Page 14 - TruthAboutLyingCoverFlipAmazon20

The Truth About Lying
His desk was already cleared. The awards were in a box. The framed photo of him shaking hands with the Governor, back when the man still had a career, was face-down in the recycling bin. All that remained was his laptop, still open to the email he'd sent forty minutes ago.
To: All Staff
From: Henry Talbot
Subject: Resignation Effective Immediately
I can no longer participate in this industry. What we do here is not communication. It is systematic deception in service of profit. I am complicit, and I am done.
His phone had been ringing ever since. Texts from colleagues. Voicemails from the CFO. One message from his ex-girlfriend Rachel: Finally grew a conscience? Too late for us, but good luck.
He picked up the laptop, tucked it under his arm, and walked out without looking back.
The elevator ride down felt like descending into his own past. Each floor was a memory, the nineteenth, the campaign that saved a pharma company; the fourteenth, champagne that cost more than rent; the seventh, where he met Rachel..
The doors opened to the lobby. The security guard nodded at him. Gina, who'd worked the desk for a decade. "Leaving early today, Mr. Talbot?"
"Leaving permanently, Gina." 14