Chapter 2

My phone hadn't been quiet for five minutes when it rang again.

This time it was a FaceTime call from Claire, my former subordinate who'd stolen my Outstanding Employee award last year.

I declined.

Half a minute later, SnapChat messages popped up, one after another.

"Hey, why aren't you answering?"

"Mr. Grant is really angry. Please reply!"

"You're usually so reliable—why are you being so difficult this time? Don't make things hard for Mr. Grant."

I looked at these messages, my heart perfectly calm.

Claire—full name Claire Patterson—had been with the company three years.

I was the one who trained her from an intern.

I taught her how to negotiate with clients, how to step in when projects had problems.

But she stole my credit and my year-end bonus.

My phone buzzed again. She sent a long message, probably panicking because I hadn't replied:

"Look, I know you're upset about the bonus, but you can't blame the company for this."

"Last year was tough for everyone with the economy. Mr. Grant actually values you a lot. If you quit over this little bit of money, what will people say? Besides, the company invested so much in training you all these years—can you really just walk away with a clear conscience?"

Conscience.

I stared at those two words and suddenly found it almost funny.

I typed back: "Who secretly copied my client files while I was on sick leave? Who repackaged my ideas at staff meetings and presented them as her own? Who bought bubble tea for the entire department before year-end evaluations—and 'forgot' only me?"

"You're the last person who should talk to me about conscience!"

Less than three minutes after I sent that message, she sent another one with a tone of disappointment:

"What's the point of saying all this? You're just making trouble, and you're the only one who'll suffer in the end. Where do you think you can go after leaving the company? Do you know how many graduate students can't find work right now? You're just a bachelor's degree holder, thirty years old and still unmarried. Everything impressive on your resume came from company resources."

"Melissa already said if you don't come back, Mr. Grant will spread the word. Who in this industry will dare hire you then?"

So this was a threat!

My phone buzzed again: "Hello? Say something! We're all waiting."

I opened the chat and sent an emoji:

A smiling bean.

Then I blocked her and got up to wash up.

My new job today was at Horizon Group—our former company's client, the one with the eight-million-dollar project.

The client contact was Mr. Walker. We'd gotten to know each other through the project, and he was very straightforward.

When my former company backstabbed me before the holidays, Mr. Walker sent me a message: "Ms. Bennett, our company desperately needs talent like you. You're wasted where you are. Name your salary—contact me anytime if you're interested!"

I finished washing my face and looked at myself in the mirror.

This year, I was going to live differently.