Chapter 2

The next day was payday.

The notification chimes for incoming deposits started ringing across the office one after another.

I sat in my office, listening to the commotion outside.

Under normal circumstances, getting more than six hundred extra dollars a month would be a huge piece of good news at any company.

After all, it was real cash—money that could go toward a mortgage payment, new gear, or a nice dinner.

Yet instead of the cheers I had expected, the office fell into a strange silence, followed by hushed whispers.

I stood up and picked up my mug to get some water from the break room.

Before I even reached the door, Julian’s sharp voice rang out from inside.

“Oh wow, it’s only six hundred sixty? I thought it’d be way more.”

Then Daniel’s voice followed, hesitant. “Honestly… that’s not bad. It’s enough to sign my kid up for an extracurricular class.”

“Daniel, you’re way too easy to satisfy!” Julian said in exasperation.

“Think about it. That coffee spread the boss kept bragging about—he said it was from a five-star hotel. Thirty bucks per person.

“Twenty-two workdays a month. That’s six hundred sixty, sure. But!”

He deliberately paused, his voice rising several notches. “You really think the company wasn’t getting kickbacks from the vendor?

“And those desserts he claimed were five-star quality—who knows if they actually came from some cheap wholesale bakery?

“The receipts were probably fake. Who knows how much the boss pocketed from it.”

“Wait… seriously?” Eric sounded shocked. “The packaging looked pretty fancy to me.”

“Packaging doesn’t cost anything,” Julian scoffed. “You guys are way too naive. When has a capitalist ever not squeezed people dry?

“Now he’s paying us the cash directly. Looks like we got six hundred extra, right? But guess what, this money is taxable.

“And who knows? Maybe this is just a way for him to dodge taxes… or even launder money.”

“Launder money?”

Even Maggie sounded startled. “Julian, you can’t just throw accusations like that around.”

“How am I making it up?” Julian said confidently. “I’ve got a friend interning at the IRS. He’s seen this kind of trick plenty of times.

“They disguise company profits as employee benefits to balance the books while the boss takes the real money. This six hundred is basically hush money for us.”

“Man… that’s really shady.” Daniel sighed. “And here I used to think Mr. Shaw was a decent guy.”

“A decent guy?” Julian snorted.

“A decent guy doesn’t drive a luxury car and wear luxury watches.

“That luxury car of his? Pretty sure it was bought with our sweat and blood.

“Think about it, we work overtime every day until we’re exhausted. And him? He just drops by, walks around for a bit, then leaves. Why does he deserve it?

“Exactly. What’s the point of six hundred bucks? Having a private chef come in would’ve looked way better,” Eric chimed in.

“I even posted those desserts on my Instagram before, and someone commented that they looked like something bought off a discount website.

“If the company had actually hired a Michelin chef, imagine how impressive that would’ve looked on my feed.

“Mr. Shaw always dresses so polished, but who would’ve thought he’s this stingy? He can’t even be bothered to give employees a little morale boost.”

I stood outside the door, my fingers tightening around the mug until they turned pale.

So, this was human nature.

A small favor brings gratitude. Too much generosity breeds resentment.

I had been paying out of my own pocket to subsidize the company. I hadn’t expected anything in return; I just wanted everyone to be comfortable.

Instead, I’d raised a pack of ungrateful wolves.

I turned and walked back to my office, then posted a new announcement in the company chat.

“To thank everyone for their hard work lately, the company has decided to organize a team retreat next month.

“Location: Azure Haven Islands. Duration: Seven days and six nights.

“Package: Chartered direct flight, five-star all-inclusive private island resort, ten thousand dollars per person. Fully paid leave, all expenses covered.”