Chapter 5

Harper had already caught wind of my meeting with Mr. Hawthorne. When she passed by my workstation, she couldn't help but glance at me several times with pity in her eyes.

At 10:00 am, Mason asked me out for lunch to celebrate the fact that I hadn't been fired. "Fortunately, Mr. Hawthorne's a good man, and he didn't hold your reckless resignation against you. If my mom knew you were unemployed, she'd call off the wedding for sure."

I picked up my tray and left, without sparing him so much as a glance.

At 3:00 pm, Mr. Hawthorne arrived at the office. After striding into the bullpen, he announced triumphantly, "To celebrate us successfully securing the project with Imperium Group, I had Harper prepare a generous bonus for everyone!"

"You're the best, Mr. Hawthorne!"

"You're the best boss ever!"

Mr. Hawthorne chuckled and waved them off. "Go ahead and hand them out, Harper."

One by one, the bonuses were handed down.

A male assistant, who had been with the company for three years, gasped, "Five grand! You're way too generous, Mr. Hawthorne!"

"Mine is five grand too. Stick with Mr. Hawthorne, and you'll always eat well!" cheered a male colleague, who was seven years older than me, married, and had children. He grinned so widely his eyes narrowed into slits.

Vivienne Westwood, from the workstation next to mine, eagerly tore open her envelope, only to frown the second she looked inside. "Why did I only get three grand?"

"I got three grand as well."

The ones who received three grand were all female colleagues like me.

"Oh well, three grand is nothing to sneeze at. It's better than nothing, I guess."

"But we pull the same weight as the men. How is that fair?"

Exactly. How was that fair?

Repeating the question to myself, I tore open my own envelope. Neatly arranged inside were exactly five bills—500 dollars.

"Don't take it the wrong way, Sophia. It's mostly because I just gave you a raise yesterday. If I gave you a fat bonus, I was afraid the others would complain," Mr. Hawthorne explained with a smile. He studied me, as if he were gauging my reaction.

I was well aware that he was attempting to break me in. However, I didn't argue or make a scene. I simply pocketed the bonus with a straight face. "Thank you, Mr. Hawthorne."

…

At 7:00 pm, Imperium Group's fleet pulled up downstairs, and Ms. Waverly led her team into the venue. Mr. Hawthorne and Mason eagerly stepped forward to receive them, and the atmosphere was warm and convivial.

At 7:30 pm, the ceremony officially commenced. Mr. Hawthorne took the podium to deliver his address as chairman. "First and foremost, I would like to thank Imperium Group for granting our company this invaluable opportunity.

"Ever since our very first collaboration, our company has always approached our partnership with an open, fair, and just attitude. Through our joint efforts, we have achieved milestone results.

"Moving forward, we will continue to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and service as we work alongside Imperium Group. Together, we look forward to achieving mutual success, creating greater value, and reaching even greater heights!"

Ms. Waverly, who was seated in the VIP section, nodded with apparent approval. She took the microphone and said, "After several years of collaboration, we have absolute faith in your company's capabilities.

"However, beyond competence, we care deeply about whether your core values of transparency, fairness, and justice are actually practiced in your employee relations, especially when it comes to gender."

Mr. Hawthorne's expression stiffened, a forced, awkward smile freezing on his face. "Of course it is!" As soon as his words fell, the large screen on the stage suddenly went black.

In the blink of an eye, the conversation I had with Mr. Hawthorne, in his office, blasted through the hall. "Women just don't measure up to men…" His voice, trading words with mine, broadcast through the speakers, echoing loud and clear into every single corner of the auditorium.