Chapter 3

Ever since I joined the company, I'd been the first one in and the last one to leave every single day.

There were nights I drank so much at business dinners that I nearly wrecked my stomach. I'd end up in the bathroom, throwing up blood, just to chase leads and build partnerships.

I'd pulled all-nighters going back and forth with clients to close deals, negotiating every detail just to reach an acceptable agreement for both sides.

And yet, none of that mattered to Mr. Clooney. He dismissed all my efforts and contributions just like that, as if it meant nothing.

My nose stung, and tears threatened to spill over. But I bit down hard on my lip, forcing them back.

Now that I'd seen how biased Mr. Clooney was and his double standards, I knew nothing I said would change anything.

I could only swallow the humiliation and turn to leave his office.

Frustrated, I went downstairs to buy a cup of hot cocoa. While sipping on it, I mindlessly scrolled through posts on my phone, trying to distract myself from everything that had just happened.

That was when a local anonymous post caught my attention.

The post read, "Guys, this new hire at my company is seriously out of line! She got a 35-thousand-dollar bonus and didn't even think to show a little appreciation to me, her senior. I even dropped hints by asking her to clear out my shopping cart when she got paid, but she straight-up refused.

"Since she doesn't know how to respect her seniors, I'll teach her myself. I've been messing with her check-ins anyway, since I'm the one who controls that at this company!"

Some people in the comments supported the poster, but most were calling her out for being ridiculous.

It was obvious she just wanted to take advantage of someone and was dressing it up like she had the moral high ground.

I scrolled down, and my heart sank when I saw the familiar profile picture.

It was Felicia. And the "new hire" she was talking about was clearly me.

Anger surged instantly. Unable to hold it in, I left an anonymous comment. "If she earns more, that's because she worked for it. Why should she give you anything?"

Felicia replied almost instantly. "My dad's the president of the company. He's the one giving her bonuses and a job opportunity. She should be grateful to me, the president's daughter, and repay me for good!

"All I did was ask her to clear my shopping cart, and she kept making excuses. What's wrong with me teaching her a lesson when she's the one being ungrateful first? Who are you to stick your nose in? Don't tell me you're the same type of person as her if you're defending her like this?

She continued, "Besides, my dad supports this check-in policy too. That new hire is just too capable, and he's worried he can't reign her in. This is the perfect chance to put her in her place and dock some of her pay while we're at it!"

Back when I got that bonus, Felicia did ask me to clear her shopping cart. But we weren't even close like that, so I turned her down.

I never expected her to hold a grudge over something so petty. She'd even go as far as creating an entire check-in system just to get back at me.

What shocked me even more was what Felicia said about Mr. Clooney being her father.

But he already had a wife and a daughter. Which meant only one thing—she was his illegitimate daughter.

No wonder Mr. Clooney kept taking Felicia's side. And now that I thought about it, their eyes and lips did look a little alike.

What I didn't expect was that he was involved in the check-in policy too. He'd let me take the fall just to keep me in check.

At that moment, whatever respect I had for Mr. Clooney vanished completely—and with it, any loyalty I felt toward the company.

…

After that day, I stopped trying. I no longer chased leads or met clients.

Every day, I just watched the clock and checked in exactly on time, strictly following every single check-in rule.

Felicia had loved to nitpick my check-ins. Now that I was following her rules to the letter, I refused to believe she could still find a single fault with me.

She was smug when she saw that I'd fallen in line. "So you can do it after all. Guess you were just making excuses before."

But it didn't take long for Felicia to stop being smug.

Most of the company's business had come through me as I had connections.

After I stopped caring, the company's business dropped by half. No one other than me could contact the clients, and projects stalled across the board.

Mr. Clooney was so stressed that he started breaking out with cold sores.