Chapter 4

Over the past ten years, I'd slept on floors to save Rick money and lived on boxed mac and cheese for two months straight.

To help him land difficult clients, I'd drunk so much hard liquor that my stomach started bleeding and I ended up in the ER.

I'd made this company tens of millions of dollars in profit.

Yet, in his eyes, I didn't even deserve three apples.

He wasn't upholding some stupid rule. He was simply savoring the thrill of lording it over me and keeping me down.

His incredibly petty nature couldn't stand anyone getting even the slightest advantage at his expense.

I let go.

The apple fell to the floor and rolled to Rick's feet.

"Keep your apple. I'm not eating it."

I forced myself to stand up straight and looked at him coldly.

Rick stared at the apple on the floor and sucked in a sharp breath, as if it physically pained him. "Fine. Fine, Josh. You do something wrong, and you still have the nerve to give me attitude? Just you wait!"

He spun around in a fury and stormed into his office.

I stayed where I was and wiped the cold sweat from my forehead.

This morning, I'd only just clocked in, still not fully recovered, when Rick called me into his office.

"Company resources aren't yours to hog. I've been watching you for days. Every single day, you've taken the company's apples.

"This company doesn't need a greedy employee who's always looking to take advantage. You're fired."

Sitting in his enormous executive chair, he smugly pronounced my death sentence.

Standing there in his office, I froze.

I looked at Rick, then at this office I'd personally helped design and renovate.

Even the excuse he'd come up with to fire me was this cheap.

"Rick, you can fire me." I looked at him and asked the question that mattered most. "But what about my commission on Mr. Kilcher's million-dollar project? I locked in the deposit just two days ago. By the rules, you owe me a two-hundred-thousand-dollar commission."

At the words "commission" and "two hundred thousand," a flash of naked greed lit up Rick's eyes.

He sneered and leaned back in his chair with total self-righteousness, arms crossed over his chest. "You're being fired for a serious violation of company policy. That's gross misconduct.

"You're lucky I'm not making you pay damages for hurting the company's reputation, and you still want a commission?

"As of today, you have nothing to do with Mr. Kilcher's project. All your bonuses are forfeited."

Instantly, I understood.

Violating company policy, eating three of his apples, milking the company... It was all a premeditated chain of traps he'd set so he wouldn't have to pay me that huge commission.

He was so stingy that he couldn't bear to part with the two hundred thousand dollars that were rightfully mine.

Now that the million-dollar deal was in the bag, he couldn't wait to get rid of me.

So he'd stooped to the lowest possible tactics to disgust me and crush me, even humiliating me in front of everyone.

Then he could neatly kick me out at zero cost and keep all my hard work and the project's profits for himself.

Now that I'd seen through his nauseating scheme, the last spark inside me went out completely.

Arguing with someone without a shred of decency was a waste of breath.

I didn't argue. I quietly took out my phone and pulled up my contacts. I found Mr. Kilcher's number and called it, putting it on speaker while I was at it.

"Hello, Josh! Morning. I was just about to ask you about the set design for the venue."

Mr. Kilcher's hearty voice came through the phone's speaker.

Rick's expression changed instantly.

I took a step back and spoke directly into the phone. "Mr. Kilcher, about that million-dollar photo shoot we finalized. There's no need to sign with this studio.

"Every order from here on out will go to my personal new team. I'll take personal responsibility for everything from start to finish."