Chapter 3

3

I felt the weight of Leo's threat sooner than I expected. That same evening, the firm that had just hired me called back.

The hiring manager told me that they needed to "postpone" my start date. I asked how long the wait would be, and they said they couldn't give me a timeline.

I told them that in that case, I'd keep looking elsewhere. There was a long silence before we hung up.

I could tell they were debating whether to tell me the truth. They were either sad to lose me or guilty about backpedaling.

It didn't matter. I reached out to several other companies that had scouted me in the past.

The results were exactly what I feared. The people who were once desperate to hire me were now being polite but distant.

They didn't flat-out reject me, but they asked me to submit a formal resume and wait for an interview. I told them I'd think about it, but I never went.

I knew exactly what the outcome would be. Leo had clearly done some dirty work behind the scenes.

If a company is willing to drop a top producer because of a phone call from a guy like Leo, they aren't worth working for anyway. Still, the realization that someone had betrayed me hurt.

Leo knew exactly which companies had been talking to me. That meant someone on my old team had talked.

I had treated them like family. I guess money and fear really do change people.

It reminded me of that old saying about how far people will go for profit. For a hundred percent return, people will break the law. For three hundred percent, they'll risk the gallows.

Corporate life is a blood sport. I stopped calling the big firms and started applying to smaller companies I had no prior connection with.

Several called me in for interviews almost immediately. The interviews went perfectly, but after that―silence.

Leo's reach was longer than I thought. I spent a month hitting wall after wall.

For a moment, I felt lost. I even started to doubt if I should have been so stubborn.

But the feeling passed quickly. I knew I was right, and I wasn't going to let a snake like Leo Trent win.

While I was job hunting, I kept in touch with my old coworkers. I learned that Leo had reached a new level of desperation.

He had officially moved all my old accounts under his personal management. Now I knew why he had targeted me first.

He wanted to steal my numbers to make himself look like a hero to the corporate office. It was a short-sighted, stupid plan.

It made me even more determined never to back down. If I gave in to a man like that, I wouldn't be able to look at myself in the mirror.

One night, the directors called another group chat. They told me Leo had made an official declaration in the office.

He told everyone he was going to blacklist me from the industry. He claimed no company would hire me because he'd steal their clients if they did.

The ego on this man was unbelievable. I just sat there and listened to them complain.

"I heard from the janitor that Leo's been on the phone bad-mouthing you all week," Wayne said. "Even the janitor thought he sounded like a creep."

I knew he was poisoning my background checks. My left pinky toe could have guessed that.

James tried to be the voice of reason. "Jade, maybe just apologize to him? He's got connections at corporate. He can make this go away."

Wayne slammed the table again. "Apologize for what? If you bow down to that prick, I'll lose all respect for you! If you can't find work in Chicago, move to New York or LA. It's not like this is your hometown anyway."

Most of them wanted me to play nice. Only Wayne was cheering for me to fight to the death.

"I'm not apologizing," I told them firmly.

"I didn't move to this city to be bullied by a guy like him. If I have to give up my dignity to work, I'd rather go home and marry a farmer."

The chat ended with a mix of sighs and cheers. My heart was racing.

I knew this wasn't the end. My opportunity was coming.