Mike never would have guessed that the Mr. Leedon rumored to be my "sugar daddy" was actually my father.I had gone to the hotel with the bouquet, not for a date, but to celebrate my parents' wedding anniversary.When I was born, there were complications during my mom's delivery, so my devastated dad had me take her last name. Even after more than a year at the Leedon Group, no one suspected my real identity.When I was with Mike, I never planned to tell him.Back then, I worried that knowing who I was might put unnecessary pressure on him. Looking back now, if he had known from the start, he wouldn't have been so stingy. Instead, he would have behaved like he is now—groveling—making it harder for me to see his true colors."Shirley, why didn't you tell me about your relationship to Mr. Leedon sooner? All those crazy rumors spread around the office, and you didn't think to clear them up?"In an unexpected show of attention, Mike brought me a box of Sprinkles cupcakes and a Starbu
"You can't just fire me without a valid reason. I've always met my targets—this isn't fair!"I tossed another document at him. It clearly listed every single mistake Mike had made during his time here.I had wanted to fire him for a while now, but since his mistakes were minor, I would've had to pay severance if I fired him right away.Normally, I'd just pay it and be done. But I wasn't going to let Mike off that easily.His focus had never really been on work. I pretended to look the other way, letting him get comfortable and careless, making mistake after mistake. Once there was enough to justify termination without severance, it was the perfect time to make him leave empty-handed.Mike's face turned ashen as he shouted, "You're driving me to my death!""If you're serious about that, I won't stop you."---After Mike was fired, my coworkers' attitudes toward me noticeably shifted. I poured all my energy into work, determined to become a worthy successor.Then one day, I go
"Mr. Allen developed genuine feelings for you and even bought you several gifts, including a lottery ticket. Yet after the breakup, you did not return the original ticket to him," the lawyer said.I rolled my eyes. Here we go again about the lottery ticket.If I hadn't already consulted a lawyer, who confirmed that the ticket counted as a gift and that I didn't need to return the winnings, I might have actually fallen for this."Additionally, Mr. Allen recently attempted suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning, which he claims you incited. Though the outcome wasn't fatal, he still suffered serious harm as a result."He pulled out his phone and played a recording where I'd told Mike to go ahead and die—twice.We'd been together for a year, during which he'd manipulated me in every way possible. It seemed he'd even remembered my usual phrases. He'd baited me into saying it, recorded it, and now handed it to his lawyer as evidence for his case against me.The lawyer suggested that if t
"Annie, don't worry. I'm only after Shirley’s money. I never cared about her," Mike said."That woman has nothing going for her except her cash. I was only with her to pass the time. You're the one I really love."Mike's heartfelt confession made several of our colleagues frown.Mike, seething with anger, tried to snatch my phone. I wasn't quick enough, and he tossed it right out the window.He gave me a smug look. "Shirley, how shameless can you be? Using AI-generated audio to smear me like this!""Do you think everyone's that gullible, that they'd believe your lies because of a fake recording?"My spineless colleagues seemed convinced by his denial, leaning toward his side.Thinking I was out of evidence, Mike brought up the lottery ticket again. This time, he claimed that he had picked the winning numbers himself and had only temporarily entrusted the ticket to me.He said that by hiding the winnings from him and acting on my own, I had stolen his money. Now, he was demandin
Mike Allen handed me a piece of paper, his eyes cold. It was an itemized list of every cent he'd spent on me during our year-long relationship.The list was ridiculous in its detail. Movie tickets, Starbucks coffees, even a $2 lottery ticket from gas station – it was all there.The priciest item? A MAC lipstick that, as it turned out, was a cheap knockoff from a street vendor.Now that we were splitting up, he wanted me to reimburse him for everything and return all his gifts.I stared at the man in front of me, unable to hide my contempt. Just days ago, I'd been dreaming about our future together. Now, looking at his smug face, all I felt was revulsion.As I mentally added up the total, Mike spoke up, trying to sound generous. "Look, just pay me back for the dinners and stuff. For the gifts – used or not – just give 'em all back. That's fair, right?"How magnanimous of him.I let out a bitter laugh and pulled out my phone, quickly transferring him $2,000 through Venmo – mor
Mike dumped all the things I'd given him outside my door. I didn't even look at them; I just handed them over to the recycling lady.She thanked me over and over.I smiled and said, "These are just junk. If you want them, they're yours."Mike's face darkened. As soon as the lady left, he demanded his stuff back.I pointed to the worn-out box in the corner.He crouched down and started digging through it. "Where's the lottery ticket? The one I gave you?" he asked, his eyes wide with panic.I pulled a ticket from my pocket and tossed it to him.He looked at it and immediately protested, "Shirley, this isn't the right number! You promised to return everything! Where's your honesty?""Aren't they all just lottery tickets? What's the difference?" I replied.He lost it and shouted, "That ticket's different! It was a winner! I paid for it, so the money is mine! Give it back!"Mike had always acted cool and calm. But now, over a lottery ticket, he was going nuts.I calmly told him
But when I bought him gifts, he never said a word and happily accepted them.I used to take pride in my appearance. After being with him, I turned into a slob.The funny thing is, I took his words as gospel.Now that we've broken up, he can't control me anymore.But Mike still couldn't stand it and came to confront me, looking stern."Shirley, I know you're still mad at me, but you can't let yourself go like this!"Yes, you've come into some money now, but that's no reason to waste it."He started lecturing me again about learning to live frugally and not splurging for momentary happiness.He urged me to return everything I'd bought."If there are no tags, find quality issues. If they won't take it back, file a complaint!" he said forcefully."When we get married, these will be our shared assets. You can't spend so recklessly."I grabbed my latte from the table and splashed it on his head."It's my own money, I'll buy whatever I want. It's none of your business!"We're alr