Chapter 2

"Annie, are you really leaving?" Julie watched me pack up my desk, doing her best to look surprised.

Then her tone shifted to something more casual. "I mean, I get it. Your salary was pretty high, and the company's payroll has been a real strain. Something had to give."

She tilted her head, her expression filled with genuine concern. "Don't worry, though. I studied this in school, and I already know the business inside out. Once you're gone, I'll make sure everything keeps running smoothly."

I smiled politely and said nothing.

When I looked at her again, I didn't bother hiding my disdain. Julie was the one who had spent months whispering in Jack's ear that I was lazy, always looking for excuses to take breaks, and that she was nothing like me.

She worked harder, knew the business just as well, and cost the company a fraction of what I did. After hearing it long enough, Jack started to believe it.

I wasn't going to waste my energy arguing with her. I signed the handover documents and slid them across the desk.

The paperwork included my full analysis of the company's financial issues, my notes on how I had handled past problems, and even recommendations for situations I could see coming down the line.

Giving Julie all of this wasn't out of generosity. It was insurance—proof that I had done my job thoroughly—so that whatever fell apart after I left couldn't be pinned on me.

Julie barely glanced at it. "Annie, you really don't have to walk me through all this. I have a finance degree. This isn't that hard."

I pushed the document toward her. "Then go ahead and sign. We'll each keep a copy. Once your name is on this, anything that goes wrong with the company's accounts has nothing to do with me."

That gave her a moment of pause. A flicker of hesitation crossed her face. But then she set the document aside without a second thought.

Jack walked over and picked up the file, scanning it briefly before his gaze drifted to the box on my desk. "You have everything?"

I nodded.

Julie was at Jack's side in an instant. "Mr. Davenport, I was already doing most of this work anyway. It'll be fine with me."

I almost laughed. In reality, I had been standing over her shoulder the entire time, double-checking everything she touched.

More than once, I had pulled all-nighters to clean up her mistakes. I knew exactly who deserved the credit.

But I wasn't in a rush to set the record straight. I just smiled, watched Julie finish signing, and tucked my copy of the document into my bag. I stood up and was about to walk out when Jack stepped in front of me.

"Now that you've resigned, you're no longer part of this company. It's probably best if you leave those things here.

"You've been with us for years. If any confidential information walked out that door with you, the company could take a serious hit."