Chapter 26: Quitting My Job
With his eyes as wide as saucers, Klaus raised his arms toward Darlan and said, "Calm down."
"You want me to calm down?" Darlan mumbled, veins throbbing on his forehead.
He slammed his fist onto the table and said, "Three years ago, when you had nowhere to go, I took you in. I gave you a job, I gave you an advanced salary so you could stop being a junkie and have a better life."
His face twisted with fury and disappointment.
"And now that you have a stable life, you want to leave? Tell me what offer that person gave you for which you are ready to be this shameless."
’Ah... he thinks I am leaving to join some other company for better pay.’
He kept his hands raised in defeat as he shifted on the chair before Darlan and said slowly, "I am not joining anyone."
Confusion dwarfed Darlan’s fury, and he muttered, "What?"
Klaus looked into his eyes and said in a tone of determination and pure passion, "I know you helped me, and I am forever grateful for that ...But you didn’t just give me stability."
"You reminded me of dreams I’d forgotten, and now I want to try fulfilling those dreams, and I am sure I will."
A stoic expression appeared on Darlan’s face, and he said flatly, "Having dreams has consequences; so does trying to fulfill them. Do you think you can do that? Remember, to reach your dream, you’ll have to crush many others."
Klaus fell silent.
Darlan leaned forward on his table and added, "Are you ready to trample on others’ dreams to fulfill yours?"
"I don’t know..." Klaus mumbled.
Darlan smiled. "You still aren’t ready then."
"No," Klaus said. "I wouldn’t know if I am ready or not unless I try."
Darlan fell silent at his words and stared at his face, wondering if he was the same person who once couldn’t even look others in their eyes.
He leaned back in his chair, faint sadness in his eyes. "So you have decided to leave."
Klaus nodded and said with a grin, "Why are you acting like this? It’s not like I am dead or something. If I fail, I would come running back to you."
Darlan let out a chuckle and muttered slowly, "You won’t fail... that much I know about you, Klaus Murrow. That’s why it’s hard to let you go; you are one of the best employees I have with Martin, Shamers, Viola, and you know..."
’Ah...’ Klaus scratched the back of his head and looked away.
’Should I tell him that Martin’s also leaving? Or should I wait for Martin to tell him?’
Darlan noticed the change in mood and asked with furrowed brows, "Is something wrong?"
Klaus shook his head and said with a wry smile, "No. Nothing."
"Stop acting weird," Darlan snorted as he pulled out a paper from his drawer, filled it, signed it, and handed it to Klaus.
"You are free to fuck off now," he added.
"Ahem!" Klaus coughed and said with a smile, "I want to take a loan of 100k dollars."
"Huh?"
After about an hour, Klaus left Darlan’s office and stepped into his own.
He had obtained the loan by placing his current assets as collateral, which would’ve been above 100k, but that was all he needed.
He was going to increase it multiple times anyway.
He had only told Martin about the companies that would skyrocket 500% or more, but there were still many that would reach 100% to 400% growth, and he intended to take advantage of them to make more money, which he would then use to build Maker Finance.
His gaze swept across the office.
The table was empty, no papers, no files – nothing. Bookshelves with books related to finance, strategy, philosophy, physiology, and much more stood against the left wall.
He had never read most of them, but the customers didn’t need to know that.
He walked to his chair and tightly grabbed the armrest.
For the past three years, he used to sit here and talk to various customers.
Some were rude, some kind, and many distressed. He had met more people here than he did throughout the first nineteen years of his life.
He had come to Golden City seven years ago; for the first two years, he had enough money to continue his studies and live a normal life.
After that, he took part-time jobs and finished his studies.
But after that, he didn’t have anywhere to go. He didn’t have enough experience to join these big companies.
He tried to continue with the part-time jobs, but they left him unsatisfied, hollow. So, he quit them and just decided to set foot in the waves.
He applied at various companies; none took him until he met Darlan.
During his student years, he had met Martin a few times. Although way younger than him, they hit it off quite well, and Martin was impressed with his work, so he had recommended him to Darlan.
In a way, Martin was his savior, but he wasn’t going to say it outright.
Never hmph!
He sat down on the chair, and his gaze shifted to the small freezer he had installed there.
He opened the freezer and took out a soda can.
However, instead of drinking it, he poured it on his face.
"It’s cold," he mumbled as the soda drenched his face and clothes.
For some reason, he wanted to do something out of the ordinary. Something that would make sure he never forgot today, so he did this.
He rubbed his face; he could smell the soda.
"It’s time to start anew."
Right then, his phone rang, and he took it out as he rose to his feet and grabbed a book from the shelf.
The book was titled: Enlightenment, Assimilation, Rebirth.
He walked out of his office and checked the caller’s name.
Unknown
He picked it up and mumbled, "Hello, who?"