't 100 million dollars enough?""No, it wasn't enough," I shot back. "Can 100 million dollars buy back ten years of my youth? Can it make up for missing my mother's final moments because of you? Can it undo the permanent injury I suffered because of you? As a grown man, I can't even carry a bucket of water upstairs anymore. Can money buy back that kind of damage?"Tears welled up in my eyes as I continued, "You know better than anyone what I've given up and lost for you over these ten years. Tell me—can any of that be bought with money?"At that moment, I finally snapped. I shouted at Catherine hyst

Sanders Technology and Veridian Technology were both in the business of online operations and marketing. Along with two other companies, we had been invited by the client to present our proposals and compete in person.In the elevator, I ran into Catherine, whom I hadn't seen in six months. She was still beautiful, but the stress and exhaustion were clear on her face. Benedict followed closely behind her. When he saw me, he frowned slightly.Catherine's face was unreadable. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then thought better of it and let out a small sigh.When Catherine had almost humiliated me and driven me out of Sanders Technology, I thought I would hate her if we ever met again. However, that hatred never came.My feelings were a mess I couldn't sort through. I had no answer for why I couldn't hate her. All I could feel was the cruel irony of fate. The woman I had once promised myself I would guard for a lifetime now stood against me.Unsurprisingly, Sanders Tech

It would have been fine if she hadn't brought up the past, but the moment she did, my blood boiled."You know I poured ten years of my heart and soul into Sanders Technology. You know I fought for it because I loved you, but how did you repay me? At the IPO, you let your first love take my place. You even joined him in humiliating me and drove me out of the company," I said, smiling bitterly."Yes, I know you never once admitted your feelings, and maybe I read too much into things. But did it ever occur to you how cruel it is to hurt someone who loved you with everything? Your old flame ruins the company and disappears, and now you suddenly think of me? Catherine, what do you take me for? When your first love returned, you shoved me aside, and when he left, you ran back to me. Don't you find that disgusting?"Catherine finally broke. She threw her arms around me from behind and sobbed uncontrollably. "I'm sorry. I was wrong, but it's not what you think. I just—"I shoved her off ha