He hardly heard her, heading straight across the room for the door to the CEO’s office. He didn’t bother to knock either, slamming a palm against the panel and storming inside before it’d even fully opened.
True to form, Silver was seated with his eyes glued to his tablet, not seeming the least bit interested in the cause of the commotion.
Nuri wasn’t going to wait for him to notice him this time, though. He pulled the rectangular envelop from within his jacket pocket as he made his way over, slapping it down on the desk with a loud whacking sound that was enough to yank even someone as self-absorbed as Silver out of his private thoughts.
The Emperor’s glare turned into a slight frown when his eyes landed on the envelope.
“I quit.” Nuri clenched his hands into fists at his sides, fuming. Somehow, he’d managed to hold onto the anger the entire drive over here, and it fueled him even now. “Effective immediately.”
Something caught Silver’s attention over Nuri’s shoulder. “Close the door.”
“Of course, majesty,” Marta replied a second before the sound of the door clicking shut echoed through the office.
A part of Nuri was glad she’d seen. He’d need proof later that this actually happened and he knew it.
“Is this about your trip?” Silver asked, sounding all too calm given the situation.
It only pissed Nuri off more.
“You had absolutely no right to do that,” Nuri said.
“I don’t need rights,” he replied. “I’m the emperor. And your boss.”
“Not anymore you aren’t.” He motioned toward the letter. “I quit. I’m done. With all of this.”
“This?”
“The manipulation and cleaning up after your messes,” he said.
“Calm down, Narek.”
“Don’t tell me what to do!”
“You’re taking this too seriously.”
A deprecating laugh bubbled up the back of Nuri’s throat and he didn’t even bother trying to contain it like he usually would. “That’s rich,” his words were tight and accusatory, a death wish from anyone else, and yet he didn’t soften the blow, “coming from you.”
He’d well and truly lost his mind it seemed, but then, he’d meant it when he’d stormed in here, determined to finally do the thing that’d been haunting him for over a year.
“I quit,” he repeated before Silver could reply to his other comments. “It’s finally over, and the best part? The best part is you probably don’t even understand why. You have no idea what you’ve done.”
Silver tilted his head ever so slightly, a sign that Nuri was right, though his expression remained dark and set in a partial scowl. “The why doesn’t matter. Because it isn’t going to happen. Your resignation has been rejected.”
“Then I’ll simply stop coming and eventually you’ll have to fire me.” Nuri had prepared for something like this.
Slowly, the Emperor set his tablet aside and rose from his seat, towering over Nuri’s shorter height, even with the desk between them. “Careful, Narek.”
“No,” he shook his head, “you should have been careful. Backing me into a corner? Not a smart move. I asked for one thing, and you couldn’t even let me have that.” Nuri retreated a pointed step, straightening his spine as he adjusted his jacket.
“Nuri.”
“I’ll have Marta prepare an announcement about my leaving, whether it says I’ve quit or you’ve fired me is up to you.” He snorted at his own choice of words and rolled his eyes. “Then again, everything always is, isn’t it. Up to you.”
“Which is why I’m telling you not to bother walking out that door.”
“Goodbye, CEO Rien.” Nuri bowed low once, not wanting to give the other man an opportunity to continue with threats that would surely shake his resolve. He was running on pure fury at the moment, but the second that ember dwindled he already knew he’d feel sick to his stomach over all of this. He couldn’t falter here, in front of Silver.
“Nuri.”
