Chapter 1

To land that 300-million-dollar project, I led my team to basically live in the office for three straight months.

The day we closed the deal, everyone around me kept saying the same thing. They said my year-end bonus would be at least one million dollars.

But when my pay stub came in, I stared at it for a long time just to be sure I was reading it right. It clearly showed that my bonus was one dollar.

People nearby started looking over. Some of them looked sorry for me. Others did not even bother to hide their smirks.

I picked up my phone and walked straight into the chairman's office. He was sitting there as if nothing had happened, slowly sipping his coffee.

"Mr. Wade, I need an explanation," I said.

He leaned back in his expensive chair and let out a short, careless laugh. "You should be grateful you even got a bonus. This company doesn't keep useless people around. If you don't like it, you can leave."

I smiled at him, gave a small nod, and walked out without saying another word.

Back at my desk, I sent out two things at the same time: my resignation letter and a property sale agreement.

A week later, I was lying on a beach in Maienstal, soaking up the sun, when my phone started ringing nonstop. The number was unfamiliar, but it just would not stop.

I finally picked up. On the other end was Baxter Wade's sharp, panicked voice. "Where did you put the core client data? Come back. I was wrong."

*****

To land that three-hundred-million-dollar project, I led my team to practically live in the office for three straight months. We slept less than four hours a day.

The lights in the meeting room stayed on all night, every night.

Takeout boxes piled up in the corner until no one bothered to move them anymore.

The day the project finally went through, everyone crowded around me at the celebration party.

They kept congratulating me, saying my year-end bonus would be at least one million dollars.

I believed it, too. I really thought those three years of hard work had finally paid off.

But when the electronic pay stub hit my inbox, I froze.

I opened it and read it carefully. Then I read it again and again.

Everything looked normal: basic salary, performance pay, and allowances.

But when I reached the very last line, I widened my eyes in disbelief. The bonus was one dollar.

For a second, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. Maybe it was a system glitch.

People started whispering and gasping all around me.

"No way. Valda's bonus is one dollar, huh?"

"How is that even possible? She led the whole project."

"I heard Tina got 20 thousand dollars. How did Valda end up with this?"

Tina Sharp was my assistant. She barely did any real work on the project, but she had a talent for taking credit.

I could feel her eyes on me, full of smug satisfaction.

Everyone else looked at me, some with pity, some with regret, and some with quiet amusement. Some were just curious.

I closed the email without reacting. Then I picked up my phone and stood.

With all eyes on me, I walked toward the chairman's office.

The door was open.

Baxter Wade was leaning back in his chair, relaxed, slowly enjoying a pot of expensive coffee. The smell filled the room.

He saw me, but he barely lifted his eyelids. "Something wrong?"

I raised my phone and showed him the pay stub on the screen. "Mr. Wade, I need an explanation."

He set his cup down at last and glanced at the screen.

Then he smiled. It was the kind of smile that looked down on me.

"Explanation?" he asked. "Valda, our company doesn't keep useless people. You should be grateful you even got a bonus.

"Your methods are outdated. The company runs just fine without you."

His voice was calm, but his words were sharp and cold enough.

"Don't forget who promoted you from a small assistant," he added. "People should learn to be grateful."

I listened without interrupting. I looked at his greasy face. I looked at that smug expression.

Then, suddenly, I smiled.

Whatever warmth I still had left for this place went cold right then.

"I understand," I said.

"If you don't want to work, then leave," he said, flicking his hand as if brushing away a fly. "There are plenty of people who want your position."

"Okay," I said. Then I turned and walked out.

Back at my desk, Tina and a few coworkers gathered around me with fake concern. "Valda, what did Mr. Wade say? Was it a mistake?"

I ignored them. I sat down and opened two files on my computer.

One was a resignation letter. The other was a property sale agreement.

My apartment was right across from the company's main building. I had paid a high price for it back then just to make commuting easier.

I added the entire company mailing list as recipients for both files, including Baxter.

Then I hit send.

After that, I started packing. I put my desk plant, my mug, and photos of my family into a box one by one.

Behind me, the office fell completely silent.

Then came a wave of shocked gasps.