Chapter 1

I had just lifted my thermos for a sip of water when someone hammered on the divider beside my cubicle. "You must have stepped in with your left foot first. That's a two-hundred-dollar fine.

"And your cup isn't in the designated spot, so that's another two hundred."

I froze and was about to speak when she tapped the badge on her chest and rolled her eyes. It read: Lead Management Trainee. "Do you even understand company culture? I'm a management trainee. When you report to me, you stand.

"And the dress code is black, white, or gray. What are you doing in casual clothes? Think this is a vacation?"

Speechless, I reached for the tablet on my desk, but she snatched it up and slammed it down hard. "Playing on a tablet during work hours? That's insubordination. Your performance bonus is now zero.

"What department are you from? I'm going to the general manager and having you fired today, you leech."

I let out a humorless laugh. I'd spent ten years building this company from the ground up and taking it public. Today, I'd come to this branch in casual clothes for a surprise inspection.

I really wanted to see who thought they had the power to fire me, the group's chairwoman.

"What are you laughing at? Are you challenging the company's authority?" When I didn't even flinch, Jessica Lane's face darkened and she kicked my office chair. Leaning back, I looked coldly at the badge on her chest: Lead Management Trainee, Jessica Lane.

I said coolly, "First, I did not walk into the company with my left foot first, and that kind of made-up fine is illegal. Second, this tablet is a work device. You damaged my personal property, so you'll be paying for it."

"Third, you're a management trainee, that's right, but the group evaluates trainees on business ability and management skills, not on letting you throw your weight around and play petty tyrant in the office."

I laid it out plainly, only to get a burst of exaggerated laughter from Jessica. Folding her arms and lifting her chin, she flashed a printed QR code at me. "Labor law? In my territory, I am the law. I make the rules here."

She crossed her arms, chin tilted upward. She drew out a paper slip bearing a QR code as she spoke."You really won’t budge until there's no way out. Newsflash: I drafted every rule in this company.

"When I say you’re fined, you’re fined. Pay the four hundred dollars, or you get lost now. Scan it and transfer the money. Move it. Don't hold up my inspection of the rest of the staff."

"I glanced at the QR code and saw that the payee name was actually ""Jess's Allowance."" It was beyond absurd. In a branch office of a publicly listed company, a trainee was openly funneling so-called fines into her own personal account.

"

My gaze turned icy. "Company fines don't go through company accounts and only go to your private payment code? Does your general manager know you're lining your own pockets?"

Jessica looked as if she'd just heard the funniest joke. She suddenly leaned in toward me and hissed in a low, menacing voice, "You stupid bitch, you think you can audit my account? General Manager David Warren is my uncle.

"So what if I skim a little fine money? That's a little perk my uncle gives me. You're merely some nobody from the bottom rung. What gives you the right to meddle in my business?"

"A middle-aged woman from the next cubicle hurried over, grabbed Jessica's wrist, and forced a smile. ""Jessica, please calm down. She's a new hire reporting in today. She hasn't even gotten her badge yet, so she doesn't know the rules.""

"

Then she shot me frantic looks. "Hurry up and apologize to the team leader. Pay the fine and treat it as buying yourself some peace."

I recognized her. She was Lina Lawson, one of the branch's old hands, once a top sales star. How had she become so timid?