Chapter 4

Theo was back to selling dreams again, making promises that sounded good but never seemed to come true.

I scoffed inwardly.

But I didn't let it show on my face.

"I know your official hiring took longer than expected." He changed the topic.

"It's just that our company has a lot of hoops to jump through—so many approval steps.

"Since you're new, you probably haven't seen how messy it gets.

"But don't worry. I've already pushed things along for you."

He looked at me with a patronizing air, as if he was doing me a favor.

"I've already talked to HR. You should hear back in the next couple of days.

"Don't worry. Just focus on finishing up the NorthTech Project.

"Once it's done, I'll put in a good word for you."

I nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Brewer."

I kept it to just those words and said nothing more.

My calmness seemed to catch Theo off guard.

He probably thought I'd be falling over myself to thank him, or act like I just won the lottery.

But I didn't.

I was just sitting back, waiting for the show to start.

As I stepped out of Theo's office, I spotted Minerva rushing by, clutching a file.

It was my onboarding form—the one still marked with a coffee stain.

Looked like Theo's "good word" finally did the trick.

They finally remembered that neglected piece of paper sitting in the corner.

And now, they were finally ready to give a little reward to the "hardworking" employee who'd been doing all the heavy lifting.

Too bad.

It was too late.

That afternoon, I snuck out from my desk, pretending I needed a bathroom break.

Hiding out in the company's emergency stairwell, I had a video interview with NovaTech's VP.

Zachary Tyler, the VP, was a no-nonsense middle-aged man.

He skipped all the business details and just asked me one question.

"If you had a 30 million dollar budget and a team of ten, how would you help NovaTech crush your current employer in the Southern market within three years?" It was an ambitious and aggressive question.

I didn't panic.

Within fifteen minutes, I broke it down into four main areas: market entry, product differentiation, distribution channels, and brand marketing.

I explained my approach with clear logic, making sure every step connected smoothly.

He didn't interrupt me once during my pitch.

When I finished, he just sat there quietly for a solid ten seconds.

Then he smiled. "Ruby, you really are something. The younger generation is full of surprises.

"Start at the company next Monday."

The interview was done.

I turned off my phone.

Then I headed back to my desk.

A new email notification flashed at the bottom right corner of my screen.

It was from Jaylee, NovaTech's HR boss.

The subject line read: [NovaTech] Offer Letter - Senior Account Manager - Ruby Apple.

I opened the email.

The attachment was a polished, professional-looking electronic offer letter.

Everything was spelled out in black and white.

There was a bright red corporate stamp.

My position, salary, and start date were all laid out clearly.

Everything had finally settled.

I downloaded the offer letter.

Then I opened a new Word document.

On the blank page, I typed out two big, bold words. Resignation letter.

I stared at those two bolded words on my screen.

It was like a final verdict.

It pronounced the end of my drawn-out sentence at this company—and the beginning of my own rebirth.

I didn't start writing the letter right away.

Instead, I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes.

The past six months replayed in my mind like a movie, scene after scene flickering by.

I remembered the first time I met Theo, when he was full of energy, delivering a motivational speech to us newcomers, saying the company was home to all its employees.

The first time I pulled an all-nighter to finish a proposal, I was so exhausted that I ended up falling asleep right on my desk, only to be woken up by the cleaning staff the next morning.

The first time I got my pay slip, I saw that after all the deductions, I was left with just a little over 1 thousand dollars. My heart sank.

The first time I went to HR to ask about my official hiring, Minerva barely looked up and just told me to hang in there.

The second time, she said the process was complicated and told me not to expect to climb the ladder in one go.

The third time, just a few days ago, she tossed my coffee-stained application form in front of me and reminded me to stay in my lane as a newbie on probation.

And then there was the NorthTech Project afterparty.

Theo, face red from all the booze, grabbed my hand and kept telling me I was the hero of the company, the hope for its future.

My coworkers crowded around, saying all sorts of nice things and making sure my glass was never empty.

But after the booze wore off, what was left?

I was still that probationary employee scraping by on just 1 thousand dollars a month, grabbing nearly expired meals from the convenience store downstairs every lunch just to save a few bucks.

All my hard work became nothing more than a topic for their small talk, and Theo used it as leverage to curry favor with his bosses.

But the respect and recognition I deserved never showed up.

My hope drained away bit by bit with every endless day of waiting.

With each brush-off and empty excuse, my passion froze over until there was nothing left but ice.

NovaTech's offer wasn't the final straw that pushed me over the edge.

It was just an oasis on the horizon, showing up after I'd already made up my mind to walk away from this desert.

Finally, I opened my eyes.