Fired for a Cigarette_ The Cost of Loving Her

Brian's eyes filled with tears as he looked at Valeria and apologized pitifully.

"Ms. Brooks, I’m sorry. I was just thinking about the company’s image..."

Valeria immediately pulled him to her side and shot me a sharp glare.

"Andy, do you think this is funny? Just because you’re a vice president, does that give you the right to act arrogant all the time?"

"When it comes to contributions to the company, Brian has done far more than you ever have."

"And let me remind you—you’ve already been fired. You’re no longer a senior executive. Now apologize to Brian immediately!"

Contributions? I had no idea what so-called 'contributions' Brian had made.

But what I did know was this: in less than three months of his employment, the company's policies—unchanged since its founding three years ago—had already been revised several times because of him.

And the company-wide no-smoking rule? It was created because of him.

He had rhinitis and was allergic to cigarette smoke. That alone was enough for the entire company to change.

I watched as Valeria took Brian by the hand, gently seated him in the boss’s chair, then pulled out a bottle of essential oil to give him a personal massage—right there in the office.

In that moment, everything felt meaningless.

I ripped off my ID badge and slammed it onto the desk. Then I walked out without looking back.

On the other end of the phone, Lucy was still waiting for my reply. When nothing came, she finally sent a single question mark.

Then her voice came through the speaker.

"Wait—you actually broke up?"

"Can I get in line? Andy, you do know I’ve liked you for a long time."

I ignored her teasing.

"Cut the nonsense. I’m in a bad mood. Book me a ticket to Paris. I need a long vacation."

After settling everything, I returned home to pack my things.

But when I got there, the door lock wouldn’t open.

The password had been changed.

I called Valeria dozens of times. Not a single call was answered.

Just as I was about to leave, I noticed the lights inside flicker on.

On the bedroom curtains, two shadows appeared—a man and a woman—clinging to each other in an intimate embrace.

I dialed Brian’s number.

The moment I did, a familiar ringtone came from upstairs.

What more was there to understand?

I let out a short laugh and called the smart lock’s manufacturer.

"I need to go on a trip, but my smart lock is broken. I can’t lock it manually. Can you lock it remotely for me?"

Once that was done, I booked a hotel, turned off my phone and slept until dawn.

The next morning, just as expected, my phone was flooded with calls and messages—over a hundred of them—all from Valeria.

The most recent one had come just three minutes ago.

I tried to block her number, but accidentally tapped "call back" instead.

She picked up immediately and her furious voice blasted through the line.

"Andy! Are you insane? Why the hell did you lock the door like that? Do you know what happened to me and Brian last night—"

"Oh?" I interrupted. "What did happen?"

Realizing she had nearly exposed herself, Valeria quickly changed her tone.

"We were locked outside all night!"

"Andy, I’m already exhausted from working at the company every day. Can you stop being so childish?"

I nodded to myself, voice calm.

"Right. Massaging your assistant in the office during the day wasn’t enough, huh? You had to bring him home at night too? Even professional therapists don’t work that hard. No wonder you’re so tired."

Her voice instantly rose, like I’d hit a nerve.

"You were spying on me?"

"Andy! Have you no shame? You were the one who violated company policy first!"

"And there’s nothing between me and Brian! I was just working late and he offered to drive me home. Why are you being so petty?"