The Company Demanded Everything From Me, So I Let It Burn Chapter 04

The Company Demanded Everything From Me, So I Let It Burn Chapter 04

The client tore into us. Evan apologized until he was hoarse, but there was no saving the deal.

The moment they were gone, he rounded on me.

“You’re doing this on purpose! You keep wrecking client relationships because you want Vantage to

fail!”

I held out my hands, all innocence.

“Weren’t you the one who said anything an employee creates on company time belongs to the company?”

“Well, I negotiated that order after hours. What if a deal made off the clock ends up costing the company money?”

“I learned my lesson. I wouldn’t want to leave Vantage exposed to a risk like that.”

Evan’s features twisted.

“You’re doing this on purpose!”

I shook my head as if I genuinely felt bad for him.

“If I don’t follow your rules, I’m wrong. If I do follow them, I’m still wrong. So tell me, Evan, what exactly would make you happy?”

Evan stared at me and spat,

“Asshole. Enjoy it while it lasts.”

I frowned at the language, but I didn’t bother taking the bait.

The next day, Vanessa stormed into my office and started laying into me before she’d even asked

what happened.

“I asked Evan to help me run things, and you’ve been going after him just because you’ve been here longer! Ethan, you’re a grown man. Are you really bullying the new guy? Stop acting like this place revolves around you.”

I laughed, though there wasn’t anything funny about it. Evan had been at Vantage for three months, and now he was apparently qualified to do the CEO’s job? I hadn’t even raised the issue, yet he’d gone straight to Vanessa and twisted everything around.

The moment I said as much, Vanessa lost patience.

“Who’s the CEO, you or me? Evan is talented, and I personally authorized him to take on more

responsibility. I decide who I delegate to. You don’t get to question that.”

I said nothing. My expression must have given me away, because Vanessa’s tone softened.

“And don’t expect special treatment just because you’re my fiance. I’ve told you before. At work we keep personal matters out of it.”

I almost laughed. She seemed to have forgotten that the only reason she had the CEO title in the first place was because I’d landed the Sterling Group contract for her.

So much for separating business from personal matters. Sterling Group’s annual procurement bid was next week. I was curious to see how brilliant Evan and impeccably professional Vanessa planned to win it without me.

At the next morning’s all-hands meeting, the company publicly upheld Evan’s punishment. They would confiscate my $500 prize and dock another $5,000 from my pay for supposedly

misappropriating company funds.

Evan looked delighted with himself.

“Hey, you. Get up here and apologize in front of everyone. Consider it a warning to the rest of the company. Know your place, and don’t make the same mistake.”

He wasn’t interested in any apology. He wanted a public humiliation.

I walked to the front and took my time before speaking.

“I’m sorry. I was wrong.”