Chapter 1

“Aaron, what do you mean by this?”

There was a trace of irritation in Victoria Quinn’s voice. Her brows were tightly drawn, but with so many employees present, she had no choice but to maintain a calm façade as she questioned me patiently.

I could clearly sense the anger brewing beneath the surface, ready to explode at any moment.

Everyone was looking at me with barely concealed delight at my misfortune. A few even laughed out loud, all waiting for the drama to unfold.

Victoria handed my ID badge back to me, and she softened her tone slightly. This was already the greatest concession she was capable of making for me.

“Having Leon here is just a formality. We’ve known each other for years. He’s only staying for a while. When the opportunity comes, you can apply for the vice president position as well. We’re all adults. There’s no need to throw a childish tantrum over this.”

However, I had long since lost all hope, and my response was unwavering.

“No, Ms. Quinn. I’m done.”

Her expression immediately darkened. She clearly did not expect me to embarrass her in front of so many people.

Leon Shane saw this and spoke up. His voice carried a hint of humility and concession.

“Ms. Quinn, Mr. Cabell truly is the backbone of the company. With me suddenly parachuting into this role, people might not say it out loud, but they probably have their reservations. I’m willing to start from the ground up and leave the opportunity to someone more capable.”

Still, instead of calming Victoria down, Leon’s restraint only made her angrier. She cut in decisively, “Leon, don’t sell yourself short. No one is more qualified for this position than you. If I put you here, it means you deserve it. If anyone has a problem with that, they can come to me directly.”

With Victoria making her stance clear, no one dared to voice any objections. One after another, they nodded and said they would follow her arrangements.

Then, she turned to me impatiently. “Aaron, I’ve said everything that needs to be said. If you’d like to keep working here, stay. If not, get out.”

I gave a faint, cold smile, letting out a bitter chuckle. I had always known that her patience with me had never matched what she showed others. It was not even as much as she would show a newly hired intern.

Before I could respond, Victoria spoke again.

“Leon, sit next to me. Let’s officially begin the annual meeting. It’s a good chance to introduce you to the heads of each department.”

At that moment, I felt like a forgotten clown, standing there with nowhere to belong. I could still feel the glances on me. Some were sympathetic while others were mocking.

I did not hesitate any longer. I took off my wedding ring, placed it on the conference table, and turned to leave.

“Aaron! If you walk out of this conference room, don’t ever come back!” Victoria’s voice rang out behind me, sharp with anger.

I did not respond. I walked straight out of the room.

The moment I stepped outside, a few colleagues hurried over, offering hollow, performative advice. They had probably heard about everything that had happened in the conference room through the grapevine.

“Mr. Cabell, at our age, isn’t the priority just staying employed?”

“Unemployment is no joke, especially for someone like you. Even fresh graduates are struggling for jobs these days. Who would dare hire you at this age? I’m just being blunt. Please don’t take it the wrong way.”

I looked at their fake smiles. Every word implied the same thing—Victoria had given me my position. Without the company, I was nothing; without her, I was even less.

I paused for a moment. The meeting behind me had ended.

Laughter erupted, and I heard them congratulating Victoria for getting rid of me, with a few people even joking that she should kick me out of our marriage.

I turned around to look at this toxic company and all these utterly hypocritical faces. A wave of exhaustion washed over me, and I let out a deep, weary sigh.