Lahat ng Kabanata ng Fruit of Ruin: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

Alan and I had known each other for ten years, and he had always known exactly where my bottom line was.After so many years in business, he also knew perfectly well how to keep a proper distance from other women.But now, he kept crossing that line again and again.In that case, our marriage and the newest project I had negotiated no longer needed to exist.I had closed a 200-million-dollar deal in Westarken that could've changed the company's future, but at that moment, it didn't matter anymore.When I woke up the next morning, Alan hadn't sent a single message or made a single call.I wasn't even angry.After the follow-up check confirmed I was fine, I went straight home to a 5,300-square-foot luxury villa that Alan and I had bought the previous year.Seven years ago, when we graduated, we squeezed into a basement room and shared a discounted sandwich.Five years ago, when we registered our marriage, we ate at a street food stall and went home with a tiny four-inch cake.N

Since I was handing this project over to my new employer, I couldn't afford even the smallest mistake.I practically lived at the office. The lights in my workspace stayed on all night.Everyone at work noticed. In the group chat that didn't include me, they whispered among themselves.[I told you. Ms. Mendez only makes 5,000 a month and depends on Mr. Holt for everything. What right does she have to throw a tantrum?][If she weren't relying on her relationship with Mr. Holt, the company wouldn't even need her. It's only doing well because of him.][I heard she dragged Mr. Holt down when he first started his company. Otherwise, we would've gone public a long time ago.]Without exception, Larissa screenshotted every one of those messages and sent them to me privately, then recorded a voice message, pretending to comfort me."Hey, Myra, being married to someone as capable and powerful as Alan must make you feel insecure. I completely understand. But I should tell you, men don't li

"What…"Alan stood frozen for a moment, as if his ears had betrayed him. He couldn't believe what he had just heard.Everyone in the room understood exactly what it meant for the project to be announced early, especially someone like Alan, who had spent years navigating the business world.Larissa's face went pale. That was a 200-million-dollar contract. Without the Westarken contract, the company might not even survive. If the company collapsed, her dream of being "Mrs. Holt" would end in just one day.She looked at Alan nervously, only to see him still standing in shock, unable to say a single word.Alan still couldn't believe that I would be this decisive and ruthless.Reporters shoved microphones toward him, but he didn't respond. He stood there like a statue, and he even looked like he might fall over.All these years, I had always been gentle with him, always forgiving. He never imagined I would walk away without even looking back. It was then that he remembered my bir

"And also what?" Alan asked, his face dark as stone.The secretary swallowed hard and whispered, "And… The social media posts Ms. Fennimore had made about you that were only visible to Ms. Mendez."Her voice got smaller and smaller until it nearly disappeared, but everyone understood anyway.It was only then that Larissa snapped out of her fantasy. She rushed forward and grabbed the secretary's arm, half shouting and half panicking."What did you say?! Who gave her the right to do that? That witch!"Since Larissa dared to be someone's mistress, she had to know that if the truth ever came out, the public would drown her in spit.And my post, with the divorce papers and her secret posts attached, was basically the nail in the coffin.So, the public didn't think of me as ruthless for taking the Vespera project. Instead, they were praising me for being smart, calm, and refusing to let myself be walked all over.The moment Larissa finished screaming, Alan slapped her hard. Her cheek

"I'm sorry, Myra. I didn't know. I'm sorry for the joke. Please forgive me. It's all my fault. You can hit me. Go ahead, hit me."He grabbed my hand and started forcing it against himself over and over.My anger flared instantly. With no hesitation, I slapped him hard across the face and snapped, "Have you lost your mind?! I'm not telling you this so you'll apologize to me. I'm telling you because we're done. Mangoes are my bottom line, and you crossed it for Larissa. That means we can never go back. Do you understand that?"However, he looked at me like he really didn't understand at all. His voice was thick with pain."Do you hate me that much? Enough to take the Vespera project and let Holt Enterprise collapse? Just to get back at me?"I shook my head. "You're overthinking it. I was already in charge of Vespera. I'm just taking something that was mine from the start. Now, stop pestering me."Alan didn't hear a word. He looked hollow, as if his soul had slipped out of his body.