Chapter 4 - One Last Thing You Should Know
"Thank you, Aaron. I think everyone who works here would appreciate that."
I stopped, and something inside me that had been bent for a very long time quietly straightened out.
"But there's one more thing you should all know."
Every head swung back to the platform.
"I turned in my resignation on Friday. I've accepted a director position at a company that looked at my portfolio and knew what it was worth."
The gasps moved through the crowd in a wave. People traded looks. Somebody said "no way" under their breath.
Brad's white face went blotchy red.
"You can't just walk out," he blurted, and the panic finally cracked straight through the swagger. "You've got active accounts, Diane. There's a transition period. There's a process—"
"I don't have to do a single thing, Brad," I said, holding his eyes. "The accounts are yours now. Good luck explaining to the board why the numbers stopped adding up."
Aaron stepped in, his eyes going wide as it landed on him just how much was about to walk out the gate.
"Diane. Let's talk Monday, in my office. We can match the director title. We can fix the culture here — really fix it."
I shook my head. He was reaching, and we both knew it.
"It's too late for that," I said. "I didn't come here today for justice or for a counteroffer. I came here so none of you would have to stay silent anymore."
For months I'd pictured this moment. I'd been sure it would feel like getting even.
It didn't. It felt like setting something heavy down.
I laid the microphone gently on the wooden platform.
Nicole was crying, wiping her face with her sleeve, her shoulders sitting lower and looser than I'd seen them in a year. Walt was grinning — a real one, the kind that smoothed out all the tired lines around his eyes.
May you like
I stepped down and walked past Brad without a glance. Past the pool. Past the gates. Out toward the parking lot, where a company that already knew my worth was waiting for me to start.
And I couldn't wait to get going.
