Chapter 1
Three months into my job, I landed the company's biggest client.
When I submitted my full-time conversion application, I thought it was a done deal.
But I ended up waiting for another three months.
My salary was still at the probationary level, and my benefits were the bare minimum.
I went to HR for feedback, but she didn't even look up from her desk. "Just wait."
I couldn't take it anymore.
The day a rival company reached out to me, I barely hesitated before saying yes to the interview.
Three rounds of interviews, no obstacles at all, salary doubled, and straight to a full-time position.
I was packing up my desk, ready to walk out, when the director came rushing in, out of breath. "Good news! Your full-time conversion finally got approved."
Seeing how hyped he was, I just calmly reached into my drawer and handed him my resignation letter.
*****
I went to the HR department.
This was my third time.
Minerva Smith's office door was open.
I knocked, twice.
She didn't look up.
Her phone was sitting on the desk, screen glowing, playing some short video.
The volume was barely on, but the office was so quiet that every sound from the video stood out.
I stood in the doorway.
"Minerva," I called from the doorway.
Her finger stopped scrolling on her phone.
She looked up, eyes moving from the screen to my face.
"What is it?" Her tone was bland, almost disinterested, like I was just some random person.
"My full-time conversion application," I said, keeping it brief.
"Oh, well," Minerva muttered, not even bothering to look up.
She went back to scrolling through her phone.
On the screen, a man and a woman were dancing.
"It hasn't been approved yet," Minerva said, still not looking up.
"It's been three months," I reminded her.
"The company's got so many hoops to jump through. What's the hurry?"
She finally put her phone down.
She picked up a nail file from her desk and started filing her nails, again and again.
The sound was sharp and grating.
"Newbies need to be patient," Minerva said, blowing the dust off her nails.
"I landed the NorthTech Project almost three months ago," I said, looking at her.
The NorthTech Project was the biggest deal the company had in the past six months.
I landed it just a month after I started.
Nobody in sales thought it could be done.
Even Theo Brewer, the director, gave me props in front of everyone at the meeting.
He said getting my full-time status was basically guaranteed.
Minerva's nail file stopped mid-stroke.
She looked up, her eyes narrowing.
"Ruby, are you threatening me?"
"I'm just telling it like it is," I replied.
"Look, your application is still in the pipeline."
She stood up, strode over to the filing cabinet against the wall.
Then, she yanked open the bottom drawer.
Digging through a mess of papers, she pulled out a single sheet and tossed it onto the desk.
It was my application for full-time status.
There was a coffee stain in the bottom right corner.
"See? It's right here," Minerva said, tapping the paper with her nail. "Theo hasn't signed it yet. What can I do about it?"
"He's always chasing me for updates on the NorthTech Project. You'd think he'd have a minute to sign his name," I shot back.
"He's the director. How am I supposed to control him?" Minerva gave a short, mocking laugh.
"Remember, you're just a probationary employee. Stay in your lane.
"Just do your job and get results. That's what you're here for.
"Don't get any ideas about bargaining with the company."
With that, she grabbed her mug from the desk.
Then she walked slowly over to the water cooler and filled it up.
I stared at the rumpled application form lying on the desk.
My photo was on it.
The smile in the photo looked a bit goofy.
I walked over, picked up the form, smoothed it out, and put it down on the only clean spot on Minerva's desk.
"Yeah, I got it," I said.
Then, I turned and walked out.
Behind me, I could hear Minerva chatting with someone on the phone.
"Yeah, that newbie just came by again," she said, not bothering to keep her voice down.
"The one who landed the NorthTech Project.
"Now she's acting all bold, trying to get her full-time status ahead of schedule.
"I'm holding her back. Kids these days—if you don't knock them down a peg, they'll get out of hand."
She made no effort to hide her words.
I walked out of the HR department.
The sunlight outside was a bit harsh.
My phone buzzed in my pocket.
I pulled it out.
It was a new text message, from an unknown number.
The message was short.
[Hi, Ms. Ruby Apple, this is a headhunter from Venus Consulting. Is now a good time for a call?] It read.
Venus Consulting.
I knew the company.
It was one of the best headhunting firms out there.
I made my way to the stairwell, a quiet spot where nobody really went.
I called the number back.
The call connected almost instantly.
The person on the other end sounded professional and polite.
"Ms. Apple, we've been following your career for quite some time," the headhunter said.
"Everyone in the industry has noticed what you did with the NorthTech Project.
"We've been commissioned by a top domestic tech company, NovaTech, to help them find a senior client manager."
NovaTech, it was our company's main rival.
It was in a whole different league—bigger in every way, with a much higher market share.
"They're very interested in your background," the headhunter said.
"They can double your salary, with full benefits and immediate permanent status."
Double my salary.
Full benefits and immediate permanent status.
I leaned against the cold wall.
I took out my bank card.
My paycheck for last month just hit my account.
It was about 1,300 dollars.
After they took out Social Security and Medicare, I only cleared a little over 1 thousand dollars.
Rent alone took 700 dollars.
With what was left, in this big city, all I could afford was discounted convenience store meals every day.
I remembered Theo clapping me on the shoulder at the celebration party.
"Stick with it, Ruby, and we'll make sure you're well taken care of," he said.
He was practically spitting in my face as he talked.
I also remembered Minerva's contemptuous look.
"You're just a probationary employee. Know your place," she sneered.
I gripped my phone tighter.
"When's the interview?" I asked.
"The sooner, the better. Can you make it tomorrow?" the headhunter said.
"Yeah, I can."
"Great. Tomorrow at 2 PM, NovaTech's headquarters. I'll send you the address and the interviewer's details."
I hung up.
I took a deep breath.
The air in the stairwell was cold and stuffy.
But for the first time in ages, I felt a sense of freedom.
Back at my desk, the computer screen was still on.
On it was the second-phase follow-up plan for the NorthTech Project—the one I'd sent Theo late last night.
It showed as read.
But no response.
I opened my drawer.
At the very back, my diploma and graduation certificate sat quietly.
A prestigious university—an outstanding graduate, with the papers to prove it.
I came here to build something real, not to scrape by on 1 thousand dollars and get pushed around like some clueless newbie.
I sat down at my computer and started a new document.
I began digging into NovaTech.
I looked into their product lines, market strategies, main clients, and searched for any background info on the director I'd be meeting with.
I was doing my homework—getting ready for anything.
I wasn't just after any offer.
I wanted an offer they couldn't say no to.
A colleague leaned over.
"Ruby, still grinding away on the NorthTech project? You really are the MVP of our department," he said, just loud enough for a few people nearby to hear.
There was a barely disguised edge of envy in his tone.
I ignored him and closed out the NorthTech plan.
All that was left on the screen was NovaTech's logo, like a star on the rise.