Chapter 3

Hearing this, Marcus's brows furrowed tightly. I raised an eyebrow at him. "Seriously, I don't have the cash. Do what you have to do."

I turned and walked out.

Livid, his face turned purple, and he chased after me into the main floor. "Ethan, don't think you're untouchable just because you've been here a long time!"

The entire department stopped and stared. I turned around calmly. "I don't think that at all, Marcus. I follow the rules. Just deduct it."

Marcus thought I was bluffing. He immediately instructed payroll to alter my pay stub. Aside from my base salary, my entire seven thousand dollars in commission was wiped out!

I remained completely unbothered. I kept showing up on time, leaving exactly at five, and submitting basic sketches. They couldn't find a single real reason to write me up.

Until Mr. Harrison from Apex Group showed up.

I had handled all the preliminary drafts for Apex, but since all my files had been forced over to Tristan, he was now the primary contact.

Apex Group was our biggest client. We had worked with them for three years without a single hiccup. This new project alone was worth over ten million dollars in design fees.

Marcus and Tristan were sweating bullets, waiting by the entrance early in the morning.

When I strolled in right on the dot, Marcus glared at me. I ignored him and slipped into the breakroom to eat my breakfast.

Mr. Harrison arrived shortly after, surrounded by his entourage, and was escorted straight into the main conference room.

A few minutes later, Tiffany marched over to my cubicle. "Ethan, take these physical blueprints and deliver them to the Westside development site."

The Westside site was on the complete opposite side of the city. With morning traffic, a round trip would easily take four hours.

"Tiffany, isn't there a digital version?"

"The client requested physical copies. Go now, don't drag your feet!"

Fine. I'll go.

I took the prints and left. The moment I arrived at the Westside site, my phone rang. It was Marcus.

"Ethan, where the hell are you?! Get back to the office right now!"

"Marcus, Tiffany sent me to deliver blueprints to the Westside site. I just got here. What's wrong?"

"Send me the design concept and the core structural files for the Apex project!"

I laughed. "Everything was in the transition files I handed over to Tristan. Anyway, I have to go meet the site manager. Bye!"

I hung up immediately. A second later, Tristan called.

"Ethan, let me remind you, those files belong to the company! You can't steal them! If this deal falls through, you will be held financially liable!"

I didn't even bother replying. I blocked his number.

Carter texted me a few minutes later, giving me the live updates. Apparently, Mr. Harrison had realized the moment he sat down that his lead contact had been replaced. He asked a few technical questions, and Tristan had stumbled through them like an idiot, unable to answer a single one. Mr. Harrison's face had gone completely cold. Finally, he asked about the smart-home patent involved in the design. Was it secured?

Marcus and Tristan looked at each other, completely clueless.

Now, Mr. Harrison was demanding to see the patent certification, and since they had no idea where it was, they were panicking.

Bro, you set a trap for them, didn't you? Carter texted. Damn, you played them beautifully! No wonder you've been so relaxed. You were waiting for this!

Without that patent certification, the entire design was useless. The sketches were basically expensive trash, and the ten-million-dollar deal would vanish. The higher-ups would definitely skin Marcus and Tristan alive.

Hearing Carter's amused voice over the phone when I called him back, I just chuckled.

Suddenly, I heard Tristan's panicked voice in the background of Carter's phone. "Is that Ethan?! Give me the phone!"

"Ethan! Get your ass back here right now! What is going on with the patent?!"

"Sorry, Tristan. I can't help you. I'm no longer the lead on this project. You're the genius Ivy League grad, figure it out."

"Ethan! I know you're pissed, okay? Just come back. We can negotiate!"

Marcus's voice cut in, desperate. "Just come back and help us get through this meeting first!"

I flatly refused. "How could I? This is Tristan's big debut with our most important client. I wouldn't want to steal his spotlight."

Tristan roared through the receiver, "Ethan, don't get cocky! I don't need you to close this damn deal!"

I smiled coldly. "Let me tell you something. In less than three hours, you'll be on your knees begging me to come back. Don't believe me? Let's watch."