Alexander furrowed his brows as he stared intently at the screen of his computer. A wave of confusion washed over him—his presentation, the one he had carefully prepared and was supposed to present in front of his boss today, had somehow changed. He had no idea how it had been altered or who could have tampered with it.
Letting out a deep sigh, he adjusted his glasses, trying to steady himself. His mind raced, searching for answers, but his train of thought was abruptly derailed when a crumpled piece of paper hit him out of nowhere. He turned swiftly, his gaze landing on his colleagues, who were laughing at his expense.
"So, what now? You gonna fight back?" Jacob sneered, amusement lacing his voice.
Jacob had been with Carter Tech of Company for a long time, establishing himself as one of the senior employees. Despite his experience, however, he couldn't match Alexander's skills. And that fact, more than anything, seemed to bother him.
"Fight back? How can he when he's so useless?" Marvin chimed in mockingly. "Because of him, our project ended up with that arrogant team instead of us!" His tone was filled with bitterness, and his words were met with murmurs of agreement from the others.
"Exactly!" Michelle added, crossing her arms as she eyed Alexander from head to toe, clear disdain in her expression. "Ever since he became our leader, our team has fallen apart. Why was he even chosen for this role in the first place?" Her gaze darkened as she shook her head in disbelief. "Mr. Carter should have just made Jacob the team leader instead!"
Laughter erupted once more from the group, feeding off each other's negativity.
Alexander, however, refused to let their taunts affect him. With a calm and composed demeanor, he bent down to pick up the crumpled paper that had been thrown at him. Straightening up, he exhaled slowly before addressing them.
"If any of you have a problem with me being here, you're free to leave the team," he stated firmly, his voice unwavering.
For a moment, there was silence. Then, as if on cue, their laughter returned—louder and more mocking than before. They saw his words as nothing more than a joke. One by one, they picked up scraps of paper and continued throwing them at him, their ridicule growing bolder.
But their actions came to an abrupt halt when the atmosphere in the room shifted.
The laughter died down, replaced by tension as Mr. Carter suddenly entered the room. The air turned heavy, and every single one of them lowered their heads, avoiding eye contact with their superior.
All except for Alexander.
He stood firm, meeting Mr. Carter's gaze head-on, fully prepared for whatever reprimand was coming his way.
"Come to my office, Mr. Hale," Mr. Carter said, his tone unreadable. "We have a lot to talk about."
Mr. Carter was the first to walk away from Alexander's workstation, heading toward his office with an air of authority. The room fell into an awkward silence as everyone's eyes followed Alexander, their expressions filled with amusement and silent mockery. It was as if they were all thinking the same thing—he was done for.
Without bothering to react to their unspoken taunts, Alexander simply shrugged and followed his boss. He knew there was no point in hesitating.
As he stepped into Mr. Carter's office, the air felt heavier, almost suffocating. The only sound in the room was the faint scratching of a pen between Mr. Carter's fingers as he sat at his desk, his piercing gaze fixed on Alexander. The weight of his stare was enough to make most people uncomfortable, but Alexander had been in this position too many times to let it affect him.
"Take a seat," Mr. Carter ordered, his voice devoid of warmth.
Obediently, Alexander sat down, keeping his posture straight and his expression neutral. He didn't need to be told why he was here. He had long since grown used to these situations—being called in, being reprimanded, being made to feel small. It had become a routine he had unwillingly learned to endure.
"It's just a simple task. Why can't you do it properly?" Mr. Carter's tone was firm, laced with disappointment and frustration.
Alexander met his boss's gaze and calmly responded, "I did complete it, sir. But someone tampered with my presentation. Someone is trying to sa—"
"Dammit!" Mr. Carter's sudden outburst cut him off mid-sentence, making him flinch slightly.
"Stop making excuses, Hale!" he barked. "You're always like this! If it weren't for your wife, you would've been fired a long time ago!"
My wife?
Sophia Johnson
At the mention of her name, Alexander lowered his head, unable to refute his boss's words. He knew they were true. If it weren't for his wife, he wouldn't have landed this job in the first place. He wouldn't have secured his position in the company.
The truth stung, but it was a reality he could not deny.
"You're only proving what I already knew—that you're utterly incompetent," Mr. Carter said coldly, his voice dripping with disdain. "It was a simple task, and yet you still managed to mess it up."
Alexander remained silent, absorbing the harsh words like he always did. His head hung low, his posture shrinking as if he were trying to disappear into himself. There was no point in arguing—he had long since learned that his words would never matter in this office.
"Damn it," Mr. Carter exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple in frustration. "You've just confirmed that I made a huge mistake in appointing you as the team leader. I should've given that role to Jacob instead."
Hearing that, Alexander's fingers clenched into fists on his lap. He forced himself to lift his gaze, meeting the anger in his boss's eyes. His throat felt tight, but he swallowed the discomfort and spoke anyway. "I did everything I could, sir. I finished my work, but someone deliberately tampered with my presentation. Someone sabotaged it."
"Do you have proof?" Mr. Carter's voice was sharp, cutting off any further explanation. "Tell me, who in their right mind would waste their time trying to ruin you? No one! Stop making excuses and own up to your failures!"
His voice thundered through the office, completely drowning out anything Alexander could have said in his defense.
Alexander let out a quiet sigh, his body sagging slightly in defeat. There was no point in arguing anymore. Mr. Carter had already made up his mind—nothing Alexander said would change that.
If Sophia finds out about this… He closed his eyes briefly, dread curling in his stomach. She'll be furious again. She'll hit me, call me useless, and remind me once more that I'm the worst husband ever.
"Get out of my sight, Hale," Mr. Carter snapped, his voice dangerously low. "Before I lose control and beat you again."
The moment those words registered, Alexander sprang to his feet, his movements quick and automatic. He didn't hesitate, didn't even spare a glance back as he strode toward the door. His fingers wrapped around the knob, eager to leave this suffocating room as fast as possible.
But just as he was about to step out, Mr. Carter's voice rang out once more, stopping him in his tracks.
"Oh, and one more thing," he said, his tone laced with mockery. "You're staying overtime tonight. You've got a lot of work to make up for—thanks to your incompetence."
Alexander didn't argue. He simply gave a small nod, keeping his head down as he stepped out of the office, the door closing behind him with a quiet thud.
As soon as Alexander returned to his workstation, the atmosphere shifted. Every pair of eyes in the room locked onto him, filled with curiosity, amusement, and silent judgment. The weight of their stares pressed down on him, but he refused to acknowledge them.
Without a word, he made his way to his seat, his movements slow and heavy. His shoulders sagged with exhaustion, and his expression remained unreadable. Instead of reacting to their stares, he simply sat down, exhaled deeply, and turned his focus to his computer screen.
His inbox was overflowing with unread emails—task after task had been dumped on him while he was away. The sheer amount of work was suffocating, but he had no choice. He had to get through it. He had to keep going.
Just as he was about to begin, Jacob seized the opportunity to provoke him.
"Hey! You got scolded again, didn't you?" Jacob taunted, his voice brimming with amusement. "That's what happens when you're a complete idiot."
Alexander clenched his jaw, his fingers tightening into fists beneath the desk. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, trying to suppress the anger bubbling inside him. Losing his temper wasn't an option. Not here. Not now. If he lashed out, he would only be giving them more reasons to humiliate him.
"Leave me alone, Jacob," he said, his voice steady but firm. "I am still the head of this team, so at the very least, show some respect."
The response was met with an eruption of laughter.
"Respect?" Jacob repeated mockingly, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Wow! This idiot actually thinks he deserves respect!"
The others joined in, their laughter echoing through the workspace like a cruel melody.
Alexander didn't react. He didn't flinch, didn't let their words sink into his skin. Instead, he forced himself to focus on his work, determined to block them out.
But then, a single sentence cut through the noise, making his hands freeze over the keyboard.
"No wonder I saw his wife with Mr. Carter the other day," someone muttered loud enough for everyone to hear. "It all makes sense now. He's such a pathetic fool that he lets his wife cheat on him right under his nose…"