"Kenneth." Edmund pushed open his office door. "Send him in. You go contact the Cloudridge people."
Kenneth shot me a glare but stepped aside to clear the aisle.
I stood and walked into the director's office, every pair of eyes in the department following me like spectators at a show.
Edmund gestured for me to sit. I didn't move.
"Mr. James, just say what you need to say."
He flashed me the same fake smile I'd been looking at for nine years.
"The decision to reassign the Cloudridge project lead was made by senior management after careful consideration."
His fingers tapped the desk in that habitual rhythm of his.
"Kenneth has the credentials and the connections. He's a better fit for this project. You've been in this industry long enough to understand how these things work without me spelling it out."
"But I've been on this for a year!" My eyes burned. "Do you have any idea how many doors got slammed in my face? How many people looked right through me? How many nights I worked until dawn?"