Chapter 4

The office went quiet.

A few of my friendlier colleagues leaned in, whispering softly.

"Jake, are you certain about this? The boss just announced pay increases for everyone. Leaving now would be a poor decision."

"Yeah, didn't you notice her tone? She was only kidding earlier."

I remained composed, my voice unwavering. "I'm not kidding. I already handed in my resignation to HR yesterday."

I noticed a glimpse of excitement in Ryan's face from the corner of my eye.

He was about to speak, but upon seeing Emily's unreadable expression, he held his tongue and remained silent.

Emily's brow furrowed as she focused on me.

"Are you aware of what you're doing? Do you comprehend how much you're sacrificing by departing from this company now?"

Of course, I understood.

I was giving up anxiety, manipulation, and the unseen restraints that had kept me bound here for far too long.

Ryan, always the opportunist, put on his usual victim act. "Jake, I understand. You're still upset with me, aren't you?" He sighed theatrically. "Perhaps I should be the one to leave instead. After all, you and Emily have collaborated for so many years. It would be unfortunate for you to go now."

As he spoke, he began moving towards the exit, glancing at Emily peripherally, clearly anticipating her intervention.

I almost chuckled at how transparent he was.

As expected, Emily took the bait—or pretended to. She grasped his arm, her voice gentle and caring.

"This isn't about you, Ryan. Nobody's asking you to leave."

Ryan's face beamed with smug satisfaction.

Yet, he wasn't finished with his act. He sighed again, shaking his head as if making a grand sacrifice. "But Jake's been with the company for so long. I'll attempt to reason with him."

He approached me, putting on a show for the onlookers.

"Jake, please," he said, his voice oozing with fake sincerity. "Reconsider. We'd all be sorry to see you go. Truly, we've always considered you a good friend."

As he spoke, he patted my shoulder—more forcefully than necessary.

And then, when no one else was looking, he pinched me. Forcefully.

The acute pain shot through my shoulder. Instinctively, I kicked him squarely in the chest.

Ryan collapsed, clutching his chest and struggling to breathe.

Emily rushed over, kneeling beside him, her face filled with worry and alarm.

I couldn't help but recall the time I'd worked so hard to secure a deal that I ended up in the hospital with stomach bleeding from excessive drinking. She hadn't shown half as much concern then.

Emily jumped to her feet, her face contorted with rage. She slapped me across the face.

"Have you lost your mind, Jake?" she shouted. "Ryan was only trying to help you, and you assaulted him? What kind of person mistreats their colleague like this?"

At that moment, HR entered the room, evidently on their way to discuss my resignation.

Before they could speak, Emily snapped, "Process his paperwork and get him out of here. Immediately."

She approved my resignation without hesitation, but she wasn't finished.

As if to worsen the situation, she added, "This company is generating hundreds of thousands in profits daily. Only a fool would leave now."

Then she turned to Ryan, her tone softening once more.

"Don't worry, Ryan. In a few months, you'll have everything you've ever desired—houses, cars, anything. I'll ensure it."

The other colleagues chimed in, their excitement evident.

"Emily's the greatest!"

"Next month, whoever achieves the highest sales targets, I'll buy them a house," Emily declared confidently.

Ryan's eyes gleamed with avarice, and the others cheered louder.

Emily's arrogance swelled as she reveled in their praise.

"And as for certain individuals," she said, casting a cold look my way, "who think they can mistreat their colleagues and disobey orders—I'll ensure no company ever employs them again."

The room erupted into laughter and insults directed at me, their voices growing more frenzied by the second.

For a moment, I wavered. Should I say something?

That morning, my dad had called to inform me of something interesting. It turns out, the largest investor in Emily's company for the past two years was... him.

When he learned I was planning to quit and return home to take over the family business, he decided to conduct a thorough background check on her company.

The findings were unfavorable.

He'd already decided to withdraw the investment, citing breach of contract. Moreover, he was planning to sue for triple damages.

I knew precisely how much influence my dad's company held in her investment portfolio.

Once he pulled out, forget about buying houses and cars—keeping the company operational for another month would be a miracle.

I began to speak but stopped myself.

Emily misinterpreted my silence as regret. She rolled her eyes and sneered.

"Well? If you apologize to Ryan now, there's still time to rectify this."

"Otherwise—" Before she could finish, someone burst into the room.

It was the head of finance, their face ashen and anxious.

"Emily, we have a crisis," they said hastily. "Our largest investor just sent a notice. They've discovered serious irregularities in our financial records and suspect fraud. Not only are they withdrawing their investment, but they're also suing us for triple damages!"