The Fall
Adrian lay on his bed, with one arm draped across his eyes, his body finally surrendering to the exhaustion he’d been ignoring for days. The afternoon sun filtered through the curtains, casting warm shadows across the room.
His phone rang, shattering the quiet.
Adrian groaned softly but didn’t move to answer it. The ringing stopped. Blessed silence returned for exactly three seconds before it started again.
With a resigned sigh, Adrian reached out blindly, his hand finding the phone on the nightstand. He brought it to his ear without opening his eyes.
“This better be important, Marcus.”
“Sir, I apologize for the interruption.” Marcus said. “But I’ve completed the investigation on Alexander Chen.”
Adrian’s arm remained over his eyes. “And?”
“He does work for us. Vice President of Operations at Stella Tech Industries.” Marcus paused. “Though I should clarify…Stellar Tech is one of our smaller subsidiary branches. The company is worth approximately eighty million yuan. Compared to our other branches it’s one of the smallest, sir.”
Adrian frowned slightly beneath his arm. “Financial profile?”
“Catastrophic, sir. The man is drowning in debt despite a comfortable salary. The details are extensive, but the summary is simple: he’s financially irresponsible and barely keeping his head above water.”
Adrian was quiet for a moment, his frown deepening. “If his finances are that bad, how did he become a VP?”
“That’s what concerns me as well, sir. It suggests either corruption or severe incompetence in Stellar Tech’s management structure.”
Adrian’s arm fell away from his face. He stared at the ceiling, his jaw tightening. A man that financially reckless, that desperate, in a position of significant authority? That was more than just one bad employee. There was a big problem in the branch’s leadership.
“Restructure Stellar Tech’s entire management,” Adrian said, his voice cold and final. “I want Chen gone by the end of the day. And investigate who promoted him to VP. If anyone in upper management knew about his financial situation and promoted him anyway, they’re out too.”
“Understood, sir.”
“Adrian sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. “That branch has clearly been operating without proper oversight for too long. Strip it down to the foundation if necessary. I want competent people running it, not incompetent fools who promote men like Chen.”
“I’ll begin immediately, sir.”
Adrian ended the call and tossed the phone onto the bed beside him. He ran a hand through his hair, irritation. settling like a weight in his chest.
People like Alexander Chen were parasites. They inflated their importance, lived beyond their means, and thought charm and connections could substitute for actual competence. And somehow, they always managed to climb higher than they deserved.
Not anymore. Not in his company.
Adrian stood and headed for the shower. He had other matters to attend to today, and Alexander Chen had already taken up more of his mental space than he deserved.
1/4
F
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Alexander Chen sat in a sleek café three blocks from Stellar Tech Industries, nursing his third espresso of the afternoon. Across from him, two mid–level managers from the marketing department were laughing at something he’d said, their expressions appropriately impressed.
“So I told the client,” Alexander continued, leaning back with confidence, “if you want premium results, you pay premium prices. We’re not some bargain–bin operation.”
“And they agreed?” one of the managers asked, eyes wide.
“Of course they agreed..” Alexander checked his expensive watch. “That’s the difference between a VP and everyone else. We make decisions. Everyone else just follows orders.”
His phone buzzed on the table.
Alexander glanced at the screen and frowned. It was an email notification from HR.
He picked up the phone, still half–listening to the managers‘ continued praise, and opened the email.
EMPLOYMENT TERMINATION NOTICE
Alexander’s espresso cup stopped halfway to his lips.
Dear Mr. Chen,
Effective immediately, your employment with Stellar Tech industries has been terminated. This decision is final and not subject to appeal. You are required to return all company property, including your access cards, laptop, and mobile device, to the HR department by 5:00 PM today
Your final paycheck, including accrued vacation time, will be processed according to standard company policy…
The words blurred together.
Alexander stared at the screen, certain he was misreading i This had to be a mistake. Some kind of system error. He refreshed his email.
The termination notice was still there.
“Mr. Chen?” one of the managers asked, noticing his expression. “Is everything okay?”
Alexander didn’t answer. His hands were shaking as he tried to log into the company’s internal system.
ACCESS DENIED. YOUR CREDENTIALS HAVE BEEN REVOKED.
“No, no, no…” Alexander muttered, trying again.
ACCESS DENIED.
He opened his work email. The app loaded for a second, then displayed a message: This account has been deactivated.
His company messaging app…the one he used to communicate with his entire team…showed the same error.
Within the span of thirty seconds, every single connection to Stellar Tech Industries had been severed.
“Mr. Chen, what’s wrong?” The other manager leaned forward, genuine concern on his face now.
Alexander stood abruptly, his chair scraping loudly against the café floor. “I have to go. Now.”
He didn’t wait for a response. He didn’t bother to grab his jacket or pay for his coffee. He just ran.
2/4
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His mind raced as he sprinted down the sidewalk, dodging people walking by and nearly getting hit by a bicycle. This couldn’t be happening. Not now. Not when he had credit card payments due next week, when his car lease payment was already overdue, when his rent was coming up
He needed this job. He desperately needed it.
He burst through the lobby doors of Stellar Tech, breathing hard, his shirt damp with sweat. The receptionist looked up, her eyes widening when she saw him.
“Mr. Chen, I was just about to call you…”
“I need to see the general manager. Right now.”
“Mr. Chen, you can’t…”
But Alexander was already moving toward the elevators.
“Mr. Chen, wait!” The receptionist was on her feet, phone in hand, but the doors sealed shut before she could stop him.
The elevator ride felt like an eternity. Alexander leaned against the wall, his heart hammering so hard he could hear it in his ears. His mind kept cycling through the same questions: Why? Who? What did I do?
The doors opened with a soft chime.
Alexander stepped out onto the seventh floor and immediately knew something was very wrong.
The entire floor was in chaos.
People were gathered in small clusters, whispering frantically. Several offices stood empty, their occupants nowhere to be seen. The operations manager…his direct supervisor…rushed past with an armful of files, his face pale and drawn.
“Hey!” Alexander called out, grabbing his arm. “What’s going on? I just got some insane email saying I’m terminated, but that’s obviously a mistake…”
The operations manager jerked his arm free, his expression a mixture of fear and something that looked almost like pity. “It’s not a mistake, Chen. You’re done. We’re all done.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The main branch.” The manager’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Someone from the main branch issued a complete restructuring order for our entire management team. Effective immediately. Half the VPS are gone. Three department heads. Even the general manager is being reviewed.”
Alexander felt ice flood his veins. “The main branch? You mean Meridian Industries?”
“Who else?” The manager looked around nervously, as if afraid of being overheard. “I’ve been here eight years, and I’ve never seen anything like this. People are saying someone very high up personally ordered the purge.‘
“But why? What did we do?”
“I don’t know!” The manager was almost frantic now. “Nobody knows! HR won’t say anything except that our terminations are final and not subject to appeal. Security is already clearing out offices on the eighth floor.”
Twenty minutes later, Alexander walked through the lobby for the last time, carrying his pathetic box of belongings. The receptionist wouldn’t meet his eyes. A few employees in the waiting area whispered to each other as he passed.
The afternoon sun was too bright when he stepped outside Alexander stood there on the sidewalk, clutching his
box, his mind blank with shock.
Then his phone rang.
He fumbled to answer it, hope flaring briefly. Maybe it was HR calling to say there’d been a mistake, that they’d review his case…
“Mr. Chen, this is Lucas Gray from United Finance Bank. Your credit card payment is now forty–five days overdue. We need to discuss immediate repayment options, or we’ll be forced to pursue legal action.”
Alexander’s hand tightened on the phone. “I… I just lost my job. I need more time…”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible, Mr. Chen. You’ve already been granted two extensions. Our records show a pattern of late payments going back six months. Without immediate payment of the outstanding balance…”
Alexander hung up.
His phone immediately rang again. He didn’t answer.Another call. Then another.
The creditors had apparently been alerted to his termination almost as fast as he had. They were circling like sharks smelling blood in the water.
Alexander’s legs gave out. He sat down right there on the curb outside Stellar Tech Industries, his box of belongings beside him, his phone vibrating endlessly with calls he couldn’t answer.
And for the first time since this nightmare began, Alexander felt real, crushing fear settle over him.
He was finished.
Completely, utterly finished.
And he didn’t even know why.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
