Yvonne froze and asked, "What are you doing?"
"You say he's so talented, so he should have my job."
"I'm speaking to you properly. What's your problem now?" She was annoyed, and her face turned sour.
If I kept my job, she would accuse me of picking on Jim.
Now that I was offering it up, she claimed I was just being dramatic.
Understanding a woman's heart was impossible.
I was done giving in to her.
Seeing that I did not respond, Yvonne looked even more upset. "Is this about having kids? I'm pregnant now, aren't I?
"You're a grown man, so why are you being so petty?"
She still thought I was upset about the baby. "Forget it. Let Jim be the father.”
Furious and humiliated, Yvonne threw a cup at me.
"Haven't I told you? Jim and I are just boss and employee. Why won't you trust me?"
Could a boss and employee with a purely platonic relationship be so close?
She treated us so differently, yet she was still trying to fool me.
"You're the only one who knows the truth about the relationship."
Yvonne, fuming, yelled, "If that's how it is, then give me back the account. I worked hard for a month to keep that virtual baby alive."
She said that and lunged for my phone.
I quickly stepped back from her grasp and turned my phone on to show her.
The screen showed that her account had been successfully deleted.
"Did you really think I cared about a virtual baby in an app?
"Don't worry. I didn't just cancel the account, I deleted the app too. Happy now?"
Yvonne's face was wet with tears as she looked at me, her hands thumping on my back.
"Gosh, you're so mean!"
After yelling at me, she burst into tears and ran out the door.
I used to hate making her cry.
However, seeing her cry did not shake me at all now. I was tired, so I decided to take a nap.
I had not been asleep long when my phone started buzzing with messages.
It was a notice issued just for me about my demotion.
[You wanted to step down, right? Well, here you go.]
This time, no one stood up for me. They did not want to get dragged into it.
I did not care. I took my team, and we all quit.
HR was in a panic and called Yvonne. "Ms. Rogers, this is bad. Many people are quitting!"
However, it was Jim who answered. "Yvonne, if you've got something to do, go handle it. I can pick out a pet by myself."
"You've been through a lot. This is to make it up to you. I can't just leave."
Then, he snapped to the HR, "I pay you so well, yet you disturb me over this little thing. What good are you if you don't want to work?"
"But, Ms. Rogers—"
"Enough! Decide for yourself, and stop bothering me."
He hung up, and when they tried to call back, the phone was turned off.
HR was losing it.
However, they had no choice. They had to let us go.
The impact was huge. Word got out that we were fired.
Jim's cronies were secretly happy as they told him about it.
"What did all those years together mean if someone else has taken his place?"
"The real loser is the one who isn't loved."
Their voices got louder as we passed by.
One of my teammates could no longer take it and wanted to stand up for me.
I stopped them and said calmly, "I hope you find that kind of true love one day too."
After seeing their embarrassed faces, I walked away with my team.
I stopped by the county clerk's Office to pick up my divorce certificate.
Holding the certificate, I finally smiled and said, "Today's a great day. Let's go out for a big meal!"
My teammates debated whether to go to a fancy restaurant or have seafood, arguing back and forth.
I was on my phone when suddenly, the chatter stopped.
Confused, I looked up to see a teammate pointing somewhere. I followed his gaze.
