Laid Off to Top His Career Chapter 1

I took the bullet for Richard when his pet project crashed and burned. In exchange, he promised me a year-end promotion and a hefty raise.

Yet the moment the layoff rumors started circulating, I was the very first person called into his office.

"Harper, corporate is restructuring. Your metrics are at the bottom of the barrel, so we have to let you go."

I stared at the termination agreement. The words "Stack Ranking Elimination" glared back at me.

I did not argue with him. I simply packed my things in silence.

And then I took a seat in the office directly across from his. The one with the frosted glass marked "Exclusive Corporate Auditor."

...

"Harper, regarding the restructuring, you are the first on the list."

Richard's voice was completely devoid of warmth.

I sat across from him in the conference room. The air conditioning was cranked up so high the chill seeped right into my bones.

He slid a manila folder across the mahogany table. It was a formal termination notice.

The words "Performance-Based Termination" stung my eyes.

"Richard, I recall the performance reviews for this month. I was nowhere near the bottom."

My voice was dead calm.

Richard barely lifted his eyes from his phone.

"The company looks at the big picture, Harper. It is not just about raw sales."

"Besides, you know exactly how much money your mistakes cost us on Project Apex."

I stared at him, my mind going completely blank for a fraction of a second.

Project Apex was his brainchild. His flawed decision-making nearly cost the firm ten million dollars.

It was me who stayed up for three consecutive nights with my team, rebuilding the entire data model from scratch to stop the bleeding.

And it was him who stood in my office, looked me dead in the eye, and said those exact words.

"Harper, just take the bullet for me on this one. I swear I will make you Vice Director by December."

Now, that very same project was the weapon he was using to execute my career.

The HR Manager, Davis, cleared his throat from the corner of the room.

"Harper, our hands are tied here. You have to understand the business side of things."

"Just sign the paperwork. We are offering a very standard severance package to make this easy."

I did not even glance at the contract.

My gaze drifted right past Richard and landed on Sophie, the new intern standing by the filing cabinet.

Sophie was looking down, pretending to sort papers, but a smug smirk was plastered across her glossy lips.

She was wearing a brand-new designer dress. The exact same limited-edition dress Richard had bought during his business trip last week.

Even the potted monstera plant I had nurtured on my desk for three years had already been relocated to her cubicle.

Richard sighed, tapping his expensive watch in annoyance.

"Do not waste our time, Harper. We have a long list of people to get through today."

"Your performance is dragging the whole department down. People have been complaining to me for weeks."

I took a deep breath and stood up.

"Understood."

I left the pen on the table, turned around, and walked out.

Back at my desk, the bullpen was dead silent. My colleagues kept their heads glued to their monitors, typing aggressively to avoid making eye contact with me.

A thick, suffocating awkwardness hung in the air.

I began dropping my life into a cardboard box.

Piles of market research, client files, and the crystal trophy engraved with my name.

Richard had handed me that trophy himself after I secured the massive Southside Development deal.

At the celebration dinner, he had raised his glass and announced to the whole room.

"Harper is the lucky charm of this division! She is my absolute right-hand woman!"

Now, he was chopping off his right hand just to save his own skin.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. It was a Slack message from Greg.

"Harper, what the hell is going on? I just heard you got pulled into the firing squad?"

"How can they PIP you? You were literally the top biller last quarter!"

I typed back. "It is about Project Apex."

Greg instantly tried to call me. I hit decline.

I was not in the mood to talk.

A wall of furious text popped up on my screen a second later.

"Are you kidding me! If it wasn't for you, corporate would have fired his incompetent ass months ago!"

"He forced that project through against everyone's advice, and you cleaned up his mess!"

"You cannot just let him get away with this, Harper! Go to corporate HR! File an appeal!"

I kept my fingers steady as I replied.

"Calm down, Greg."

"He did this because he thinks I have zero leverage."

"This termination notice was a theatrical performance."

The clack of high heels interrupted me. Sophie sauntered over, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness.

"Do you need some help with that, Harper?"

She pointed a manicured finger at my master project binder.

"Those files are highly confidential. Richard told me to take over your accounts, so you can just hand that over to me."

Her eyes sparkled with naked ambition and petty triumph.

I looked at her the way one might look at a clown performing a cheap trick.

I picked up the heavy binder and shoved it into her chest.

"Good luck."

She hugged the binder like she had just won the lottery.

"Thanks! I will definitely work super hard so I don't disappoint Richard."

Richard stepped out of the glass conference room and clapped his hands loudly to get the floor's attention.

"Everyone, stop what you are doing for a second. I have an announcement."

"Effective immediately, Harper is leaving us due to personal reasons. Sophie will be taking over all her active accounts."

"Also, let us congratulate Sophie. She has officially passed her probation and is being promoted to Project Lead."

The title he had promised me was handed to a twenty-two-year-old intern who had been here for three months.

You could hear a pin drop in the office.

I picked up my cardboard box and walked toward the exit, feeling the weight of a dozen stares burning into my back.

As I walked past Richard, he did not even bother to look in my direction.

He was already leaning in, whispering softly to Sophie. "Where do you want to go for your celebration dinner tonight?"