Chapter 3

I promoted Daniel to Business Manager, replacing Ryan.

The moment Ryan found out, he stormed straight into my office.

"Mr. Hale, what gives you the right to give my position to Daniel? Just because I said a few extra things? Weren’t you the one who said we are encouraged to have open table discussions?"

I looked at him coldly. "That was before. If you want to stay, then stay. If you don’t, get out."

There was no need for mercy with people like him.

"What right do you have to fire me?" he roared.

"Because I’m the boss."

As soon as the words fell, he slammed his fist down on the desk and ran out. That very day, he submitted his resignation.

Early the next morning, I was exposed online.

Emily rushed over and sent me the post. I opened it and saw the title staring back at me:

"All About What It’s Like to Meet a Freak Boss—Misery!"

In the video, Ryan not only attacked everything I had done, but he deliberately smeared my reputation, exaggerating and distorting the truth.

"Who understands this pain? I worked at a company for nearly five years, breaking my back for them. In the end, the company made tens of millions in profit, and the $850,000 bonus they promised us just vanished. And on top of that, that idiot boss used every dirty trick to squeeze us out.

"I was forced into a dead end and had no choice but to resign."

On screen, Ryan cried with snot and tears streaming down his face, pouring out his so-called suffering. It instantly stirred sympathy from other working-class viewers.

Comments flooded in.

"This streamer has it so rough. What kind of company is that? Name it so we can avoid it."

"Fellow worker here. Totally relatable. These evil capitalists, what do they take us for? Slaves?"

"Don’t worry, streamer. Companies like that will collapse soon enough."

……

Within a short time, tens of thousands of comments poured into the post. It went viral.

Because of Ryan’s exposure, Halecrest Solutions was immediately hit by public backlash. The stock price plunged. Our reputation took a heavy blow.

Meanwhile, Ryan was thriving. He happily started livestreaming full-time, officially becoming a streamer. The video brought him a massive wave of followers, and he quickly moved on to selling products.

"Mr. Hale, we’ve tried contacting Ryan. He’s not answering any calls," Emily said. "He said you have to call him personally."

My patience was already wearing thin. I directly instructed Emily to file a lawsuit against him.

Not long after, Ryan received the court summons. He immediately went live again, crying dramatically at the camera.

"Fam, maybe everyone should stop talking about my former boss and company in the comments. Otherwise, they’ll send lawyers after me. I’m so scared. Come arrest me already."

As he spoke, his expression shifted into something utterly infuriating. He wore a smug, taunting grin.

The live chat exploded.

"That’s how you deal with him. Let him know what it’s like to make workers suffer."

"Exactly. Do they really think we working-class people are easy to bully?"

"Streamer, don’t be afraid. You already quit. What can he do to you now?"

As the videos continued to explode in popularity, and with Ryan fanning the flames every single day, Halecrest Solutions was pushed straight into the eye of the storm.

The internet was filled with posts attacking Halecrest Solutions. Some people even squatted outside the office building, hurling insults at us in person.

I called Ryan.

After quite a while, the call finally connected. His lazy voice drawled, "Hello."

The fake flattery from before was completely gone.

"Delete the posts. Take down the trending topics. Come forward and clarify the truth. Otherwise, you will regret it."

Ryan laughed dismissively on the other end. "Regret it? Mr. Hale, I’m a big internet celebrity now. If I want to destroy your company, it’s just a few sentences away. Shouldn’t you be the one regretting this?

"How about this? You come find me, kneel down, and bow to apologize. Then I’ll go back. Oh, and I want three times my original salary. After all, I’m a big influencer now."

"Unbelievable!"