Notice of Love Termination

Sebastian Fade was silent for a moment on the other end of the line, then let out a light laugh. He asked, "What kind of company would tie its top talent down with rigid rules? This is just ridiculous."

He then spoke with a serious tone, "I would like to know the details on your side, Vera."

I sent him the project summary and replied, "Please offer me a partner position; we will share this project and all future profits."

He replied almost instantly, sending over a digital investment agreement.

"This project can open up a market worth over a hundred million dollars. If you bring it to us, offering you a partner position is us getting a bargain. However, aren't you about to marry Chance Goode? If you do this now, aren't you worried he'll cause trouble? I remember when you declined my invite to give a tech presentation before," said Sebastian.

I quickly filled out the agreement and felt a coldness in my heart.

"Let's just talk about our cooperation. I want to confirm if we have this project, can we take the lead in the next quarter's industry standard evaluation?" I asked.

He responded confidently, "Chance gained some standing in the industry because of you. If you come to work with us, I guarantee he won't get a say in the future industry standards."

I sent the signed agreement back to him, along with the project handover details.

"Then I look forward to your performance," I said.

Sebastian received the documents and immediately dropped the casual tone, his voice turning solemn. "Have you thought this through, Vera? Once you join us, I will never let you take the project with you, even if you and Chance reconcile later."

I sneered inside.

'Reconcile? That will never happen,' I thought.

I had paid for a first-class ticket myself because I was in a race against time; I had to close the deal before our competitors.

Chance ignored my explanation and believed the one-sided story from Maeve Zolten.

"All employees must request train tickets in the administrative system before business trips, yet you bought a first-class plane ticket on your own. This is a blatant violation of the rules!" Maeve accused.

I scoffed and turned to Chance.

"Do you realize the executive VP of our partner company was on that first-class flight? The company wouldn't have secured this deal if I hadn't prepared in advance and beaten our competitors, yet I'm the one at fault?" I retorted.

Chance frowned and said, "Don't flatter yourself, Vera. I had arranged a strategic cooperation with Mr. Zeke. Your trip was only a formality to sign a contract, but you openly challenged the cost-cutting policy Maeve is enforcing, using the company's finances for personal comfort. That deserves punishment! This isn't about money, Vera. It's about your attitude. If you don't admit fault, it's because you don't respect company rules!"

His words froze me. All the fuss over his little assistant.

I felt absurd because paying with my own money was not allowed. I acted purely for the sake of the company, but it only left me heartbroken.

Maeve was only an intern, but Chance put her fully in charge of the 'cost-cutting' company policy reformation.

The most ridiculous rule was that all employees must travel by train to control costs.

I had been overseas on the project and had not noticed the new regulation.

Previously, executives could travel by plane or upgrade if necessary, as long as they followed the standard protocol.

I assumed the process was the same. While my request was still under review, Maeve spotted that my reimbursement was for a plane ticket and immediately reported it to Chance. Her computer had the sternly worded report email saved, too.

I shook my head, snapped out of it, and suppressed my emotions. I told Sebastian, "Please reserve an office for me. I'll bring the full plan tomorrow."

Then, I hung up and went to pack my office belongings.

Having built the company from scratch with Chance for six years, managing over a hundred staff, my office carried too much of my effort and had too many things.

I had packed my personal laptop and several boxes of documents, and I was ready to leave.

The security guards blocked the exit of the entire floor.

I stared at them, confused.

Then Maeve, flanked by several administrative staff, approached aggressively.

They surrounded me, and the guards handcuffed my hands behind my back.

I could not understand what was happening and struggled.

"What are you doing?" I exclaimed.

Maeve went to Chance and nodded to the guards.

She said with a cutting voice, "Thankfully, the security team acted fast. She almost took the company's core intel with her."

My wrists were in pain due to the twist and rough handling.

I felt humiliated in front of all my subordinates.

I frowned and demanded, "What intel did I take? Let go of me immediately!"

She pointed at my laptop.

"It's all in there, right? And these documents too! I knew you'd be resentful after being fired. You would've moved everything if I had not been careful!"

I suppressed my emotions but felt my temples throbbing from anger. "That's my personal laptop and drafts!" I exclaimed.

She did not glance at me and spoke with contempt.

"Any storage device leaving the company must be reviewed by the information security department. Why didn't I see your application in the system?" she asked.