Chapter 1

I was a department manager making a million a year. Then they kicked me down to an admin gig paying 30 grand.

My fiancée, a vice president in the company, looked down at me. "Richard, you should be grateful."

I looked at her and the new manager standing next to her, and I smiled.

When I signed the resignation papers, no one realized the countdown to a hundred-billion-dollar market cap wipeout had already begun.

Three days later, my phone was ringing off the hook. Everyone on the board was desperately trying to reach me.

*****

"Richard, this is for your own good. You should learn to be content," Mandy Lynch said, her voice cold as ice and coated with a layer of fake sweetness, echoing through the luxurious conference room.

She wore a perfectly tailored designer suit, the cold lights glinting off the luxury watch on her wrist, as icy as the stare she fixed on me.

She was the company's vice president and my fiancée. Or maybe I should say, ex-fiancée.

I sat across from her as Marketing Director, making a million a year.

But the transfer notice on the table spelled it out in black and white. They were kicking me down to admin, into an assistant gig paying 30 thousand.

The reason? The notice read [organizational restructuring.]

The guy next to me, Kevin Smith, was wearing a brand-new Marketing Director badge, eyeing me with the swagger of a winner. The smirk on his lips was colder than the AC in the room.

A week ago, he was one of my subordinates.

Now, he'd taken everything from me: my position, my team, and even my fiancée.

Mandy seemed pleased by my silence. Her slender fingers tapped the table, each beat like a funeral knell for my career. "Richard, you were way too flashy in the marketing department.

"You never knew when to dial it back. Go cool off in admin for a while. It'll be good for your future."

She paused, her eyes flicking over to Kevin, who instantly grinned at her like a puppy getting a treat. "Kevin's got skills and plenty of ambition. The company needs fresh blood like him. You'd better learn to face reality."

Face reality? Face the fact that I had poured three years of blood and sweat into building the Polaris AI marketing system, only to be kicked to the curb?

Face the fact that Mandy built her career on my system, climbing from manager to VP, only to turn around and team up with an outsider to toss me out like trash?

My anger was burning inside, my stomach churning like molten lava. But I didn't let it show.

I looked at Mandy, the woman I once thought I'd spend my life with, and then I smiled.

Not a cold smirk. Not a bitter laugh. It was a genuine, almost cheerful smile from deep inside.

My laughter made Mandy frown. She hated that look of mine, the one that said I still held all the cards. "What are you laughing at? Richard, don't push your luck.

"The company's only keeping you around out of old feelings. If it weren't for that, you'd have been kicked out ages ago for talking back to the chairman."

Kevin chimed in, rising to his feet to look down at me. He patted my shoulder with a condescending, heavy-handed grip. "Don't take it so hard, Richard.

"Once you're down in admin, come find me if you need anything printed. Oh, wait. I take that back. I'll be coming to you."

The execs around us let out stifled laughter.

This was a carefully staged ambush and a public crucifixion of my dignity.

They wanted to see me lose it, to see me break down, to see me beg for mercy.

But I didn't give them the satisfaction.

Taking my time, I stood up, adjusted my suit collar, and calmly looked each person in the room right in the eye.

Finally, my gaze settled on the resignation form lying on the table.

HR had already prepared it for me.

I picked up that pricey pen Mandy gave me for my birthday.

"Richard, you'd better think twice," Mandy warned, her tone sharp. "If you sign this transfer notice, you'll still be part of the company. But if you can't handle it..."

I ignored her. I signed my name in the "Resignation Applicant" section: Richard Ludwig.

My signature swept across the page, bold and unmissable, the strokes driven deep into the paper.

Then I capped the pen and tossed it into the trash can beside me, like I was throwing away a rotten relationship.

"No need." My smile grew even wider as I looked at Mandy and Kevin. "This company's too small for me."

With that, I turned and walked away, not sparing them another glance.