The Day I Won Big, She Chose Him

The day I land a hundred-million-dollar deal for the company, my girlfriend—Paisley Needham, the CEO—finally agrees to marry me.

The next day, I wait at the city hall until it closes. She never shows up.

Instead, what I get is her official announcement with her assistant, Jude Grayford. In the photo, she nestles in his arms. A crisp marriage license sits in her hand, impossible to miss.

The caption reads, "My CEO, Ms. Paisley Needham, couldn't bear to see me going on blind dates, so she just went ahead and got the marriage license with me today. I'm so happy!"

My colleagues gossip, assuming I'll be jealous and furious.

I don't. I just like the post and comment, "So, when's the ceremony? Don't forget to invite me!"

Paisley calls immediately, cursing me out.

"I just didn't want to see him being pressured into blind dates by his parents, so I agreed to get married on paper to keep them off his back. It's not like we're actually married. Do you really have to be so petty?

"Delete your comment right now and get on your knees to apologize to Jude. If you don't, I'll never marry you."

I laughed bitterly. "Even better," I say. "I hope you two have a long, happy life together… and have lots of kids."

After a moment of silence, Paisley Needham's voice burned with anger. "Remy Armer, I told you, we're just going through the motions. Are you seriously still hung up on this?"

She snapped, "I've already agreed to marry you. What more do you want? I'm warning you, don't push your luck!"

I tightened my grip on the phone, refusing to stay silent and give in like I always had before.

"Yeah, just going through the motions," I said coldly. "But even for something as simple as getting a marriage license, you wouldn't do it with me after five years together. Yet you went and did it with Jude instead."

For five years, all I dreamed of was a happy married life with her. Every time I tried to move our relationship forward, Paisley used the company's growth as an excuse. She said it was a critical period and told me to wait until things were more stable.

To help her stabilize the business, I took on all the dirty work. I worked overtime and attended endless meetings and business dinners.

When the company finally settled, she said she was too busy with work and had no time.

So I waited like that for five years.

Yesterday, I landed a project worth over a hundred million. Paisley finally agreed to get married, calling it a reward for me. I was over the moon, thinking that my patience had finally paid off.

But I stood outside the city hall until dark, and she never showed. Instead, I saw Jude Grayford's post showing off his marriage license with her.

They had even gone to another city to get the license, just so I wouldn't find