After I Left, His Empire Collapsed Chapter 30

After I Left, His Empire Collapsed Chapter 30

Dylan stood frozen. Desperate.

Sadie suddenly snapped to life. Pointed at the phone. At me. Voice ringing with righteous fury.

“Vanessa. How can you be so cruel? You were with this company from the beginning. And now you just stand by and watch it collapse.”

“Have you forgotten everything Dylan and this company did for you? Without him, you’d be nothing.”

A laugh punched out of me. Right through the speaker. Loud enough for the whole room.

Nurturing? Generosity?

She really dared.

I leaned back.

“Nurtured me. Sadie. I joined when this company was a few people in a garage. A shell. Nothing.”

“Dylan himself couldn’t read a quote sheet. He was lost.”

I let the words land. One by one.

“I built the team that actually produces. I pulled all-nighters. Hundreds of scrapped drafts. Years of work.”

“Generosity? The clients? The accounts? Ask Dylan. Every single one. I bled for them. My own savings. My own health. Drinking at dinners until my stomach gave out. I built those relationships.”

“And ask him this.”

My voice rose. Years of swallowed fury breaking through.

“The first two years. He said the company was struggling. Asked me to understand. My salary never moved.”

“Then the money came. He said we needed to reinvest. Promised me more later. A blank check. Empty words.”

“Want to know the result?”

I paused. Took a breath.

“You. Sadie. Fresh hire. Zero experience. A brand-new Porsche within weeks.”

“And me? The one who built his company. Saved it more times than I can count. What did I get?”

“Fired. Tossed out. Threatened with blacklisting.”

“Now there’s a hole in the ship. You’re sinking. And you want me to come plug it?”

One last question.

“Why would I?”