"She makes her living off that interest every year. When you get right down to it, she owes everything she has to me!"
I rubbed my fingertips together, and the only thing I could manage was a quiet laugh at how pathetic he sounded.
He actually believed he mattered that much.
Believed I survived on the interest from two hundred million, and was fool enough to think I had nowhere else to put it. His rate was the lowest in the city. Any other bank would have paid me three million a year minimum.
But we'd been classmates once, so I'd never bothered to fight him over it.
And all this time he'd convinced himself he was getting the raw deal—that I was the one feeding off him.
Greg was kicked out of the office.
He came through the door looking defeated, then froze when he saw me standing right there.
I gave him a nod.
"Come with me. Stay here working under someone like him, and it won't end well for you."
Greg had more sense in his little finger than Nelson had altogether. He handed in his resignation without a second's hesitation.
"I didn't drive today. Give me a ride?"
He took my box and followed me out.
Virginia came chasing after us, and the second she saw Greg at my side her voice cut across the lobby.
"Oh, would you look at that—I always said those two had something going on."
"Tracey gets the boot and Manager Lambert goes scurrying right out the door after her. Real subtle."
"Manager Lambert, aren't you worried your wife will find out?"
Greg stormed back toward her, glaring down at Virginia, looking ready to swing.
"One more word out of you and I swear I'll shut that mouth myself."
Virginia stepped closer, daring him. "Go ahead. Hit me."
"Good riddance to both of you. I'll have President Fox hand purchasing over to me—and I'll show him exactly who knows how to keep clients in line."
I caught Greg's raised fist and pulled it down, stepping in front of him.
Then I turned to Virginia with a cool smile.
"Go ahead. Let's see exactly how talented you are at keeping clients."
When I walked through the door, both my parents were home.
They looked confused to see me back so early and started asking questions.
I didn't answer. I just said one thing.
"I pulled all two hundred million out of Southeast Bank."
They glanced at each other and asked nothing more.