I Take the Fall, but They Pay the Price

"Flynn, do you think resigning means you're off the hook? Dream on! You've cost the company at least 8 million dollars!"

I had barely returned to my desk when Liam Johnson swept everything I had just packed up onto the floor. He stood there, berating me with an arrogant look on his face.

My coworkers exchanged glances, but no one said a word.

I retorted, "Then, what do you want me to do?"

Liam immediately stuck his nose up, crowing, "Obviously, I want you to cover the shortfall and make up for the company's losses! Also, you have to hand over all the projects you're currently working on and stay on to help us finish them!"

The projects under my name were practically the lifeblood of the company. Each of them was a major client, and I had poured my blood, sweat, and tears into winning them.

Liam wasn't just trying to pin the allegations of embezzlement and accounting fraud onto me.

He wanted to squeeze every bit of value out of me before I left.

I turned to my wife, Megan Grant.

She fell silent for a moment, but then she sided with Liam. "He's right. After all, the company's losses have already happened. If you're willing to cover the shortfall and help him finish the projects, I can consider letting you stay in the company."

The moment she finished speaking, a smug smile spread across Liam's face.

I'd noticed the way Megan treated Liam differently almost six months ago, when he first joined the company.

She never paid much attention to the hiring process for new employees, but that time, she interviewed him personally.

In the end, despite several highly qualified candidates, she insisted on hiring him as her assistant.

When I asked her why, she said it was because Liam reminded her of me when we were his age. She said she was only giving him a helping hand and that I shouldn't read too much into it.

Even though we had been secretly married for seven years, Megan, who had always refused to play favorites, repeatedly lowered her standards for Liam.

I used to comfort myself, thinking that she was simply trying to make up for the years when the two of us had nothing.

However, as I stood here now, I could no longer lie to myself.

I laughed coldly and said, "Liam is just an assistant. What makes you think he's qualified to take over my projects? And you want me to work under him?"

For years, I had swallowed my anger. Megan clearly did not expect me to suddenly snap back.

A flash of annoyance crossed Liam's eyes, but his voice remained innocent. "Flynn, I only suggested that because you're one of the company's longest employees. I was just trying to give you a chance to make things right.

"Even if you don't appreciate it, there's no reason to make it personal."