Librairie
Rechercher
Accueil / Emotional Realism / The Cherry Trap / Chapter 7

Share

Chapter 7

Auteur: Linnea Rain
As I stepped out of the Midea Tech building, reporters swarmed, firing questions one after another.

"Mr. Bassett, what's the plan after acquiring Midea Tech?"

"Was the cherry incident the trigger?"

"Will you restore the year-end bonus system?"

I stopped. Flashbulbs crackled.

"The year-end bonus will be restored," I said. "The cherries will be sent, too. But more importantly—" I looked straight into the camera.

"A company is not a family, and a boss is not a parent. Employees and employers
Continuez à lire ce livre gratuitement
Scanner le code pour télécharger l'application
Previous Chapter Next Chapter
Chapitre verrouillé

Latest chapter

  • The Cherry Trap   Chapter 8

    I returned to my office. On the desk sat a box of cherries—samples sent by the Employee Welfare Committee—accompanied by a detailed evaluation report: sweetness, firmness, cost-effectiveness, logistics plan, and employee preference survey data.On the last page, there was a handwritten note.[Mr. Bassett, the committee unanimously passed the first motion: please taste these first. Whatever your verdict, we will respect it."—Charlie Jones, Committee Chair]I opened the box, picked a cherry, and slowly chewed.This time, the sweetness was perfect.My phone rang. It was my assistant."Mr. Bassett, the media wants an exclusive interview about this successful counter-acquisition. A few business schools also want you to lecture on corporate management.""Decline," I said. "Pass the opportunities to the marketing team, let them talk about new product promotion.""Understood. Also, a headhunter called, asking if you're interested in moving to a larger platform."I smiled. "Tell them—

  • The Cherry Trap   Chapter 7

    As I stepped out of the Midea Tech building, reporters swarmed, firing questions one after another."Mr. Bassett, what's the plan after acquiring Midea Tech?""Was the cherry incident the trigger?""Will you restore the year-end bonus system?"I stopped. Flashbulbs crackled."The year-end bonus will be restored," I said. "The cherries will be sent, too. But more importantly—" I looked straight into the camera."A company is not a family, and a boss is not a parent. Employees and employers have a contractual relationship. Money is part of that contract; perks are icing on the cake. Don't let 'warmth' hijack your interests, and don't let 'thoughtfulness' disguise greed.""And Polly?" One reporter pressed. "Have you forgiven her?"I paused for a moment."She paid the price," I said.I got into the car. My assistant handed me a tablet."Mr. Bassett, the stock has risen fifteen percent. The board sent congratulations. Also, look at this."It was the social media trends list.[T

  • The Cherry Trap   Chapter 6

    "But I can give you another choice," I said. "Cooperate with me. Drag Midea Tech down. I'll cover your mother's medical expenses. I'll hire the best lawyer to reduce your prison time to the minimum."She looked up. "Why… would you help me?""I'm not helping you," I said. "It's a deal. You destroy my company, I destroy your life—normally it would end there. But now there's a bigger target: Midea Tech. And I…" My voice paused, deliberate. "…I want them crushed."She thought for a long time.Finally, she said, "I'll cooperate."I extended my hand.She hesitated, then took it. Her palm was icy, drenched in sweat."First," I said, "give me the full chat logs. Second, arrange a meeting with someone from Midea Tech and record it. Third—" I paused, locking eyes with her. "…In court, admit everything. Admit that wanting the cherries was step one of the plan.""That will ruin me completely," she said, releasing my hand, panic in her eyes."You were already ruined," I said. "From the

  • The Cherry Trap   Chapter 5

    I looked up."Over three hundred people joined the group chat… it's nearly maxed out," my assistant whispered. "They're all cursing Polly.""Cursing her for what?""For being greedy… for playing the victim, tricking everyone, causing them to lose three months' salary. Some even call her a corporate spy, deliberately trying to ruin the company. Others want to petition to have her fired."I took the file. "Noted."My assistant hesitated at the door, then added, "By the way, the online attacks have started too. Some posted internal company info—saying the year-end bonus really was canceled. Now everyone blames her."I opened the webpage.Sure enough, beneath the "Cold-Blooded Capitalist" trending post, a fresh wave of comments had appeared.[Latest news: the company really canceled the year-end bonus—the employees only get cherries now!][Polly, are you happy now? Your 'thoughtfulness' cost your coworkers thousands!][Now you know what it's like to shoot yourself in the foot.]

  • The Cherry Trap   Chapter 4

    Seeing everyone's stunned faces, I said decisively, "Yes.""But… the money's already in our accounts," an employee stammered, panic in her voice."It'll be deducted from the next few months' pay," I replied. "Finance will draw up a plan tonight—installments—so it won't affect anyone's daily life too much.""Mr. Bassett!" Sean Chance jumped to his feet, chair legs scraping sharply against the floor. "This isn't… appropriate. For some colleagues, three months' salary—""What is it?" I cut him off. "Isn't this exactly what you said? You thought our year-end bonus was too little, not as generous as Midea Tech. Now I'm following your suggestion—isn't that good?"Polly sat in the corner, pale, a helpless expression on her face. She opened her mouth but no sound came out.I turned to her. "Polly, satisfied now?"All eyes in the room were on her.Her fingers twisted together, knuckles white. "Mr. Bassett… I didn't mean it like that. I was just suggesting—""Good suggestion," I said, n

  • The Cherry Trap   Chapter 3

    I kept silent for a while."How should we handle this?" My voice was unnervingly calm. "If we release the actual numbers now, will anyone believe them?""They'll just say we made up the figures under public pressure. Or they'll ask why, with a forty-percent profit increase, we're only giving three months' salary. And the employees who joined the online uproar—will they step forward to clarify on the company's behalf?"My assistant said nothing.I stood and walked to the window. The final board meeting of the year was next week. I had planned to report profit growth and propose raises for the management team.No need for that now.I returned to my office and opened the PR department's social media report.The video had been shared over ten thousand times. The hashtag "cold-blooded capitalist" ranked seventh in local trending searches.The comment section had begun digging into the company's history. Some claimed we'd laid off employees ruthlessly two years ago, others said we we

Plus de chapitres

Vous vous intéresseriez aussi à

Découvrez et lisez de bons romans gratuitement
Accédez gratuitement à un grand nombre de bons romans sur GoodNovel. Téléchargez les livres que vous aimez et lisez où et quand vous voulez.
Lisez des livres gratuitement sur l'APP
Scanner le code pour lire sur l'application
DMCA.com Protection Status