The Puppet CEO's Revenge Chapter 1

At the company's celebration banquet where bonuses were being distributed.

My wife and her father publicly humiliated me, calling me worthless and a burden to everyone.

They even forcibly handed over my nearly-completed Oldom Royal Family project to her ex-boyfriend.

Instead of getting angry, I laughed and decided to hand over my CEO position to him as well.

"Why stress over these stupid drones? Here, you can be the CEO instead!" I declared.

Everyone in the company thought I'd lost my mind.

What they didn't know was that I held the core algorithm for the drone swarm control system.

Without me, their precious money-making drone fleet would turn into nothing but a swarm of useless metal locusts.

The company would face a hundred-billion liability claim from the Oldom Royal Family, leading to overnight bankruptcy!

Camila Winthrop, my wife, stood on stage, affectionately holding Oliver Taylor's hand. "Oliver, the Winthrop Group owes its success largely to you," she declared.

"This year's entire bonus is yours." She handed him a check for five million dollars.

Thunderous applause erupted from the audience. Camila's father, Vincent Winthrop, nodded approvingly while our colleagues swarmed forward, playfully cheering the pair on.

"With Mr. Taylor at the helm, our group's international success is just around the corner!"

"Ms. Winthrop and Mr. Winthrop really have an eye for talent. And Ms. Winthrop and Mr. Taylor? They're more in sync than most married couples!"

I stood at the edge of the crowd, watching the joyous scene unfold, my technical proposal crumpled in my clenched fist.

Today was supposed to be the group's celebration and bonus distribution.

But just as I arrived at the company's conference hall, Camila received a phone call.

Apparently, there was a malfunction in the drone system that required my attention at the test flight facility.

After years of marriage, I trusted her without question.

Before I could even grab a bite to eat, I rushed to the facility.

Under the scorching heat of nearly 104 degrees Fahrenheit, my team and I spent the entire day troubleshooting.

But seeing Camila give a bonus as a whole to Oliver, an intern who'd been here less than a month, everything became crystal clear.

The system malfunction was nothing but an excuse to get me out of the way.

She was ready to hand over my three years of hard work, my life's achievement, straight to her first love.

Oliver pretended to notice me just then, feigning surprise. "Oh, Mr. Langley, you've finally arrived? We thought you might not make it, so everyone started without you. You don't mind, do you?" His words were polite, but his eyes held a clear challenge as he deliberately waved the numbered check in my direction.

Camila shot me an impatient glance. "Rylan, what's with that look? Did you expect the chairman and everyone else to wait just for you? No wonder you dragged your feet with every project bid. You're nothing but deadweight, holding everyone back. Since you're here, you can hand over the Oldom project to Oliver right now. At least then, we won't have to worry about you messing things up."

I clenched my fists at her imperious command, my heart turning to ice.

The Oldom project she spoke of so casually was a massive undertaking that I, along with my team, had spent three years preparing and winning the bid for. It practically embodied my life's work.

The Crown Prince of Oldom was incredibly generous, providing a down payment of five million dollars. But to ensure the stability of thousands of drones operating simultaneously in the desert environment, I had countless sleepless nights.

The endless trips to Oldom, the jet lag, the multiple stomach bleeds... I'd endured it all.

Now, just as the project was entering its final phase, Camila wanted to snatch it away with a few casual words and hand it to her first love.

I couldn't help but laugh at how pathetic my dedication had been.

Ten years ago, the Winthrop Group was on the brink of bankruptcy, unable to even pay their workers.

Camila took over with plans for transformation, announcing her vision to develop drones.

Without hesitation, I quit my cushy tech job and invested all my savings to build this dream with her from scratch.

But with her background in fashion design, she couldn't even understand basic control code, let alone handle drone development.

For years, I had been the sole backbone of the company's core technology.

Every algorithm patent bore my name.

Every technical challenge required my attention to solve.

When we were struggling with initial funding, Vincent refused to help, looking down on me.

My parents sold their house and their life savings to keep us afloat.

That was what brought the Winthrop Group back from the dead.

Only then did marriage with Camila become a topic of discussion.

But I wasn't to be a husband, and I was to be a "married-in husband," taking her family name.

Vincent always sneered at my humble origins.

He acted like the mighty Winthrop family was doing me a huge favor by letting me marry into their family.

Every time we met, he'd make snide remarks about how I was riding on his daughter's coattails, saying a married-in husband should know his place.

I didn't care back then because I was head over heels for Camila.

I was willing to sacrifice everything for her.

But I never expected that after just a few business trips abroad with Oliver...

He'd effortlessly steal all the credit for my work.

Camila and I have been married for ten years.

Yet somehow, I still rank below her ex, who treated her like dirt.

And today, she finally managed to wear away the last shred of affection between us.

After a long silence, I finally spoke, my voice neutral.

"Fine. Do as you wish."

Oliver couldn't hide his smug grin, though he put on a show of false modesty.

"Ms. Langley, I'm just an amateur. How could I dare take over your international billion-dollar project? I heard you've been struggling with it for nearly three years. I just want to help out."

Camila placed her hand gently on his shoulder.

"Oliver, you're our overseas graduate! If you can't handle this project, no one in the company can!"

Vincent added with authority, "Exactly. Don't sell yourself short. You're better than that loser anyway."

I nearly burst out laughing.

Oliver's degree was nothing but a piece of paper. During his interview, he couldn't even grasp basic control theory.

But the Winthrop family was dead set on backing him, paying him an astronomical salary.

After consoling Oliver, Camila turned to mock me.

"Rylan, with your abilities, do you think you'd be where you are today without me? You've had it too good for too long. You've forgotten your place. You're even making a fuss about handing over a project. If Oliver hadn't put in a good word for you, Dad and I would've kicked you out long ago!"

I laughed coldly inside.

Camila seemed to have forgotten entirely how the company couldn't even operate their drones when I solved every technical problem.

Not only did I contribute patents, but I also built and trained the technical team from scratch.

Now that the Winthrop family had made it big, they weren't just ungrateful. They saw me as a burden.

They kept rambling on, making me sound like the Winthrop family's biggest disgrace.

Taking a deep breath, I strode toward Oliver under Camila's contemptuous gaze.

Everyone's eyes darted between us, probably thinking this pushover son-in-law was finally going to snap.

But I just smiled calmly.

I took out a CEO transfer document from my bag and tossed it at Oliver's feet.

"Managing a few thousand drones must be exhausting. Why don't I just make you CEO instead!"