"I know you've made enormous contributions, but that's exactly why you can't be the one setting a bad example by breaking the rules. What would our investors think of us?"
"And yes, we're brothers, but that's all the more reason I can't play favorites."
I looked at him and said nothing.
He faltered for a moment, then quickly composed himself.
"Here's what we'll do." Thomas rapped his knuckles on the desk. "Effective today, your duties as CTO are suspended."
"I'm going to have Olympia step in as acting replacement, overseeing all technical operations. Your office will be reassigned to her."
I nodded.
"Sure. Whatever you say."
That had been our unspoken agreement for the past ten years. No matter how unreasonable his demands, I'd say yes, then put my head down and make it happen. Even when things went sideways, I never complained.
He smiled and waved me off, same as always.
I thought this was just another one of those times.
But as I turned to leave, his voice stopped me.
"Oh, one more thing. The backend admin credentials for the system. Go ahead and hand those over too."
I froze mid-step. My hand hovered over the door handle. I stood there for what felt like an eternity before I slowly turned back. The smile on my face tasted like ash.
"Sure."
I walked out of his office without another word.
My composure seemed to catch Thomas off guard.
He'd expected anger. Pushback.
But I gave him neither.
Because I knew that if he'd truly made up his mind to push me out, no amount of arguing would change a thing.
He wanted my office? He could have it.
He wanted my admin access? Done.
He wanted Olympia to take over my role? I didn't raise a single objection.
But now I was curious. I wanted to see how far this ship of theirs would sail without me at the helm.
By the next morning, I'd officially become the most "idle" person in the entire company.
My workstation had been moved to a corner. My computer was confiscated. All that remained on the desk was a single sheet of paper and a pen.
They called it "suspension pending self-reflection."
At ten o'clock, every member of senior management was summoned to the conference room.
The agenda: A formal hearing on the workplace conduct of Miles Gilbert.
I was seated at the very end of the table.
Olympia, meanwhile, sat right beside the boss, looking like she owned the place.
She pulled up a presentation and began.
A Quantitative Assessment of Losses Caused by Former CTO Miles Gilbert's Negligent Work Performance.
"According to attendance records, Mr. Gilbert has accumulated 1,689 instances of tardiness and 1,525 instances of early departure over the past ten years, totaling 2,857 hours."
"Calculated against his hourly rate, this constitutes unearned compensation and should be returned in full."
"Additionally, based on an incomplete review of security footage, Mr. Gilbert spent an average of over four hours per workday engaged in non-work activities, including gaming and streaming videos."
"We consider this time to also constitute fraudulent collection of company wages."
Her voice echoed through the conference room.
"After a thorough audit by the finance department, the total salary, bonuses, and subsidies that Mr. Gilbert owes the company over the past decade amounts to seven hundred and forty-six thousand, three hundred dollars."
She slapped an itemized bill down in front of me.
"Furthermore, we have yet to calculate the total cost of company water and electricity you've consumed over the years. The company reserves the right to pursue those claims separately."
I looked at the bill and laughed.
They'd really done their homework.
They'd practically counted every cup of coffee I'd ever poured myself in the break room.
"Miles." Thomas spoke up, his face a portrait of anguished reluctance. "It's not that I don't want to help you. You're my brother. But the evidence is overwhelming, and you know the company has its policies."
