Chapter 2

I let out a cold laugh and looked at Tiffany. "Are you absolutely sure about this?"

"If Marcus comes back and finds out you threw me out, he is going to lose his mind."

I was genuinely trying to warn her.

Headhunters had been trying to recruit me with insane seven-figure offers for years. I had only stayed this long out of loyalty to Marcus.

If I walked out that door, my life wouldn’t change a bit. But Tiffany? She was playing with fire.

Tiffany glared at me, her face contorting with rage.

"Who do you think you are? You’re just a replaceable employee! I am his future wife. Do you honestly think he would choose a servant over me?"

Hearing her words, I simply shook my head.

Fine. Have it your way.

I turned around and walked out of the office. Outside, my coworkers had heard the entire shouting match. They were all staring at me in shock.

"What happened, Leo?"

I calmly began packing my things into a cardboard box. I smiled. "Nothing much. I just got fired."

The coworker’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Fired you? Is Tiffany completely out of her mind? Everyone knows you're the backbone of this place! Isn't she terrified Marcus will dump her?"

I shrugged. "Not my problem anymore. It was her decision, and she’ll have to live with the consequences."

"Besides, I’ve been working non-stop for years. I could use a good vacation."

I had already made enough money to retire comfortably. I just never had a good reason to walk away.

This was the perfect excuse.

My coworker was furious. "But why? What did you even do to trigger her?"

I thought about it for a second. "Remember when she spread those disgusting rumors about Lily? I was the only one who stood up and called her out."

"She’s hated me ever since. She’s been looking for an excuse to get rid of me."

Just yesterday, Tiffany had posted a heavily edited glamor shot in our Snapchat work group. Everyone was spamming fire emojis, calling her gorgeous.

I was the only one who left her on read.

That was probably the final straw.

"Should I call Marcus?" my coworker offered. "The company can't function without you."

I shook my head with a smile. "Don't bother. If I ever come back, it’ll be after she’s out of the picture. I can’t stand her drama anyway. Let’s see how this plays out."

After packing my box, I walked over to the finance office to collect my final paycheck.

I had only worked ten days this month, but my commission alone was over ten thousand dollars.

I explained to the accountant, Amy, that I had been terminated and asked her to process my direct deposit.

Suddenly, Tiffany barged into the room, glaring at me. "Leo! I told you to get lost! What are you still doing here?"

I looked at her coldly. She was practically vibrating with unearned authority. It was pathetic.

Seeing that I was ignoring her, Tiffany lost her temper. She grabbed my sleeve, trying to pull me. "What are you doing in the finance room? Are you trying to steal company secrets? Get out before I call the cops!"

I snatched my arm back, pushing her away.

"Touch me again, and we’ll have a real problem."

"I’m just getting my final paycheck. I’m not even asking for severance, which is already incredibly generous of me."

Tiffany turned to Amy. "How much is his payout?"

Amy stammered, "Ten thousand five hundred dollars."

Tiffany’s face went pale. "What? How much?"

After Amy repeated the number, Tiffany pointed a finger at me. "You violated company policy by being late. Your insubordination has voided your commission. You get nothing!"

I scoffed. "A standard lateness penalty is fifty bucks, Tiffany. Can you even do basic math, or did you drop out of middle school?"

Tiffany crossed her arms, looking smug. "I just wrote a new policy. Three late arrivals, and you forfeit your entire month's pay. Now, get out!"