After I Left, His Empire Collapsed Chapter 20

After I Left, His Empire Collapsed Chapter 20

Amsterdam.

The flight took a day. When I landed, Mr. DeVries was already at the gate.

“Vanessa. Finally. I’ve been waiting to bring you on board.”

“Come. I set up an apartment near the office. Take a look. Too small? I’ll move you to a canal-facing penthouse.”

Warmth bloomed in my chest.

Back in Austin, the commute was brutal. I’d suggested renting a small apartment near the office. Maybe a few hundred square feet. Just to save the four hours of daily driving. More time for work. For rest.

Julian threw the papers on the desk. Called me wasteful. Said the company was bleeding cash. Even Sadie knew to skip the free Perrier to cut costs. Meanwhile I, a company veteran, only thought about comfort. Selfish. Disconnected.

He never considered the math. Four hours a day. My output. The return would’ve paid for itself a hundred times over.

But no explanation was enough. He accused me of making excuses. Lazy. Looking for shortcuts.

We fought. He stormed out. Checked into a hotel near the office. Silent treatment. A full month. I had to grovel before he’d let it go.

I shook the memory away.

Mr. DeVries got me settled. Gave me a tour. Onboarding.

I adapted fast. Within a week, I closed a multi-million-euro deal. My boss threw me a promotion. A raise. An office party.

The new team was solid. People helped each other. Good atmosphere. The work moved fast.

At Julian’s company, everyone had been focused on kissing up to him or currying favor with his favorite, Sadie. Nobody did real work.

Now? Career climbing. Life smoothing out.