Chapter 2

When I saw the glaring name on the screen, my head spun.

How was this even possible? The company had over a hundred employees, and yet I had been selected twice in a row.

I stared at the bright red name, and a chill crawled up my spine.

Michelle flashed a grin.

"Tony, I didn't expect your luck to be this good. This is shaping up to be your year. The company's growth depends on you, so make sure you pull your weight."

With a knowing smile, she handed me a stack of cash.

Money that everyone usually coveted now felt like something I wanted nothing to do with.

In that instant, it felt as if death had taken another step closer to me.

I stared blankly at Caleb in the audience. He looked genuinely happy, but not in the way someone would celebrate my win. It felt more like he already knew what was coming next.

Back then, Caleb had lost his job and came to me in tears, begging me for a referral to our company. I knew he wasn't fully qualified, but I still pulled strings and brought him in.

As expected, Caleb was constantly scolded by his department head for poor performance within the first week.

If I hadn't begged Michelle to give him more time and quietly taken on most of his workload, he would have been fired long ago.

Even after half a month, there was still no improvement. On top of that, my own performance started to decline because I kept covering for him.

That day, Caleb asked me again to finish an urgent task for him.

While I was buried in work, he was casually flirting with girls online.

That was the moment all the frustration I had been holding in finally exploded.

"Caleb, do you even realize I've been working myself to the bone for half a month just to cover for you? And you're treating the company like your personal lounge? If you actually want to stay here, then do your job properly!"

Facing my anger, Caleb remained completely unbothered.

"Tony, I only asked you because I see you as my best friend. Don't worry, I won't treat you unfairly. When the salary comes in at the end of the month, I'll split it with you. Is that fair?"

I nearly laughed from sheer anger. I was doing the work of two people while only getting one and a half salaries, and he somehow made it sound like I was the one profiting from him.

Then, he returned to his phone and completely ignored me.

It was as if my anger had completely failed to reach him. Faced with his shameless behavior, I let out a deep, frustrated sigh.

I didn't bother with him anymore. It was his own choice. If he failed the evaluation later, that would be his problem.

However, a month later, the completely unmotivated Caleb actually passed the company assessment.

In the audience, Caleb jumped to his feet excitedly. "Tony, you're seriously lucky today!"

He turned toward the rest of the staff and started rallying them. "Everyone, Tony's on fire this year. Shouldn't we all share in his luck?"

"Yes!"

He continued, "Then, shouldn't he treat us all to a celebration with his prize money?"

"Yes!"

The roar in the room was so loud my ears rang, and my vision dimmed briefly.

Without thinking, I blurted out, "The prize money isn't that much. If I treat all of you, I'll end up paying out of my own pocket. If that's the case, I don't want it. Whoever wants it can take it!"

The instant I finished speaking, the excited crowd fell completely silent.