Chapter 3

Victor watched us as though this were entertainment, then calmly took another sip of coffee.

I finally lost patience. "Victor, I spent one extra minute in the bathroom. Derek took away a $200,000 project bonus, gave me a major disciplinary mark, and now wants me to write a two-thousand-word apology and read it in front of the company.

"Do you think that's reasonable?"

Derek answered before Victor could. "Of course it's reasonable. If people break rules without consequences, then company policies mean nothing."

He went on for another minute before Victor finally set down his cup.

"Ethan, you've been with us a long time. When you make a mistake, you have to accept discipline. Otherwise it's difficult for management to stay consistent."

Half my heart went cold, and then the other half followed. This wasn't Derek acting alone. Victor had approved it.

Maybe he saw the look on my face, because his tone softened. "Now, taking away the whole bonus may be a little severe. But sometimes strict rules are necessary. We've had employees abusing bathroom breaks, and Derek wants to make an example so everyone takes the policy seriously. You're management too. Try to understand the bigger picture."

He smiled. "How about this. I'll personally give you five thousand dollars. As for the project bonus, there'll be more projects — finish this one and we'll have another. As long as you're willing to work, there'll always be a place for you here."

Five thousand dollars. He wanted to take $200,000 that I'd earned and soothe me with five.

I stared at him, and something inside me finally shut off. "No need. If that's all, I'm leaving."

I didn't wait for permission. As I walked out, I heard Derek behind me.

"What kind of attitude is that? No professionalism at all."

By the time I reached my team, I understood exactly what had happened. This wasn't really about a bathroom rule. The project was almost finished, the dangerous work was done, and the company no longer needed to protect the person who had dragged it across the finish line. They'd found an excuse to strip away my bonus. Simple as that.

All those late nights, all the weekends, all the emergencies. This was the reward.

My teammates crowded around me.

"What happened?"

"Did Victor back you up? Did he reverse the punishment?"

I looked at all of them. "None of that matters anymore. I'm resigning."

Several people immediately said they'd leave with me, and I stopped them.

"I don't even have a confirmed landing spot yet. If all of you quit because of me and end up unemployed, that's not responsible."

After calming them down, I went back to my desk, wrote a resignation letter, sent it to HR, and started packing.

Five minutes later, Victor summoned me again. Derek was in the office, and the second I walked in, he sneered.

"What does this mean? You get disciplined once and immediately resign? Is your ability to handle pressure really that bad?"

He shook his head. "With that mentality, maybe you were never qualified to be a technical lead."

I smiled. "You're right. So I'm resigning."

I placed the letter in front of Victor. "Sign it."

Victor stared at me. "Ethan, this is a small matter. You don't need to quit over it."

A small matter. Two hundred thousand dollars was a small matter? Forcing me to humiliate myself in front of the entire company was a small matter? They'd attacked both my compensation and my dignity.

Victor leaned back. "The job market is difficult right now. Don't act impulsively."

Derek laughed. "Exactly. The company won't stop turning because you leave. But you're in your thirties, Ethan. You really think companies are lining up to hire you?"