Chapter 1

My boss went on a business trip for a month, leaving his girlfriend in charge of the company.

She immediately accused me of being late and docked my entire $100,000 commission.

Even my $48 taxi reimbursement request? Rejected!

When I confronted her, she threatened to fire me.

Fine. If that's how it's going to be, I decided to take my sales team and jump ship, all of us together.

It was ten in the morning, and I walked into the office right on time.

I’d been up till midnight talking to a client yesterday, and my head was still pounding.

I was just about to grab a coffee when I checked my phone and saw that my taxi reimbursement request had been rejected.

Forty-eight dollars. That was from last week, when I met Mr. Lee to discuss a new order. We talked so late that I had no choice but to take a taxi home.

The rejection note had Tiffany's name on it.

Tiffany was Mr. Harrison's new girlfriend. She was notoriously arrogant and domineering, always snapping at anyone she didn't like.

But because she had a sweet tongue and knew how to manipulate him, Mr. Harrison usually just let her do whatever she wanted.

He was away on a business trip this month, so he’d put her in temporary charge of the company.

I couldn't believe she was giving me such a hard time.

I marched straight to Mr. Harrison’s office.

The door wasn't quite shut, and Tiffany's sugary laughter drifted out. I knocked, then pushed it open.

She was sprawled in Mr. Harrison’s swivel chair, glued to her phone. She looked up, raised an eyebrow.

"Yes?"

I took a deep breath.

"Tiffany, why wasn't my taxi reimbursement from last week approved?"

She glanced at the screen and scoffed.

"You took the taxi yourself, of course you have to pay for it. Is this company your personal fund? You expect us to pay for your cab rides too?"

"I was talking to Mr. Lee until 10:30 PM that night. The area was pretty isolated, and public transport had stopped hours ago."

I met her eyes.

"And we were discussing a three-million-dollar order for the second half of the year."

"So what?"

Tiffany tossed her phone aside, her bright red nails tapping on the desk.

"You need to understand, the company isn't here just to pay for you! If everyone in sales acted like you, how would we even stay in business?"

"But company policy states..." I took another deep breath.

"If you work past 10 PM, the company reimburses your taxi fare."

Tiffany leaned back, crossing her arms.

"Policy?"

She rolled her eyes at me.

"What policy? The company gives you a job; you create value for the company. Do you treat this place like your own living room, expecting us to pay for your taxi rides too?"

I looked at her, enunciating each word.

"Company policy is set by Mr. Harrison."

Tiffany suddenly shot to her feet, her finger practically jabbing at my face.

"Riley! Get this straight! I'm in charge now! If I say no, it's no! You're just a salesperson; how dare you challenge me?!"

Her voice was piercingly shrill. The open-plan office outside instantly fell silent.

"What's wrong with being a salesperson?" I took a step forward.

"Eighty percent of this company's current revenue comes from the sales department, from the clients I handle. Last year, the company was on the brink of collapse. I was the one who closed a five-million-dollar deal and saved it."

Back when Mr. Harrison's company was about to go under, he accidentally hired me.

And in my very first month, I generated five million dollars in sales, putting the company back on its feet.

Since then, Mr. Harrison had always treated me with respect and usually listened to my advice on major decisions.

Tiffany slammed her hand on the desk, her face contorted into an ugly grimace, mouth agape.

"Oh, really? You're just an employee, do you really think this company belongs to you now?"

"Should I just give you my position too, then?"

"Let me tell you, this company will be just fine without you! Now get out!"

I stared at Tiffany in disbelief.

"You're firing me? Have you even asked Mr. Harrison?"

I generated 80% of the company's profits; how dare she fire me?

Tiffany sneered, looking at me with utter contempt.

"You're just a salesperson! A dirty peddler! What's wrong with me firing you?"

"This is my boyfriend's company! I can fire whoever I want!"

"Besides, who knows if you got those sales by sleeping with old men, leveraging your looks!"

She just outright slandered me.

I gritted my teeth, taking a deep breath.

Mr. Harrison had always treated me well, I couldn't just walk away like this. So I sat down on the sofa.

"You should really ask Mr. Harrison what he thinks first."

Tiffany rolled her eyes.

"Who do you think you are?"

With that, she dialed Mr. Harrison’s number directly.

Mr. Harrison's voice on the other end sounded tired.

"What is it?"

Tiffany, who had just been yelling at me in a shrill voice, immediately softened, speaking sweetly.

"Honey, I miss you."

Mr. Harrison sighed.

"Just tell me what you want."

Tiffany shot me a triumphant look.

"There's a salesperson here who's breaking company rules! I want to kick him out."

"Whatever. I need to rest."

Mr. Harrison casually dismissed her and hung up.

Tiffany then looked at me, utterly smug.

"Hear that? I can fire whoever I want! Now get out!"