Chapter 2

The Slack messages from the "Odyssey Project" channel started piling up the next Monday. Panic. Pure, unadulterated panic.

"Core player exodus!"

"Forums are a dumpster fire!"

"Caleb's 'viral marketing' stunt backfired. Big time."

Caleb Yang. He'd schmoozed his way into heading up the market promotion and early community engagement for "Odyssey," our studio's flagship MMORPG. He'd boasted about his "innate understanding of the Gen Z gamer."

Apparently, Gen Z gamers didn't appreciate being called "noobs" by an intern in an official forum post, followed by a disastrous "AMA" where he'd promised features we hadn't even designed.

Now, the early access players, the ones we counted on for feedback and hype, were demanding refunds.

An email from HR landed in my inbox. Subject: Caleb Yang - Extended Leave.

"Due to overwhelming stress and the need for psychological recalibration, Caleb Yang will be taking an extended leave of absence, effective immediately. He has returned to his family in Montana."

Convenient.

I was neck-deep in debugging the physics engine for our next indie title, the one I actually cared about, when Sophia walked into my office. She didn't knock.

Her face was a mask of strained composure.

"Mike, we need to talk about Odyssey."

"I'm busy, Sophia."

"This is more important. Caleb... Caleb made some missteps."

Missteps. He'd napalmed our most critical project's launch phase.

"I need you to take over the community management. And fix the damage to the player base. You're good at that stuff."

I stared at her. She wanted me, the lead developer and architect of the entire game, to clean up her intern's catastrophic mess. To abandon my current work, the work that kept the lights on while "Odyssey" burned through cash.

"No."

"Mike, don't be difficult. The studio needs this. I need this."

"Caleb was your golden boy. Let him fix it when he's done 'recalibrating' in Montana."

Her eyes narrowed. "This isn't about Caleb. This is about the company we built."

We built. Funny. I built the games. She built the image.

"I'm the Chief Technology Officer, Sophia. Not the Chief Janitor for marketing blunders."

"So that's your final word? You're going to let Odyssey die?"

"Odyssey was dying the moment you put an unqualified intern in charge of its public face because you were sleeping with him."

The words hung in the air. Her face went pale, then flushed a dangerous red.

"How dare you."

"It's true, isn't it?"

She didn't deny it. She just glared.

"I want a divorce, Sophia."

The silence stretched.

"Fine," she finally hissed. "Get out."

"Gladly."

I typed up my resignation letter right there, with her watching. Emailed it to HR, CC'd her.

My phone buzzed less than a minute later. HR.

"Subject: Re: Resignation - Michael Jensen."

"Dear Michael, Sophia has approved your resignation, effective immediately. Please arrange to collect your personal belongings by end of day."

Approved. Just like that.

I glanced at Sophia. A smug little smile played on her lips.

Later, I found out Caleb had been sitting in her office. He'd used her phone to text HR the approval the second my email came in.

He was probably already measuring my office for new drapes.