That’s when I caught the faint scent of Ryan’s cologne lingering on her.
“Jake, are you seriously still upset?” she asked, her tone a mix of exasperation and disbelief.
“I’ve already explained this to you–everything I’m doing is for the company. Just because we’ve gone public doesn’t mean we can relax. If anything, now’s the time to focus even harder.”
“Ryan may not be the most capable,” she continued, “but he’s got connections, he’s great at networking, and his family owns businesses we might collaborate with in the future. Giving him shares wasn’t about favoritism–it was about what’s best for the company.”
I hadn’t expected her to justify herself like this.
But it didn’t matter. Whether she believed her own excuses or not, I didn’t,
“Mm–hmm,” I replied dismissively and walked into the bedroom, shutting the door behind me.
Emily must’ve been stunned because she stood outside for a moment before angrily kicking the door. “Fine! Act like this all you want, Jake! But don’t come crying to me later when you regret it!”
The next morning, I came out of the bedroom to find Emily sitting on the couch, meticulously ironing a brand–new suit.
When she saw me, she immediately jumped up, holding the suit out toward me.
“Here, try this on,” she said cheerfully, practically shoving it into my hands.
Trecognized it instantly–it was a limited–edition Chanel suit. Not only was it outrageously expensive, but it was also notoriously hard to get.
1:02 PM dd
<
I’d even hinted to Emily once that I thought it looked amazing.
After changing into the suit, I stepped out of the bedroom, feeling an unexpected tightness in my throat. I was about to say something, but Emily spoke first, her tone light and teasing.
“You and Ryan are about the same size. It fits you perfectly, so it should look just as good on him.”
She smiled as she reached out to carefully take the jacket off me.
“Be careful not to wrinkle it,” she added. “I spent so much time getting it just right.”
Then, she folded the suit back into its gift box, looking pleased with herself, and headed out the door with it.
I knew she was doing this on purpose, punishing me for yesterday.
But instead of feeling angry, all I felt was a sense of detachment. It was childish, after all.
Later that morning, I got a call and made my way to the office to finalize my resignation.
The moment I stepped into the building, I spotted Ryan sitting on my desk, surrounded by coworkers fawning over him like he was the star of the show.
One of them walked up to me with a smug grin. “Jake, go grab some coffee for everyone.”
“Why?” I asked, checking my watch. I wasn’t late.
The coworker grinned wider. “Emily said whoever gets to the office last has to buy everyone coffee. And guess what? You’re the last one here.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Ryan cut in, standing up and adjusting the suit jacket he was wearing–the same one Emily had taken that morning.
“I wouldn’t want Jake running errands for everyone,” he said, his voice loud enough for the whole room to hear. “I’ll go instead.”
Of course, he made no move to leave.
Right on cue, Emily walked out of her office. Her eyes flicked to Ryan’s suit, and for a split second, her expression faltered before she quickly recovered.
She stepped forward, straightening his collar with a smile. “I knew it would look great on you,” she said warmly.
The others erupted into cheers and laughter.
Emily’s face flushed slightly as she glanced at me, clearly checking to see if I’d react with jealousy or anger.
But I didn’t. My heart was like a still lake–calm, empty, and unaffected.
Emily didn’t seem satisfied with my lack of response. Her tone turned cold as she said, “I already told everyone–whoever got here last needs to buy coffee. If you’re not going to cooperate, why are you even here?”
A coworker pointed at me. “Jake was the last one in!”
Emily smirked. “Go on, then. And if you don’t, I’ll fire you.”
Apparently, she hadn’t seen my resignation email yet.
I didn’t bother hiding it anymore.
“I’m not here to work,” I said calmly. “I’m here to resign.”
4
The room fell silent.
Some of my coworkers, the ones who still got along with me, couldn’t help but lean in and whisper.
1:03 PM
“Jake, are you sure about this? The boss just announced raises for everyone. Quitting now would be a terrible move.”
“Yeah, didn’t you hear her tone? She was just joking earlier.”
I stayed calm, my voice steady. “I’m not joking. I already submitted my resignation to HR yesterday.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a flicker of excitement in Ryan’s expression.
He opened his mouth, ready to say something, but when he saw Emily’s unreadable gaze, he swallowed his words and stayed quiet.
Emily frowned, her eyes narrowing as she looked at me.
“Do you even realize what you’re doing? Do you understand how much you’re giving up by walking away from this company right now?”
Of course, I knew.
I was giving up stress, manipulation, and the invisible chains that had kept me tied here for far too long.
Ryan, ever the opportunist, put on his usual wounded act. “Jake, I get it. You’re still upset with me, right?” He sighed dramatically. “Maybe I should just leave instead. After all, you and Emily have worked together for so many years. It’d be a shame for you to go now.”
As he spoke, he started heading for the door, glancing at Emily out of the corner of his eye, clearly waiting for her to stop him.
I almost laughed out loud at how obvious he was.
Sure enough, Emily fell for it–or pretended to. She grabbed his arm, her voice soft and affectionate.
“This has nothing to do with you, Ryan. No one’s asking you to leave.”
Ryan’s face lit up with smug satisfaction.
Still, he wasn’t done with his performance. He sighed again, shaking his head as though he were making a huge sacrifice. “But Jake’s been with the company for so long. I’ll try to talk some sense into him.”
He walked up to me, putting on a show for the audience.
“Jake, come on,” he said, his voice dripping with fake sincerity. “Think it over. We’d all hate to see you go. Honestly, we’ve always thought of you as a good friend.”
