Pustaka
Cari
Beranda / Emotional Realism / Selling Big, Paid in Pennies / Chapter 4

Share

Chapter 4

Penulis: Night Chili
My words landed like a bombshell in the office.

"Ms. Watson got a 200 thousand dollar bonus?"

"What the hell is going on?"

Every head in the room snapped toward Sasha. She went white, staring at Joe with panicked eyes, her lips trembling.

Joe's face tightened. Panic flashed in his eyes, then he forced his voice steady and snapped,

"Cassian, what are you talking about? This is slander!"

I let out a cold, humorless laugh and pulled up the screenshot on my phone.

"Slander? You want me to throw the notification from the banking app up on the big screen so everyone can see it? The memo on that 200 grand spells it out. It literally says 'annual special bonus!'"

Joe's eyes darted away, guilt all over his face. He opened his mouth like he wanted to speak, then shut it again.

I didn't let up. "You took money that could've saved a life and handed it to your niece as a 'special bonus'? Mr. Watson, that's some world-class accounting right there!"

The panic drained from his face almost instantly. His mouth pulled into a thin, fake smile that never reached his eyes.

"Cassian, I was actually prepared to let you walk away with a little dignity. But since you insist on pushing this, don't blame me for handling it by the book."

He slowly reached into his briefcase and pulled out a document.

"You secretly contacted one of our competitors. That's a serious violation of the non-compete agreement you signed when you joined this company!"

Joe slapped the document onto the table with a sharp crack and stabbed a finger at a line buried deep in the fine print.

"Read it carefully! Any breach means you owe the company a one-time penalty of 200 grand! This is your formal notice. You're fired. And effective immediately, you will reimburse the company for the full amount!"

A non-compete? A 200 grand penalty?

I had never signed any so-called non-compete agreement with Joe. The words hit me in a row, each one landing like a punch to the chest.

He'd planned this from the start. Skimming my commission wasn't enough. He'd lined up a fine-print trap to finish me off.

A cold, sick feeling crawled up my spine. My hands and feet went numb.

Joe's face lit with smug satisfaction.

Sasha lifted her chin, too. "Cassian, you're done."

A steady voice, edged with amusement, drifted in from the doorway. "Mr. Watson, look at you, throwing your weight around."

"Mr. Rimmer!" Joe gasped, his voice cracking.

The color drained from his face as if he'd just seen a ghost.

"You want to fire Cassian? That couldn't work out better for me! I was just about to poach him as my sales director and partner."
Lanjutkan membaca buku ini secara gratis
Pindai kode untuk mengunduh Aplikasi
Bab sebelumnya Bab selanjutnya

Bab terbaru

  • Selling Big, Paid in Pennies   Chapter 10

    The officers brought Joe and Sasha back to the station for questioning.Because I was the one who called it in and their main witness, they had me come down to the station as well to give a statement.In the station's interview room, Joe had lost his usual swagger. His hair was a mess, and his face had gone pale.Sasha was worse, sobbing until her eyes were red and swollen, her makeup smeared down her cheeks.When the officers stepped out of the room for a minute, Joe suddenly grabbed my arm, his voice shaking with desperation."Cassian, Cassian, I know I messed up. I lost it! For everything we've been through, can you put in your statement that you forgive me? I'll pay you 200 grand, no, 400! I'll pay you back double!"As long as you're willing to forgive me, we can fix this. Sasha's still so young. She can't end up with a record!"Sasha lurched toward me, too, begging so hard she was tripping over her words. "Cassian! I was wrong, Cassian. I never should've screamed at you, ne

  • Selling Big, Paid in Pennies   Chapter 9

    Cold sweat beaded on Joe's forehead as he forced a shaky smile that made him look as if he were about to cry."I'll cooperate. Of course, I'll cooperate. But, officer, this has to be some kind of misunderstanding. We can sort it out internally. Accounting must've messed up the numbers. It's just a small mix-up."The officer's voice left no room for argument. "We'll see if it's a misunderstanding after we've checked. Please take us to your finance department. We need to review the related accounts and supporting documents."Everyone in the office froze. A ripple of whispers spread through the room, drowning out the usual background noise.The official from the Department of Labor fixed Joe with a hard look. "Mr. Watson, you just said accounting messed up the numbers. In that case, I need you to turn over the correct financial records right now, especially anything involving Mr. Golding."His gaze shifted to Sasha. "And the paperwork for Ms. Watson's bonus."Joe was drenched in col

  • Selling Big, Paid in Pennies   Chapter 8

    I looked at Joe's phony expression and the flimsy little check in his hand, and a sharp laugh slipped out before I could stop it."Now you remember the numbers don't add up, Mr. Watson? A bit late for that. When Sasha was blowing that money on handbags and a new car, you didn't say you'd miscalculated."When she humiliated me in front of the whole office over 50 cents, you still didn't say you'd miscalculated."My gaze swept over Sasha, sprawled on the floor with her teeth clenched, and I let out a snort."You can keep your 200 grand. I don't need it. Mr. Rimmer already covered my mom's surgery. As for my commission, I'll take every cent you actually owe me."I pulled out my phone and dialed 911 without hesitating. "Let the police and the Department of Labor sort this out. I'm sure the law's on my side."The smile on Joe's face froze, and the color drained from his face in an instant. Sasha stopped wailing and just gaped at my screen in shock."Hello, 911? I'd like to report a c

  • Selling Big, Paid in Pennies   Chapter 7

    At the hospital billing desk, I finally handed over the 200 grand for Mom's surgery deposit. When the receipt slid out of the printer, the knot in my chest eased a little.Back in the hospital room, Mom's pale face was tight with worry. "Cass, the money… Did you get all of it? You didn't go asking people for help again, did you?"Her fingers tightened weakly around my hand.I bent down, tucked the blanket in around her, and softened my voice. "Mom, it's okay. I already paid for it. It's bonuses and commission from my job, all aboveboard."You just focus on resting and getting ready for surgery. Let me worry about the money. Dr. Lane said the odds are really good. Once it's done, you're going to start getting better."Tears pooled in Mom's cloudy eyes as she squeezed my hand. "Okay. I'll do what you say and get ready for the surgery. Cass, you've gone through so much because of me…"I gave her a reassuring smile. "It's nothing. As long as you get better, that's all that matters to

  • Selling Big, Paid in Pennies   Chapter 6

    The murmur in the office blew up into full-on chatter the second the words left my mouth."Seriously? Ms. Watson got a 200 grand bonus?""No wonder she suddenly showed up with that new designer bag last week. That thing has to be, what, five figures at least!""I was wondering why she kept taking time off to go look at cars. So the bonus already hit her account.""We bust our asses and maybe clear ten grand in commission a month. She spends all day slacking off and walks away with 200 grand? That's just dirty!""For real. Cassian pulled in 1.5 million dollars in sales and barely saw a dime. Why does she get 200 grand?"The coworkers who had been grinding themselves into the ground for a pretty average paycheck were all wearing the same pissed-off look now.Whatever laid-back mood there'd been in the office was gone. People were starting to seethe at how unfair it all was.Joe could feel things slipping out of his control. He hurried forward, cold sweat gathering at his hairline

  • Selling Big, Paid in Pennies   Chapter 5

    The coworkers around us practically burst into frantic whispers."Oh my God, that's Zane Rimmer! He's one of the biggest players in the entire industry.""Wait, what did he just say? Sales director? Partner?""So who even is Cassian? If Pinnacle Tutoring is trying to poach him, he must be a big deal.""Right? He's impressive.""So Cassian wasn't lying? Mr. Watson actually begged him to join our company?"Zane met my eyes, his gaze steady and reassuring. His voice stayed gentle. "Cassian, your mom's surgery comes first. I already had 200 grand wired to your account. Take care of the hospital bills before anything else."My chest warmed and my nose pricked. My voice was barely above a whisper. "Mr. Rimmer, thank you for the money. I..."Zane just waved it off, his tone easy. "Hey, you're being way too polite. This is nothing. Someone like you is more than worth it. Just take it as me helping out a bit. From now on, you're family to me."You don't have to be so formal with me."

Bab Lainnya

Anda juga akan menyukai

Jelajahi dan baca novel bagus secara gratis
Akses gratis ke berbagai novel bagus di aplikasi GoodNovel. Unduh buku yang kamu suka dan baca di mana saja & kapan saja.
Baca buku gratis di Aplikasi
Pindai kode untuk membaca di Aplikasi
DMCA.com Protection Status