The second my words landed, Theo’s face darkened. His hand shot out, grabbing me by the collar.
"Rudy," he spat, his grip tightening, "you’re just the Harper Family’s lapdog. How dare you raise your voice at me?"
He leaned in, his tone dripping with mockery. "No one in Harper Group can fire me except Mr. Harper himself."
For a second, I almost wondered if I was the one who had been drinking tonight. Even if the Harper Family were powerful, I never considered them untouchable. Yet here was a mere assistant, acting as if he owned the world. It seemed I had been too low-key for far too long.
"Theo," I warned, my voice dangerously calm, "let go of me now, or not even your connections will be able to protect you."
I reined in my anger, giving him one last chance. But some people simply refuse to recognize when they’re out of their depth.
Theo's bloodshot eyes locked onto mine. "And what if I don’t? What can you do to me?"
He scoffed, tightening his grip. "I am the chairman’s assistant. Everyone in the industry respects me. But you? You’re nothing."
Before I could respond, the other guests chimed in.
"That’s right! Everyone in this city even knows that Assistant Theo played a huge role in Harper Group’s success."
"He’s not just some useless son-in-law sitting here thinking he’s important. He’s just a kept man, isn’t he?"
"Exactly! Some people live off their wife and still act like they’re important. It’s honestly pathetic."
I understood then. In the eyes of these people, my position as the company’s sales manager held less value than that of a mere assistant. I had no idea who gave them this level of arrogance.
Theo seemed to bask in the approval of the people around him, his smug expression almost unbearable. "Rudy, if I were you, I’d just obediently drink the wine. Otherwise, you might have a hard time explaining yourself to your wife when you get back."
I met his gaze with ice-cold eyes, my tone indifferent. "Theo, this is the last time I’m warning you. Don’t push me past my limits.". I leaned in slightly, my voice steady but firm. "The General Manager Harper that you keep boasting about—she only got to where she is today because of me."
I let that statement linger in the air, allowing it to sink in. The reason behind it was not something these people needed to know, but I wanted to make one thing clear: they had no idea who they were dealing with. More than Theo’s provocations, I was far more interested in uncovering the mastermind pulling the strings behind all of this.
And if that mastermind turned out to be my own wife, Anna… well, that would be truly amusing.
My mind drifted back to three years ago. Back then, the Harper Family was nothing more than a third-rate household, teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.
