Jett lowered his voice in anger and threatened me, "You'd better grab your stuff and leave now if you know what's best for you! And stop causing trouble for yourself. Otherwise, I'm going to blacklist you, and no other company will ever dare to take you in anymore!"
When Cade heard that, he quickly faked a concerned expression and said, "Don't get too angry, Mr. Leroy. Gavin's just mad that he got kicked out of the company. He's only doing this out of jealousy."
He then turned to look at me and gave me a fake smile. "Gavin, since you've had your contributions to the company in the past, let me help you out.
"You probably won't be able to find a job anymore, given your age, so it would be impossible for you to find any company willing to take you in after getting fired.
"But hey, if you're willing to get down on your knees and beg us for forgiveness, perhaps I could put in a good word for you with Mr. Leroy so that he'd still consider employing you as the company's security guard."
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Rafael and the other people immediately burst into laughter.
"That's right, Gavin! Hurry up and apologize! Look at how good he's being to you! He's even offering to help you find a job!"
"Being a security guard isn't too bad. You'd still get about two thousand dollars a month, around minimum wage. It's definitely enough for you to survive!"
Instead of getting angry at Cade's smug look, I simply smiled back at him. Then, I looked at all the other employees in the office and finally fixed my gaze on Cade once more.
"This company promised me, in black-and-white, a bonus commission of two million dollars for the 30-million-dollar project last season. And see what happened? I got a letter of dismissal instead of the promised bonus."
I then looked at the rest of the employees, who now looked uncertain and said, "If Jett Leroy can fire me for something as ridiculous as having clashing horoscopes with him and therefore pocket the bonus for himself, do you want to guess what other tactics he'd use on the rest of you?"
The entire office fell into hushed silence. Some of the people even averted their gaze from me and looked at Jett instead.
The corners of my lips lifted up. I continued in a sarcastic voice, "You guys really have the guts to continue working and selling your soul to a company as shady and untrustworthy as this."
"Gavin Carter! Shut up!" Cade exclaimed, before Jett could even get a word in. "Did you not think that the 30-million dollar project was all due to Mr. Leroy having a good relationship with the other party? Did you really think it was because of you that we were awarded the contract?
"Don't you know that business transactions also rely on whether the bosses have a good relationship with each other? It's not that easily determined by people like you! You're a lousy ingrate, and you never deserved to continue staying at the company anyway!"
I was starting to find it more and more ridiculous.
We had only been awarded the 30-million-dollar project because I'd spent three months doing market research, finding out the client's pain points and preferences, and coming up with a complete proposal that fulfilled the client's needs and was budget-friendly for all.
I had stayed up for countless nights and asked for advice from countless experts to finally perfect the proposal.
But yet, Jett thought that we got the project simply because he'd had a drink or two with the client.
"You'd better get your ass out of here if you know what's good for you, Gavin Carter. Leave, now! Or else, I'll make sure you regret this for the rest of your life!"
Jett's face was as red as a beetroot as he screamed in my face.
I just scoffed lightly and yanked off my employee ID pass and threw it into the trash.
"I'll make you eat your words the next time we meet, Mr. Leroy!"
I quickly went home after leaving the company and readied all the documents needed to start at my new job. Exactly one month later, I successfully started working at the Audit Commission.
Soon, my team received their latest investigation task, and the target company was none other than Jett's.
Coincidentally, Jett was organizing a massive strategy launch event, claiming that they had invented some groundbreaking technology. So, we included them in our list of inspections for the day.
Jett's company was very lavishly decorated on the day of the launch event. Jett, Cade, and the rest wore suits and ties and looked confident as the spotlights shone on them.
I entered the venue as discreetly as I could, just as Cade was confidently explaining the "groundbreaking innovation" strategy that they were planning to implement.
At once, I could tell that the core of their strategy was lifted straight from the work I'd put my heart and soul into before I left the company.
No wonder Cade had dug through all the files on my laptop the other day. It was because he wanted to steal my work and claim it as his own.
The only thing he changed was the superficial details that didn't mean much. And then, he'd confidently called it his own design.
During the break in the middle of the event, Cade suddenly caught sight of me sitting in the last row of seats while he was still onstage.
He was first stunned to see me. However, a mocking grin soon replaced his shocked face. He hurried down the stage and approached me.
"Look, isn't this Gavin Carter? What's the matter? Were you not able to find a job for yourself, and now you're back here to beg Mr. Leroy for some leftovers?"
The guests in the crowd immediately turned their attention toward us.
Cade seemed even more delighted when he saw all eyes on us. He reached out and patted me on the shoulders, saying, "My, my. It has only been a few days, and you can't even afford to put together a decent outfit anymore.
"Didn't I warn you before that you'd only be worse off if you left the company? Look at you now! It's all coming true!"
Right after that, Jett walked over to us with a glass of wine in his hand. He glanced at me coldly and then dumped all the wine over my head.
"Our company does not welcome random people from the streets. If you're here to beg me to take you back, Gavin Carter, then you'd better get down on all fours and lick up every drop of wine on the floor.
"Maybe I'd consider it if I see how sincere you are about it."
I wiped off the wine dripping down my face and looked at the two of them with an icy stare. Yet, I didn't show a hint of anger on my face.
Instead, I said calmly, "Mr. Leroy. I never thought that the proposal I made would end up being such a valuable asset to the company, even after such a long time.
"What's the matter? Were you not able to come up with anything else on your own? You couldn't do a thing without me, could you?"
Cade hadn't just completely lifted my work. He had even copied all of the errors and loopholes in it that I hadn't managed to correct before I was fired.
When I pointed out all the loopholes to him, Cade's face turned dark immediately.
"Stop spewing nonsense! I was the one who wrote every single word in this proposal! Since when did it become your work instead?
"You're just jealous that I'm now more successful than you and about to be ten times or even a hundred times more accomplished than you!"
A split second later, Jett grabbed me by my collar and growled at me with a twisted sneer. "So what if we used your proposal, you moron? Go ahead and report it to the police, then! Let's see if the police believe us or someone as useless as you!"
I pushed him off me and hurriedly sent out a text message on my phone.
Then, I looked at Jett's and Cade's challenging stares and said, "You're right. The police are arriving soon. Good luck to you both."
However, Jett and Cade looked like they'd just heard the biggest joke of the century as they burst out in mad laughter.
"Aren't you a little too naive, Gavin? Did you really think we'd be scared just because you called the police on us?
"This proposal was made by you before you left the company, and it is therefore considered a company asset. Nothing about this will change even if you get the police involved!"
Just as he was done speaking, Jett's phone suddenly rang. He answered the call and heard his secretary's anxious voice at once.
"Mr. Leroy! We're in big trouble! Hurry up to the office, quick!"
Jett's face paled when he heard his secretary's words.
