Chapter 2

There weren't many people returning to work after the holidays, so a commute that normally took over two hours surprisingly only took 20 minutes.

That reminded me that I had originally planned to rent an apartment near the office because I had heard the company offered a three-thousand-dollar housing allowance.

Yet, after I joined, Samuel took the initiative to propose to management that the housing allowance be canceled in the name of cost reduction and efficiency optimization.

The management loved the idea and approved it on the spot.

To save money, I had no choice but to move somewhere much farther from the office.

Over the years, I worked overtime without complaint. Even when I was burning with a 104-degree fever, I still sat there revising project proposals, all while hooked up to an IV drip.

In the end, all I got in return was a layoff notice.

The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. I switched on my laptop and organized every single overtime record I had accumulated over the past three years before forwarding them to HR.

I added one final note underneath, addressed directly to the CEO, Alfred Langley.

"Dear Mr. Langley, attached are my overtime records totaling 1232 hours over the past three years. Please process overtime compensation based on my hourly rate. Thank you."

Not long after I sent the email, my phone started ringing.

"Levi, have you lost your damn mind? How could you demand compensation from the company? You only worked overtime because your work efficiency was terrible.

"You had to stay late just to finish your tasks. How does that qualify for overtime compensation?"

Samuel's shrill voice blasted through the phone. "And besides, I haven't even gone after you for leaking corporate secrets. Now, you're demanding money from us? Do you hear how ridiculous that sounds?"

I forced myself to stay calm. "Mr. Cooper, I'll say this one more time—I did not leak any corporate secrets!"

That is, unless chatting to the company's stray cat during downtime somehow counted as leaking confidential information.

Samuel hung up immediately, then turned around and started updating the company group chat with text messages.

"Attention, everyone. To set an example for the company, I've decided not to cover for Levi Young anymore. The reason for his termination is simple. He leaked confidential company information."

That reveal instantly blew up the group chat. Many chimed in immediately.

"Shit. It's that serious?"

"No way! Mr. Young always seemed super honest and down-to-earth. How could he do something that reckless?"

Samuel let out a mocking snort before replying in the chat, "That's because all of you were fooled by his looks! People who look the most honest are always the most calculating deep down. I hope this serves as a warning to everyone."

The moment he said that, the others piled on.

"Agreed. I have to say, Mr. Cooper really does put the company's interests above everything else."

"Cases like this should be reported to the industry association, honestly. Those who violate company policy deserve to be blacklisted across the entire industry."

I recognized the person who sent that last message. It was my ex-mentee, Justin Moore.

Back when he first joined the company as an ordinary bachelor's graduate, no one wanted to mentor him. I was the one who took him in without hesitation and taught him everything I knew.

Not long after that, his attitude toward me changed completely. Later, I found out he had found a new backer, Samuel.

Sure enough, Samuel picked up on that comment and continued, "I don't want to make things ugly either. That's why I only had him sign a non-compete agreement. As long as he doesn't join a competitor, it's fine."

That seemingly magnanimous statement earned him yet another wave of admiration from employees who had no idea what was really going on.

Watching the entire group chat echo Samuel's words like parrots, I typed a message of my own. "If I can prove I never leaked any corporate secrets, will you publicly apologize to me?"

The second that message appeared, the group chat, with more than 500 members, fell silent.