Chapter 1

“What’s with that attitude? Are you really acting like you’re above receiving a supermarket gift card?”

Sienna shot me a look, her voice completely unbothered by her own open contempt.

“Evangeline, you need to learn some gratitude. The company provides you with a platform, gives you a computer, and even covers your healthcare and benefits. You just typed a few useless lines of code—do you seriously think you’re some kind of hero here?”

I looked up at her.

“A few useless lines of code? Without those lines of code, the underlying logic of that photo-editing app wouldn’t even run. The company couldn’t even pay staff salaries last month. Where did you get the money to buy a Porsche?”

“Silence!”

My father, Leander, slammed his hand onto the dining table. He pointed right at my nose, the veins on his forehead bulging.

“Who do you think you’re talking to? Without the platform our family company provided, that useless app of yours wouldn’t even have been qualified for launch! Besides, any value you create belongs to the company’s surplus value! Rule number one of our corporate culture is absolute obedience! Are you questioning the company’s compensation system right now?”

Delphine covered her mouth and giggled from the side. She twirled her new Porsche key ring around her finger and let out a deliberate sigh.

“Oh, Evangeline, don’t make Dad angry. Sienna is just looking at the big picture. Sure, your six-hundred-dollar salary isn’t much, but you rarely go out or buy makeup anyway, so it’s plenty for you. It’s not like me—I’m out running around meeting clients every single day, working so hard out in the sun.”

Delphine glanced down at her car keys and continued, “By the way, my new car still needs a set of premium floor mats. Why don’t you use this month’s salary to buy them for me? Just consider it your contribution to expanding the company’s business.”

Looking at Delphine’s perfectly made-up face made my stomach churn with disgust.

“Why should I use my salary to buy you floor mats? You all walked away with seven million dollars in profit, and I didn’t get a single dime in bonuses. Now you’re even trying to squeeze out my six-hundred-dollar base salary?”

My mother, Valentina, frowned as she lowered her fork and stared at me, disappointment written all over her face.

“Evangeline, why have you become so petty? Why are you drawing lines between family members? Neither of your sisters has it easy. As the middle child, what’s wrong with stepping up and carrying a bit more of the weight? I’m doing this for your own good—I’m afraid having too much money will spoil you. Besides, you eat our food and live under our roof. Does any of that come for free?”

I took a deep breath, forcing down the coldness rising in my heart.

I stood up and looked Leander dead in the eye.

“In that case, I quit. I’m formally submitting my resignation.”

The dining room fell dead silent for a second.

Then Leander burst into a cold laugh, his eyes full of scorn.

“Quit?” he mocked. “Evangeline, have you lost your mind?”

He turned around, pulled a thick stack of documents from his briefcase, and slapped them straight into my face.

Papers scattered across the floor.

“Take a good look at what’s written on those!”

I looked down at the ground.

The top sheet was a Non-Compete Agreement.

Below it was an itemized bill, filled line after line with dense text.

“When you were three years old, you had a fever. The doctor’s bill came out to five dollars. Calculated at an eight percent annual interest rate, that debt is now three hundred dollars.

“When you were ten, you ate a fast-food meal that cost seven dollars. That counts as an excess personal expense, so we have to adjust it for inflation and capital holding costs.

“The computer you use is a fixed company asset. Your daily keystroke count exceeded normal wear-and-tear standards, so you owe a depreciation fee.

“Then there’s your utilities, food, and room usage for the past few years…”

Leander leaned back in his chair, completely ruthless.

“If you want to leave, fine. But clear the tab first. The total comes to $1.75 million.

“If you’re short even a single cent, I’ll sue you into bankruptcy and put you behind bars!”

I looked at the absurd bill in disbelief.

“Are you insane?”

Sienna walked over and snatched the phone right out of my pocket.

“Evangeline, I’m taking away your phone and other devices effective immediately,” she said coldly. “You’re clearing out of your master bedroom too—I’m turning it into my walk-in closet tomorrow. Tonight, you sleep in the storage room.

“At 8:00 a.m. tomorrow, hand over all your source code to Engineering Director William Hayes.

“And after that, go downstairs and wash the mops for the janitors!”