My current boss’ assistant lowered his head, avoiding eye contact and gestured toward a nearby cubicle. At a glance, I saw it was filled with my personal belongings. The moment I walked into my boss’s office, he told me straight away.
"Anthony, the company has decided to terminate your employment contract. This is your compensation."
"Why? We agreed that once I handed off the current projects, I’d transfer to the Boston branch as head!"
He pulled out his phone and flipped it toward me.
"Your personal matter has affected the company’s image. It’s gone viral. Take a look."
The trending topic was all about me, cheating on my wife and kicking her out of the house. The words ‘A Huge Piece of Shit’ blazed in bold across the headlines. Clicking on one of the videos, I could see the very scene from the room at the hotel the day before.
Seeing the angle, it had to be hotel surveillance footage. Who else but Miranda could have requested that footage? Clearly, she had gone to great lengths to destroy me.
My colleagues stared at me with disgust.
One even shouted, "You act so noble, yet you’re actually a scumbag!"
"I toatall have no idea how someone like you made it to an executive role … "
I calmly signed the resignation agreement and took my box of belongings with me.
After leaving the building, I called my former team leader, Wynona Black.
"Is that offer to start a branch together still on the table?"
A surprised voice came through the line.
"Of course! You finally came around? When can we start?"
"I’ll be in Boston in three days."
After I ended up the call, I stopped by the mall to buy a change of clothes. But as I entered the men’s section, I heard people whispering and pointing.
"That’s him! The asshole from the video!"
Soon, a crowd gathered and the insults began.
"Are you even worthy of being a father? You ignored your daughter when she was sick!"
"This morning, your daughter was hospitalized due to vomiting and diarrhea. How could you still be in the mood to go shopping?"
Olive was in the hospital again?
My heart ached. While I was ignoring the punches and kicks people threw at me in passing, I shoved through the crowd, hailed a taxi and headed straight to the Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital.