Alex grabbed the small package from the front desk and hurried outside. His motorbike waited by the curb. He only had a few minutes left. The customer on the phone had sounded rich and angry, the kind of person who yelled if you were even one minute late.For the past year Alex had worked as a delivery rider. He always tried hard to bring things on time and in good shape. He did not want customers shouting at him or the company calling him useless. Today felt different though. The package was light, almost empty. He shrugged and pushed it carefully into his backpack. His only job was to deliver it. Nothing else mattered.He pulled out his phone to check the details one more time. The note said the package held a whole box of condoms. Alex frowned. Who ordered that many? Maybe someone was having a party. Or maybe it was a joke. He shook his head and started the engine.Then a thought hit him. Today was his first wedding anniversary with Sarah. One whole year since they got married. He

The Anderson family house was full of people. Music played. Tables were covered with food. Everyone had come for Grandma’s birthday. It was a big party, the kind the family threw every year to show how important they were.Grandma sat in her special chair near the front, smiling and greeting guests. She looked happy, but her eyes kept searching the room. After a while she called Sarah over.“Sarah, where is that husband of yours?” Grandma asked. “I need him to help clean up the mess. Tell him to come now.”Sarah put on a sad face. “Sorry, Grandma. He didn’t come today. I told him it was important, but he refused.”Grandma’s smile disappeared. “What?!”Her loud voice made the music stop. Everyone turned to look. All eyes fixed on Grandma and Sarah.“Why would that useless boy refuse to come to my birthday?” Grandma shouted. “Who does he think he is? Call him right now!”Sarah nodded and took out her phone. Then she started crying. Real tears rolled down her cheeks. The whole room went

Ethan the manager was still laughing at Alex.“A broke guy like you can’t decide my job or my life,” he said. “You have no power here.”Alex just grinned. It was a small, quiet grin that made some people in the room uneasy.Grandma had heard enough. She stood up from her chair.“Stop this nonsense, both of you,” she said. Her voice was sharp. “Alex, I’ve had enough of you. You cheated on Sarah. You broke the family’s rules. You will be punished with the golden ruler.”A loud “Whooo” went through the whole room.The golden ruler was not a normal stick. It was long, flat, and flexible, the color of real gold. When it hit someone, the pain was terrible. Sometimes it left marks that stayed for weeks. In the Anderson family it was only used for serious crimes. Most people who heard its name started begging right away.Alex did not beg. He stood still and watched.Grandma ordered a guard to bring the golden ruler. The guard ran off with a big smile. He still remembered how Alex had thrown h

Alex waited until the room went quiet again. Everyone still believed Williams. Everyone still thought Sarah was the victim. He walked to the middle of the floor so they could all see him clearly.“Sarah,” he said. His voice was calm. “You told everyone I cheated on you. You said you saw me with another woman. Do you have any proof?”Sarah stared at him. Her mouth opened but no words came out.Alex asked again. “Do you have even one photo or one message that shows I was with someone else?”Sarah slowly shook her head. She looked at the floor.Alex turned to Grandma. “She’s your granddaughter. Maybe you can get her to tell the truth.”Sarah still said nothing. She just kept her eyes down.“So you have no proof,” Alex said. “You made up the story to save yourself. When I told the truth, nobody believed me. Now you can’t even back up your own words.”Grandma raised her hand. “We will not talk about this anymore. The matter is finished. From now on no one brings it up again.”Mia, Sarah’s

“No. I am not accepting your offer. Never.”Alex’s words hung in the air. The whole room froze.The woman who had offered him the job stared at him like she could not believe her ears. Her name was Victoria. She was used to people saying yes to her. No one had ever turned her down like this, especially not a man who looked like he had nothing.Sarah’s mouth was open. Grandma’s eyes were wide, but a small smile pulled at her lips. She was happy Alex had refused. It made him look even more stupid in front of everyone.Victoria forced a smile so she would not look weak. “Fine. Since this man rejected my kind offer, I stand with Mrs. Anderson. No company I control will ever hire him.”Grandma nodded, pleased.Alex suddenly laughed. It was a short, sharp laugh that made people jump.Victoria frowned. “What is funny?”Alex stopped laughing and looked at her. “How can you speak for all those companies when you are only a vice CEO?”Victoria blinked. She had not expected him to know that.She