The Company Demanded Everything From Me, So I Let It Burn Chapter 03

The Company Demanded Everything From Me, So I Let It Burn Chapter 03

I walked out with Evan still shouting behind me.

The next morning, I’d barely made it to my desk.

The coworker beside me stared as if he’d seen a ghost.

“Weren’t you supposed to be in Detroit for that client meeting today? Why didn’t you go with them?!”

I answered without missing a beat.

“What does that have to do with me? It’s not my account.”

He gave me an awkward smile.

They’d gotten far too comfortable having an on-call good-luck charm for free. It was time they found out whether they could close a deal without me.

A few minutes later, Evan stormed over and slapped a file onto my desk.

“Ethan, have you lost your mind?! Why weren’t you in Detroit for that client meeting?”

“Do you have any idea how much business you just cost this company?!”

One look at Evan told me all I needed to know. So they hadn’t been able to close the deal on their own.

I took my time answering.

“Their flight was at eight. I start work at nine. I wasn’t going to make it.”

Evan clenched his jaw.

“Then why didn’t you go earlier?!”

“We’ve had that Detroit account for years, and you just blew it! That’s gross negligence!”

I gave him a genuinely puzzled look.

“Why would I report to work before I’m on the clock?”

“You might want to check my job description. Babysitting my coworkers through client negotiations isn’t on it.”

“Besides, deals are supposed to be won on merit. I’m just the guy who supposedly takes trips to milk the expense account, remember? I’d only be in the way.”

Evan was practically panting with anger when someone hurried over and whispered in his ear.

His expression changed. When he looked back at me, his voice was ice-cold.

“Rexford Technologies is here to sign, and they asked for you by name.”

“This is your one chance to make up for the mess you caused. Don’t play games.”

I nodded.

“Don’t worry. I’ll follow company policy exactly.”

If Vantage assigned me work during my scheduled hours, I had no reason to refuse it.

The second I stepped into the conference room, everyone looked to me, waiting for me to take over.

I set the documents on the table and got straight to the point.

“You can head back. The agreement we negotiated is off.”

The client stared at me.

“Excuse me? Is Vantage seriously playing games with us?”

I let the corner of my mouth curl upward.

“Sorry. We negotiated that deal after my scheduled hours. According to company policy, work done off the clock doesn’t count.”