Chapter 7

I opened my camera and took a picture of the contract I'd just signed, with the title "Intelligent Living Project Cooperation Agreement" clearly visible.

Then I aimed the lens at the lively city center outside, where the iconic office towers were lit up against the night.

After that, I pulled up my mobile banking app and snapped a screenshot, The fresh 0.3 million dollars advance payment sitting right there in my balance.

I didn't add any caption.

I just shared the three photos in order.

I set it to public.

Then I tapped send.

Then I tossed my phone aside and headed into the bathroom.

The warm water washed over me, rinsing away the day's exhaustion, and with it, the invisible chains that had been weighing me down.

When I came out of the bathroom, towel-drying my hair, I grabbed my phone.

My screen was packed with notifications, likes and comments were blowing up nonstop.

I opened my social media feed.

My post had totally blown up.

Juniper commented a minute ago: [Whoa, Malachi, you're a badass. Landed such a big deal? Where'd you hit the jackpot? Bring me along.]

Chloe commented: [Malachi, is this... a new project? Congrats, congrats. I always said you'd go far. That thing with Rhett must be a misunderstanding, let me put in a good word for you later.]

Some of those so-called "friends" who'd been comforting Rhett earlier quietly deleted their comments or changed their privacy settings.

More people were asking: [Mr. Fisher, where's your new office? Are you hiring?]

[Malachi, nice. Getting rich on the down low.]

[Is this the Intelligent Living project? I heard a bunch of companies were fighting tooth and nail for it, turns out you snagged it. Impressive.]

Snark, hype, brown-nosing, and people fishing for info, it was all there.

Every flavor of human nature was on full display in this little corner of my feed.

I didn't bother replying to a single one.

I just slowly scrolled through, watching everyone change their tune in record time.

Then I noticed Rhett's profile picture.

She'd just dropped a fresh post.

No caption, just a photo.

In the shot, a glass had been smashed on the floor. Water and broken pieces splattered everywhere.

I looked at it for a few seconds, locked my phone, killed the lights, and went to sleep.

I slept without dreaming.

The new office was in a nice downtown high-rise, eighteenth floor, with a killer view.

I used the first payment from Arthur to cover the rent and deposit, then spent the rest on the essentials, office gear, hired a seasoned assistant named Brandon, and brought in a consultant my old classmate recommended to handle legal and financial stuff for now.

It was a small setup, but everything was starting to fall into place.

I wasn't planning to go big right away. I wanted to take it slow, really get a handle on the Intelligent Living project, and do it right. That was the bedrock for everything I was building.

Arthur was eager for results, but he gave me all the support I needed. Our partnership was off to a great start.

That afternoon, I was in the office, checking out the latest project plans, when my phone started ringing.

It was an unknown number, but the last few digits rang a bell.

I answered.

"Malachi. You really went all out."

It was Rhett's voice. Hoarse, her nose stuffed up like she'd been crying, but what really came through was barely contained rage and bitterness.

She said, "You actually gave the project to Skyline Tech? You did it on purpose, didn't you? You're just trying to mess with Ivan. You want to destroy him."

I leaned back in my chair, my eyes drifting over the rows of skyscrapers outside, my voice calm and detached. "Business is business. The highest bidder wins. Just how the game works."

"Normal competition?" Rhett screeched. "You know Ivan needs this project. You're just trying to get back at us. Malachi, I never thought you'd be so petty. Just because we're getting divorced, you want to destroy us?"

"Us?" I repeated, finding it kind of funny.

"Rhett, it's Ivan who needs this project, not you. If he can't get promoted to vice president or general manager, are you planning to stick with him and go broke?"

On the other end, it was like she'd been choked. Her breathing was ragged, but she couldn't get a word out.

I kept talking, slow and easy, like I was just making small talk about the weather. "Let me set the record straight. I'm not the petty one here; you two were the ones who cut off my shot at making a living first.

"All I did was hand over what was mine to the customer who was willing to pay the most.

"Anything else? I'm busy here."

"Wait," Rhett called out, her voice suddenly going soft.

She switched gears so fast it gave me whiplash. "Malachi... I know, this is on me, it's on Ivan too. We really did you wrong.

"But things are already like this. You've got the project, you've made your point. Can't we just call it even now, okay?

"Ivan's in a tough spot at work because he lost the project. Mr. Stevens seems to have it out for him now. He's under a lot of pressure. Last night, he drank a lot and kept apologizing to me, saying he couldn't give me a good life."

She started sobbing, and honestly, her performance was even more convincing than last time.