I frowned. Brandon was making a complete fool of himself.
Did a former security guard really think he became a true director just by having the title?
After hanging up, I got up, washed at a relaxed pace, and didn’t drive to the office until past ten.
On the way, my phone nearly exploded with calls—almost all of them from members of my project team.
The moment I stepped into the company, I sensed something was off.
The looks people gave me were strange, filled with gloating or contempt.
"Still pretending? Just wait till Director Knox settles scores with him!"
"Let it go—he's done for. Probably doesn’t even realize he’s now a general without an army!"
"Serves him right for hogging all the credit. Luckily, Director Knox was smart enough to plant someone beside him early on!"
The whispers around me made no sense at first.
But I picked up my pace and rushed to the office—only to discover everything had changed.
Brandon sat there with a cigarette between his lips, surrounded by several bottles of imported liquor.
My deputy—the deputy manager of the project team—was lining up with the others to toast him, eager to prove their loyalty.
"Director Knox, it was your brilliant strategy that helped us stand out in the company’s recent partnerships!"
"On behalf of the whole team, I salute you!"
"I’ll drink it all—whatever you say, sir!"
He downed the wine in one gulp, and the rest followed suit like trained dogs.
It wasn’t until Brandon called my name that anyone even noticed I had arrived.
"Oh? Manager Whitmore, you finally made it?"
He grinned mockingly at me.
I ignored him and barked at the group: "Who allowed you to drink during office hours? Don’t you all have work to do?"
Some of them instinctively started to scatter, but the deputy held them back.
"Did you all forget what I just said? All the results were achieved by Director Knox! Lucas? He’s just a glory thief!"
He scoffed loudly.
Before I could respond, a few long-time employees I had personally mentored suddenly stood up.
"Exactly! Don’t be afraid to speak out—Director Knox has our backs!"
"Yeah! If we stick with him, there’s still money to be made!"
Even the old guard was siding with Brandon.
Honestly, I was a little taken aback.
In my mind, Brandon was still the struggling young man who once knelt and thanked me for giving him a job in security.
Back then, he was jobless and aimless. One day, he helped catch a stalker who had been following a female colleague.
He came to me afterward and pleaded sincerely for a security post.
I hired him out of sympathy.
I never imagined that I’d end up raising a snake that would bite me in return.
"Manager Whitmore, looks like you came at the wrong time?"
Brandon taunted me with a grin.
I glanced at him coldly.
"You really believe that just by claiming the credit, it actually becomes yours?"
My expression remained flat, unshaken.
Brandon clicked his tongue and chuckled smugly.
"Why don’t you test that theory?"
He was fearless in his provocation.
His arrogance amused me more than it angered me.
"Forget it. I was already planning to resign," I said calmly. "The only reason I came in today was to ask—who among you is willing to follow me and start fresh elsewhere?"
