Instead of arguing with Edward, I looked down at my phone. The message I'd sent my boss, Victor Manser, that morning still hadn't gotten a response.

The office was loud as more people kept criticizing me.

"Logistics has a complaint too. You make us submit an itemized breakdown for every reimbursement. What, you think we're trying to rip off the company?"

"Procurement as well. You're always jumping in to review our contracts. Who exactly don't you trust?"

"HR has complaints also…"

I tuned them out and sent a reminder to Victor, who was on a business trip. "Mr. Manser, could you approve my resignation today?"

My phone finally lit up, and Victor's reply came through. "Cut it out! We're in a critical IPO phase. You can't just walk out. Whatever your issue is, wait until I get back. Don't cause me problems!"

I stared at the message, and the last of my hesitation was gone. I felt nothing but cold.

I'd known for a while that he didn't care about the Finance Department. Otherwise, he wouldn't have brushed me off repeatedly when I pushed to streamline the reimbursement process.

He wouldn't have shot down my plan to roll out basic finance training for the sales and operations department, either.

The pile-on was still going on in the office.

Janet saw me on my phone, ignoring her authority, and her tone sharpened. "Ronan, are you even listening? What kind of attitude is that?"

I locked my screen and looked up. My face didn't show much, but what I said made everyone pause. "Are you all done?"

No one said a word.

I stood, walked to Janet's desk, picked up the stack of expense reports Henry had just tossed over, and gave them a shake.

"Since you all think that I, Ronan Cooper, lack basic decency and hold this company back, fine."

I turned to Henry, shoved the expense reports back into his hands, and said evenly, "Henry says he'll be considerate of everyone, so I'm handing everything over to him. Ms. Walker, any objections?"

That caught Janet off guard.

But the other department heads, especially Edward, spoke up immediately. "I'm all for it. Let Henry take a shot. Young people are usually quick on their feet!"

"Exactly. It's about time we let some fresh blood take the lead!"

Seeing the room rally and sensing a chance to push me down, Janet went with the flow. "Henry, you'll temporarily take over Ronan's work. Do it well. Don't let me down."

Henry's face lit up with joy, and he nearly jumped on the spot.

He shot me a smug look and thumped his chest. "Don't worry, everyone. I'll finish the job fast and won't keep anyone waiting!"

I smiled. "I'll email everyone confirming the handoff and that, from here on, responsibility rests with you."

High on the rush of power, Henry answered without thinking, "Got it, got it. Spare me the lecture!"

I nodded and said nothing more. Walking back to my desk, I started slowly packing up my personal belongings.

For the rest of the afternoon, the office felt weirdly tense.

I quietly sorted through old files and cleared my computer, while Henry threw himself into the work like he was saving the company.

He approved almost everything that crossed his desk, with no substantive review. With department heads egging him on and flattering him, Henry signed off on one expense report after another.

A longtime coworker pinged me on the side. "Ronan, you're seriously stepping back? Those expense reports are a disaster waiting to happen!"

I texted back quietly, "My head hurts. I can't review any reports."

A little after 4:00 pm, someone was already singing Henry's praises in the team chat.

"Henry really gets things done fast!"

"This is how it should've been. Certain rule-quoting fossils who act like robots should've stepped aside ages ago!"

Basking in the empty praise, Henry got carried away. He tagged me in the company-wide channel.

"Ronan, from where I sit, you're the one who made reimbursements complicated. Everyone's been thrilled since I took over."

I ignored him.

When I didn't bite, Henry got irritated. For a while after that, he made a point of sending me his progress updates every day.

Unlike prior practice, he signed off on every advance payment request from the sales and operations department and even threw in a few extra advances.

"Approved East Coast Sales Team's one-million-dollar team-building budget for Q3 and Q4."

I looked at the message he sent me and said nothing. That sales team had been losing money for two consecutive quarters, and Victor had already been considering layoffs.

On top of that, Janet showed up every day in a new outfit with a new bag, parading them in front of me.

When our eyes met, she lifted her chin and said, "Some watchdogs get uppity when they're guarding someone else's purse strings. If the dog won't heel, you replace it."

Henry fell into step behind her, siding with her. "Ms. Walker, that's a new crocodile skin bag, right? Name a number and I'll reimburse you right away."

Suddenly, a coworker from another department came over. "Ronan, the account is short a dollar. Do you want to get everyone to double-check?"

I rubbed my temples. "My eyes hurt. I can't do this anymore."

Henry shouldered him aside. "Double-check what? What a hassle. It's just a dollar. I'll cover it."

Then, another coworker approached. "Ronan, the tax filing deadline is right around the corner. What should we do?"

Henry rolled his eyes. "File what? Ronan just doesn't have the chops. After all these years, he still can't handle taxes. I'll take the auditors out for dinner, grease the wheels, and save our company a ton of money!"

I watched them as if I were watching a ship go under. This time, I refused to play along.

…

Soon enough, the month-end close arrived. After I confirmed all backups and handovers were done, I opened the HR system and cashed out my remaining paid time off.

A second later, I got Janet's reply. "Your leave is approved. You're an eyesore here, so leave early!"

I wasn't surprised. I shut down my computer with a satisfied click and got ready to head out. But the moment I stood, my phone rang.

Victor sounded awful, voice tight with panic. "Ronan, what the hell are you trying to pull? Where's the money in the company account? Dozens of transfers were made, totaling nearly 80 million dollars! Where's my money?"

I kept my tone even. "Mr. Manser, the company account is under Henry Fielder's management. Ms. Walker personally appointed him, with authorization from several department heads. I'm not clear on what was approved or how."

Suddenly, I heard footsteps echoing in the hall, and a coworker burst in, clearly panicked. "People from the tax department are here! They received a system risk flag and are conducting an audit!"