Chapter 1

That very night, the group chat blew up.

Patrick Hoffman, my now-former boss and the chairman of United Enterprise, messaged me in private.

"Heath Carter! Have you lost your mind? What the heck kind of nonsense are you spouting? Delete that message right this instant!"

"It's too late for me to delete it, but why are you so panicked, Mr. Carter? I'm just using you as a case study. Why are you getting so worked up?"

After responding to Patrick, I posted my résumé in the group chat.

"I'm in urgent need of employment and able to start anytime. If you've got any financial problems, I'm available for consultation. I've got insider info on well-known companies, and my rates are fair. You can trust that there's no deception here!"

People in the group started chiming in.

"Heath, did your account get hacked?"

"You'll get thrown in jail if you leak corporate secrets!"

That response made me scoff, and I responded with, "Who said I'm leaking anything? I'm just sharing a case study of mine. That's well within my rights as a job seeker. I can't even put food on the table at home, and my wife's sick. Why else do you think I'm here offering my services?"

Someone who knew about what had happened specifically mentioned Patrick in the group chat. "What's going on, Mr. Hoffman? Mr. Carter used to be your right-hand man. After all this, you're not going to do anything?"

It was a while before Patrick finally replied, "The so-called case study is nothing but fabricated lies! Heath Carter committed a grievous mistake that caused massive losses to the company and was dismissed as a result. Keep your eyes open, everyone. Don't get fooled by him!"

Upon seeing his claims, I felt the burst of anger rushing to my head. Patrick could go to hell for all I cared. He was the one who spent 50 million dollars on an investment that led to a loss of over a billion dollars. Yet here he was, trying to smear my reputation.

I wasn't going to take that lying down.

Without saying a word, I uploaded a financial report detailing the costs incurred in the development of a game for another company.

Immediately, a business owner by the name of Donovan Fowler sent me a private message.

"Are those numbers real, Heath? It only took a few million dollars? You're not pulling one over me, right?"

"I can guarantee the numbers are real," I replied.

"What the hell? Patrick Hoffman tricked me into investing over ten million dollars in that project, claiming that money was tight. And he only gave me two million dollars in dividends once the project was completed! He played me for a fool!

"I knew something was fishy. So many people made accounts for the game, but we never got to see the detailed financial breakdown. Patrick kept claiming that the numbers were confidential. Well, seems to me that he took a fat cut for himself and only left a few crumbs for the rest of us! That damned bastard!"

Donovan was livid. Even though we were texting, I could imagine his reddened cheeks puffing with anger.

But I didn't respond. I simply left him hanging to keep him waiting. Soon enough, he grew impatient.

"Heath, can you help me take him down? That bastard has gone off on a snow mountain climbing trip. He gave me some bullshit about conquering new heights, leaving me here to work my butt off holding things together."

Cocking my brows, I glanced into the hospital room where my wife, Georgia Lowe, was lying. Then, I replied, "Why should I help you? How is it worth my while?"

As soon as I said that, Donovan made a transfer of 100 thousand dollars to my bank account. "Let's meet in person to discuss this when we can, Heath. Use the money to cover any emergencies you have first."

While I didn't respond, I accepted the money.

After I'd paid off Georgia's hospital bills, I finally had the time to process everything. With my laptop in hand, I drove into the basement parking lot of the company building.

The elevators here gave me direct access to the company's main entrance. Before I left the company after getting fired, I'd decided to leave a little something as an insurance policy for myself. There was something that only I could make happen.

Half an hour later, I went back to the car with my laptop and immediately texted Patrick, "Let the games begin, Patrick. Starting from this moment, I'll be dropping a bomb every eight hours. Prepare yourself."

Patrick didn't take me seriously. He called me up and said scornfully, "Don't even try to threaten me, Heath. You have no evidence at all. The only thing you can do is go around running your mouth.

"Go on, then. I dare you to expose everything! You'd go to prison for cooking the books, too!"

I chuckled. "Who said I'd be going to prison? You forced me to do it. Besides, who said I was going to use the falsified accounts to threaten you? Need I remind you of all the dirt there is to find on you, Patrick?

"It'll only take three days—I'll be releasing what I've got every eight hours. You can count on me to keep my word."

After ending the call, I went on X and exposed Patrick for having taken advantage of a female employee in the past, demanding sexual favors from her.

This was just the start, of course. After all, a sex scandal wouldn't amount to much when I was trying to take down the chairman of a company.