Chapter 3When Tears Cannot Save Your Career

Her head snapped up, her eyes widening in immediate panic before turning violently red.

Without a word, she dropped to a crouch beside my desk.

Pulling her knees to her chest, her shoulders began to heave as large, heavy tears spilled over her lashes.

"I'm just relaying what the state reviewer told me... why do you never believe anything I say...?"

Tyler was the first to rush over, dropping to his knees beside her, murmuring hushed reassurances. A marketing coordinator dashed over with a pack of tissues, while an account rep picked up their phone to call HR.

Within seconds, cutting glares converged on me like knives.

"What is his problem? She went out of her way to handle his paperwork, and instead of saying thank you, he just interrogates her? It’s sickening."

"If the state board asked for the files, what does that have to do with her? If he's so tough, why doesn't he go yell at the state board instead of picking on a girl half his size?"

"I used to think Sean was pretty decent to work with. When did he become such an arrogant prick?"

A cold, bitter amusement washed over me. Alyssa’s theatrical instincts really were extraordinary. She understood workplace dynamics intimately: in the court of public opinion, the person who cried first owned the moral high ground.

I hadn't raised my voice. I hadn't used an aggressive word.

Yet the moment she fell to the floor in tears, I was instantly transformed from a respected Senior Architect into an abusive workplace monster.

Ignoring the murmur of the crowd, I unlocked my phone and dialed the direct line to the State Licensing Board.

The dial tone rang through the quiet space. Alyssa’s weeping abruptly paused.

She looked up, watching my screen with wide eyes. With every consecutive ring, the blood drained further from her face until she went completely pale.

The call connected.

"State Board of Architectural Registration, this is Administrator Henderson speaking."

"Hello, Mr. Henderson. This is Sean Ellis from Apex Design Group—"

Before I could finish my sentence, Alyssa let out an ear-splitting shriek of tears.

"You don't trust me! You've had it out for me from the start! Fine, fire me! I’ll just quit, okay?!"

The screaming and sobbing were so deafening that communicating through the phone became impossible. "Mr. Henderson, I apologize, let me call you right back," I said, terminating the call.

By then, the entire HR department had materialized at the end of the aisle, with Garrett leading the pack. Seeing his subordinate curled up on the carpet, his face darkened into pure thunder.

Brenda and another specialist helped Alyssa to her feet, supporting her trembling frame as they led her back toward their wing.

Before stepping through the double doors, Garrett turned and fired a venomous glare in my direction.

I paid him no mind. I picked up my phone, pushed open the heavy door to the fire stairwell, and redialed Harold Henderson’s number.

"Mr. Henderson, I apologize for the noise earlier. I wanted to clarify a procedural inquiry regarding my renewal packet..."

I briefly summarized the documentation Alyssa claimed was required.

Henderson let out a low hum. My stomach dropped—for a split second, I wondered if I truly had misjudged her.

"Sean," Henderson continued calmly, "those documents are optional supplementary items for disciplinary audits. They have zero bearing on a standard decennial license renewal. In fact, if you hadn't called, I was planning to reach out to you myself."

"What happened, Mr. Henderson?"

There was a slight hesitation on the line. "That HR coordinator from your firm... Alyssa?"

"Yes. Alyssa Drake."

"She was down here earlier. She told my intake clerk that you were currently under an internal disciplinary reprimand for insubordination, and that your firm was planning to designate a replacement Architect of Record for your upcoming municipal bids."

My fingers gripped the phone so hard the plastic creaked.

First, she sat on my file for twenty-five days.

Yesterday, she sent me on a wild goose chase for an obsolete client survey.

Today, she invented regulatory hurdles out of thin air.

And behind my back, she had gone to the State Licensing Board to actively sabotage my professional standing.

"Mr. Henderson, that is completely—"

"Sean," Henderson interrupted, his tone steady and seasoned. "I've been running this registry for twenty years. I know corporate games when I smell them. I didn't believe a word she said, and we have security footage with audio at every public counter if you ever need to pull the records. But I have to give you a hard truth: the civic center bid opens in fifteen days. Your statutory renewal window closes in less than forty-eight hours. If that stamp isn't officially recorded before the twentieth, the municipal procurement committee will have no choice but to throw your firm's proposal in the trash."

My pulse hammered against my ribs, loud and hollow in the concrete stairwell.

"Thank you, Mr. Henderson. Truly."

"Don't mention it," he said with a brief chuckle. "On a project of this magnitude, the city wants a team that actually knows what they're doing."

The moment I hung up, my phone vibrated with another company-wide push notification.

It was from Garrett:

@All: It has come to executive attention that certain senior staff members continue to engage in behavior characterized by intimidation, leveraging seniority over junior employees. Apex maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy toward workplace bullying. Regardless of title or tenure, verified offenses will be met with immediate disciplinary action up to and including termination. We expect all team members to reflect on their conduct.

The channel remained dead silent.

What an immaculate, sanctimonious frame job.

No names named, no specific titles attached.

Yet every single syllable was an arrow pointed directly at my throat.

Unsurprisingly, Alyssa was the very first person to respond:

Thank you, Garrett, for standing up for what's right and protecting a safe, healthy workplace for everyone.

The usual chorus of HR sycophants immediately flooded the chat with applause emojis.

I stared at the screen, a cold smile pulling at my lips before I tapped the power button and slipped the phone into my pocket.

Using workplace bullying as a pretext to push me out of the firm?

They were going to need a much bigger hammer.