From that moment on, Victor started undermining me at every turn, sometimes openly, sometimes behind my back.

All to pressure me into quitting on my own.

In my previous life, I couldn't bring myself to walk away from the money.

And I'd had feelings for this company. Loyalty. Attachment. So I never left.

This time was different.

Why would I stay at a company that was a week away from going under?

Once Victor went bankrupt, he wouldn't even be able to make payroll.

"Layla, if that's what you want, then consider this resignation approved!"

Victor looked at me, nodded quickly, and said the words like he couldn't get them out fast enough.

There was a flicker of excitement in his eyes.

Clearly, my departure meant he'd be saving a fortune.

What he didn't know was that Sybilla Gilbert, the woman he was banking everything on, was a complete amateur.

Not that I had any intention of telling him.

"Mr. Henson, once I finish the handover, if everything checks out, I'll be on my way."

I looked at him evenly as I said it.

Victor immediately picked up the phone and called Sybilla and someone from HR.

Within minutes, Sybilla and the HR manager walked in together.

When Sybilla heard I was leaving, she froze for a second. Then her whole face lit up.

In her mind, the moment I walked out that door, the technical lead position was hers.

She'd watched me operate that instrument plenty of times. It never looked that hard.

What she didn't know was that the machine was old and deteriorating. Victor was too cheap to replace it.

Without me, half the problems that thing threw up were problems she couldn't solve.

Victor had taken on a wave of new orders, and keeping the workers on the clock through the long holiday weekend meant paying double overtime.

If that instrument went down, the penalties alone would bankrupt him.

"Layla, you're really leaving?"

Sybilla's face was all surprise, but it melted into a grin almost immediately. "Well, I guess that's for the best!"

"Your salary was way too high, Layla."

"Mr. Henson's been saying for a while now that keeping you on was dragging the whole company down."

"But don't worry, Mr. Henson. I've had that instrument figured out for ages. Layla leaving won't affect operations one bit!"

Sybilla looked at me with absolute certainty as she spoke.

I just smiled.

Looking at her standing there, I couldn't quite keep the disgust off my face.