I sat down at my desk. My inbox had exploded with over a dozen emails, all from recruiting firms. Every single one was a rejection.
The reasons were nearly identical.
Mr. Butler, we regret to inform you that your overall qualifications and professional conduct do not meet our firm's referral standards. Thank you for your understanding.
I stared at those emails in silence, and the hostile looks suddenly made sense.
And I finally understood what Edmund had meant by "don't come crying later." He'd cut off every escape route.
A cold bitterness rose in my chest.
Not for my career.
For this rotten company.
Nine years I'd played it straight. Nine years of integrity. And now I was the one who "didn't meet professional conduct standards."
Meanwhile, the ones who'd poached clients under the company's name climbed the ladder without a scratch.
What a joke.
My phone rang. It was Herbert Delgado.
I didn't move from my seat. Just picked up.
"Mr. Delgado."
"Ronnie, what the hell is going on? Alfred just told me your company swapped out the project lead?"
"Yeah. Got the notice today."
"Whose call was that?"
I paused for a beat.
"The entire design department voted on it."
"That's absurd!"