He Owes Me the World

Ten years ago, Corey's family business was on the brink of collapse. Thomas had jumped off a building, his mother, Emilee Castaneda, had run off with a man, and the company was drowning in over ten million dollars in debt.

At that time, it was just Corey and me trying to save the company, and it seemed impossible.

I remembered that on the third day after I joined the company, debt collectors cornered us in the office.

A portly man in his 50s, flanked by a group of thugs, pointed at Corey and bared his teeth in a cruel smile. "Kid, don't say I didn't give you a chance."

He then pointed at me and said, "Either she spends a year with me, and I'll erase the three-million-dollar debt, or you figure out how to pay it off today. Sell your kidneys, your blood—whatever. I don't care."

At that point, the company didn't have a penny to its name. Corey pleaded desperately for more time, but the men were merciless.

A dozen of them charged at me to grab me. At that moment, all I could think about was saving Corey and this company.

I shoved Corey aside and grabbed a fruit knife from the table, fighting back with all my might.

I vaguely remember taking down three of them before I was hit. My ribs were broken, my hands were covered in cuts, and I was covered in blood when Corey held me in his arms.

Luckily, the police arrived just in time to save us, but I was in critical condition and spent eight days in the ICU. I almost didn't wake up.

When I finally opened my eyes, the first light of morning was creeping through the windows. Corey was leaning by my bed. His eyes were red and swollen from crying. A weak smile tugged at the corner of my lips at that scene.

"Why are you crying? I'm fine. See?"

The moment I spoke, Corey cried even harder. His voice trembled as he said, "Why were you so foolish? Why did you fight them? You could have... could have..."

He couldn't finish his sentence. He buried his face in my arm and sobbed uncontrollably. I reached up and gently patted his head. "You protected me, didn't you?"

After that incident, I suffered serious long-term effects. Whenever I did anything physical, I would struggle to breathe. The doctors said I had internal injuries to my lungs. It was something that could never fully heal.

The group that had attacked us was ordered to pay a compensation of 200 thousand dollars, and this money helped the company through the toughest times.

But Corey was still a young man new to the business world. He was full of ambition but naive about the rules of the corporate world.

In the early years, there were plenty of similar situations, and each time, I was the one standing in front of him.

I loved him. I was willing to do whatever it took to help him, even if it meant risking my life. I foolishly believed that love meant giving everything without hesitation.

Every time Corey told me that he would never fail me, my heart soared. I thought, no matter how hard things got, it would all be worth it.

But now, the man who had promised he would never fail me—the man I had protected with my life for ten years—was using this almost humiliating way to kick me out of the company.

I felt like my heart was being torn apart.

As I thought back to everything, I stared at Corey and said in a trembling voice, "Corey, you know why I did all of this for the company. It's because I love you. I love you!

"Don't you remember what you've said before? You promised you would never fail me."

Corey's eyes twitched, and I saw a flash of pain in his eyes. He instinctively turned his head away and spoke in a low voice, "Thank you for your love, but I have to be honest with you.

"You've always been the most important employee at Larson Technologies. What I meant by not failing you was that I would reward you handsomely. You misunderstood."

At that moment, I felt completely numb inside. I couldn't help but laugh bitterly, but the tears wouldn't stop flowing.