Chapter 2

I didn't bother with him and just kept my eyes on Todd.

I said, "Your daughter had surgery last month, and the bill was about 300 thousand dollars. You came to me in tears, begging for help.

"I told you the company account was off-limits, so I wired it to you from my own card. I told you not to pay me back. Just think of it as a little something for her."

Todd's face turned as white as a sheet in an instant. He snapped his head up, his eyes filled with panic and desperation.

He was terrified I'd let this slip, that he'd lose whatever shred of dignity he had left in front of his new employer.

He was a grown man, but couldn't stand on his own two feet, and was forced to borrow money from his former boss just to save his daughter.

It was a stain on his reputation he'd never be able to wash away.

The conference room was dead silent. Everyone's eyes were glued to me.

They probably thought I'd snap, flip the table, and air out all the dirty laundry right then and there.

But I didn't.

I just watched Todd in silence, seeing how the passionate young man he used to be had been twisted by the pursuit of gain, now just a middle-aged man I could barely recognize.

An overwhelming sadness filled me. It wasn't for myself, but for him and for those simpler, purer times we'd left behind.

"Todd, can you say you've done right by me?" I asked at last.

Todd opened his mouth, struggling for words, but nothing came out.

His silence was all the answer I needed. It was painfully clear.

In that moment, my heart went cold. Nothing stirred inside me anymore.

I picked up the pen and popped off the cap. The tip scratched across the paper, making a raspy sound. That noise was like a blunt knife, slicing into nerves that had long since gone numb.

I signed my name: Norah Malone.

That name once stood for everything this company was. From this day forward, I'd have nothing more to do with it.

I slid the signed agreement to the center of the table.

Axel picked it up immediately, carefully going over every page.

After confirming everything was in order, a broad grin spread across his face. "Pleasure doing business with you, Miss Malone," he said.

His team started laughing along behind him. Their laughter was piercing and shrill.

It felt like I was at a victory party and I was the main dish being served up.

I stood up, straightening the well-worn suit I'd been wearing for three years.

I had designed every inch of this conference room.

For eight years, I'd gazed out the floor-to-ceiling windows, watched the view change from empty wasteland to a towering skyline, just like how Northstar Tech had grown.

But now, I'd never get to see what it would become.

"I'm leaving," I said.

No one tried to stop me. Nobody even got up. They just sat there, watching me leave with that cold, dismissive look people give to losers.Nobody even got up.

I turned and walked toward the door. Each step felt like I was walking on the edge of a blade.

The past eight years flashed through my mind like a movie on fast forward.

There were late nights at the office, moments of excitement, fights and makeups, tears and laughter.

Now, all of it had vanished.

I reached the door and wrapped my hand around the cold metal handle.

Behind me, I could hear their barely contained whispers of victory.

"It's done. She's finally gone."

"Mr. Saunders really knows how to get things done. He didn't even break a sweat."

"Gotta give Mr. Hammond some credit too. He really pulled the rug out from under her."

Todd's voice joined in, sounding too eager to please. "Oh, come on, it's all thanks to Mr. Saunders' leadership. He'll have to lead me on from now on."

I was disgusted. My stomach churned.

The friend who once fought alongside me was now wagging his tail for the enemy.

I had wanted to walk away, to leave with the last shred of dignity I had, but they wouldn't let me leave with even that.

They had to trample my dignity, grinding it down.

I let go of the door handle and turned around.

Everyone in the conference room was staring at me, their smiles still lingering.

They looked at me like I was some drama queen refusing to leave, waiting for me to throw a tantrum.

I laughed. It wasn't bitter, and it wasn't mocking. It was a real, carefree laugh, like I'd finally put down a burden I'd been dragging around for years.

"You're right. It's time for a change," I said.

I looked over at Axel, Todd, and all those unfamiliar faces, etching their smug faces into my memory.

Then I dropped a bombshell. "Oh, by the way, I almost forgot to tell you guys something."

My voice wasn't loud, but it rang out clear, reaching every single person in the room.

I went on. "The Atticus Core algorithm patent? It expires tomorrow."

With that, the room went so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

I watched as Axel's grin froze.