Chapter 2Fired Under False Charges, All VIP Clients Left Him

Looking at Jackson's treacherous face and the malicious, gloating smirks of my coworkers, a wave of pure nausea washed over me.

This was the place I had poured three years of my life into. I dragged this firm out of the gutter, only to realize it was rotting from the roots all along.

This dump was not worth another second of my time.

I gave them exactly what they wanted. "Fine. I quit."

Jackson clearly did not expect me to fold so easily. He blinked in surprise before his smug arrogance returned tenfold.

"Smart choice."

"Go pack up your garbage and get the hell out of my building."

I did not say another word. I turned on my heel, walked into my corner office, and systematically packed my life into a single cardboard box.

Just as I hoisted the box and walked toward the main exit, Jackson barked across the bull pen.

"Hold on."

Two male associates dragged a rusted metal mop bucket to the center of the walkway, directly in my path. The water inside was a filthy, sludgy gray, reeking of bleach and mildew.

I frowned. "What is this?"

Jackson crossed his arms, looking down his nose at me like I was a pest.

"Step over it. We need to cleanse the stench you are leaving behind. Vanguard is too classy to harbor a toxic plague like you."

"Especially a woman who traded favors on her back to get to the top. It is disgusting."

He was not even trying to hide it anymore. He was publicly slut-shaming me in front of the entire office.

The two associates who dragged the bucket over started snickering.

"Oh right, I guess we cannot call her VP Wendy anymore. Hey, since you are unemployed now, maybe your nightly rates will go down?"

"Must be nice being a woman. Just bat your eyelashes, whisper sweet nothings in the right ear, and skip right to the top of the corporate ladder."

"Honestly, knowing I had to take orders from her for a year makes me want to puke!"

I actually laughed.

A year ago, those exact two associates were on the verge of being fired by Jackson for failing their probationary assessments and botching their paperwork.

I was the one who pulled them onto my core team, hand-held them through massive projects, and saved their jobs!

What an absolute pack of rabid dogs.

I dropped all pretense of being professional. While they were still laughing, I took a step back, planted my left foot, and delivered a vicious roundhouse kick directly into the side of the metal bucket.

Crash!

The heavy bucket went flying across the polished marble floor. Gallons of filthy, gray water and grimy mop strings exploded everywhere, soaking the pristine shoes and tailored pants of the men mocking me.

Screams and curses erupted across the room.

"Are you insane?!" Jackson shrieked, jumping back to save his Italian loafers.

I did not give him a second glance. Ignoring the utter chaos behind me, I walked straight out the glass double doors of Vanguard Law with my head held high.

Standing on the sidewalk, the cool Chicago breeze washed away the lingering heat of my anger.

Honestly, finding out a company was pure poison before wasting another year of my life there was a blessing in disguise!

Jackson truly believed the firm was going to skyrocket without me?

I could not wait to watch it burn.

I pulled out my phone and opened my pinned group chat. It had exactly four members, titled "Summit Squad."

I did not type out a long explanation. I did not cry. I just sent three words.

"I got fired."

The chat was dead silent for exactly three seconds.

Then, my phone started vibrating violently.

Lincoln texted first.

[Did you not just hand them the Apex contract from Preston? Why the hell would they fire you?!]

I sent a quick voice memo. "Jackson claimed I went AWOL during the three days I was hiking Blackwood Peak with Preston."

Lincoln was a legendary real estate mogul in the city. He owned half the commercial blocks downtown and had a notoriously short temper. He immediately fired back an audio message.

"I am bringing my security team down there right now to bulldoze that pathetic little office! If it was not for you, Val, I would never have let a dumpster-fire firm like that touch my legal work!"

Felix jumped in next. His tone was fiercely protective. "Do not stress, sis. I am hacking their mainframe right now. I will clone their entire client database and pack it up for you!"

Felix was a tech billionaire prodigy. He loved playing around with cybersecurity. When he found out I was working at a no-name firm, he casually tossed a three-million-dollar tech contract onto my desk just to be supportive.

I typed a quick, collective response. "I am a lawyer, guys. We do not commit cybercrimes or property damage."

Right after that, Victoria's name popped up. She was the oldest and most successful of our crew. She sent a full sixty-second voice note, her tone absolutely lethal.

"Vanguard is burning the bridge after crossing the river. They got a taste of real money, realized they are close to an IPO, and terminated you so they do not have to pay out your promised equity. What absolute trash. If Vanguard does not have you, they do not deserve my business. I am terminating my contract with them today."

I typed frantically. "Wait, what about the penalty fees?"

"I am a billionaire, honey. I can afford a penalty fee!"

Almost simultaneously, two more messages popped up.

Lincoln: "Agree. Contract terminated. I will pay the damn fee!"

Felix: "Yeah. Contract terminated. Send them the bill!"