The elevator doors slid shut, cutting off the beautiful, dumbfounded look on Derek's face. The moment they closed, a wild, giddy laugh burst out of me. It echoed in the small, metal box. I'd done it, I'd actually said no, and it felt better than I'd ever imagined.
The triumph was still buzzing under my skin when the system's chime, which was now a familiar and welcome sound, echoed in my skull.
[New Quest Generated: The Unshakeable]
Objective: Remain stoic and unmovable. No matter what is said or done to you, show no emotional reaction.
Restriction: Do not explain yourself to please. Do not justify your actions, and do not ask why.
Reward: 150 System Points, $300,000 USD.
Failure: Deduction of ninety percent of current cash.
The air left my lungs. Three hundred thousand dollars!! The number didn't just flash in my mind; it burned itself onto the back of my eyelids, straight into my brain.
And those system points—the ones used for physical upgrades!!
It wasn't just money for a new car or a fancy apartment. The sum of it all was the exact amount.
To the dollar, it was exactly what I needed to cover my mother's experimental treatment: $450,000 USD.
The powerful, loaded Landon family could have paid it a hundred times over without blinking. But I'd rather set myself on fire than ask them for a single cent after what they did.
After what he did, the grievance was a fresh wound even years later. I'd cut them off, changed my number, and tried to forget the name. But blood and money have a way of pulling you back. Her illness was the chain I couldn't break.
Now, the system was offering me the chain-breaker. All I had to do was keep a straight face? Ha! Easy!
The elevator dinged, announcing my floor. The doors opened.
"Showtime," I whispered, my voice steady.
I walked toward Regina's office, my new sneakers silent on the plush carpet. The anxiousness I had felt disappeared, it had to. Three hundred thousand was on the damn line.
I pushed her office door open without knocking. She was at her desk, and her head snapped up, her expression already twisted into its usual disappointed scowl.
"You're late," she spat. "And you look like you're trying out for a bad music video. Where is the Anders contract? Don't tell me you managed to fail at the one simple task I gave you."
I remained standing, my hands loose at my sides. "Unmovable."
"The contract is signed and delivered," I said, my voice flat. "My copy was lost in transit."
Her eyes narrowed, searching my face for the usual tells. The twitch in my jaw, the way I'd look at the floor. She found nothing. My face was a mask of arrogance and confidence.
"Lost?" she said, drawing the word out. She leaned back, a slow, ugly smile spreading on her face. She wasn't angry; she was pleased. She tried to hide it, but I could tell. "That's a multi-million dollar account, Leo. 'Lost' isn't a word we use here. There are consequences for this level of incompetence."
I said nothing. The system had said, No justification.
She misread my silence for submission and pressed her advantage.
"New clothes won't fix your face, Leo. Or your work ethic. You're a disappointment, but lucky for you, I'm a forgiving person."
She heaved a massive stack of files onto the desk between us with a loud thump.
"You can start by re-filing all of last quarter's reports. And I want the draft for the Henderson proposal on my desk by five. Don't screw this up, too."
This was not my work to do, but every company had someone who did the extra work. And if we're being really honest, those guys are often taken for fools.
She stared at me, waiting for the resigned sigh, the slumped shoulders, the quiet
"Yes, Regina."
I looked from the pile of work to her smug face. The system's quest pulsed in my mind. "$300,000 for Mom's treatment." The quest was in progress.
I met her eyes.
"No."
The world was calm. It hung in the air between us, simple and utterly devastating.
Her smile vanished. "Excuse me?"
"I quit," I said, the words even and devoid of any emotion. "Effective immediately."
Her mouth opened and then closed.
"T-this..." she muttered.
The confusion was absolute. This wasn't in the script. Her tool was breaking in front of her.
"You… you can't quit. You have nothing! You're nothing without this job!"
"Stoic." I just stared, letting her words bounce off the new, impenetrable version of me. I turned and walked out of her office, leaving her sputtering behind me.
I didn't slam the door. I closed it with a soft, precise click. I would have loved to stay and enjoy the chaos going on in her head. But I also realized that the mission I was given by the system was trickier than it looked at first glance. It was best to just leave the scene and get my money.
The moment I was in the hallway, I checked the system to see if the mission would be completed.
[Quest: The Unshakeable—Still in progress]
I was a little confused, as I thought the mission would be over, but it seemed I was still being tested, so I did what any wise person would do. I steeled myself and kept my guard raised.
Inside her office, Regina was still frozen. Her eyes drifted from the closed door to a single framed photo on her desk. It was the company holiday party from two years ago. In the corner of the shot, a younger, thinner Leo Landon stood alone by the punch bowl, wearing an ill-fitting suit, his shoulders hunched, a glass of water in his hand as he was trying to look like he belonged.
She couldn't help but wonder, her brow furrowed in deep, unsettling confusion.
"Is that really him?"
I allowed myself a single, deep breath in the cool, quiet hallway. Being totally free was one thing, but being free with money in your account? Now that was a real fantasy come true.
Although this cash would be used for my mom. There was more to come, and I was sure the system would up the rewards even more. However, I didn't realize that with good rewards came harder tasks to complete.
I turned the corner, ready to walk out of that hellhole for the last time.
And that's when I saw them.
Standing right by the elevator bank, as if waiting for me.
"Elise"
Her arms crossed, a look of pure, triumphant venom on her face. And next to her, with a stern, disapproving expression that promised professional execution, was my manager, James Henderson—another person with the actual power to fire me.
They were here, together. Their body language said it all. James used to be my guy, you know? We used to talk. But behind my back? He was deep into my girl.
That's why she was misbehaving so much; she thought he was better. She thought she could do better. All this time of making it look like my fault, she was just looking for an excuse to ditch me.
The both of them stopped upon seeing me.
Silence..
The silence was louder than a nuclear strike.
Elise's eyes locked onto mine, and her smirk widened. There was simply no remorse in her eyes. And this was what pissed me off the most. I completely lost my temper.