"No!"
Cheryl pressed down on Douglas's shoulder and whipped her head around to glare at me.
"Drew, how long are you going to keep acting like this?"
"Douglas has given everything for this company, and what about you?"
"What do you do besides throw tantrums?"
"Get in the car!"
"I don't have the patience to argue with you."
I looked at her coldly. "You want me in that car? Fine. Fire Douglas Gilbert right now. Tell him to pack his things."
The color drained from Cheryl's face.
Douglas lowered his head, his shoulders trembling slightly, as if he were fighting to hold back some deep well of hurt.
"Drew, that's enough!"
Cheryl shoved the car door open, her heels striking the pavement hard.
"Have you lost your mind? What has Douglas done wrong? What gives you the right to fire him?"
She stormed toward me, jabbing a finger in my face. "You're being completely unreasonable!"
"Everyone can see how capable Douglas is. Who are you to dismiss him with a single word?"
That was when Douglas finally "couldn't hold it in" anymore.
He stepped out of the car with reddened eyes, moved behind Cheryl, and said softly, "Ms. Delgado, please don't fight with Mr. Dickerson because of me..."
"If my being here makes Mr. Dickerson uncomfortable, I... I can resign on my own..."
A second later, actual tears slid down his cheeks, and Cheryl's heart shattered on the spot.
She spun around and grabbed his hand. "Douglas, you've done nothing wrong. The only one at fault here is a certain petty, small-minded person!"
"The company needs you. I will never let you suffer this kind of treatment!"
I watched the whole performance unfold and found it so absurd I almost laughed.
"Mr. Dickerson." Douglas's voice cracked. "I know that from my very first day at the company, you've never liked me."
"But I truly want us to get along. If you'd just give me a chance, I promise I'll work twice as hard. I won't let you down..."
His acting was getting better by the day.
I let out a cold laugh.
When I still refused to budge, Cheryl was shaking with fury. "Drew, Douglas has already bent over backward for you. You still won't let him be?"
"Do you want to push him to his breaking point before you're satisfied?"
"You've gone too far! In what way is Douglas not your equal?"
"He works harder than you. He's more considerate than you. He cares more about this company than you ever have!"
"And you, as one of the company's founders, what do you do besides throw your weight around and bully him?"
I had no interest in continuing this circus. I turned and walked away.
But Douglas suddenly rushed forward and grabbed my wrist.
"Mr. Dickerson, please don't go! The Zenith Group deal can't happen without you!"
I shook his hand off. He used the momentum to tumble to the ground, letting out a sharp cry of pain.
Cheryl rushed over immediately, pulling him up, her eyes blazing with fury and heartbreak.
"Drew! You put your hands on him again?"
Douglas curled up on the ground, clutching his arm, tears rolling down his face in fat, heavy drops.
"Don't blame Mr. Dickerson... I just lost my balance..."
I left without looking back.
Cheryl's furious shouting chased me down the street.
The next morning, the moment I stepped through the company doors, the entire office went silent.
Every pair of eyes found me, studying me with complicated expressions before quickly dropping back to their screens, pretending to be busy.
I walked straight to my office and started packing my things.
I had barely set a framed photo into a cardboard box when the door flew open.
Cheryl stormed in.
The second she saw what I was doing, something flickered in her eyes that I'd never seen before. Panic.
She slammed her hand down on the files I was gathering. "Drew, how far are you going to take this?"
I pulled my hand free and went back to emptying the drawer.
"I thought I made myself perfectly clear yesterday."
