The silence felt heavier than the rain outside. Brandon sat at the edge of his unmade bed, phone glowing in his hand as the voicemail replayed for the third time.
“Mr. Hughes, this is HR. Effective immediately, your suspension is active pending review. Please do not return to the office.”
A hollow beep. Then nothing.
His chest tightened. Suspension. Not termination—yet. They were giving him time to fall apart quietly, the kind of courtesy reserved for heirs with famous last names. He pressed the phone to his forehead, trying to breathe through the ache burning behind his eyes.
James’s smirk flashed through his mind—mocking, triumphant—the look of a man who’d won before the game even started. The echo of it pulled Brandon to his feet. His reflection in the mirror stopped him cold. The c
