Chapter 5

For the next week, I followed the company’s rules to the letter.

I clocked in at 8:59 AM and clocked out at 5:01 PM.

Not a minute early, not a minute late.

I didn’t step out of the office once to meet with a client.

I was given a small cubicle in a forgotten corner, where I sat quietly, organizing unimportant files and occasionally replying to non-essential emails.

Lia, on the other hand, was a whirlwind of performative activity.

She wore a different designer suit every day, her makeup flawless, and paraded around the office with the latest Hermès bag.

Even more ridiculously, she posted an update on Instagram almost every two hours.

“Another busy day starts! Coffee in hand, ready to conquer the business world! #BossLady #Hustle”

“Lunch meeting with a potential client. Always networking, always growing! #Entrepreneur #Success”

…

Each post was accompanied by a picture of her pretending to be busy in the office or a staged shot of a business lunch.

But in reality?

From my corner, I had a clear view of her every move.

She spent most of her time shopping online, fixing her makeup in a compact mirror, or scrolling through social media.

The few calls she made all ended in failure.

“What? Not interested? But we’re a company with great potential…”

“Wait, don’t hang up, we can negotiate the price…”

“Hello? Hello? Damn it, they hung up again!”

Listening to her get rejected time after time, I felt nothing as I continued organizing my files.

By Wednesday, things had taken a noticeable turn for the worse.

The company was starting to have cash flow problems.

Claude found me.

“Caroline, you know the company is having financial issues, don’t you?”

I looked up at him, my expression innocent. “Financial issues? That’s a shame.”

“Don’t play dumb!” Claude hissed, his voice low but fierce. “You haven’t contacted a single client this week! You haven’t brought in a single dollar!”

“Claude,” I said, putting down my documents and looking at him seriously, “I’m simply following company policy. HR informed me that I’m on an observation period and need to reflect on my violations. If I were to go out and court clients now, wouldn’t that be defying the company’s decision?”

Claude’s face grew darker. “You…”

“Besides,” I continued, “hasn’t the company already appointed Lia as the Senior Client Director? Client retention and development are her responsibilities now. How can I, a suspended employee, overstep my bounds and do her job?”

Claude’s fists clenched. I could see the veins throbbing in his temples.

“Are you threatening me?” he said through gritted teeth.

“Threatening you?” I let out a small laugh. “I’m just a law-abiding employee.”

Claude stared at me for a long, hard moment, then suddenly let out a cold laugh.

“Fine. Just fine,” he said, his voice laced with malice. “You think this company can't survive without you? Fine. Watch me. I'm closing the Wellington deal and securing a huge round of funding. I don’t need you to bring in anything!”

With that, he turned to face the entire office and announced, his voice booming so everyone could hear:

“As of today, I, as CEO, am officially informing you all that Caroline is fired! Effective immediately!”

The office fell silent. Everyone stared, shocked.

I slowly stood up, feeling no anger or resentment, and gave a calm nod.

“I understand.”

Claude clearly hadn’t expected me to be so placid. He frowned. “You have nothing to say?”

“No,” I said, starting to pack my few personal belongings. “It’s the CEO’s decision. Of course, I’ll comply.”

My reaction seemed to unnerve him.

But at that moment, I was already planning my next move.

Back home, I took a contract out of my safe.

Claude had likely forgotten that the lease for the office building his company currently occupied was set to expire the next day.

I picked up the phone and called my real estate agent, Marcus.

“The lease on my office space in Midtown Manhattan expires tomorrow. I plan to re-list it. Can you arrange that for me?”

“Of course! That location is prime real estate. I have a few clients looking for a similar space right now.”

“Excellent. Tomorrow at 10 AM, bring the highest bidder to view the property.”

Marcus’s excited voice came through the phone: “Perfect. That spot is in high demand. There’s a security firm willing to pay double the current rent.”