Resign with Grace, Return with Fire Chapter 18
“It’s only been a few days, Fred. How did you turn into such a shameless liar?” Sandra asked contemptuously.
“I know you’ve got a lot of pride, but if you can’t even afford to put food on the table, maybe you should stop pretending you’re fine,” Lester chimed in. “Sandy has always been soft-hearted. If you just swallow your pride and apologize sincerely, she’ll forgive you. Getting you a job wouldn’t be out of the question…”
Sandra crossed her arms and snorted. “The only opening at the company right now is janitorial. If you come back, it’ll have to be as a cleaner.”
Lester looked smug but put on a fake show of concern. “Fred, why are you just standing there? Hurry up and thank Sandy.”
When I didn’t move, he kept up the act like he was doing me a favor. “Even being a cleaner is better than going hungry. Don’t let your ego get in the way.”
I pushed him aside and said coldly, “Step aside. Don’t block the way.”
Lester yelped and turned to Sandra, looking wounded. “I was only trying to help Fred. How could he do that to me?”
Sandra glared daggers at me. “Stop right there, Fred. Apologize to Lester now!”
I ignored her and found my seat.
Sandra, flushed with anger, lost her temper. She called security to have me thrown out. “Security! How did a fraud like this even get in here? Get him out of my sight! Don’t let any random riffraff wander in here and pollute the air!”
The guards didn’t dare to cross Sandra and started moving in on me.
Just then, a sharp voice rang out from behind us. “What’s going on? What’s all this noise about? Do you think it’s appropriate to be acting like this?”
I turned to see John Lawson, the partner for this bid meeting. His company, Sunrise Group, was an industry leader, which was why tons of people had shown up hoping to work with him. If they could latch onto Sunrise Group, their company’s profile would skyrocket in the industry. Becoming a globally renowned enterprise would no longer be a pipe dream.
For everyone, partnering with John had only advantages and no downsides.
The guards immediately let go of me and backed off when they saw John.
Sandra and Lester did a full 180. They plastered on fawning smiles and laid out their version of events. “Mr. Lawson, we were just kicking out a troublemaking nobody! We have no idea how he slipped in, but it’s obvious that he’s up to no good. We can’t let him ruin the meeting.”
John looked at me. “You… You’re…”
I had always kept a low profile and didn’t want to reveal my identity, so I shook my head.
John caught my drift and barked, “The vetting process for this bid meeting is strict. If he’s in here, he definitely
has an invitation. Let this be the end of this farce. Anyone who stirs up trouble from here on will immediately be disqualified from bidding!”
With him laying down the law, Sandra and Lester had no choice but to nod and agree.
Lester shot me a hateful look and growled, “You were just lucky!”
I couldn’t be bothered to argue. I turned away from them and leaned back in my seat. They followed and sat down as well.
Soon, the meeting commenced. Sandra and I stood up at the same time and walked over to John. We handed him our bid proposals at the same time.
Sandra glanced at me in surprise. “How do you have a bid proposal, Fred? To think you actually found a job.”
Jealousy flickered in Lester’s eyes, but he forced a smile and put on a show of insincere concern again. “Fred, take my advice and drop out of the bidding. There’s no need to embarrass yourself in public. It’ll be awkward.”
