Chapter 2
Avery's POV
"Avery, you're being way too full of yourself." Kayla lifts her chin. "Samuel cares about the company, not you personally. Hand it over to me and I'll do a better job than you ever did."
"Right. The company runs fine no matter who's in the chair." Steve cuts in. "By end of day, hand over all the files and client contacts to Kayla. If you've got a problem with that, go settle up with payroll."
I look around the room at all these faces, righteous and furious like I've committed some unforgivable crime, and suddenly none of it feels worth the energy.
I drop the contract on the table.
"Fine. I'll hand it over."
The room goes quiet for a second. Nobody expected that.
Steve had a whole speech ready to lay into me, and now he's just standing there, stiff, like he swung and hit nothing but air.
"You're... agreeing to this?" He eyes me like he's waiting for the catch.
"You and Dennis already made the call. I'm just an employee here. Who am I to say no?" I get to my feet. "Brandt's Kayla's account now. Hope you two make it shine."
Something flickers across Dennis's face, doubt, maybe, gone almost as fast as it shows up, replaced by relief. "Avery, I'm glad you're seeing reason. This is exactly the kind of team player we need around here."
I don't bother responding to that. I just turn and walk out.
Back at my desk, I put together the handoff files and send everything to Kayla's inbox. Public records, meeting notes, the pricing sheets, even my notes on what the client likes and doesn't like. All of it.
What I don't mention is that the people running Brandt Development never look at any of that. What they care about is trust built over years, an instinct for the industry, and the goodwill I've built up covering for him at more dinners and rounds of golf than I can count.
None of that lives on a hard drive. It lives in my head.
After I send the email, I don't go back to revising other accounts like I normally would. I make myself a coffee, come back to my desk, and pull up job listings and a few emails from recruiters.
Weston Blackwell, who runs Meridian Group, has been trying to poach me for a while now. Meridian's our biggest competitor in the industry, ten times our size, easily. I always turned him down before, out of some old loyalty to Dennis.
But now might actually be the time to think about it.
I look at his last message. Meridian's door is always open for you. Name your price. I think it over, type back I'll have an answer for you in a few days, and start scrolling on my phone.
Years at this job, and this is the first time I've killed time on the clock. It feels good.
The whole afternoon, the office buzzes with this strange, giddy energy. Steve announces to the whole floor that Kayla's taking over Brandt, tells everyone to learn from her hustle. Kayla floats from desk to desk soaking up the compliments.
"Kayla's amazing, taking on an account that big before she's even graduated."
"Right, and her attitude's so good too. Not like some people, riding on seniority and acting like everyone owes them something."
"Seriously, gone all the time, who even knows what she's doing out there."
Every word lands, clear as anything, and something heavy settles in my chest.
I gave up my weekends for these people. My vacations. My health. I thought I was building a team. Turns out I was just bleeding myself dry to feed a pack of ungrateful wolves.
Right before I'm about to leave, Dennis walks into my office. He glances at me on my phone, frowns for a second, then softens into that same understanding, fatherly look.
"Avery, I know you've got some feelings about this. But you have to see it from the company's side too. You're not really in a place to handle something this high-pressure right now. Take a few days. Full pay, don't worry about that. Once Kayla closes Brandt, I'll personally make sure your year-end bonus covers two extra months."
"Appreciate the thought, Dennis." I set my phone down and look at him. "But I've got a question for you. If Kayla drops the ball on Brandt and we're staring down a breach of contract, whose problem is that?"
His expression darkens. "What kind of thing is that to say? Steve's overseeing her. There's no way this falls apart. Don't sit here jinxing the company just because you got pulled off an account."
"Just a hypothetical." I give him a small smile, stand up, and start clearing out my desk.
"What are you doing?" He watches me packing things into a box.
"Taking your advice. Getting some rest." I pick up the box and walk past him toward the door. On my way out I say, "And Dennis, remember what you said today. This project has nothing to do with me anymore."
I don't go in the next day. I turn my phone off and sleep for a full day and night. No calls blowing up my phone, no revision notes at three in the morning. The quiet feels like the first real breath I've taken in months.
Steve calls on the third afternoon.
"Avery! Where the hell have you been?" His voice comes through so loud and furious it hurts my ear.
I hold the phone a little further away. "Something wrong?"
"You have the nerve to ask that? Samuel came in for a site visit today. Kayla gave the presentation and he tore her apart in front of everyone. Said the whole plan was garbage, the numbers didn't add up, said he's pulling the account!" His voice cracks with barely contained panic. "What exactly did you leave her with? Did you set her up on purpose?"
