26. Wallace #2
But he wasn’t as stressed out about it now either.
He kind of had someone in his corner now.
Maybe even two someones, if he was thinking about Marquita and Mr. Chaudry.
And the group of developers who’d gotten smoothies with him this morning.
Actually, there were a lot of people who he thought might kind of have his back.
This was still going to be a shitstorm.
He reached for the door and turned the handle, glad to see that his hand wasn’t shaking.
“You’re late,” his father barked.
He walked in and took a seat across from his father. Yep. Late because I was talking with your personal assistant about filing a sexual harassment suit against you.
“Well? Give me the reports.”
Wallace blinked at him. “I emailed you everything yesterday. You can bring it up on your computer. But in summary, there have been no significant changes since last week.”
“Are you getting smart with me, boy?”
Wallace snorted. “I didn’t actually say anything inappropriate, Father. I delivered the reports, just like you asked. They’re in your email. As are my recommendations on delaying the launches of both products to allow for sufficient development and testing.”
“You’re on thin ice, boy. The marketing team has already been given the dates. They’re ready to launch the campaigns.”
Wallace raised one eyebrow. “Then maybe now would be the perfect time to delay the dates, so that the marketing campaigns will be able to lead up to an actual product launch.”
His father scowled. “Those dates are solid. Don’t come whining to me that you need an extension.”
“Excellent. I’ll pass the word along that we’re de-scoping the projects to prioritize the launch dates.” He’d actually made that call three months ago for the nursebots when he decided to quit. He didn’t give a fuck about the military climbing bots—that project could crash and burn without him.
“Don’t be a pussy. Deepak didn’t say anything about this.”
That was Mr. Chaudry. And could his father go a single sentence without throwing in a slur?
“Actually, he did. He controls the timelines, and we both raised this issue six months ago and have been bringing it up every week since then. We either need more staff or more time.” Wallace’s voice was calm, which surprised him as much as it probably surprised his father. Inside, he was seething.
“And I keep telling you that you’re letting your team walk all over you. You need to set clear expectations. Be a man. Don’t let them get away with fucking around on you. We won’t be changing the deadlines, so I expect you to deliver. ”
Wallace stood up. “Unfortunately, you’ll need to find someone else to fail at your impossible deadlines and listen to your bullying.
I’m done.” Now he was shaking. His voice had almost cracked on the last word.
But he’d had months to think about this.
His boyfriend, in fact, had been begging him to just cut the cord.
So this was it.
His father stood too, towering over him physically and metaphorically. “What do you mean, you’re done?”
He clutched his tablet against his side, forcing himself not to cross his arms across his chest. He hated seeing his father’s disappointment.
He still felt like a child, quivering in the corner whenever his father got mad.
“I mean that I’m leaving Orbit. I’ll be submitting my resignation letter to HR after this meeting. ”
“Oh, so you’re a quitter?”
“Sounds like it,” Wallace shot back, his own anger finally kicking in to conquer his fear. This was why he was leaving. “You’re welcome to buy back my shares, at cost, or I can remain invested. I’m giving you three days of notice to wrap up my projects, so my last day will be Friday.”
“Now, wait, boy.” Suddenly his father’s voice was cajoling. “I’ve been hearing some good things about you. Deepak said the teams are looking up to you. Maybe I’ve been a bit too hasty. You’ve grown up. I can see you taking charge now. I knew you could do it.”
Wallace’s eyes stung. How much would he have given to hear this, even a few months ago? Before he’d met Volt, last spring, it would have meant everything.
Now it just felt like manipulation. Either his father finally respected him because he was “being a man,” or the praise was meaningless and his father just wanted to get his way. And he was still being a dick about it.
“I’m not interested in your approval, Father. Maybe I would have been at one point, but that ship has sailed. I’ll work with the team on a transition plan. You have me until Friday.”
“Wallace, son! Can’t you see, though? You’re a Wollencroft. All this time I’ve been waiting, and your team actually respects you now. You’re ready to lead. In fact, I can give you a promotion.”