Sandra Wendell stormed over to confront me. This was the first time I’d seen her lose control like this.

I repeated flatly, “I’m resigning. It’s over between us.”

Without saying another word, I turned back to my desk and began packing my things.

I’d been with Wendell Group since its founding, and I’d spent years in this office. There was a lot to pack.

I placed my thermos, blanket, and other personal items into a box, then started going through the work files.

These were all projects I led, and many of those clients only agreed to work with us because of me. But I couldn’t follow through on them anymore.

Sandra watched me like a hawk and said coldly, “Fred, you’re 34. You’ve made it to deputy CEO. That’s not an easy achievement. You know how bad the economy is right now. Are you seriously going to throw this all away on a whim?”

Instead of answering, I printed out my resignation letter and signed it.

Sandra’s frown deepened.

Just then, Lester Hale, the intern, walked in carrying a cup of coffee. He stole a cautious glance at me and said, “Ms. Wendell, is Fred doing this because of me? Is he resigning to force me out? I won’t put you in a tough spot, Ms. Wendell. Fred is a veteran here. I should be the one to go.”

His eyes, red around the edges, shone with sadness.

Any hesitation in Sandra’s eyes vanished instantly, replaced by nothing but deep annoyance toward me.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify