Electric tension started to build. Like opponents in a boxing match, both men glared at each other from the opposite sides.
Darren could feel Gareth's eyes boring into him as he sat there, but unlike his former self in a situation like this, he was defiant and composed.
Like a referee, the resignation letter was in their center, laying still on the desk, untouched. Knowing Gareth's character, Darren had expected resistance, but Gareth's silence stretched for a moment longer than he anticipated.
It seemed like Gareth was truly surprised that he — a twenty-one year old boy who just graduated from college — had the guts to give him a resignation letter.
It was quite unheard of for interns to resign from a job, especially since that would be bad rep, and likely spoil their chances to get other jobs. But for this boy to be gutsy enough to make such a move, either he had a secret plan or he was incredibly stupid.
So, like a predator sensing weakness, Gareth leaned back in his chair with a smirk curling at the corners of his thin lips. The kind of smirk that promised trouble.
'This boy has no idea what he's digging into.'
"I am disappointed to hear this Darren," Gareth began, mockery in his voice. "But I am even more disappointed in your stupidity."
He chuckled and sat up. "Did you forget about the contract you signed when you joined us as an intern? The same contract that I make all my workers sign? Mhm?" His grin grew wider.
"You were so eager back then, so excited to be part of the company. Didn't even read the fine print, did you?"
Darren didn't flinch, though the jab stung. He remained rooted, his hands in his pockets, his face betraying nothing.
Gareth tapped a finger on the desk for emphasis. "Let me remind you. That contract — which you signed, mind you — states that even if you resign, you are obligated to work for this company for two additional months. It's a clause we put in place to ensure a smooth transition. So, you little rat, I don't know what happened to you overnight that made you come here making demands. But I'll tell you something right now."
He leaned forward, eyes blazing. "You can turn in all the letters you want, but you'll still be here, sitting at your desk, working for me, for the next sixty days. Whether you like it or not, you'll still be under my thumb. And I will make those two months hell for you."
The smugness in Gareth's voice was unbearable. His smirk widened as he sat back and relaxed on his chair. 'Ha! Ha! I've got him now. This trash might only be useful for his brain, but that's enough reason for me to keep him around and suck as much of his financial ideas as possible.'
He felt proud of himself and was grateful that he'd listened to his lawyer's idea of secretly including that clause. But there was one issue.
Darren didn't look worried or shocked at all. Gareth's face darkened with confusion as he saw that there was not even a flicker of panic crossed on the boy's face. Instead, he shrugged slightly and adjusted his tie. "Sixty days, huh?"
"Sixty," Gareth repeated, leaning forward now, wondering what was going on. "You're not going anywhere, Steele. I don't know what you have planned but you think you can just walk out on me after all I've done for you? After the opportunities I've handed you on a silver platter?"
Darren almost laughed at the absurdity of that statement. 'Opportunities? Is this man deranged?' Gareth hadn't handed him anything but scraps, stolen ideas, and broken promises.
Darren didn't say anything for a good while, making Gareth become a little anxious. Then, he finally decided to break the silence.
"Actually," he began, his voice calm, "I did think about that contract."
Gareth's smirk faltered slightly. 'Eh?'
"I thought about it a lot," Darren continued, sounding way too casual that it began to feel threatening. "And you know what? I knew you'd try to pull something like this. So, I made sure I was prepared."
The faintest crease appeared on Gareth's forehead.
"You see," Darren said, slipping his hand into his briefcase once more, "I met with the lawyer who drafted that contract. The same one who signed it."
Gareth's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"
Darren lifted his gaze at him. "Hold on, you'll find out soon enough," he said, then lowered his eyes back to the bag before pulling out a neatly folded sheet of paper. He set it down on Gareth's desk beside the resignation letter.
Gareth snatched it up, his eyes scanning the document. The smirk had completely disappeared from his face now. "What is this?"
"It's a revised agreement," Darren said nonchalantly. "Before I came here, I went to see a lawyer. Attorney Jonathan Vance, you remember him? The lawyer you hired to draft my original contract? Turns out, he's quite fond of the stock market. I made him a deal. I didn't have money, so I gave him my calculations and proof to go for a particular investment that is bound to be lucrative. He's on his way to making seven million dollars and I managed to have him amend the terms of that agreement."
"Of course, he signed off on it himself. After all, who better to rewrite a contract than the person who created it?" Darren watched the horrid expression on Gareth's face. "The clause no longer stands. And since it's the same contract that all your employees signed, it means the clause no longer stands for them either."
Gareth's hands tightened around the paper, first he was unsure of who to be angry with. That backstabbing lawyer or this piece of trash who he hired from nothing!
The anger radiating off him became palpable. "You... you conniving little—"
"Careful, Gareth," Darren interrupted, his voice cold and smooth. "I'd watch what you say. Remember that I no longer work for you, hence you can't just treat me whatever way you wish and expect me to do nothing. I've got his signature, his approval, and the documentation to prove it. You've got nothing."
Gareth slammed the paper onto the desk, his jaw clenched. "You think you've outsmarted me? You think you can just waltz out of here after meddling with my company! You want to ruin everything I've built?"
Darren relaxed backward and shrugged. "Maybe? But I've barely started, don't you think? This is just an act to secure fairness and give you what you deserve. You capture young graduates into these ridiculous slave contracts, steal their ideas, and exploit their ambition to make yourself richer. And I was your most prized slave, wasn't I? Which was why you even used your daughter on me to keep me loyal."
Gareth flinched at that, his face twitching in shock. 'How does he know that? Did she tell him? What have you done, Lily?'
Darren straightened up, keeping his eye on the CEO. "You tell her to whisper something in my ear that keeps me in check, makes me gullible. And when you saw the billion dollar opportunity with Moon Enterprise, you didn't need me anymore, and neither did she."
Gareth's expression was now confusion, shock and rage all mixed together. 'What's he talking about now?'
His mouth opened as if to say something but closed again when no words came.
Darren grabbed his resignation letter from the desk and slipped it back into his bag. "Consider this my official goodbye," he said, standing up and turning toward the door.
"You'll regret this, Steele," Gareth spat, his voice trembling with fury. "You don't cross the Smithers Group! I'll make sure to blacklist you! No business company will ever hire you! Ever!"
Darren paused at the doorway, glancing back over his shoulder. His gaze was icy, and his voice steady. "Why would I bother working for a business company when I can just make my own?"
"Eh?" Gareth's eyes widened as he reclined. "You want to start a business company." He wanted to laugh as loud as he could because of how unrealistic it sounded, but why would this boy say something like that if he didn't mean it.
"I don't know how you intend to do it, but no business company will work with yours if I blacklist you!" he spat. "Your stupid company will be over before it even begins."
Darren didn't look bothered. "Go ahead then. Blacklist me. I don't need the help or other businesses to start my own."
Gareth slammed his hands on the table and stood up. "That's impossible. You'll have to be the richest man in the state to run a business without the aid of other businesses."
Eyes narrowed, Darren simply sighed and turned to the door. "Then that is what I'll be."
He opened the door and left the office.
Ding!
┏3/3 Goals have been Identified┛
"Lilyyyy!" Gareth Smithers yelled. "Get inside my office, right now!!!"