Chapter 2

2

It wasn't about being greedy; it was about giving the clients peace of mind. But now, Leo was using it as a weapon to ruin me.

In this entire industry, who didn't take a bottle of wine or a gift basket? Technically, though, it could be twisted into a policy violation.

Even if my conscience was clear, I had no defense that would hold up in a corporate hearing. That night, back in my apartment, I opened a bottle of red wine.

It was a gift from a client. It was a twenty-dollar bottle of wine.

I never accepted anything expensive. I usually sent back a gift of equal value to keep things professional and balanced.

I held my glass and watched the city lights of Chicago. For the first time, this glittering metropolis felt cold and lonely.

I missed my parents. After a few glasses, my phone started blowing up with calls from the other directors.

I didn't feel like repeating the story five times, so I started a group video chat. "Is Leo a total moron? Firing the top producer on day one? What kind of move is that?"

Wayne was the first to speak up, sounding absolutely furious.

"He told me my clients were stable and that I was basically irrelevant now," I said, feeling the buzz of the wine.

"What a joke! If that's true, why does the company need any of us? He should just do it all himself!"

The oldest director, James, shook his head. "I heard he's a relative of someone high up at corporate. He's a total outsider to this industry."

The group went silent. An incompetent boss with a powerful connection is a nightmare scenario.

We all knew the deal. We all shared a bitter laugh. Lewis tried to cheer me up. "It's fine, Jade. You'll have five offers by Monday. You'll probably get a massive raise."

"Exactly. You've been here ten years. That severance check must be huge. You owe us a round of drinks!"

That comment stung like a needle. I just shook my head with a bitter smile.

The silence that followed was heavy. Wayne, who has a short fuse, shouted, "Wait, don't tell me you didn't get severance?"

"I submitted a resignation letter," I whispered.

"What?" The group chat exploded.

"Why would you do that?"

James frowned and told everyone to pipe down. He asked me what really happened.

Since we were old friends and their jobs might be on the line next, I couldn't keep them in the dark. I told them how Leo used the client gifts to blackmail me into quitting.

Wayne nearly smashed his phone. He ended up slamming his old thermos onto his desk with a loud bang.

The others looked grim. They realized that if I was the first target, they were likely next on the list.

The news about the "gift investigation" spread through the office like wildfire. Suddenly, everyone was living in fear.

A few junior employees even quit on the spot. I was busy looking for work, so I didn't have much time to pay attention.

But my old coworkers kept texting me updates and venting their frustrations. I just watched with a cold smirk.

It was obvious that Leo Trent knew absolutely nothing about how this business actually worked. He couldn't even imagine the consequences of his actions.

Some rules are unwritten for a reason. You don't just drag them into the light and set them on fire.

I was almost looking forward to the moment the whole thing blew up in his face. I didn't have much time for a front-row seat, though.

I reached out to a rival firm that had tried to poach me months ago. After a quick call, I had a new job lined up to start in a week.

I was feeling good until my phone rang. It was Leo.

"You're the one who leaked the information about the gift policy, aren't you?" Leo's voice was full of accusation.

I scoffed. "Yeah. You got a problem with that?"

I could hear Leo's condescending chuckle through the phone. "That's a breach of confidentiality, you know."

I laughed out loud. "Confidentiality? Leo, since when is firing people a corporate secret? Besides, I resigned!"

"Why don't you educate me on exactly what secret I supposedly leaked?"

"Listen, Jade Sterling. You're only thirty. Do you really want to burn your bridges this early in your career?"

His tone was threatening now. It was much more honest than his fake professional act from before.

I hit back without hesitation. "Leo, I don't know how old you are, but if you're brave enough to do it, don't be a coward when people talk about it."

"As for my bridges? I've already left the building. My career has nothing to do with you anymore."

I made sure to emphasize the word "left" just to mock him. He started this war, not me.

"Heh. Fine. You're very bold. I just hope you don't regret this," Leo said before hanging up.

I stared at his number for a second, called him a pathetic loser, and blocked him immediately.