While my boss was away, he temporarily appointed his son as CEO. The kid came in acting untouchable, and by noon he fired me, saying, My father’s company is full of useless people. Leave. I simply smiled and warned him, You’re making a huge mistake. That’s when he lost it—he slapped me and threw me out. Days later, my boss returned, stared at the paperwork, and asked his son, Why would you fire her? Do you have any idea who she is? Then he told him the truth about me… and his son froze in terror before blowing up my phone.

My boss appointed his son as CEO for “a few days” while he flew to Zurich for a medical conference. It was supposed to be symbolic—a confidence-building exercise for the heir. Everyone at Sterling Ridge Capital called it “the internship,” though no one said that within earshot of the executive floor.

I’d been with the firm nine years. I ran compliance operations—unsexy work, invisible when done right, catastrophic when ignored. I kept licenses current, handled audits, and made sure we didn’t accidentally commit a felony because someone wanted to move fast.