Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A twenty-million-dollar deal.

Out of 108 people in the sales department, I was the only one who closed it.

Just like last year, I was the undisputed Top Closer of the Year.

But last year, my boss, Nate Thorne, called me into his office.

"Harper, you know Elara's parents just had that terrible car accident. They're drowning in medical bills. You need to let her take the credit for this project so she can get the bonus."

I agreed back then.

This year, the moment the deal was signed, Nate called me again.

I didn't even wait for him to speak.

I sent my resignation letter straight to his inbox.

"Don't bother, Nate," I said.

"I quit!"

On the other end of the line, Nate froze for a few seconds. He let out a dry cough.

"I'm sorry, I must have misheard you. What did you just say?"

He tried to laugh it off as if it were a joke. I frowned, my voice turning ice-cold.

"Mr. Thorne, I think you heard me perfectly!"

Realizing I wasn't playing around, Nate seemed to straighten up in his chair. His tone became rigid.

"Harper, stop throwing a tantrum."

"I'm not throwing a tantrum." I tapped my fingers on the desk and hit send on the formal application.

"Check your email. My resignation is already in your inbox."

He clicked 'received' but immediately hit 'reject.'

"Harper, you've been with this company since your internship. We've treated you well over the years."

I grit my teeth. "Have you?"

He choked on his words for a moment before softening his voice.

"Is this still about what happened last year?"

"You know Elara's family was in a life-or-death situation. That sixty-thousand-dollar bonus didn't just save her parents. it saved her entire world."

"Saving a life is a noble thing, Harper. You should be proud."

He made it sound so easy.

I had worked myself to the bone for that money. I drank myself half to death at corporate dinners for a month.

That money was supposed to be my safety net in a city as expensive as Chicago.

Most importantly, that project was my ticket to the corporate headquarters.

Elara Frost stole it from me.

Because of my hard work, she jumped from a regular rep to a manager―my boss.

The only reason she didn't move to HQ was that she lacked seniority.

And me? I was thirty years old and still stuck in the same spot.

I was even forced to move my desk from my private area back to the open floor. The reason? I couldn't 'outshine' my superior.

No one cared about how much that hurt.

"Mr. Thorne, my resignation follows every company policy. You have no legal ground to reject it."

"If you don't approve it, I'll send it directly to the regional directors at HQ."

He panicked. I could hear his chair creaking as he spun around.

"Harper, you have several major accounts in progress. We just signed the AI project with Pierce Global! If you leave now, what is the company supposed to do?"

"Don't worry. I'll make sure the handoff is handled professionally before I walk out."

"A handoff? What's the point? They specifically asked for you!"

He sounded agitated now.

It wasn't because he valued me.

It was because he felt I was being disrespectful to his authority.

He probably thought I had said something to the client behind his back.

I almost laughed.

"What exactly do you think I told them?"

"I simply showed them I was capable enough to earn their trust."

"Anyone can do the job, right? That's what you always say."

I let the sarcasm drip from my voice.

I didn't care anymore.

"Whatever. We'll talk at the office tomorrow," he snapped and hung up.

I grabbed a pen and scribbled a physical note. Reason for leaving: health issues.

The next day, I dropped the letter on Nate's desk.

He didn't speak, but Elara, who was standing beside him, forced a fake smile.

"Harper, I heard you're the top closer again this year. Congrats! I'm sure nothing will go wrong this time..."

She quickly covered her mouth with an apologetic look, acting like she had slipped up.

She was gloating while playing the victim.

She did the same thing last year. She cried in front of me, acting so guilty.

But once the project was hers, she threw a celebratory dinner and didn't invite me.

She didn't even say thank you.

"Manager Frost, you're overthinking it," I said.

I didn't even look at her as I turned to leave.

"Harper Vance!"

Nate couldn't stay quiet anymore.

He stood up, clutching my resignation letter. His eyes were cold.

"Since you're so desperate to leave, you leave everything behind. Every client file and every contact on your laptop must be deleted."

"Everything belongs to the firm."

I kept my back to him.

"Don't worry. I don't want anything from this place."

As I walked out of the office, my colleagues ducked their heads, pretending to be busy.

In a place this gossipy, the news would be everywhere by lunch.

Even HQ would hear about it soon.

I walked to my old, battered cubicle and patted the dusty monitor.

My wallpaper was still the same one I set when I started: "Don't be lazy. Build a legacy."

Now, my desk only held a pile of files and a single coffee mug.

Ten years. All I had to show for ten years was a mug.

I put my head down and started working.

My phone buzzed. It was Sutton Pierce, the CEO of Pierce Global.

"Ms. Vance, I'd like to discuss the AI rollout. Can we meet tomorrow to go over the details?"

I thought about it for a long time. I typed a reply and deleted it. Finally, I left it on read.