The first thing I do after getting off the plane is to text my wife, Ella Spencer, that I'm safe and sound.

Since I'm too eager to send the text, I end up sending the text to my work group chat. Before I can delete the message, the new HR employee, Dexter Brooks, suddenly calls me on the phone.

"You're fired."

I question him immediately, "All I did was text the wrong group chat! How does that warrant a dismissal?"

Dexter shouts at me immediately, "How dare you send such lovey-dovey messages on the company's group chat! I will not tolerate this behavior in my company!"

His statement catches me off guard.

"Your company?"

Dexter's arrogance kicks up a few notches.

"What, are you saying that this is your company? Ms. Spencer is my wife! Her company is naturally mine!"

After a moment's silence, I send another text to the work group chat.

"Ella Spencer, you must be feeling quite smug now, huh? Not only did you claim that the company is yours, but you also switched your own husband out for someone else."

Just as I was about to hit send, a glaring notification popped up.

"You've been removed from the group chat."

It took me a few seconds to process it.

I was the heir to the company. How could I get kicked out of the group chat for one of its subsidiaries?

On the phone, that man continued babbling, "If you sent the message to the wrong chat, you need to own up to it. Come to the office to sign your resignation! Make it quick. I've got to pick up my wife."

The exhaustion from the journey combined with these unexpected twists made my anger boil. I instinctively clenched my fists.

Fine. I'd like to see how the hell this company changed owners just because I was stationed abroad for two years.

On the way to the office, I tried calling my wife, Ella Spencer, but the calls wouldn't go through. Eventually, her phone was turned off.

Wonderful.

As soon as I entered the company building, I frowned.

The decor of my pharmaceutical company now looked more like a nightclub. It was tacky and tasteless.

As I entered, a young man walked out, talking on the phone. He didn't even look where he was going and stepped right on my suitcase, almost knocking it over.

"Watch where you're going! Are you trying to kill me?" he yelled as he staggered.

That's when I saw his face and couldn't help but exclaim, "Dexter?"

Dexter Brooks scowled and raised his voice. "What department are you from? How dare you call me by my name? I'm the HR manager! It's Mr. Brooks!"

Though he had grown more mature, I recognized him instantly. This was the guy Ella sponsored back when he was in college, before I went abroad.

I'd only seen his photo on my phone. Back then, Ella was so excited, telling me she was doing a good deed.

And now, he had become her husband.

I narrowed my eyes, trying to suppress my anger. "So, you're the one who's firing me?"

Dexter stared at me for a moment, then rolled his eyes in disdain. "So you're the rude employee, huh? Who the hell hired you? Get to HR and sign your resignation!"

He shoved me, and I instinctively twisted his arm away. "Who gave you the authority to fire me? Where's Ella? Ask her to come out and explain this to me."

Two years ago, before I left to study medical tech abroad, I clearly handed over the company to my childhood friend, Martin Clarke. Why wasn't Martin here? And how had the company ended up in Ella's hands?

Dexter scoffed. "You think you're important enough to see Ms. Spencer? Firing an employee is nothing. I can handle it myself."

Just then, a security guard rushed over at the sound of the commotion. He put on a flattering smile. "What's going on, Mr. Brooks? Do you need my help? Or did Ms. Spencer give any instructions?"

Dexter was clearly relishing the flattery. He smirked and replied, "It's nothing. I'm just teaching an uncooperative employee a lesson. Take him to my office."

The security guard quickly nodded, then turned to me with a completely different expression. "Did you hear that? Go to Mr. Brooks' office now!"

I stared at him without any expression. "Who gave you the nerve to speak like that in my company?"

I pointed at him and Dexter. "You two are both fired."

Both of them froze.

The next moment, Dexter burst into laughter. "What did he say? His company? Is he dreaming?"

The security guard joined in, laughing. "I think he's worked himself into a stupor and forgotten who the real boss is. Everyone in this company knows that it was Ms. Spencer who led us to where we are today. We're the best subsidiary under Zeltra Corp! You want to fire us? You must be out of your mind!"

I lowered my voice, my tone unyielding. "Dexter, with your college diploma, you couldn't even get into my company. What makes you think you can be the HR manager? And who gave you that confidence?"

Dexter's face turned pale. In a fit of rage, he kicked me in the stomach. "Shut up!"

Caught off guard, I fell to the ground. My hip slammed into the hard tiles with a sharp pain.

But Dexter wasn't done. He grabbed my hair and yanked it violently. "Who the fuck do you think you are? Trying to piss me off, huh? I'm going to teach you a lesson today!"

I gritted my teeth in pain, barely managing to squeeze out the words. "Go ask around. I'm Ella's husband."

At those words, Dexter's reaching hand froze in midair, and he stared at me in disbelief. "What did you just say? Are you out of your mind?"

His eyes narrowed with menace, and he kicked me in the back. "Damn you! You're eyeing my wife? If I don't beat you until you're begging for mercy today, I'm not a man!"

The next moment, his fists began to rain down on me. The pain was blunt and relentless.

Biting my lip, I tried to stand, but the security guard held me down. "Stay still!"

Dexter was hitting harder and harder. I could already taste the metallic tang of blood filling my mouth.

Just then, a furious shout echoed from outside, "Stop!"

When Martin entered, Dexter immediately released his grip, his expression quickly shifting. "Mr. Clarke, what brings you here today? You should've given me a heads—"

"I don't need to report my schedule to you."

Martin didn't seem to notice Dexter's frozen reaction. He walked straight over to my side and said anxiously, "Liam, you're finally back! Why didn't you ask me to pick you up?"

I wiped the blood from my mouth and scoffed. "If I had let you know, I wouldn't have seen this show today."

The security guard standing nearby looked uncertain. "Mr. Brooks, do we keep going?"

Before Dexter could respond, Martin shouted angrily, "What are you trying to do? You want to lay a hand on the successor of Zeltra Corp? Who gave you the guts?"

Dexter gritted his teeth but didn't look flustered. "Mr. Clarke, Ms. Spencer has made it clear that your involvement in corporate decisions is no longer required. It would be best if you kept your nose out of this.

"Also, I don't know how you know this idiot, but please don't make jokes like that. Ms. Spencer won't like it."

Martin spat on the floor. "A coward hiding behind power trying to show off in front of me? Get lost!"

Dexter's expression darkened, his teeth grinding together in frustration.

I pulled Martin aside and asked quietly, "What's going on here?"

He sighed, looking helpless. "Since you left, everything's changed around here."

It turned out that after I was sent abroad, Ella had used the access I'd given her to take control of the company. She'd also manipulated the board to sideline Martin completely.

Under her management, the company had completely transformed. What was once a respectable pharmaceutical company was now a chaotic mess.

I frowned. "Didn't you try to stop it?"

Martin looked even more frustrated. "Ella wouldn't listen. She said you and I were just friends, so I had no say. She even told me you were just a scientist with no authority over any of this."

Right. To Ella, I was just a regular pharmaceutical scientist.

As the successor to Zeltra Corp, my parents taught me never to trust outsiders, especially after I was kidnapped for ransom as a child. That left me with trauma.

I had planned to share the good news with her after my assignment, but now, it didn't seem worth it.

Martin clapped me on the shoulder. "At least you came back in time. I think this mess is about to end. By the way, did your drug research make any progress?"

My eyes lit up at that. "I've made a breakthrough. I'll present it at the company's annual general meeting."

Dexter, who had been listening nearby, sneered mockingly. "You think you can attend the general meeting? Who do you think you are? Also, you're fired. Even if you weren't, there's no way someone like you would ever get a chance to meet the chairman."

I sensed something was off. "What do you mean by that?"

Dexter puffed out his chest proudly. "The annual general meeting is the big chance to shine in front of the HQ. Of course, I'll be the one attending."

I blurted out, "You? You don't deserve the chance!"

The candidates for the annual general meeting were meticulously vetted every year. Ella had to know exactly how much Dexter was worth.

If he messed up, my father, Adam Wagner, wouldn't cut him any slack just because of me.

It seemed like Ella really loved Dexter.

At that thought, I lowered my head and sent a quick message to Dad. "Dad, I'm back in Eblana. Please come over to the subsidiary."

Just as I hit send, Dexter swung his fist at me again, but Martin blocked it. "Dexter, know your place! This is a company! Act accordingly!"

Dexter's face flushed with rage as he gritted his teeth, glaring at us. "Fine, then, Mr. Clarke."

He turned and made a phone call from the corner.

When he came back, a wicked grin stretched across his face. "Sorry, Mr. Clarke. Ms. Spencer just informed me that you've been fired."

"What?" Martin and I shouted in unison.

Martin was an irreplaceable talent in the pharmaceutical industry. I had persuaded him for a long time to join the company and help me oversee things.

I never imagined he'd be so absurdly dismissed.

I coldly demanded, "Who gave her the authority?"

Dexter rolled his eyes in annoyance and shoved his phone into my hand. "Here, ask Ms. Spencer yourself."

The woman's voice on the other end of the line made my skin crawl. "Fire whoever you want, Dexter. I'm getting off. Remember to pick me up."

I clenched my fists and spoke through gritted teeth, "Ella Spencer, who gives you the right to fire Martin?"

There was a long silence.

The next moment, Ella's frantic curse rang out, "Who the hell are you? How dare you take Dexter's phone to question me? Are you crazy?"

With that, she hung up the phone.

I was so shocked I couldn't speak, and I was so angry I wanted to laugh.

It had only been two years, and Ella couldn't even recognize my voice.

Dexter snatched the phone out of my hands, grinning smugly. "You heard that? Ms. Spencer's orders. Sorry, Mr. Clarke—oh, I mean, Martin. You'd better get going."

Martin's chest heaved in frustration. He pointed at Dexter, yelling, "Don't think I don't know how you got your position, Dexter! You damn gigolo!"

Dexter had never been so blatantly humiliated. Without thinking, he swung his fist at Martin. "What the hell are you talking about? Ella and I are in love!"

I stepped in, grabbing his arm and sneering. "In love? Do you even know how many men Ella has actually been 'in love' with?"

Dexter was so furious that he couldn't get his words out. "Say that again!"

He glanced around and grabbed a vase from the reception desk to hurl it toward me. "Keep babbling, and I'll make sure you can't leave this building!"

At the critical moment, Martin yanked Dexter's arm and crushed it under his foot.

While Dexter screamed, I kicked him hard in the lower body.

The pain made his face go white. He collapsed to the floor, clutching himself. "Y-You bastard! Ah!"

I stepped on his calf and twisted my foot, grinning brightly. "Want to keep talking?"

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through the back of my head. My vision blurred, and I instinctively touched the back of my head. My hand was covered in blood.

The security guard who had run off earlier returned with a whole group, surrounding us. They hurried to help Dexter, who was writhing in pain.

"Are you alright, Mr. Brooks? I've called for backup."

Seeing his savior, Dexter shouted, "Beat them up! Don't hold back!"

The security guard hesitated. "But that's Mr. Clarke…"

Clutching his lower body, Dexter snapped, "To hell with it! He's already fired! What's there to fear? I'll take the responsibility!"

The guards immediately understood and picked up iron rods, aiming them at my chest.

The first strike knocked me off balance, and the second slammed into me, making me bite down hard, tasting blood.

Martin was also surrounded. He shouted, "Have you no respect for the law? I'm calling the police!"

Dexter sneered. "Law? In this company, I am the law. Get them!"

Martin, too weak to protest, slumped, while I lay on the floor, unable to speak.

Suddenly, Dexter crouched down and began rummaging through my bag.

I instinctively tried to stop him. "Don't touch that!"

He pulled out a document, and his eyes lit up when he saw what it was. "A supplier partnership agreement? You really handed me a big gift, huh?"

As he said that, he tucked the document into his chest.

I tried to stop him, my eyes burning with fury. "That's mine!"

The agreement had been a gift from the company I was stationed at after they heard I was heading back to Eblana.

Dexter jabbed his finger at my chest and smirked. "What's yours is the company's. You're supposed to contribute to the company. Ella's been worried about supplier issues. You've really helped her out."

I spat at him. "I've been fired! Why should I contribute?"

Dexter froze for a second. Then, his anger flared. "The paperwork's not done, so you're still an employee, and this is mine!"

Seeing the smug grin on his face, I struggled with everything I had, only to be met with a sharp slap across my face.

"Stay still!"

At that moment, the sound of high heels echoed from the entrance. "What's with all the noise?"