Library
Search
Short
From Outcast Contract Worker to Chairman

From Outcast Contract Worker to Chairman

Short Story · Emotional Realism
By:  Perfect TimingCompleted
Language: English
goodnovel4goodnovel
9Chapters
4views
Read
Add to library

Share:  

Report
Overview
Catalog
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP

Synopsis

Workplace

Face Slapping

Regret

Hypocrisy

Bias

Girl Power

Plot Twists

Feel-Good Story

"Alexia, don't take any of the company's holiday bonus boxes. You're not one of us—there's nothing for you." My manager, Kevin Davis, delivered the notice coldly, as if he were commenting on the weather—routine, impersonal. My hand stilled on the mouse. "The rest of you, come with me. We're heading to the company gala to collect your million-dollar bonuses!" My colleagues filed out in high spirits. I watched their retreating backs and answered with a bitter, "Okay." I was a contract worker. For seven years, I had always been the odd one out in the department. Our ID badges said it all—blue for full-time employees, gray for me. Time off was no different. Full-time employees had weekends; I got one day off a month. As for pay and benefits, they enjoyed meal allowances, housing subsidies, team outings, afternoon snacks, holiday gifts, year-end bonuses… I received a fixed salary of three thousand dollars a month. I sat down, opened my computer, and returned to the candlestick charts of my stocks. They didn't know that I was the company's largest anonymous individual shareholder. And they certainly didn't know that tonight, at the company gala, I would step onto the stage as the new Chairman—and my very first proposal would be to lay off their entire department.

View More

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

As they chatted about the evening's annual gala, they tidied up their desks, each lifting a heavy New Year gift box.

A female colleague named Bianca Shelton passed by my workstation. On purpose, she dropped her box onto my desk with a loud thud.

"Oh, Alexia, I'm so sorry."

The apology came out of her mouth, but the sneer on her face gave her away.

"These boxes are just so heavy. Not like you—empty-handed. Must be nice."

I ignored her, my gaze fixed on my computer screen.

On it, the candlestick chart crept steadily upward.

"I'm talking to you. Cat got your tongue?"

Annoyance crept into Bianca's voice when I didn't respond.

My manager, Kevin Davis, walked over and patted her on the shoulder.

"That's enough. Why bother arguing with a contract worker?"

He turned to me, that smug face of his wearing a look of condescending charity.

"Alexia, even though you're not invited to the gala and don't get any holiday gifts, the work still has to be done."

He picked up a thick stack of documents from his desk and dropped it onto my keyboard.

"The quarterly market review report. I need it first thing tomorrow morning. Stay late tonight and get it done."

I looked at the file.

I knew it was his responsibility. He just wanted to dump all the trouble on me before heading off to enjoy the gala.

"Mr. Davis," I said at last, "it's New Year's Eve."

"And what about it?"

Kevin let out a laugh, as if I'd said something ridiculous.

"Contract workers get one day off a month. You already used yours two days ago—it's in your contract. Besides, asking you to work overtime is giving you an opportunity. Understand?"

He leaned in closer, lowering his voice, his tone laced with threat.

"Don't push your luck. If you don't want the job, there are plenty of people waiting to take it."

The surrounding colleagues stopped what they were doing, watching me with undisguised schadenfreude.

They enjoyed moments like this.

Watching me—the outsider—be excluded, squeezed, and humiliated gave their meager sense of superiority a satisfying boost.

I stayed silent for a few seconds, then gave a small nod.

"Okay."

Kevin was pleased with my compliance. With a broad wave of his hand, he called out, "Let's go!"

The group gathered around him and filed out of the office in a noisy procession.

Bianca lingered at the back. Before leaving, she turned and mouthed a single word at me.

"Idiot."

One by one, the office lights went out.

The last person to leave—the admin assistant—didn't even spare me a glance before pulling the main switch.

Only the glow of my monitor remained, showing the time: 4:00 p.m.

For the past seven years, every company event had been the same.
Expand
Next Chapter
Download

Latest chapter

More Chapters

You may also like

Related Novels

New Release Novels

To Readers

Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.

No Comments
9 Chapters
Chapter 1
As they chatted about the evening's annual gala, they tidied up their desks, each lifting a heavy New Year gift box.A female colleague named Bianca Shelton passed by my workstation. On purpose, she dropped her box onto my desk with a loud thud."Oh, Alexia, I'm so sorry."The apology came out of her mouth, but the sneer on her face gave her away."These boxes are just so heavy. Not like you—empty-handed. Must be nice."I ignored her, my gaze fixed on my computer screen.On it, the candlestick chart crept steadily upward."I'm talking to you. Cat got your tongue?"Annoyance crept into Bianca's voice when I didn't respond.My manager, Kevin Davis, walked over and patted her on the shoulder."That's enough. Why bother arguing with a contract worker?"He turned to me, that smug face of his wearing a look of condescending charity."Alexia, even though you're not invited to the gala and don't get any holiday gifts, the work still has to be done."He picked up a thick stack of d
Read more
Chapter 2
In my first year at the company, they organized a team-building trip to Merdive Island—five days and four nights at a seven-star hotel.The day the news was announced, the office erupted in excitement.Kevin had called me into his office and said, "Alexia, you know our department has limited spots. Only core team members can go. You're outsourced, so you won't be taking up one of those spots."Here's what we'll do—you hold down the fort at the office for a few days. If anything comes up, handle it promptly. It's a good opportunity for you to grow, don't you agree?"I nodded and said yes.For those five days, their social feeds were filled with beaches, diving, and seafood. And I stayed behind alone in an empty office, handling all the work they had left behind.My lunch was food from the convenience store downstairs. Dinner was instant noodles.In the past two years, in the name of employee care, the company had purchased ergonomic chairs worth five hundred dollars for every ful
Read more
Chapter 3
My phone buzzed almost immediately with a reply from my secretary, Frances Kenin.[Understood, Ms. Turner. The final document for the equity transfer has taken effect. As of now, you are the largest individual shareholder of the company. Your identity will be formally announced at the annual gala at six this evening.]I looked at the message and felt nothing.I had hidden this identity for seven years.Seven years ago, just after I graduated from college, my father's company was targeted by a hostile takeover and pushed to the brink of bankruptcy.Overnight, his hair turned white. Then came the heart attack that sent him into the emergency room.Before he died, he transferred the last 5% of his concealed shares to me."Alexia… don't seek revenge. Just live well."Those were his final words.I promised him.What I didn't say was that I would take back everything that belonged to our family—my own way.For seven years, I worked at this company as a contract worker, earning the
Read more
Chapter 4
I once believed that as long as I worked hard—harder than anyone else—I would eventually earn recognition.I did the work of three people on my own.The proposals I created were submitted under Bianca's name and went on to win the company's Annual Innovation Award.The clients I secured were credited to Kevin, who walked away with million-dollar bonuses.I burned with a 102°F fever and still sat in front of my computer revising PPT slides, because Kevin said, "Outsourced staff don't get sick leave."And what about them?They clocked in right on time every day, then started drinking coffee and chatting in the afternoon. They earned several times my salary, enjoying benefits I would never see.They took my work, my achievements, as if it were their right—and then turned around and mocked me for being "just an outsourced worker."Seven years. I thought my heart had gone numb. But now, looking out at the glittering hotel hosting the annual gala, I still felt a flicker of hatred.W
Read more
Chapter 5
The entire hall fell into dead silence. If a pin had dropped, it would have been deafening.Kevin stood frozen in terror. He stared at me, his eyes bulging as if they might pop out of their sockets."Y-You… what did you just say?"I didn't respond. My gaze swept slowly across the crowd—over the thirty-odd faces from the marketing department, now drained of color.The carefully made-up face of Bianca had gone completely pale. Her lips trembled as she instinctively clutched Kevin's arm, her nails digging deep into the fabric.The same employees who had just been shouting, "Stick with Mr. Davis, and you'll never go hungry," now stood with their mouths open, unable to make a sound.The entire shift—from triumph to despair—took less than three seconds.At last, Kevin let out a shrill scream."You're insane! You've lost your mind! Where are the security guards? Where the hell are they? Get this crazy woman out of here!"His outburst detonated the room."Dismiss the marketing depart
Read more
Chapter 6
That single address—"Chairwoman Turner"—landed like an invisible slap, striking Kevin and Bianca across the face.The hall fell silent once more. If before there had been shock, now there was sheer terror.Kevin's legs gave out; he nearly collapsed to his knees.Bianca fared even worse—she crumpled straight to the floor, one of her high heels snapping in the fall.Frances straightened and took a document from his briefcase. Turning toward the audience, his voice rang out, "I will now announce three matters."First, by the highest resolution of the board of directors, effective 4:00 p.m. today, Alexia Turner has formally become the controlling shareholder of this group, holding 51% of its shares, and will assume the position of Chairwoman. All legal documents have taken effect."He paused, then projected a document stamped with a seal onto the large screen behind him.Black and white, stamped and sealed.Irrefutable proof."Second," he continued without inflection, "effective i
Read more
Chapter 7
Bianca's sobbing stopped abruptly. Her lips trembled as if she wanted to speak, but no words came out.I withdrew my foot and my gaze, no longer sparing her another look. People like her weren't worth it. One more glance would only stain my eyes.I turned and faced the hundreds of employees from every department seated below. They were still reeling from the chaos that had just unfolded.In any workplace, there's never a shortage of spectators."I know you all have questions," I said. "Standing here today, I won't talk about grand visions or make empty promises."I paused, letting my gaze sweep over the senior executives and company veterans seated in the front row, their expressions varied and uneasy."I'll only say three things—three new rules I'm setting as the company's new chairwoman."First, capability. From today onward, this company will value ability—not connections. Promotions, salary adjustments, and evaluations will all be based on a transparent, data-driven KPI syst
Read more
Chapter 8
Public opinion escalated quickly. When the market opened that morning, the company's stock price dipped slightly."Besides hiring online trolls, Kevin has also contacted several media outlets he's familiar with. They're planning to release coordinated articles this afternoon to blow the situation wide open."Madison's expression remained calm. Clearly, she had anticipated this."At the same time, our legal department has received notice from the labor arbitration committee. The thirty-three dismissed employees from the marketing department have jointly filed for arbitration, demanding substantial compensation for unlawful termination, a public apology, and reinstatement."Frances added, "Several senior board members have called as well. They're concerned about the stock price and hope we can resolve this as soon as possible."I leaned back in my chair and took a slow sip of coffee."If they want to make noise, let them. The bigger the spectacle, the better."Madison paused for a
Read more
Chapter 9
The document contained more than just text; it included screenshots.Original drafts of proposals whose credit had been stolen. Records showing malicious alterations to authorship. Chat logs from work groups where Kevin and Bianca had mocked and belittled me.The most damning piece of evidence was the screen recording I had made—the full process of revising the Q1 Marketing Review Report.In the video, I clearly identified every inflated expense, every suspicious transaction, and the private vendor account bearing the same name as Kevin's wife's cousin.Each discovery was backed by side-by-side comparisons with raw backend data.This was no longer just workplace bullying. This was blatant embezzlement and corporate crime.Less than ten minutes after the email was sent, the company's internal forum exploded.Employees who had previously doubted me because of online rumors were now left with nothing but shock and anger.[I'm crying… how did she endure seven years of this?][Kevi
Read more
View More
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status