All Chapters of The Rigged Giveaway: So Long, Cheater: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

I felt my heart sink and my blood go cold after reading the message on my fiance's, Samuel Hill's, phone. It turned out this was no surprise—it was a setup. They had arranged this banquet just to publicly hand the marital home I had picked to Naomi Sutton, their love interest.I was just a side character, and my feelings were nothing more than meaningless props in this play.I was suddenly reminded of what happened during our graduation year. Samuel and I had pulled three all-nighters in a row to complete our project, yet on the very night before we were set to submit it, the core data had been completely erased.Samuel and my childhood friend, Nathan Ziegler, blamed me. "How could you lose something this important, Charlotte?"Naomi ended up winning first place that year with data that appeared out of nowhere.Nathan and Samuel embraced her in a celebratory hug before turning back to me and saying, "You're capable enough to redo yours in time, Charlotte. Naomi doesn't have that a

Chapter 2

In that instant, a collective gasp filled the room.Samuel glared at me for a few seconds before letting out a cold, derisive laugh. "You can have it your way, then, Charlotte. I hope you don't forget that our companies' merger contract signing is happening tomorrow at 10:00 am. You'd better be there on time, Charlotte."He reminded me through official matters that our interests were still intertwined.I looked at him and asked, "You actually still remember, huh?"Samuel reacted as if he had heard a joke. "When have I ever gone back on a promise I made to you, Charlotte?"Just then, Naomi suddenly grabbed her chest and started coughing uncontrollably.Samuel quickly turned toward her and asked, "What's the matter, Naomi?"Naomi looked pale as she shook her head. "I'm fine. I'm just feeling a bit short of breath."Samuel, without any hesitation, grabbed his suit jacket and put it over her shoulders, supporting her as he walked her out. He paused briefly when he reached me. He di

Chapter 3

It was 10:30 am when Samuel's assistant sent me a message. "Mr. Hill has an urgent matter to attend to, so today's meeting will likely need to be rescheduled, Ms. Gardner." In the conference room, the faces of the other team's members had already become very unpleasant.I calmly picked up my phone and dialed Samuel's number. It rang for quite some time before he answered. It was noisy on his end, with Naomi's faint, sobbing voice in the background. "I'm at the hospital, Charlotte."I tightened my grip on the phone and asked, "What happened?"Samuel sounded slightly annoyed as he replied, "I'm not the one who's sick—it's Naomi. She suffered an asthma attack last night and still isn't feeling better."I stared at the thick acquisition agreement on the table, which represented three years of my life's work. "We were supposed to sign the acquisition agreement today, Samuel."Samuel fell silent on the other end of the line before letting out a sigh. He then tried to sound as gentle

Chapter 4

Nathan followed my line of sight, his expression shifting slightly. "Naomi has been learning to paint lately, so I took her out for a sketching session. She accidentally left her stuff in my car."He moved the drawing board to the back seat without much thought and urged me, saying, "Get in quickly. The rain is getting heavier."I got into the car and was met with the strong smell of turpentine and paint. It was quite irritating to my nose.Nathan started the car and broke the silence, saying, "Samuel really couldn't step away today, Charlotte. Naomi's parents aren't around, so Samuel and I have been looking after her since she was young. We can't just turn our backs on her at this moment."I leaned back in my seat, watching the city lights streak past the window. "It's fine to throw me under the bus instead, then?"Nathan tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "You're looking at it the wrong way. It's not about throwing you under the bus. It's just a matter of priorities.""W

Chapter 5

Mr. Wagner acted fast. Samuel and Nathan both received the legal notices the following morning.Samuel called me almost right away, his voice brimming with anger while asking, "Have you lost your mind, Charlotte?"I calmly turned on the speaker and set the phone on the table, letting his screams echo from the other end of the call."You're actually suing me for commercial theft? You're doing this because of that little incident during our graduation year? Do you know how badly this could affect Nathan and me?"I replied calmly, "Of course I do. I just want everyone to see what kind of people you two are."Samuel scoffed in disbelief. "Is this what this is all about? You just wanted to get back at us? I really underestimated you, Charlotte. Do you honestly think a legal notice is enough to bring us down?""We'll know soon enough whether it'll work, Samuel," I said before ending the call and blocking him on every platform.An hour later, Nathan appeared at the entrance of my compa

Chapter 6

In the meantime, the online backlash continued to spread throughout the night. It was the following morning, and the hashtag #CharlotteStoleTradeSecrets had shot to the top of the trending list. Our company's stock price plummeted as a result, and several projects that were currently under negotiation had been abruptly put on hold.Samuel probably thought he had the upper hand, so he even sent me a message. "It's not too late to back down now, Charlotte."I immediately forwarded the screenshot to Mr. Wagner.In the conference room, the company's executives all wore grim expressions."Ms. Gardner, the Hill family holds too much influence in the industry, so we're no match for them.""That's right, Ms. Gardner. Why don't we just yield for now and focus on getting through this immediate crisis first?""Our PR team is getting flooded with calls, and our company's reputation is in freefall. If this keeps up, the company is done for!"I said nothing as I listened to their discussion

Chapter 7

The reporters continued questioning Naomi."You were well aware that was Ms. Gardner's marital home, so why did you play along with Mr. Hill's prize draw?""Did Mr. Hill set up this whole draw just for you? Did you wreck their relationship, Ms. Sutton?"Naomi, dazzled by the camera flashes, hid her face behind her hands. "I-It's not like that… I-I have no idea what you're talking about… It's not what you think…"I cut through the chaotic crowd and walked out of the company's front doors, where the sunlight hit me with a harsh glare. I took out my phone, logged onto my social media account, and uploaded the second proof. It was an audio recording.It was a recording from that incident in the car of Nathan admitting that he and Samuel were the ones who deleted my project data. "You could do it on your own, but Naomi couldn't. If she hadn't graduated back then, her father would have killed her! What was wrong with helping her out, Charlotte?"That crystal-clear recording rapidly spr

Chapter 8

The internet was flooded with discussions about Nathan, Samuel, and Naomi. Some called them despicable, while others mocked them for bringing about their own downfall.Naomi, who was right in the middle of the storm, completely disappeared from the public eye, with rumors stating that she had sold the apartment and left the country.Thus, everything had finally come to an end. I had won this battle, down to the last detail, yet I felt no joy whatsoever.I turned off my computer and sat in my office for a long while. It was already dark by the time I finally got up and headed home.I unlocked the door and was met with complete darkness. I didn't bother turning on the light. I felt my way into the living room, where I stumbled over a suitcase on the floor. I turned on my phone's flashlight and illuminated the space before me.Samuel was sitting on the couch, completely shrouded in shadows, making his expression impossible to read."How did you get in here?" I asked coldly. After al

Chapter 9

Nathan met my gaze with a stubborn look in his eyes. "I just don't want you to hold a grudge against Samuel."I chuckled in response. "Do you think you're being selfless now, Nathan? Do you think you can let Samuel and Naomi get their happy ending by taking all the heat yourself?" Nathan's face paled. "I-It's not like—"I cut him off and asked, "What's your reason, then? Why are you doing this?"Nathan immediately fell silent."Did you do it because you love Naomi?" I asked.Nathan remained silent, his lips tightly pressed together.I continued to corner him, asking, "You won't admit it, huh? You loved her so much that you would do anything for her. You were willing to destroy me, destroy your best friend, and destroy yourself for her." Nathan snapped, his eyes completely bloodshot, "That's enough! I do love Naomi! I've loved her for 20 years! That's longer than Samuel has even known her! I've watched her get beaten by her father. I've watched her act cautiously just to pleas

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