Chapter 1

The elevator opened, and Jacob burst out and strode towards Steve's office as if he were a villain from a slasher horror movie. His breath hung in the air, charged with frustration.

The secretary stood up, making a feeble attempt to halt him. "Mr. Jacob, you cannot..."

Without waiting for her to finish, he barged into Steve's office. "Sir!" Jacob blurted. "I have a complaint," he said, raising a letter in his hand. 

Steve took a shot of whiskey down his throat and walked to his chair. “It’s fine, Mrs. William; I’ve got this.” 

The secretary took a deep breath, looked to Jacob, then nodded before taking her leave. 

“So?”

"Sir, I got a tarmination letter based on a link to the sub-urban real estate deal.” 

“And?”

Jacob frowned a little shocked at the question, “Sir, except I wasn’t on the sub-urban real estate deal.”

“So?”

"So, sir, I got fired for something that has no link to me.”

“But you aren’t innocent now, are you?” Steve raised an eyebrow.

"Sir, I do not understand.”

"Oh, you do, Jacob, you do. I know you’ve been on that sub-urban real estate deal.”

“As an internal audit, sir. I never took charge of the finances or anything. I only checked the record after they were done with the whole thing.”

Steve smirked and reached for a file from his drawer. “And you submitted this report, didn’t you?”

“I did.” Jacob nodded in affirmation. 

Steve opened and started to flip through the pages. “Do you remember what you said here?” pointing to the documents.

“I wrote a lot of things, sir.” 

“Humur me, Jacob. Come on, try.” 

Jacob paused, crystalizing his thoughts before speaking. “Sir, the final report carried missing money."

Steve raised an eyebrow and said, “Speak to me like an accountant.”

For Godsake, “There’s a five million dollar fraud.”

Steve laughed, “I knew you could do it.” He stood and sat on his table so he could be closer to Jacob. “Now tell me, what do you think the shareholders will think or the media will think? Come on, even a righteous man like you should know such a thing has to be buried and kept secret.”

“And that’s why I haven’t spoken to anybody about it, sir."

“Jacob, I know you haven’t. But you see, Jacob, we need to make sure Wilson Corps is well protected, so someone has to get fired. I mean, it’s better to have an accountant fired for mismanagement of funds than have the CEO of a fifty-year-old company like ours fired for mismanagement, and boy, we both know Mr. Wilson will not be happy to hear the latter.”

“Sir, but”

“But nothing, Jacob. There are two ways to this: I get fired or you get fired, and I’d choose you every time."

“But sir…”

"I have made a provision for forty thousand dollars to compensate you. But I’d later figure you still owe us for a loan that you haven’t paid up, and then we need to deal with taxes. The list goes on and on, so a $5,000 check will be given to you on your way out.”

“Sir?”

“Mrs. William?” Steve called. 

“Steve!”

Mrs. Williams scurried in. 

“Escort Mr. Jacob out of my office. .” 

“Mr. Jacob?” Mrs. Williams looked to him and said, “I’d not want the security to do this for me instead.”

“Don’t even try to touch me.” He looked to Steve. “ I’d leave myself,” Jacob said, fighting back the tears. 

…

Jacob wasn’t allowed anywhere past the ground floor in the lounge. He had to wait for the security team to get his personal belongings so he could leave. 

"Hey,” a voice said. 

He raised his head to see Madi. 

“You didn’t tell me you were coming,” Jacob said, feigning a smile. 

“I sent you a message, Jacob,” she said, not smiling back. “We need to talk.” 

Madi handed him a document.

“What is this?” Jacob was reluctant to receive it from her.

“We are done, Jacob.” 

“You brought this to the office? I thought we discussed it last week. We both promised to work on our marriage.”

“Jacob, there’s nothing to work on. Not anymore. I need to move on. We are different, can’t you see?” 

“We weren’t different six years ago, were we?” 

“I was young, and I made stupid decisions.”

“I don’t understand.” Jacob took a step closer to her with a frown on his face. “We made a stupid decision."

Madi shut her eyes, like she was trying to choose her words carefully. She swallowed and replied, “I am afraid we were. I only wanted to get over my ex, and yeah, I used you, and I have to make it right.” 

“This is not you speaking, Madi."I think we should sit." 

“I didn’t come to your office today to sit with Jacob. I came to tell you what I have always wanted to tell you. We are different, always have been, and I never loved you. I only needed a distraction.”

“This is about my finances, isn’t it? I don’t have it all together yet. e

“And it’s a good thing we are having a divorce. You’d get some cash from it—something enough to have a fresh start.”

“You think this is all about money, don’t you?

Madi sighed. “Take it.” She stretched it to him again. 

Jacob smirked. “Of course, the daughter of a millionaire cannot be dating a failure, can she?”

Jacob received it, and she started to walk away. 

“You know I loved you and believed it every time you told me you loved me too.” 

Madi paused, closed her eyes, and then continued to walk away. 

“And now I’d forever remember your lies in pain.” 

“Mr. Jacob!” Mrs. William called him as she appeared with two security men. “This is an office, not a drama show on your TV. I’d advise you to coordinate yourself and not distract everybody with your shitshow."

She was standing with two security men. One had his personal belongings in a box, and the other just stood by Mrs. Williams like a pole. 

“I don’t work for you anymore, do I?” Jacob couldn’t hide the tears, even with the laugh he had on. 

She stretched him a check and said, "That's it, five thousand dollars.” 

“What’s that supposed to be, a replacement for the past six years of hard work and dedication?”

“Mr. Jacob, it’d be wise if you took the money. We both know you need it.” The old woman said it without a drop of emotion on her face. 

Jacob nodded, stood up, collected his personal belongings, looked to her face, and said, “Tell him I said he should keep it."

Jacob left the 60-story Wilson Corp.’s building with a box and tears in his eyes. But what was even heavier than the box were the two documents he had folded into his pocket, the result of the past six years of his life. 

“Excuse me” 

Jacob ignored the voice and pretended that he hadn’t been spoken to as he began to approach the railway. 

“Jacob!” the voice called again, this time with a pat on his shoulder. 

Jacob turned and said, “Haven’t you guys done…” he paused. 

The face wasn’t from Wilson Corp. 

“I am sorry, I thought you were from Wilson Corp. or something” 

“Wilson Corps?”

The face appeared familiar, but he could not recall where he had seen her before. She was dressed in a silver coat and with red lipstick, and her skin was white as milk, her eyes glowed out blue, and her voice was soft, even softer than the animal skin coat she had on. 

“Yeah, I work there. Well, I used to. Sorry, do I know you?” 

"Yeah, you do,” she said, stretching her hands for a handshake. “Christine.” 

He nodded slowly as  he received the shake. “Jacob” 

"I hope you aren’t busy because today is about to be the most amazing day of your life.”