Chapter 2

Hudson had no idea what the project was about, and he made a mess out of it, making it difficult for the project to move forward.

The project became a disaster and needed a scapegoat to take the blame. Rita had no choice but to appoint me to lead the project at the last minute to clean up the mess Hudson caused.

If Hudson wanted this opportunity so badly, I would be more than happy for him to take the blame for the project. At this thought, I looked up at Hudson with a knowing smile. "If you need someone to take charge of this project, I think the best person for it would be Hudson."

I paused to observe Hudson's expression. He looked surprised, and he could not hide the glee in his eye. "Hudson is a top student who graduated from an overseas university and has a lot of experience managing projects. Compared to an old‑timer like me who has always been a low‑level employee, he is a better choice.

"Hudson is young and full of ideas, and he has an open mind as well. I am confident that he can lead this project to success."

I continued praising Hudson with complete sincerity and even patted him on the shoulder, showing that I was doing this for his own good.

Rita started to look upset. "It has not been easy for you to finally have a chance to prove yourself in this company after being with us for years. How is the board of directors supposed to trust you and the company's future if you are afraid of more responsibility?"

She sounded disappointed in me, and I could not help smiling sarcastically when I saw the hypocrisy of her actions.

Rita made it sound like she was trying to do me justice, and I knew she only wanted me to be the scapegoat.

At this thought, I tore the appointment letter and slapped the board member closest to me. The crisp slap echoed throughout the office, and everyone was stunned by what I did.

I ignored their reactions and continued slapping every board member in the office, venting all the anger and grievances I had suffered in the company throughout the years. The board of directors became furious. They insisted that Rita fire me, and they threatened that I would not receive a single cent from the company.

Rita started to panic when she saw her scapegoat about to be kicked out of the company. "Casey, this is not the time for you to be throwing a tantrum at Hudson. Come back right now and apologize to the board. They will not hold it against you on my account."

I flung her hand off me and left the meeting room without looking back. I headed toward the Human Resources Department to hand in my resignation. Along the way, my colleagues did not bother to lower their voices as they jeered at me.

"Is he Casey Shore? He has been with the company for a long time and somehow went crazy right before the project started. I wonder what is wrong with his brain. He even wanted to challenge Mr. Cobb to become lead of the project when Mr. Cobb is currently Miss Scanlon's most trusted employee."

"Just look at how haughty he is. He may claim he does not care about being the project lead, and he must be feeling jealous about whoever gets that job."

"It is just as well that he got fired. The project has been certified internally as a core focus of the company. Once it kicks off, our team will get a major bonus. Everyone will get a cut of it."

It was ironic to hear these people talk about this.

I was the one who built the company's technical department from scratch in the past 5 years, and some of the people talking about me had been trained by me when they first joined the company. At the end of the day, they were just fair‑weathered people.

I had planned to take them with me to leave the company and work at a better place. They had chosen a dead end, and I decided to let them be.

When it came to technical expertise, I was sought after by many companies. As for Rita, I wanted to see how she would repay billions in debt in this life when she did not have me as a scapegoat.