Chapter 4

On Monday, Braden threw a massive celebration party. The company had just passed its pre-IPO audit.

The banquet hall was packed, and Braden sat at the head table.

Sitting right next to him was Chloe, dripping in designer jewelry.

Chad started shouting, "Hey Uncle Braden! Aren't you going to introduce your new assistant?"

Braden wrapped his arm tightly around Chloe. "This is Chloe, my new executive assistant. She’s highly capable and knows exactly how to... 'take care' of me."

The table erupted into laughter. Chloe smiled, keeping her eyes glued to her plate, avoiding my gaze.

Braden pointed a finger at me. "Liam, you owe Chloe a thank you.

If she hadn't begged me to keep you, a loser who ruined our company's reputation would have been fired a long time ago!"

Chloe quickly said, "Braden, let's not talk about the past."

Braden slammed the table. "Why shouldn't we? Liam, say it yourself.

Do you even deserve a woman like Chloe? Huh? Barking like a dog for a little cash, you're a disgrace!"

I set my fork down slowly.

Braden got even louder. "Look at you! Then look at me!

The clients you couldn't keep, the woman you couldn't hold—to me, they're just easy pickings!"

He whipped out a black credit card and threw it on the table. "Go buy yourself a new bag, Chloe!

Don't be like some people who have to bark on stage for a measly hundred grand!"

Chloe grabbed the card, her face lighting up with joy.

I stood up.

Braden sneered. "What? You got a problem with that?"

I walked up to the small stage at the front of the banquet room, where the microphone and the projector screen were set up.

Chad yelled, "Get down from there! That's not a place for a dog!"

I plugged my flash drive into the laptop connected to the projector.

The video started playing.

It was the unedited, full version of the annual party.

Braden’s loud voice filled the room: "...Put the dog mask on... clip the chain... bark three times... If you don't want it, I'll donate it to charity..."

The room went dead silent.

In the video, right before I walked onto the stage, I had looked at my phone.

The camera zoomed in on my screen. It showed my text messages with the hospital doctor.

"The surgery cost is $100,000. It must be paid by next week."

As I barked on stage, the high-definition camera clearly captured the tears streaming down my face.

The silence in the hall was suffocating.

Chloe bolted upright. "Liam, what is the meaning of this?!"

Braden’s face turned purple. He kicked his chair over with a loud crash. "You motherf—er, you set me up!"

He waved his hand at his bodyguards. "Beat him! Beat him to a pulp!"

Two burly guards rushed the stage. Fists and boots rained down on me as I curled up to protect my head.

Braden screamed, "Break his legs! Let him crawl out of here!"

One of the guards picked up a heavy metal folding chair and slammed it down hard onto my leg.

I heard the bone snap before the blinding pain hit me.

Braden walked over, stomping his heavy boot directly onto my hand. "You think you can play games with me? You're nothing!"

He spat directly onto my face.

Suddenly, the heavy double doors of the banquet hall were kicked open.

Several federal agents in windbreakers walked in. The man at the front held up a badge.

"Braden Cole?"

Braden froze. "Who the hell are you?"

The agent flashed his ID. "IRS Criminal Investigation. We received a detailed whistleblower report.

Your company is under investigation for massive tax evasion and securities fraud. You're coming with us."