Chapter 2

Anger surged through me.

"I only use it for my personal emails. All core project data is encrypted. What gives you the right to inspect my personal laptop?"

She acted like she did not hear me and signaled the security to seize my laptop.

I held on desperately and shouted, "These are my personal belongings. You have no right to touch them!"

However, the security guards were much stronger. I was pinned in place, and my laptop was ripped from my hands and taken by Maeve.

She smiled disdainfully.

"How would we know if you didn't secretly back up company intel if we don't run a formal check?" she mocked.

I turned to Chance and said, "What she's doing is illegal. Are you sure you want to allow this?"

He replied indifferently, "Maeve is just following protocol. If you didn't do anything wrong, you shouldn't be afraid of an inspection."

I forced myself to calm down and stopped struggling.

Chance then added, "Vera, if you don't want to make this ugly, transfer that new energy project to the company tomorrow. I'll overlook this incident, and your laptop will be returned immediately."

I let out a cold laugh.

He wanted me to transfer my personal project to him? In his dreams!

Even if I had launched the project, I would never have handed it over to them and let them steal my work.

Besides, the atmosphere in the company had become strange.

Chance once personally took a client out to dinner for a deal worth a few hundred thousand dollars.

However, Maeve, who was trying to save costs, ordered the cheapest set meal for the client and would not even get him an extra bottle of water.

She then used the entertainment budget to order a full table of takeout for herself.

Chance still thought she was being smart and cost-conscious.

As one would expect, that deal fell through spectacularly.

Afterward, Chance blamed my project evaluation report for not being attractive enough and causing the client to lose interest.

I contacted the client privately and apologized endlessly before he agreed to reconsider.

After the contract was signed, Chance gave all the credit to Maeve, calling her the company's 'cost-control genius'.

He was wrapped around her fingers at that point. Only then did I realize the signs that had been there all along.

She shoved my laptop and document boxes aside.

"These are the tablet, recorder, and portable hard drive you applied for through the company… All project backups that were made using company equipment," she said.

She took each item out of the box and displayed it one by one.

I did not care about the rest, but when she pulled out the hard drive, I nearly lost it.

I stared at her and tried to rush forward.

"That contains all my personal portfolio and design drafts. Give it back to me!" I demanded.

She raised an eyebrow and casually formatted the hard drive.

She announced mockingly, "What do you mean, yours? Any intellectual work created during your employment belongs to the company!"

I was so angry at her shamelessness that I laughed.

In that hard drive wasn't just all my work since college. It also contained private projects unrelated to the company, all done in my spare time.

I had planned for a clean handover and to go our separate ways.

Since Chance allowed her to do this, it finally cut off my last bit of attachment.

I picked up the few personal belongings she had left behind and prepared to leave.

"These should be mine, right?" I asked.

Maeve sternly shouted again before I tried to leave.

"You can take your personal belongings, but you haven't paid for the price of your violation. This penalty must be settled since you're no longer an employee of this company," she said.

I did not want to argue anymore.

"How much is the penalty? I'll pay," I said.

She tapped on a calculator. I was holding my belongings when she asked me for thirty thousand dollars.

I was baffled. The amount was sheer absurdity, even if I was not short on money.

I demanded incredulously, "These charges add up to thirty thousand dollars?"

She replied confidently, "Of course. Five thousand dollars for violating travel policy, twenty thousand dollars for emergency information security department services, plus overtime pay for me and Mr. Goode over your fiasco, two thousand five hundred dollars for each person. The total is thirty thousand dollars."

She listed every item clearly.

I could not hold back anymore and snapped back.

"Two thousand five hundred dollars each for overtime? Why don't you rob the bank instead? You seized my laptop by force. I wouldn't have delayed you for a minute if you hadn't ordered the security guards to grab me. Why should I pay thirty thousand dollars?" I exclaimed.

Chance frowned and cut in impatiently.

"Enough! Why are you so petty, Vera? I pay you a seven-figure annual salary. Can't you even afford a mere thirty thousand dollars?" he asked.

He took out his phone, his face cold and contemptuous.

However, I was the top employee in the company, the one who made him the most profit.

My salary was far below market rate.

He transferred the money to me with scorn. "I'll pay it for you. Once you accept it, our engagement is over!"

Fine by me. That was exactly what I wanted anyway!