I stood there in the silence until it belonged to me. Then I straightened my spine, walked through the puddle, and opened my mouth.
Every word hurt. But I made sure they heard every one.
"I appreciate your concern, Mr. Henson, but I'm fine."
"I've led this project from day one. Pulling me now would be a disservice to the client."
"If you want to fire me, fine—but not until I've finished this presentation."
A flicker of surprise crossed Drew's face.
His brow creased slightly.
Displeasure, faint but unmistakable, though he didn't stop me again.
Instead, he kept raising objections throughout my presentation, making sure everyone in the room could feel his disapproval.
What should have been a two-hour pitch dragged out the entire afternoon.
I'd walked in brimming with confidence. By the end, every minute felt like an hour.
Nobody in that room cared how good my presentation was, how thorough, how polished.
They were all speculating about when I'd be forced out of Stellaris.
Every single one of them could see it.
Even without the incident.
Today's presentation was the end of my career.
Because Drew already had a new girl by his side.