Humiliated, I Showed My True Hand novel

The private room reeked of alcohol mixed with cheap perfume, the stifling air making it hard to breathe.
I held a full glass of strong liquor, my stomach churning wildly, yet I forced a smile: Mr. Wilson, I'll toast to you on Whitney's behalf. Regarding the project, I'll still have to trouble you to take care of it.
Mr. Wilson's greasy hand slammed onto my shoulder, the grip nearly crushing my bones. Squinting, he grinned, "Henry, I'm just telling youchasing women can't be so pathetic. Running yourself ragged like a beast of burden, they might not even appreciate it."
I said nothing, tilting my head back to down the whole glass of white liquor.
The fiery liquid seared my throat, a blaze igniting in my stomach, sweat instantly breaking out on my forehead, and the roots of my teeth aching.
"Slow down, you drink like you're starving. It looks cheap." Whitney Lynn's voice was coy but dripping with disdain. She sat beside Mr. Wilson, her makeup impeccable, eyes fixed on me as if I were rubbish stuck to the sole of a shoe.
I wiped the corner of my mouth clean of liquor stains, forcing myself upright. "Whitney, I'm fine. As long as Mr. Wilson is happy and the project succeeds, that's all that matters."
Who asked you to drink for me? Whitney Lynn frowned and pushed me aside. "You reek of alcoholsmelling awful. Don't stand here and block the way."
Mr. Wilson laughed loudly, wrapping his arm around Whitney Lynn's waist, his fingers roaming inappropriately. "Whitney, your fiance is obedient, but he really lacks presencelike a mere follower."
The pain in my stomach suddenly intensified, like a rusty knife twisting inside. I clutched my belly, my fingertips cold, cold sweat dripping onto the floor.
What's wrong with you? Whitney Lynn gave me a glance filled only with impatience, not a trace of concern.
"N-Nothing." I clenched my teeth, my vision clouded, but forced myself to focus. "About the project contract... when will it be signed on your end?"
"You don't need to concern yourself with the contract anymore." Whitney's voice suddenly became light as she rose and headed toward the private room door.

I looked up to see Mike Green leaning against the doorframe, his tailored suit accentuating his upright posture. With one hand in his pocket, he gave me a smirk full of mockery.
Whitney quickly walked over, naturally linking her arm with his, wearing a tenderness on her face I'd never seen before: "Mike, why are you only just arriving? I've been waiting for you so long."
Mike Green raised an eyebrow, scanning my pale face with a flippant tone: "So this is the so-called bootlicker you mentioned? Seems pretty obedient."
"Some bootlicker nothing but a tail-wagging dog." Whitney Lynn sneered, her voice low, but it pierced my heart like needles.
"Whitney, you can't say that..." I staggered forward a few steps, reaching for her hand. "Have you forgotten all those nights I stayed up late revising plans, running around to handle problems?"
Whitney Lynn recoiled in disgust, then pulled out a stack of cash and slapped it onto my face.
The bills scattered, some stained with the bloody threads of my vomit.
"This money is enough for you to see a doctor about your stomach. Take it, and don't follow me anymore." Her voice was ice-cold.
"See that? This is your fate." Mike Green tightened his hold on Whitney Lynn, looking down from above. "You want to chase Whitney? Have a good look at yourselfdo you even deserve her?"
They turned and left; the private room door slammed shut with a loud bang.
I couldn't hold on and collapsed onto the cold floor. The pain in my stomach was nothing compared to the torment in my heart, and finally, the tears I'd been holding back rushed out.

Three days later, Whitney Lynn sent a W Chat message: "Come with me to Melody Scott's birthday party tonight. Don't be late."
I knew it was humiliation, yet I still agreed, holding on to the faint hope that maybe she was just temporarily confused.
The birthday party was held in a luxurious hotel banquet hall downtown, the crystal chandeliers dazzling overhead. Guests came and went in glamorous outfits, while I stood there in my faded, worn suit like an outsider.
"Why did you come dressed like this?" Whitney Lynn frowned and stepped in front of me, her voice low but thick with disdain. "Dressed like this, you're embarrassing me. Go find a corner to stay indon't wander around."
"I... this is my best suit." I was about to explain when she impatiently pushed me aside.
"Cut the nonsense. Deliver Melody Scott's birthday gift, and once you're done, stay out of sight don't be a nuisance in front of me." She shoved a gift box at me without even glancing my way.
Clutching the gift box and holding the red wine, I walked toward Melody Scott, when suddenly someone slammed into me from behind. I staggered, the wine glass shattering on the floor as the liquid splattered all over Melody's sequined dress.
"Are you blind?" Melody screamed, pointing at me. "Do you know how much this dress cost? It's custom-made! Selling you wouldn't even cover the damage!"
People gathered around, pointing and whispering. I hurriedly bent over and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't do it on purpose. I'll pay for the dress, whatever it costs."
"Pay? And what exactly do you have to pay with?" Melody Scott sneered, "Get on your knees and clean this up! If even one strand of hair is out of place, I'll make sure you regret it!"
"Melody Scott, don't go too far." I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms. "I wasn't wrong. I got bumpedwhy should I take this humiliation?"
"Too far?" Whitney Lynn pushed through the crowd to stand beside Melody Scott, her gaze icy as she looked at me. "You were careless yourself. Melody told you to clean it upwhat's so wrong about that?"
But the wine stain on the floor is almost dry... it's barely visible now. My voice was barely more than a mosquito's whine.
You still dare talk back? Melody Scott shoved me hard; I nearly fell. "If I say kneel, then kneelno more nonsense! You've completely shamed Whitney!"
I glanced at Whitney Lynn, hoping she'd say 'let it go,' but she turned her face away. "What are you still standing there for? Just do as you're told, or don't call yourself my fiancee."
Clinging to that faint hope, I took a deep breath and slowly knelt down.
My knees pressed against the cold marble floor, laughter erupted all around me, slicing through my pride like a knife.
I took out a tissue and wiped the almost spotless floor, tears welling in my eyes as I clenched my teeth, refusing to let them fall.
"Well, well, if it isn't Henry Shaw. Why are you on your knees wiping the floor?" Mike Green's mocking voice cut through the room as he threw down a stack of documents. "Pick these up for meremember, you have to do it on your knees. For each sheet you pick up, say: 'Long live Mr. Green.'"
One word less, and today's matter won't be over.
"Mike, don't be like this..." Whitney Lynn said, but she stood still, a smirk of amusement playing on her face.
"What, not daring?" Mike Green raised an eyebrow. "Can't even handle such a small thing, and you still want to chase Whitney? I'd say you'd better get lost early."
Swallowing my sobs, I picked up the files one by one. Every time I said "Mr. Green is mighty," my heart grew colder.
After picking up the last sheet, I pushed myself up from the floor, my knees numb and without feeling.
Whitney Lynn linked arms with Mike Green, laughing and chatting as they left, leaving me alone in a corner full of mocking gazes. The last of my hopes were utterly shattered.

The day after the birthday party, Whitney Lynn asked me to meet her at a cafe. She and Mike Green were already sitting by the window, close and intimate.
"Have a seat." Whitney pointed to the chair opposite her, her tone like she was speaking to a stranger.
I sat down and looked at her. "You wanted to see mewhat do you want to say?"
"Henry Shaw, the test between us is over." Whitney took a sip of her latte, her voice cold and flat.
"Test?" I was stunned, my heart tightening. "What test?"
"I just wanted to see how low you'd stoop, how humiliated you'd let yourself be chasing after me."
Looking at it now, that's all there is. She lifted her eyes, her gaze cold and detached.
"So, everything before was fake? All those things I did for youyou just treated them like a joke?" My voice trembled, my fingertips clenched white.
"What else do you expect it to be?" Melody suddenly sat down, rolling her eyes. "How could Whitney really like a poor nobody like you? She's just bored and using you for amusement."
"I drank with Mr. Wilson until my stomach bled for you, endured so much humiliation at the birthday banquet..." I stared at Whitney Lynn. "And all that, in your eyes, was just a test?"
That was your choice, no one forced you. Whitney shrugged, "What I need is someone who can stand by my side, someone who can provide me with resources and support, not just a person that only knows how to obey."
"So you went behind my back with Mike Green to play me?" I glanced at Mike Green, who was grinning with satisfaction.
"What do you mean by 'went behind my back'?" Mike Green put his arm around Whitney, "Whitney and I truly love each other.
From the very start, I've been the one she loved.
Being with you was just a little game to her."
"Truly in love?" I laughed with tears, "Whitney Lynn, be honest with yourselfdo you love the man, or just his money? To go so far for Mike Green's money?"
"That's nonsense!" Whitney snapped sharply, "Mike and I are together because of love, it has nothing to do with money! But you, Henry Shaw, clinging to me like thisaren't you just trying to seize the Lynn Family's wealth?"
"I'm scheming to take the Lynn Family's fortune?" I felt fury surge to my temples. "Ask yourselfwho quietly injected funds when your company hit a cash crunch this past year? Who used their connections to help you out when your rivals tried to crush you? It was me! Henry Shaw!"
Don't flatter yourself. Mike Green sneered, "Those were all issues I helped Whitney with. What does that have to do with you? You're nothing but a pathetic clown."
Whitney Lynn quickly added, "Exactly, it was all Mike who helped me."
Henry Shaw, stop fooling yourselfface the reality. You're not worthy of me in the slightest."
I watched them finish each other's sentences, and the last shred of hope in my heart died.
I stood up. "You'll regret this."
"Every bit of humiliation you threw at me todayI'll get it all back, with interest."
"Regret? I've never known what that means." Whitney Lynn sneered, "Just disappear. Don't ever show your face in front of me again. Seeing you makes me sick."
I turned and walked out of the cafe; the sunlight was blinding, yet it didn't warm me in the slightest.
From today on, that lowly Henry Shaw is dead.

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