I Was Fired, but Her Empire Turned to Ashes

I suppressed my rising anger and replied through gritted teeth, "Don't worry. I'm not that pathetic. Wendy, I just hope you won't regret this decision someday."

But even after I said I would leave on my own, Wendy remained skeptical the entire time.

I removed my ID badge, slapped it onto the conference table in front of everyone, and then turned to leave. Just as I did, she suddenly called out to me.

For a brief moment, I thought she had come to her senses. Instead, she just said, "Since you've laid it all out, I won't pretend either. Let's get a divorce. Julian, I've never loved you. Not once, all these years."

Hearing that, I let out a self-deprecating laugh.

"Relax. I'm not delusional enough to think otherwise," I responded.

Her decision was exactly what I expected. How could Wendy possibly think that after everything she'd done, I'd still have feelings for her? Even if she hadn't brought it up, I would've filed for divorce tomorrow anyway.

We'd been married five years, but it had always been in name only. She and I lived under the same roof but never shared a bed. We only put on a show when Michael was around. In our everyday lives, we had always gone our separate ways.

Before Wendy could respond, the colleagues around us started flattering her again.

"Ms. Shaw really made the smart call. I don't see what future Julian could possibly offer her."

"Exactly. He's a loser and nowhere near good enough for Ms. Shaw."

"Fortunately, they hadn't been married long, so it's not a big loss. It's smart to end it before it gets worse."

Wendy's cold indifference made me turn back to face her.

"Have you figured out what you're going to tell Mr. Shaw Senior?" I asked.

She froze momentarily, then frowned and snapped at me, "That's none of your concern! Just leave, and I'll explain things to him myself."

While saying that, she seemed to think of something, as the corner of her mouth lifted just slightly.

After five years together, I knew exactly what she meant. I figured she was probably feeling untouchable because Michael spoiled her. She had probably already found someone else and planned to present it as a done deal. Thinking of this, I couldn't help but scoff.

"So, what's got you grinning like that? You already got someone in mind?"

As soon as I said that, Wendy seemed to snap out of her daze. She quickly wiped the faint smile from her face and glared at me for a long moment before retorting, "It's none of your business. And even if I do, they're way better than you.

"What right does a soon-to-be ex-employee have to question the company's future hiring decisions?"

The colleagues around her quickly chimed in, saying her judgment was obviously sound. Anyone she picked would be far better than a useless figurehead like me.

"Just leave already. Why are you still hanging around shamelessly? For a grown man to be this indecisive, aren't you afraid of being laughed at?" Lisa spoke up as if even looking at me for another second annoyed her.

Seeing this, I didn't bother saying more.

I stated plainly, "If I'm leaving, I'll remove the firewall that I developed. It's my work, and I already filed a patent for it. I'm not leaving it for someone else to reap the rewards of my work."