Chapter 91

Dale’s POV

“So what is this punishment?” I raised my brows at everyone that was seated in the room.

My eyes glanced through them and from the solemn looks on their faces, I could tell that whatever it was they had settled to do with me, it was no fun.

“I think the boy should sit,” Mr. Rice said to Mom.

“No!” she bit back with a venom that stung.

Sucking in a deep breath, she raised her face and looked dead to the other end of the room.

“From today, your employment at Montry Heights has been terminated.”

I let out a deep breath, not believing she was doing this. Well, I could live with that. There were other jobs out there. Hell, I could even create something for myself. I was smart.

“In addition to that,” Mike Barry continued, “all your assets registered to the company would be forfeited.”

Now that was unfair. I raised my brows in shock at his words. Who the hell did he think he was to try and take away all that I had worked for in this company?

“You will forfeit all your brain work registered in this company. You are not going to take credit for whatever app or digital products you had created while with us,” he said with an evil smirk on his face.

“You cannot do that. I worked hard for all of those,” I yelled at him, refusing to believe that they would really do that. “Mom?” I faced my mother, searching her face if this was really happening.

“I am sure you would prefer that over having a criminal record, right?”

My body filled with a lot of chill at that statement. I was being threatened and this wasn’t looking good. “I knew I was doomed when I stepped into this room but I did not know that I was this fucked.”

“In addition to all of this, you lose all your shares in the company. The company doesn't want to have any affiliation with you. Is that clear?” Mike said.

My gaze stayed on the man. Anger swelled within me and I wished I could pin him to the wall and hit him until there was nothing left of his face. But that same action on Justin was what had put me in this mess.

“The lawyer is here with all of the documents. You are going to sign it and from today, you cease to have anything to do with the company,” Mom said and raised a pen to me.

I looked at the gold pen in her hand and my stomach dipped. Mom was not really doing this, was she? I was losing everything I had worked so hard for.

“Go, do it now,” she ordered.

I took the pen from her and quietly walked over to the lawyer. Beside him was Ava seated and she kept her gaze low, not wanting to look at me. It was clear that she had made her decision about us and I had no choice but to accept it.

The lawyer began to point at dotted lines where my signatures were needed. I signed about three pages and when I was done, I felt so hollow and empty. Everything I had worked so hard for was gone.

Letting out a deep breath, I stepped away and walked back to my previous position beside my mother.

“Do you have any final words before you leave this company?” Mike Barry asked, and I could tell that the man loved to create chaos wherever he was.

Unfortunately, I was not going to give him the chaos that he wanted, but at the same time, I was not going to go without saying something. “Well, you can tell whoever is taking over me to ensure I don't ruin all my work.”

“Well, you should not have any issues with that. Ava here is taking over from you. I want to believe that you have taught her well,” Mike said, shocking the hell out of me.

My eyes quickly traveled to Ava and from the shocked look on her face, I could tell that she was equally surprised to be hearing this news also. So this was the purpose of her presence here? Well played, everyone.

“Wait! You mean I am taking over from Dale? But I am not qualified to. I barely know anything,” she protested.

“You would learn on the job, Ava. You are a smart girl. I know you can do this,” Mom assured her.

Somehow, I shared the same sentiments with my mother. Ava was truly a smart girl and there was no other person I could trust to work things as good as she did.

“That would be all. His meeting is officially over,” Mom said and with that, she stepped out of the office.

Mr. Rice followed Mom. Neither he nor my mom bothered to spare me a glance. Yeah, this was what it had gotten to. They had finally taken my mom from me. Ava followed suit and softly murmured sorry to me, but I didn’t pay her any heed. Instead, I kept my gaze straight ahead and away from her.

After she was gone, Mr. Mike Barry walked over to me, an evil smirk playing at the corners of his lips. The bad blood between me and this man was intense and even now, I could swear that most of the punishment meted down to me today were all his ideas.

He was that evil and my palms itched to squeeze the life out of him. He hated me and still suspected me for what had happened to Zayad.

“You know, I am very glad that your mom can finally see you for who you really are. She had done a terrible job raising you, giving you everything that you wanted so you thought the whole world was yours for the taking.”

“Well, I am glad that you are finally being put in your place. I hope this taught you a lesson,” he hissed, and brushing me with his shoulder, he left me alone in the empty conference room.