Patricia Gilmore, the HR Director, suddenly stood up. Her face went pale as she stared at me.

"Mr. Grant, how can you even consider resigning? Mitchell and Vernon, you're both vital to the company! Your department drives 80% of our performance! I don't have the authority to approve your resignation. I'll need to run this by Ms. Wainwright first."

Her hands shook as she pulled out her phone. I said nothing, letting her take the lead.

"There's no need to consult anyone."

At that moment, the door to the director's office burst open.

Ed Chamberlain emerged, his hands tucked into his pockets.

With a smug grin, he waved his phone in the air.

"According to Fiona, the sales department is under my full control. That means I decide who stays and who leaves.

"If you choose to resign, so be it. However, you must first return every bonus the company has ever awarded you. Only then will I approve your resignation."

My hands balled into fists.

I couldn't believe Fiona would actually allow Ed to humiliate us like this.

My team and I had spent countless sleepless nights working tirelessly. We earned those bonuses fair and square.

My gaze hardened as I looked at Ed. "Mr. Chamberlain, those bonuses were rightfully earned. You have no authority to demand we return them."

He shot me a smug look. "I don't care. Either you give the money back, or you keep working here.

"Fiona trusts me as her closest ally, and right now, I'm the one calling the shots. You'd better comply, or I'll make sure your resignations never go through."

Suppressing my frustration, I grabbed my phone and dialed Fiona's number.

After several long rings, she finally picked up.

"What's the matter now?" she snapped.

Just as I opened my mouth to speak, Ed yanked the phone from my hand.

His voice shifted into a sharp, irritating whine. "Fiona, Logan wants to quit. He won't listen to me and is deliberately causing trouble.

"I know he's jealous since you and I are expecting a baby, but that doesn't give him the right to act like this. I'm so scared."

"Give him the phone!" Fiona demanded sharply.

Ed handed the phone back to me, clearly pleased with himself.

His grating voice and exaggerated attempts to smear my name made me feel sick.

I snatched the phone back. Trying to avoid more conflict, I quickly explained, "Fiona, this isn't about you and Ed. I just want to submit my team's resignations—"

"Logan!" Fiona snapped, her anger crackling through the line.

"You're still bitter about me and Ed's baby, aren't you? You know this could be the only child I'll ever have, and yet you still choose to make things difficult for me."

I pressed my lips together. "I'm not here to create problems over your secret lover. Listen up. I'm quitting this job, and it's not just me. Everyone I manage is leaving as well."

Ed suddenly leaned in. "Come on, Fiona, cut Logan some slack. I've been really wanting those crawfish from that spot in the suburbs. Maybe Logan could grab some. That'd be a good way for him to start making amends."

Fiona's voice turned cold as ice. "Did you hear that? My fiance wants crawfish. Go get them. Now."

The suburbs were way too far. Getting there and back would take at least four hours.

When I declined, she sneered coldly. "Suit yourself. Just don't be surprised when your team hits a wall. How this ends is entirely up to you. Obedience is earned through actions, after all."

Having said her piece, she hung up the phone.

My throat felt as if it had been sliced open, and my heart shattered into a thousand fragments.

However, instead of pain, I felt only a dull, lingering numbness.

I knew Fiona's favoritism toward Ed stemmed from the fact that he could give her a child. He was the father of her baby, after all.

But did she forget that we once had a child together as well?

At that time, the company was going through a crucial phase, and we burned the midnight oil every night. During one dinner gathering, she suddenly collapsed.

It was then that I found out she was already eight weeks pregnant.

However, after drinking too much, Fiona lost the baby. From that point on, she was never able to conceive again.

I was too afraid to upset her, so I never spoke the truth. I told her it was just a stomach issue, quietly bearing the pain of losing our child all by myself.

To ease her mind, I even told her I was infertile. I didn't want her to carry that burden alone. All I ever wanted was for us to live a happy life together.

In hindsight, I realized I had trusted someone undeserving.

Ed gave me a cocky grin.

"Logan, women are attracted to younger men, not older guys like you. You've seen how Fiona's been acting. She does whatever I say now. As long as you agree to buy me some crawfish, I'll approve your resignation right away.

"Following the normal procedure takes at least a month. I'm guessing you don't want to spend that time cleaning toilets."

I chose to accept his challenge. "Fine. I'll do it."

My team members immediately grew emotional.

Mitchell grabbed my arm. "Mr. Grant, don't do this! They're just trying to humiliate you!"

"Exactly!" Vernon slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet. "It's one thing for them to push us around, but the way Ms. Wainwright has treated you is completely unacceptable.

"Don't let them walk all over you. So what if we have to clean toilets for a month? We've been through worse."

I shook my head. "It's okay. Just consider this the last favor I'll do for this company."

…

After four hours battling the pouring rain, I finally got back to the villa. Holding the crawfish I'd picked up from the suburbs, I looked like a complete wreck.

Ed was gently caressing Fiona's leg as they sat in the living room.

As soon as he saw me, he raised his voice on purpose. "Fiona, look! Logan actually went and got the crawfish!"

Fiona's tense expression eased a little when she saw me.

Reaching for the takeout container, she commented, "Looks like you've come to your senses. Considering you brought it all this way, why don't you stay and eat with us?"

I ignored her and headed straight upstairs.

Behind me, her annoyed voice rang out. "Hey, Logan, I'm talking to you!"

When I pushed open the bedroom door, I stopped in my tracks. The room had been completely transformed. There wasn't a single thing left that belonged to me.

The housekeeper, Maria Tillman, stood awkwardly in the corner, a box held tightly in her hands.

"Mr. Grant," she said, "Mr. Chamberlain requested to stay in the master bedroom today, so we moved your things to the storage room."

Her hands trembled slightly as she opened the box. A broken digital watch sat at the bottom.

"Mr. Chamberlain shattered many of your cherished belongings and discarded them in the trash. I know this watch means a lot to you, so I secretly retrieved it from the garbage."

I stared at the broken watch, my eyes stinging with tears.

Fiona had given it to me when we earned our first big profit after launching the business.

She'd fought through a snowstorm and raced across the city just to buy it for me.

That day, she was drenched from head to toe.

Even though her knees were scraped, she smiled at me and said, "Logan, I promise to get you something better every year. I'll love you forever."

Yet, as the business picked up, that promise was never fulfilled.

Still, I cherished the meaning behind that very first gift. "Thank you, Ms. Tillman," I said, taking the watch and making my way downstairs.

Fiona's expression immediately darkened when she saw me. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm here to say goodbye," I replied, setting the broken watch down before her. "The watch is yours once more, just like everything that used to exist between us."

"Logan!" Fiona snapped. Seeing the broken watch, she swiftly seized my hand. "What do you mean by 'goodbye'? Have you forgotten all I endured just to get this watch for you? Even if I've wronged you, how could you break it?"

Looking at Ed behind her, I said, "I'm afraid it was your precious darling who did this."

Ed's eyes instantly welled up, his voice filled with hurt.

"Logan, I know you're mad that I took Fiona, but you're divorced now. Can't you just let it go and stop accusing me?"

"What nonsense are you spouting?" I retorted, my eyes cold as ice. "Should I call Ms. Tillman and have her set things straight?"

Suddenly, a sharp slap landed across my face.

I stumbled back, my cheek burning with pain.

"Logan," Fiona said, her bloodshot eyes fixed on me. "Apologize to Ed right now, and I can overlook the watch."

Ed cowered behind her, a smug smile playing on his lips.

I shut my eyes, quietly blaming myself. Even though I'd seen through every one of Fiona's masks, I still instinctively tried to protect my innocence.

Truth be told, she never cared one bit about my side of the story.

I bit back the sting in my cheek and took a deep breath.

"Fiona, my lawyer informed me that the divorce papers have been finalized. I've also returned your watch. From this moment on, I have no further dealings with you."

Without a second glance, I stepped into the pouring rain.

The sound of chairs hitting the floor echoed behind me. Someone must have kicked them over in a burst of rage.

I didn't stop or turn back.

…

The next day, I went to Patricia to pick up my resignation papers.

Patricia begged me to stay. She even reached out to Fiona one last time for confirmation.

Fiona, however, was busy heading to a prenatal checkup with Ed. Before Patricia could even finish speaking, Fiona cut her off.

"Didn't Ed already delegate tasks to everyone in sales? Just follow his instructions. He's the boss now. Do exactly what he tells you! The company seal is in the safe. Stamp the contracts yourself. Don't bother me again!"

After the call ended, Patricia sighed in frustration. She had no choice but to stamp each resignation form one by one.

The college students Ed had recruited overheard the conversation. From the other side of the door, they began shouting insults at me.

"All your so-called skills at work don't change the fact that you failed as a husband and can't even have a child. You're completely worthless!"

"Exactly! Ed is amazing. I can't believe he got Ms. Wainwright pregnant on the first try. Some people have been married for years and still have nothing to show for it. How pathetic!"

My team members clenched their fists, ready to retaliate.

I raised my hand, motioning for them to stop.

"Don't bother. Let's go."

At 3:00 pm, I boarded the plane to Germovia with all 32 of my team members.

…

Meanwhile, Fiona was at the hospital for her prenatal checkup.

Her phone had been ringing incessantly all afternoon. Irritated, she stepped aside into a corner and finally took the call.

"What's happening? Why is my phone ringing so much?"

"Ms. Wainwright, there's a problem," her secretary, Tamara Zimmer, began, her voice quivering with panic. "Several of our partners are saying they can't make sense of our project proposals!"

Fiona frowned. "What happened? What's Logan doing? Didn't he personally handle these proposals?"

"Mr. Grant has already resigned."

Fiona was taken aback. "Who approved his resignation?

"What about the rest of the sales team? Groups A and B are still in place, aren't they? All 32 of them are top performers. They should be able to manage a few project proposals."

Tamara's voice betrayed her growing anxiety.

"Ms. Wainwright, Mr. Chamberlain has reassigned the entire sales team to the logistics department for restroom cleaning duties. Were you not informed?

"Yesterday, the entire sales team resigned together. Mr. Chamberlain only approved their resignations after Mr. Grant went out to buy crawfish.

"This morning, all the resignation letters were stamped. Now, everyone's left with Mr. Grant and gone abroad—"