«You’re fired, you useless fool!» the boss yelled. But he paled instantly when the company owner walked into the office, hugged me, and said, «Darling, let’s go home.»
«You’re fired, you useless fool!»
The shout from James Whitmore, the department head, seemed to etch itself into the white office walls. He slammed a thin folder onto the desk, sending papers scattering across the polished surface, some drifting to the floor.
«A whole month! A whole month wasted on this report for British Steel! And what’s the result? Failure!»
I watched his face twist with anger. Red blotches crept up his neck, his eyes bulging. Just another one of his weekly tantrums, always targeting someone new. Today was my turn.
I stayed silent. Any word now would be like a match to petrol. Thats exactly what he wanted.
«Cat got your tongue? Nothing to say? I trusted you with our biggest client, and youyoure just incompetent! A waste of space!»
He loomed over the desk, jabbing a finger toward my face. The air reeked of his expensive cologne, bitter and sharp.
«I dont understand what failure youre referring to, Mr. Whitmore,» I said calmlytoo calmly. «All the data was verified. I double-checked everything myself.»
That only infuriated him more.
«‘I dont understand,'» he mocked. «Their commercial director just called me! Theyre furious! Said our numbers are completely off!»
Now I was genuinely curious. I knew my calculations were flawless. Someone had altered them after Id submitted the report for review.
«Pack your things. I want you out in ten minutes.»
He turned to the window, signaling the conversation was over. His posture radiated triumph. Another «useless fool» banished from his delusional perfect world.
I stood slowly. No anger, no resentmentjust cold, clear understanding. Everything was going to plan. Better than Id hoped.
I gathered my few belongingsa notebook, a pen, my pursewithout hurry.
The office door swung open without a knock.
James Whitmore turned sharply.
«What the devil»
He froze midsentence. His face drained of colour, leaving a sickly pallor.
In walked Daniel. My husband. And, incidentally, the owner of the entire company.
He glanced at the scattered papers, then at the bewildered James Whitmore, and finally at me. A faint smile flickered in his eyes.
Daniel stepped forward, wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and kissed my temple.
«Darling, shall we go home?»
James Whitmore gaped at us, opening and closing his mouth like a fish on land. His perfect world had just shattered.
«Daniel Edward» he finally stammered, barely forcing the words out. His eyes darted between me and my husband.
«James,» Daniel said smoothly. «I see youre making personnel changes? Decided to fire my best analyst?»
He stressed the word *my*, making James flinch.
«I I didnt know Shes Bennett»
«My wife chose to work under her maiden name,» Daniel said casually, picking up one of the stray reports. «Wanted to see the workflow from the inside, unbiased.»
He skimmed the figures.
«And I must say, its been quite revealing. Especially regarding this report.»
James swallowed hard. He was starting to realize this wasnt just bad luck. It was a trap.
«Daniel, this is a misunderstanding! Bennettsyour wifesreport was a disaster! British Steel called me!»
«Did they?» Daniel raised an eyebrow. «Funny. Their commercial director was in my office five minutes ago. We had coffee and signed an expanded contract.»
He let that sink in.
«Based on the original version of Emilys report. The one she gave you a week ago.»
James went deathly pale. Now he understood.
«But those numbers»
«Ah, those numbers?» Daniel tossed the paper aside. «The figures you sent the client had nothing to do with reality. You altered them. Quite clumsily.»
Daniel leaned over Jamess desk, looking down at him.
«Two months ago, our security team noticed something odd. A systematic leak of tender and client data. Someone was feeding information to our biggest competitorNorthern Capital.»
James shrank in his chair.
«We couldnt pinpoint who. Then my wife offered to help. Emilys a brilliant economist. She suspected the mole wasnt just stealing datathey were sabotaging operations from within. Creating chaos.»
Daniel spoke calmly, almost academically, but James was sweating.
«She joined your department. In a month, she saw everythingyour incompetence, your bullying, your habit of taking credit for others work and blaming them for your failures.»
Daniel stepped back.
«But most importantly, she caught you altering her report late at night. And saving it to a flash drive. One with a football club keychain. The camera above your desk captured everything.»
James was broken.
«Now,» Daniels tone hardened, «lets discuss the damages to the company. And the criminal charges for corporate espionage. Sit down. This will take a while.»
Daniel nodded toward the door, which two security officers opened immediately. He took my bag and guided me out.
We left James alone with his ruined world.
As we walked through the open-plan office, employees stared in shock. They didnt understand what had just happened.
They only saw their intimidating boss cornered by the company owner, and the woman hed fired minutes ago walking calmly beside him.
The past month flashed through my mindlike a strange, unpleasant dream. I remembered last weeks meeting. James had gathered the team to discuss a new project. Thomas, always the creative thinker, had proposed a fresh approach to data analysis.
James leaned back in his chair, tapping an expensive pen against the desk. Then he drawled, «Thomas, Thomas This is why youre stuck on your modest salary while I run this department. Your fantasies have no place here. Stick to your job.»
Thomas had shrunk into himself, silent for the rest of the meeting. Thats when I knewJames was afraid.
Afraid of smart people because they exposed his mediocrity. He wasnt leadinghe was scorching the earth around him.
Hed built an atmosphere of fear. People hesitated to take initiative, knowing failure meant humiliation and success meant James would steal the credit.
Thats what tipped me off. In such an environment, leaks were inevitable. A disgruntled employee was a competitors best asset.
But I never doubted the real weak link was James himself. His expensive watch, hushed phone calls about bets and debtshe lived beyond his means.
The final clue was that football keychain. A week ago, Id «casually» mentioned supporting Arsenal.
James had sneered. «Only losers support them. Ive been a Chelsea fan for twenty years.»
Thats when I knew how to catch him.
The British Steel report was perfect bait. Id prepared it flawlessly but pretended to doubt a few key figuresgiving him room to «improve» it. And hed taken it.
We stepped outside. The cool evening air hit my face.
«Well, Sherlock?» Daniel grinned, opening the car door for me. «Pleased with your work?»
I sank into the seat, smiling tiredly.
«Just glad he wont poison anyone elses career. Youve no idea how toxic it was there.»
Daniels expression darkened as he started the engine.
«Now I do. Thank you. You didnt just expose a thiefyou showed me the rot in my own company. I thought I was building a business. Turns out Id let a petty tyrant take over.»
He pulled away.
«This needs fixing. Properly.»
I knew he meant it.
My «firing» wasnt the end. It was the start of a cleanupnot just of traitors, but of the fear and incompetence they thrived on.
The city lights blurred past.
«You know the worst part?» I broke the silence. «He wasnt just a bad manager. He broke people. That Thomashes brilliant. Couldve been an asset. But James convinced him he was worthless.»
«Ill speak to Thomas tomorrow,» Daniel said firmly. «And the whole team. Without their so-called leader. They deserve to be heard.»
«Good,» I nodded. «They need to know the rules have changed.»
We spent the drive home discussing how to fix the company culture. That mattered more than catching one spy. Because the real disease was indifferenceletting men like James thrive.
At home, Daniel told me what hed left out earlier.
«Northern Capital didnt just buy information from him. They owned him. Played on his debts, then reeled him in. They werent just sabotaging usthey were waiting for him to climb higher to strike harder.»
It was worse than Id thought.
«So hed have kept crushing talent to clear his own path?» I asked.
«Exactly. Burning bridges so no one outshone him. Classic weak leadership.»
The next day, I didnt go to the office. My job was done. But that evening, Daniel returned excited.
«Thomas is acting department head. Know what he did first? Told the team, ‘I dont know how to lead, so lets learn together. All ideas welcome.'»
Daniel smiled.
«Remember Sophie? The one James reduced to tears? She proposed a new reporting system that cuts workload by twenty percent. Hed called it ‘amateur nonsense’ two months ago.»
That was the real victory. Pluck one weed, and healthy growth follows.
«So what now?» Daniel asked, pulling me close. «After all this excitement, surely you wont just stay home?»
I smirked.
«Who said Im staying home? Ive an ideaa new role. Internal Ethics Auditor. Someone who answers only to you, gathering honest feedback at every level.»
Daniels eyes lit up.
«Brilliant. Not a security team hunting enemies, but a wellness team healing the company from within.»
That was the end of my undercover missionand the start of something bigger. Building a company where «useless fool» described no one but the bullies themselves.
A year later, I sat in my top-floor office, the city sprawling below.
My titleDirector of Corporate Culturesounded grand, but the job was simple: I listened. Our anonymous «Dialogue» platform was now the companys most-used resource. Anyone could speak freely, without fear.
Sometimes, like today, people came in person. The door opened, and Thomas peered in. A year had transformed himconfidence had replaced hesitation. His analytics team now led the company in efficiency.
«Emily, got a minute?» he smiled. «Need your thoughts on streamlining a process before the board meeting.»
We talked for an hour. His energy was contagious.
This was the man Daniel had always seennot through fear, but through freedom.
«Thank you,» Thomas said as he left. «Youve no idea how much has changed. People arent afraid anymore.»
That was the highest praise.
Id heard about James only once. The court gave him probation and a crippling fine hed pay for life.
No pity. Hed made his choices.
That evening, Daniel took my hand as we drove home.
«A year ago, you showed me my ‘kingdom’ was rotten. I was wrong. It was a sick patient.»
He paused.
«Legal just told meresignations are down by two-thirds. Productivitys up forty percent where we changed leaders.»
Numbers, yes. But behind them were people who no longer felt like cogs in a machine.
«Your ‘wellness team’ works,» he said.
I watched the city lights, thinking: true victory isnt catching one villain.
Its building a system where they dont belong.
My work wasnt flashy. It was quiet, steady.
But I knewit was what made the company strong. Not profits, but people who came to work happy.
And that was worth every challenge.
