Megan stormed back into her office, yanked out her chair, and dropped into it. With a flick of her wrist, she flung the USB drive onto the desk.

Her re swept across the room. “What kind of garbage did you people put together? If you can’t do the job right, then pack up and get out!”

The deputy project manager stood silently in front of her desk, head lowered, voice trembling. “Miss Stone, please… calm down.”

“You’re the new deputy project manager?” Megan leaned back in her chair, narrowing her eyes as she looked him over. “You signed off on this proposal?”

“Y–yes…” The deputy, Daryl Seth, was drenched in sweat, visibly shaking..

As CEO, Megan didn’t normally need to personally review every proposal. That was the job of her managers.

Project manager Patrick York, standing beside him with his head lowered, tried to step in.

“Miss Stone, Daryl’s new to the team. He might not be fully familiar with your expectations yetb, /bso-”

Before he could finish, Megan cut him off sharply. “Is it that he doesn’t know my standards, or that he got in through connections and isn’t qualified in the first ce? You both know the answer.”

Both men stiffened at her words.

“You-” Megan pointed at Daryl. “You’re fired. Get out. I don’t want to see your face again.”

“Miss Stone, please! I’m begging you!” Daryl dropped to his knees with a loud thud.

“Get out!” Megan snapped.

Tears streamed down Daryl’s face. “Miss Stone, I have a family to support–my parents, my kids. I can’t lose this job. Pleaseb, /bjust give me one more chance. I’ll fix the proposal, I swear. Don’t fire me…”

Megan’s expression remained cold. She didn’t waste another word Picking up her desk phone, she said tly, “Send security to my office. Escort Daryl out.”

“Yes, Miss Stone,” her assistant replied.

Daryl stayed on his knees, still pleading.

Megan ignored him entirely. She turned to Patrick. “How long have you been at the domestic ba?”

Patrick’s forehead glistened with sweat. “Four years,” he replied quietly.

“You’ve done decent work,” Megan began, her tone momentarily neutral before it turned sharp again. “But you crossed the line.”

She grabbed a stack of printed pages and threw them in Patrick’s face. “You used your position to pull strings for your brother- inw–bringing in someone clearly unqualified and handing him a deputy role. Impressive. Really impressiveb. /bYou bcan /bleave with him.”

After Sean rejected her proposal, Megan had sat down and gone through the documents herself every page, every bline/b.

She had always been impressed with Patrick’s past work and hade to trust his judgment. Eventually, she had bstopped /breviewing anything he signed off on.

She never bexpected /bthat trust to be abused or that he would sneak Daryl into thepany and bhelp /bbhim /bbclimb /bbto a /bleadership role he didn’t earnb. /b

Normally, Megan wouldn’t waste her time on low–level personnel matters like deputy managers.

But that one “low–level” employee had just cost her a major coboration with Sean.

She was furious.

Patrick didn’t move. The documents fell from his face and scattered on the floor.

“Miss Stone,” he said, voice low, “this was my oversight. I was tied up managing the YS project at the time and didn’t give this one enough attention. I didn’t realize you were nning to use it in negotiations with the Jasper Corporation.”

“Ohb, /bso that’s your excuse?” Megan snapped. “You didn’t know, so it’s okay to lower the standard? Okay to be carelessb?/bb” /bShe wasn’t buying it. “Not only did you fail at your own job, you dragged someone ipetent into thepany and handed him a title he didn’t earn. You have no excuse. You’re fired. Get out”