Geoffrey lifted his head. His brows drew together slightly, but there was a faint, almost imperceptible smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"August, what's this about?"
He pushed back his chair, stood, and circled the desk toward me.
"You're quitting because Yvette took the top sales award? Come on, man—we've known each other for years. You're not really leaving over something so trivial, are you?"
He reached out, attempting to pat my shoulder, but I stepped aside before he could touch me.
“The company’s success today is inseparable from your contributions,” Geoffrey said sincerely, though his eyes flickered with unease.
“So... take some time to think it over. The position of General Manager in the Business Department is still vacant. We can discuss it again later.”
A mocking laugh cut through his words.
Marina set down the magazine she had been flipping through and crossed her legs, smirking. "I told you, dear—your old classmate has a petty streak."
Her gaze swept over me with open disdain. "He's making a fuss like this over a thousand-dollars fine? Really?"
"Rules are rules. If someone breaks them, they face the consequences. No exceptions."
"Enough," Geoffrey shot her a warning look.
"What? Did I say something wrong?" Marina sneered. "How much have we paid him in commissions and bonuses over the past two years—hundreds of thousands, at least?"
"Has the company ever treated him unfairly?"
"Instead of being grateful, he deliberately breaks the rules and gives our finance department a hard time!"
"Since you want to resign, just leave already!"
"Are you done?" I asked evenly. "If there's nothing else, I'll pack my things and leave today."
My calm tone seemed to unsettle Geoffrey. He tried again, his voice gentler, almost pleading.
"August, think about it. We've been through a lot together—we were roommates in college, remember? Upper bunk and lower bunk—"
"Friendship?" I echoed, a bitter laugh rising in my throat. "Yes, we've certainly shared a deep friendship."
Just then, the door opened.
Yvette walked in, holding a folder.
"Brother-in-law, about the client files in August's—"
She stopped mid-sentence. Her eyes darted between me and Geoffrey—and finally landed on Marina.
The realization hit her face too late. She clamped a hand over her mouth. But the words had already slipped out.
Brother-in-law...
Silence flooded the room.
I looked at the three of them—Geoffrey, his wife, and my "assistant"—and everything finally made sense.
It had all been a setup.
Geoffrey's face stiffened, and Marina shot Yvette a murderous glare.
"August, don't misunderstand—"
"Misunderstand?" I cut her off coldly. "Should I misunderstand that you asked me to quit my stable job to help him?"
"That he promised never to betray me?"
"Or that while I was out building the market, your precious little sister was quietly stealing every client I developed?"
"Watch your tone!" Marina snapped. "Do you have any idea how many resources this company invested in you? Now that you've grown some wings, you think you can just fly off?"
"Without this company, you're nothing!"
I laughed—quietly at first, then with open scorn.
"You're right. You really did train me."
"You trained me to drink until I bled from the stomach at business dinners. To stand in the rain for an hour waiting for clients who never showed. To save company money by sleeping in moldy, fifty-dollar motels."
Geoffrey's face flushed with embarrassment.
I turned to Yvette.
"And you—my talented assistant. You've really learned well."
"Not only how to close deals, but how to stab someone in the back."
"Sir, it's not like that—" Yvette stammered, her eyes filling with tears again.
