Chapter 2 - The Brutal Morning
To understand the sheer, apocalyptic panic currently brewing in the chairman’s eyes, one had to look back exactly two hours to the cruel, calculated betrayal that had taken place on the executive floor.
Gregory Vance, the arrogant, thirty-something Vice President of Operations, had called Daniel into his glass-walled corner office.
Gregory wore a flashy, expensive designer suit and a smug, utterly punchable smile. He had absolutely no technical background, but he was a master of corporate politics and stealing credit from brilliant engineers.
Without a single ounce of empathy or respect, Gregory had aggressively slid a single sheet of paper across his massive mahogany desk. It was a standard, boilerplate termination notice.
“We are streamlining the department, Carter,” Gregory had sneered, leaning back in his plush leather chair and checking his luxury watch.
“You lack the aggressive, modern executive vision Westbridge needs moving forward. We are letting you go. Security will escort you to your desk to pack your things.”
Daniel had sat in absolute, stunned silence.
For eleven consecutive years, he had worked eighty-hour weeks, missing his children’s birthdays and sacrificing his own health to build the company’s digital infrastructure from the ground up.
He had never asked for a massive bonus or public recognition; he had simply done the grueling, invisible work that kept the entire corporation running.
“My performance reviews have been flawless, Gregory,” Daniel had stated, keeping his voice carefully restrained despite the agonizing betrayal tearing through his chest. “I built the entire backend architecture for the upcoming Q4 product launch.”
“You laid some bricks, Daniel, but I am the architect of this company’s future,” Gregory had mocked cruelly, tapping his expensive pen against the desk.
“Your severance package is contingent on your immediate, quiet departure. Leave your security badge with HR."
Gregory stood up, completely dismissing the man who had built his empire.
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"You have exactly twenty minutes to clear out your cubicle before I have the guards physically throw you onto the street.”
👉 Gregory thought he had just successfully eliminated his only intellectual rival, completely unaware that he had signed his own death warrant.
