Chapter 4

There was a brief pause on the other end before Trevor Larkin laughed.

"Good! I've been waiting three months to hear you say that. I'll come pick you up myself at 8:00 am tomorrow."

I hung up.

Andy was still standing there. The smile hadn't fully left his face, but the look in his eyes had changed.

Jason leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Mr. Hampton, who did she call?"

Andy ignored him and glared at me.

I started gathering my things, though there wasn't much to take. My laptop was already destroyed. I slipped a few notebooks into my bag and picked up the crystal trophy engraved with "Outstanding Contribution Award."

Then I walked past Andy and headed for the elevator.

Just as I reached it, Andy deliberately raised his voice behind me. "What's with the act? What does she think she can do?"

Jason laughed along with him, the sound echoing down the hallway.

I didn't respond. I tossed the crystal trophy into the trash can by the elevator. It landed with a loud clunk.

That afternoon, I put my phone on silent and tossed it into my bag. Jason called five times. I didn't answer once.

At that moment, I was sitting across from Trevor Larkin in a meeting room on the 27th floor of Renvara Tech's headquarters.

He poured me a cup of coffee himself. "Everything's finalized. I'll pick you up at 8:00 am tomorrow."

I picked up my coffee. "Okay."

Meanwhile, back at Astrel Group, Jason stood outside Andy's office with his phone in hand.

"Mr. Hampton, Natalie isn't answering."

Andy kept his eyes on his computer. "Fine. Let her. What's she going to do?"

"But that file—"

Andy waved him off. "Give it to someone else. Good riddance. I was getting sick of seeing her every day. She's just a salesperson and acts like she's some big shot."

Jason opened his mouth, then swallowed whatever he was about to say and walked away.

…

The next day at 7:58 am, Michael walked into the conference room with a cup of coffee in hand.

The long table was packed on both sides, the projector was already on, and the morning meeting was about to start.

Michael had barely sat down when his phone started buzzing nonstop. He frowned and opened the first notification.

"Industry News: Former Astrel Group Top Performer Natalie Sadler Joins Renvara Tech as Head of Strategic Development."

Below the headline was a photo of Trevor and me shaking hands.

The color drained from Michael's face. His coffee cup slipped from his hand and hit the conference table, splashing coffee everywhere.

Everyone in the room looked up at him.

Michael ignored them and called me, his fingers trembling.

"The phone you're trying to reach is currently turned off."

He immediately called Trevor instead.

Trevor picked up after two rings, amusement in his voice. "Mr. Cannon, how was your holiday?"

"Trevor Larkin! What are you trying to pull? Natalie signed a noncompete!"

Trevor chuckled. "Mr. Cannon, when Natalie closed her first deal, you were the one who told her she made the rules. You gave her your word, and everyone in this industry knows that means something.

"And that noncompete you're so sure about? Think back. Better yet, go check your records. Do you actually have a signed noncompete from Natalie? Don't be so sure of yourself, Mr. Cannon."

Michael nearly dropped his phone.

Then Trevor added, "Oh, and thanks for sending one of your top performers my way."