There were tools I had written on my own initiative and maintained manually because nobody had bothered to turn them into official infrastructure. There were scripts running under schedules I had set up because I was always the one awake enough to notice when they stopped. There were processes tied to my judgment, not because I wanted control, but because no one else had cared enough to learn them until they were useful.
I disabled the personal automations I was responsible for maintaining outside my official duties. I reverted optional configurations I had never been asked to document formally. I ensured the core systems remained operational, the repositories intact, the company assets untouched. Apex was left with what Apex officially owned and understood.
That was all.
And that was apparently not much.
At 1:14 p.m., I printed my resignation letter.
It was brief. Professional. Almost bland.
Dear Keith,
Please accept this letter as notice of my resignation from Apex Technologies, effective immediately. I appreciate the opportunities I have had during my time here and wish the team continued success.
Sincerely,
Theodora Vance
I read it once, signed it, and carried it to Keith’s office.
He was on a call when I stepped in, laughing in the easy way he did when speaking to sales leadership. He waved me toward the chair. I remained standing.
He ended the call after another minute and looked up. “What’s up?”
I handed him the letter.
His eyes moved over the page.
Confusion first.
Then surprise.
Then something like alarm.
“Effective immediately?” he said.
“Yes.”
“Thea.” He looked up. “What is this?”
“My resignation.”
“I can see that. I mean, why?”
I almost laughed, but I did not give him that much of myself.
“I’ve decided it’s time to pursue other opportunities.”
“Is this about the promotion?”
I said nothing.
He stood. “Because if this is about the promotion, we can talk. I told you your technical ability isn’t in question. We can look at a title adjustment. Maybe a compensation review. Maybe lead systems engineer.”
“Keith.”
He stopped.
“I’ve made my decision.”
“You can’t just leave with no notice.”
“My employment agreement allows immediate resignation with forfeiture of the standard notice period pay. I confirmed with HR.”
His face changed again.
“You already talked to HR?”
“This morning.”
His voice lowered. “What about the Q3 infrastructure project?”
“I’m sure Damian will handle the strategic direction.”
“Thea.”