Chapter 1

Even as I clicked into the comment section, I still couldn't believe it.

In just a few short hours, many employees from the company had come forward with anecdotes of their own to confirm the news.

The top comment read, "The last time we had an opening for the manager position in our department, I clearly had higher qualifications and more experience than my male coworker on the same team. However, in the end, he was the one who got promoted.

"My boss even tried to gaslight me, saying the position was more suitable for a man, and that she'd definitely consider me next time. Well, it's been ages now, and I've gotten absolutely nothing!"

The comment was utterly ridiculous to me. I knew who wrote it—Roxy Hunt, from the sales and marketing department.

Back when the company was selecting someone for that position, I'd been very clear about the reason for my decision.

The market segment for that role was primarily aimed at male consumers. It involved frequent and unpredictable business trips, and the industry had a heavy drinking culture.

Above all else, there were safety concerns to take into account. I'd told Roxy that I wanted her to think it over carefully. She took my advice, weighed the pros and cons, and voluntarily backed out of the selection.

Afterward, I felt bad for her, so I personally compensated her with a full set of smart home furnishings. I also promised her that a year later, the company would expand into a new cosmetics market that targeted female consumers. Once that happened, she would be put in charge of the project.

Well, the expansion was already in motion, and the official announcement was set to go out tomorrow.

I glanced at the promotion notice that my assistant, Ingrid Chase, had handed to me earlier, and dumped it in the corner.

Plenty of other employees had voiced their agreement in the comments.

"What can you do when you've got a female boss who caters to men? Last time the company headquarters in Brigshire organized a training, a bunch of us women slaved away for two weeks, barely getting any sleep, just to boost our performance. But in the end, the company still sent a man.

"I questioned her about it in person. She claimed the bunch of us were at the age where we were starting to have kids, and it wouldn't be worth it for the company to invest too much into us. According to her logic, women like us come with an expiration date for when our value gets diminished!"

Her words were sharp and cutting, striking a chord with many in the online community. However, in reality, I had never said those last two lines.

This particular employee was the one who always talked about how she and her husband had been trying to conceive for over a year without success. She'd only just recently gotten pregnant, and the training in Brigshire was a grueling process that included an overseas assignment of at least a year.

Taking her situation into account, I chose someone else.

I thought I was looking out for her, but she didn't appreciate it in the slightest.

More and more people began sharing how they'd been discriminated against as women in the workplace—including Ingrid.

"It is what it is. A female boss is always going to be far pickier and more demanding. When she goes on business trips, even making a restaurant reservation for her turns into a whole ordeal for me.

"She picks on everything! Yet you never see her criticizing the men. She spends all day chatting and smiling along with them. Honestly, it's disgusting."

Once I read Ingrid's claims, my heart turned cold.

When Ingrid first came in for an interview with the company, she'd been rejected by the hiring team. I was the one who sympathized with her. She was having a hard time finding a job as a fresh graduate, so I insisted on hiring her.

In the blink of an eye, five years had passed.

In private, I treated her like a younger sister. Whatever I got for myself, I got one for her, too. I'd given her plenty of designer bags and clothes.

As for the incident she'd brought up, it occurred when she followed me on a business trip. I'd specifically instructed her to book a halal restaurant since our clients were Muslim. Yet, she'd messed up and even served pork to the client.

The company nearly lost a business deal worth ten million dollars because of that.