****

If someone had asked Oliver about his life two days ago, he would've said that he has it all. A promising career , a caring boyfriend and a stable life. But now as he is standing in front of a hotel in the middle of the night with a strong headache, he realises one thing .

He lost his job. His boyfriend's mobile location is in a hotel. So, he lost his boyfriend too.

3: 30 am. Oliver reads the time on his mobile screen. He is standing outside the hotel Sunshine for almost twenty minutes. He doesn't dare to go in and confront. Yet, he doesn't want to go back to his home either.

Oliver looks at the sky. Why do the cheaters never face consequences of their actions ? Why is it always the good one?

When Oliver was a kid his mother left his father for an affair partner. His father was left heartbroken. Oliver was only five years old when he saw his father crying and drowning himself in alcohol. Then when he was eight, one day he came back to his father's cold body.

Heart attack. Gone, just like that. The authority and local church tried to contact Oliver's mother for Oliver's Custody but his mother had already moved on with her life. New husband stepkids, new pets. Old discarded Oliver didn't hold a place in her life. Till then, Oliver introduces himself as an Orphan.

Oliver wipes his tears. He looks at the hotel entrance one last time before leaving the hotel premises. He wouldn't repeat his father's mistakes.

He will bounce back stronger. Now he needs to pack his belongings and leave his toxic cheating boyfriend behind.

*****

It took three hours to pack all his things inside two trolley bags. Oliver looked around the empty house once again before locking the door from outside. Nick isn't back yet. Most probably still in that hotel with someone else. But Oliver doesn't wait.

He doesn't need any explanation anymore. Even though Nick fooled him all these times yet he isn't actually a fool. He just trusted Nick.

But when the colourful glass of love broke, he clearly saw Nick's schemes to keep him busy.

All those deadlines, all the extra hours .... Oliver chuckles.

"Sir ? Where to ?"

"Hotel Saffire." Oliver replies to the taxi driver while unlocking his mobile. He needs to block Nick. But before he could block Nick, his mobile rings loudly. An incoming call from an unknown number.

"Hello !" He picks up with a frown.

"Is this Oliver Barrer?" Comes a sharp voice of a woman.

"Yes, speaking !"

"This is Jess from Fusion corporation headquarters. You have orders to report to the headquarters within two hours."

Oliver closes his eyes "ok , thank you. I will be there."

"Don't delay !"

The call disconnected with a sharp beep. Oliver sighs. He already knows that he can't save his job anymore yet a part of him wished that the CEO wasn't serious about his termination.

****

"Papers ready ?" Daniel asks in his lawyer friend Albert

Albert passes the paper to Daniel "Isn't it too much? He is just an employee. How can he pay back this much compensation without his job ?"

"That's not my numbers to count, Albert."

Albert shakes in head in defeat. "Well then, if you are determined to sue him."

As soon as Albert finishes his words they heard a knock on the door.

"Come in !" Daniel grits his teeth as soon as he sees the face poking out of the door.

****

Oliver feels the heat rushed to his cheeks as he approaches the CEO in his sober state. He walks in and stands in front of the man whom he knows as the CEO Daniel Fox.

"Do you know why you are here ?"

"Yes , for my termination !" Oliver replies the CEO's question.

"Good then, look like you know your place." Daniel places two files in front of Oliver. "Check the contents of your termination letter and leave."

Oliver blinks. He takes the file in his hands but before opening it he decides to apologise.

"Sir, I was not in my sound mind last night. I had no idea what I was doing. I am not asking for another chance. Just I want to apologise for all the trouble I caused last night. Everything I said last night was not true. I had a wrong conception about this company and I ...."

"Check the content, I don't have all day." Daniel cuts Oliver's bullshit in the middle.

Oliver stops his apology. He nods before opening the file slowly.

Daniel waits for Oliver to read the files completely before asking "got it ?"

Oliver looks up in confusion "What ? I ... Why I have to pay eighty thousand ? I don't have that much money. I can't .."

"That's not my problem, Mr. Oliver. Either you pay or you go to jail for deliberately sabotaging my business deal. I am going to sue you for defamation, financial fraud and forgery."

"I didn't sabotage. It wasn't intentional. I was drunk. I am apologising. I am resigning willingly but I can't pay up this much. I don't have the means. You haven't even given me a referral letter."

"Referral for what ? What made you think I am going to cut you any slack ? Do you have any idea who that person was with me yesterday? It was Mr. Brown. The biggest client I could ever have." Daniel almost shouts.

"I am sorry."

"Your sorry wouldn't fix anything." 

Albert who was listening to the conversation quietly stops Daniel by his shoulder.

Daniel scoffs.

Albert looks at Oliver "Hello, I am Albert Adams. The consuting lawyer of Fusion corporation. I have reviewed the situation from both sides. Mr. Oliver from your side too. I suggest you two come in a settlement regarding this matter.

If this matter goes to public, it will cause harm to both of you. Fusion stocks in the market will go down rapidly and Mr.Oliver,  your career would be finished before starting. So,
Mr. Oliver, I suggest you to take accountability of your actions. Sorry doesn't fix billion dollar bills. So the compensation isn't baseless.

And Daniel , I think Oliver needs to work somewhere to pay your back. If you want him to payback, you have to support him too. I believe Mr. Oliver didn't intentionally sabotage his own career."

Oliver grips the file tightly. Why is he going through so much ? Why is he apologising when it's Nick who cheated, who framed and used him?

His face turns red for holding back tears. He bites his lips "I really can't pay back this much. Even if I sell my everything, I wouldn't have this much money. I can work somewhere else and payback in installments.

"What am I ? A loan shark ?" Daniel shouts again.

Oliver feels suffocated. He tries hard to breath in. "Then ... I will go to jail. I have no other way. You can report me."

Daniel laughs out loud "you have guts , don't you ? What do you think,  I wouldn't dare ?"

"I know you would." Oliver shouts this time. "Your a branch manager under your company lie about deadlines day after day, force the employees to do unpaid overtime without any conscience. Then you are the CEO. Of course, you can do worse than him."

Daniel stands up from his seat with a jerk "still not sober. Are you ?"

Albert stands up from his seat too "Dan ! Calm down. Mr. Oliver thinks about your career."

"What career ? Do I have any career left ? You think I can get job anywhere else ? Let's be honest here. You all are losing just a deal and I am here losing my everything. Yet you are not satisfied. You know what, right now, I agree with every word I said last night. Fusion corporation is a crappy , shitty company where everyone is corru...

Oliver stops as Daniel pulls him by his collar. His eyes widens in fear.

"SAY. THAT. AGAIN !" Daniel clenches his fists ready to throw a punch.

Oliver stays silent. He suddenly realised what he said just now. But he didn't mean to. He is just feeling so wronged by everyone.

"CAT. GOT. YOUR. TONGUE. I SAID SAY WHAT YOU SAID AGAIN." Daniel shakes Oliver by the collar.

Oliver feels dizzy with the shakes. He hasn't eaten anything in the last twenty four hours. Then he drank last night. Oliver holds the hands in his collar to steady himself. "I am sorry ! I ..."

Oliver blinks repeatedly to see clearly. Last thing he wants right now is to pass out. But situation is really now going in his favor. So before he could say another word, everything went black.

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