"You’re in charge of the company during the day, and I finally get a break when I’m home. I just let Brandon keep me company for a while. Why are you being so petty and stirring up trouble?"

She slammed the table, as if genuinely enraged.

Brandon rushed to get warm water and gently helped Natalie drink it.

"Lucas, be honest—can you even compare to Brandon? If I relied on you to care for me, I’d have died of frustration by now!"

Even now, Natalie couldn’t resist tearing me down while praising him.

Brandon added with false modesty, "Come on, brother-in-law, try to be more like me. There’s nothing between Sister Natalie and me—why embarrass yourself over this?"

He clicked his tongue and gave me a look full of condescending pity.

But neither of them noticed how tightly my fists were clenched.

I couldn’t even remember when Brandon had become so brazen in front of me.

Maybe it started the day he stopped being a security guard and became Natalie’s assistant.

Or maybe it was when she first brought him into our home?

"Why are you still just standing there? Go make some hangover soup!"

Natalie kept shouting orders.

"And how many times have I told you that Brandon is allergic to alcohol? Can’t you remember something so simple?"

"I’m begging you, big brother. This is all you’re good for—can you just do it properly for once?"

She held her forehead, looking at me like I really was the useless burden she always accused me of being.

But aside from my relentless effort at work all these years, I also had the full support of Whitmore Group behind me.

What right did Natalie have to belittle me?

While I was lost in thought, Brandon suddenly spoke again.

"Sister Natalie, maybe my presence is what upset my brother-in-law. I should go."

He stood up, feigning guilt, and lowered his head like he was preparing to leave.

But Natalie reached out and yanked him back.

"Sit down! This has nothing to do with you."

She shot me a sharp glare.

"Tonight, I’m going to fix that arrogant attitude of yours, Lucas!"

At an angle Natalie couldn’t see, Brandon smirked and flashed me a middle finger.

“Brother-in-law, I know I’ve got my little flaws, but it’s your fault for disobeying and upsetting Sister Natalie. Guess you’ll just have to put up with me for now.”

He sat back down and resumed massaging her shoulders.

After everything I had just witnessed, I suddenly felt an unexpected calm.

People change.

The Natalie I once gave up everything for—the one I risked my entire future to love—is no longer the person standing in front of me.

"I’ll have my lawyer contact you about the divorce."

I gave her one last look, then turned to leave.

Through the reflection in the glass door, I caught a glimpse of Natalie’s stunned expression.

"Lucas! If you dare walk out that door, don’t ever come back!"

Bang!

I responded to her threat by slamming the door shut behind me.

I thought I wouldn’t be able to sleep that night.

But to my surprise, it turned out to be the most peaceful night I’d had in years.

No company deadlines. No need to cater to Natalie’s moods. No more pretending not to see through Brandon’s fake humility.

For the first time in a long while, I felt what it meant to live for myself.

The next morning, I was jolted awake by a string of phone calls.

“Mr. Whitmore, get to the company ASAP! Director Knox is coming for a surprise inspection today—he said he wants to personally review your group’s projects!”

It was a call from the manager of another project group.

I frowned. Brandon was making a complete fool of himself.

Did a former security guard really think he became a true director just by having the title?

After hanging up, I got up, washed at a relaxed pace, and didn’t drive to the office until past ten.

On the way, my phone nearly exploded with calls—almost all of them from members of my project team.

The moment I stepped into the company, I sensed something was off.

The looks people gave me were strange, filled with gloating or contempt.

"Still pretending? Just wait till Director Knox settles scores with him!"

"Let it go—he's done for. Probably doesn’t even realize he’s now a general without an army!"

"Serves him right for hogging all the credit. Luckily, Director Knox was smart enough to plant someone beside him early on!"

The whispers around me made no sense at first.

But I picked up my pace and rushed to the office—only to discover everything had changed.

Brandon sat there with a cigarette between his lips, surrounded by several bottles of imported liquor.

My deputy—the deputy manager of the project team—was lining up with the others to toast him, eager to prove their loyalty.

"Director Knox, it was your brilliant strategy that helped us stand out in the company’s recent partnerships!"

"On behalf of the whole team, I salute you!"

"I’ll drink it all—whatever you say, sir!"

He downed the wine in one gulp, and the rest followed suit like trained dogs.

It wasn’t until Brandon called my name that anyone even noticed I had arrived.

"Oh? Manager Whitmore, you finally made it?"

He grinned mockingly at me.

I ignored him and barked at the group: "Who allowed you to drink during office hours? Don’t you all have work to do?"

Some of them instinctively started to scatter, but the deputy held them back.

"Did you all forget what I just said? All the results were achieved by Director Knox! Lucas? He’s just a glory thief!"

He scoffed loudly.

Before I could respond, a few long-time employees I had personally mentored suddenly stood up.

"Exactly! Don’t be afraid to speak out—Director Knox has our backs!"

"Yeah! If we stick with him, there’s still money to be made!"

Even the old guard was siding with Brandon.

Honestly, I was a little taken aback.

In my mind, Brandon was still the struggling young man who once knelt and thanked me for giving him a job in security.

Back then, he was jobless and aimless. One day, he helped catch a stalker who had been following a female colleague.

He came to me afterward and pleaded sincerely for a security post.

I hired him out of sympathy.

I never imagined that I’d end up raising a snake that would bite me in return.

"Manager Whitmore, looks like you came at the wrong time?"

Brandon taunted me with a grin.

I glanced at him coldly.

"You really believe that just by claiming the credit, it actually becomes yours?"

My expression remained flat, unshaken.

Brandon clicked his tongue and chuckled smugly.

"Why don’t you test that theory?"

He was fearless in his provocation.

His arrogance amused me more than it angered me.

"Forget it. I was already planning to resign," I said calmly. "The only reason I came in today was to ask—who among you is willing to follow me and start fresh elsewhere?"