Chapter 1

On the day the SATs ended, I thought I'd be greeted with flowers and hugs. What I didn't expect was a "Family Member Employment Contract".

Mom sat on the couch, twirling a pen in her hand. Her gaze was like that of an interviewer sizing up a fresh graduate.

"Sit," she said, pointing to the wooden stool across from her.

On the coffee table lay two documents. One was my acceptance letter from a top-tier college in a competitive major, and the other was that contract.

"Sabrina, congratulations on completing all of your K-12 academic requirements. According to our previous verbal agreement, since you've been admitted to a top-tier college, your performance rating is S+."

My eyes lit up, and my heart raced. "Then what about the ten thousand dollars bonus?"

For that money, I barely got a full night's sleep throughout my entire senior year of high school. The practice papers I wore out could fill up the whole room, and my hair fell out in clumps.

Mom smiled and said, "After careful consideration, I've decided to implement a resource swap regarding the distribution of the S+ performance bonus."

"What do you mean?" I asked, stunned.

"Rodney is taking his high school entrance exams next year. You know he's the family's seed project, and right now, he's in a critical development stage."

As if it were only natural, Mom pushed the contract toward me.

"Company resources are limited and must be allocated to high-potential projects. I used your ten thousand dollars to sign him up for an intensive prep course."

It felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over my head.

"Mom, that was my bonus! You promised to give it to me!" I yelled.

"Watch your attitude." Her face darkened as she tapped on the table. "Questioning your superior's decision in the workplace is a major taboo. As an experienced HR professional, I'm teaching you the rules.

"Besides, you're already a mature product now, so there's no need for further maintenance costs."

She flipped open the contract to the first page.

"Given that you are about to start college, the family's obligation to support you is shifting to a basic survival guarantee. Starting today, your compensation structure is being adjusted to base salary plus performance bonus and perfect attendance.

"The base salary is 500 dollars per month, which covers your meals, transportation, phone bill, and all social expenses."

Five hundred dollars? In Bellham, where everything was expensive, 500 dollars wouldn't even cover cafeteria meals without careful budgeting.

"There's no way I can survive on that amount," I said through clenched teeth.

Mom looked at me coldly. "That's your problem. Maximizing income and minimizing expenses are fundamental job requirements. You can get a part-time job or scholarships, but on the condition that—"

She pointed to the contract terms. "It doesn't affect your academic KPIs. If your semester GPA falls below 4.5 or you fail any course, your base salary will be cut in half.

"Additionally, to help you acclimate in advance to a high-pressure work environment, I will conduct spot checks.

"50 dollars will be deducted from your salary for unsatisfactory dorm cleanliness, 20 dollars for failing to respond to messages promptly, and 100 dollars for exceeding the weight standard."

"Now, sign it, Sabrina."

Mom handed me the pen. Instead of motherly warmth in her eyes, there was just the cold calculation of a boss looking at cheap labor.

"You don't have to sign it if you don't want to. But then you'll have to pay your own tuition and get yourself emancipated, and we'll terminate our employment relationship."

I looked at the red ink pad, tears welling up.

I knew she meant it.

In the ten years since my father, Anthony Knapp, passed, Mom had used these ruthless KPIs to rank Rodney and me into different classes.

Rodney was the core asset, while I was consumable material.

I signed my name on the contract with a trembling hand.

"Very good." Mom put away the contract and smiled with satisfaction.

"Welcome to your new stage of employment. One more thing—since you just talked back to me, 200 dollars will be deducted from your base salary at the end of this month. Thus, you'll only have 300 dollars next month."

I closed my eyes in resignation and forced back my tears.