Execute Your Own Downfall

I had no interest in staying at the office any longer than necessary. A one-week suspension felt like a paid vacation.

What I did not expect was a call from Vincent two days in. He sounded frantic the moment I picked up. "Lina, get back to the office. Something's gone seriously wrong!"

I had seen this coming. My voice stayed even. "What happened?"

He spoke quickly, tripping over his words, but within a minute I understood.

It was exactly as I had predicted. Sophia had no real familiarity with the algorithm. She had tried to integrate it several times and failed each time. It would not adapt under her handling.

Instead of stopping there, she decided she knew better and altered the core parameters herself. The result was a complete system crash across the new product line.

I tried hard not to laugh. Failing to adapt the algorithm was one thing. But rewriting base code without understanding it? What had she been thinking?

Vincent's voice dropped low over the phone. "Babe, what happened before was on me. I didn't have a choice. The whole team was watching. Just come back and take a look. Please. Do it for me."

So now he remembered how to be sweet. Unfortunately, it did not work.

"Vincent, have you forgotten I'm still on suspension? If I walk in right now, I'd be breaking company policy," I said.

"Forget the policy. The project matters more. I'm revoking every penalty right now. Just come back," Vincent urged.

"That's a shame. I had so much free time during the suspension that I booked a trip," I drawled. "I'm abroad right now. I just landed. I can't get back anytime soon."

Silence stretched on the other end before he spoke again. "Lina, stop messing around. The company genuinely can't function without you."

"I'm not messing around. You put Sophia in charge of the project, so let her fix it," I shot back. "If she can't, the timeline slips. When I finish traveling and I'm in a better mood, I'll come back."

I hung up before he could respond and switched my phone to Do Not Disturb.

Just like that, I enjoyed my trip without a second thought.

…

A week passed, but I still did not go back.

I prolonged it deliberately. One day, bad weather canceled my flight. Next, I felt unwell and needed a few more days. Then an old classmate reached out and wanted to meet.

At first, Vincent called constantly and pushed me to return.

After a while, he realized I was delaying on purpose and stopped pressing. He changed tactics, sending careful messages in a softer tone, trying to keep me from cutting ties with the company entirely.

A colleague told me that the entire project had stalled because of what Sophia had done. In a few days, the investor's team would send someone to review progress.

Sophia busied herself preparing explanations and rallying people to manage the visit.

Unfortunately for her, it would not matter how well she prepared. That investor was my brother. I knew exactly how he operated.

…

As expected, Leo's call came a few days later.

"Lina, why did the project lead change? Are you not running it anymore?" he asked.

"I was suspended," I said.

I walked him through everything that had happened in that meeting.

By the time I finished, he was furious. "That ungrateful little… After everything you've given his company, this is how he repays you?

"And that Sophia. She doesn't know what she's doing. I could tell in yesterday's meeting that she wasn't focused on the project at all. She spent the whole meeting throwing herself at me. That kind of person has bad intentions written all over her."

He grew more agitated by the second, so I ended up calming him down. "Don't get upset. Think of it as me sharpening myself in the real world. And honestly, it's a good thing he showed me who he really is now. We haven't made it to marriage yet. It's not too late."

Leo let out a long breath and asked whether he should pull the investment entirely.

I told him to wait. The time to spring the trap had not come yet. My lawyer was still building the case and gathering evidence. When everything was in place, I wanted to make sure they had no way back.

Leo agreed without hesitation. "The family is always behind you. No matter what happens, you don't have to be afraid."