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Chapter 2 The $2,000 Salary

Autor: Inkwood
"You have the experience, so you can lead the creative review team. Just help everyone review the materials and make sure the content stays compliant," Luke said.

2,000 dollars.

That was 28,000 dollars less than the 30,000 dollars Linnea had suggested. It was obvious he was deliberately humiliating me.

He added, "We're all on the same team here. So, let's not sweat about the money. Once this round of expansion is over and the company starts making money, I'll make it up to you through your share of the profits."

I stared at that familiar face and found it unbelievably foreign for the first time since forever.

I didn't argue about how complicated the model was. I didn't remind him what had brought in 80 percent of our clients.

I simply looked at him calmly and asked, "Where's the contract? Are we signing it now?"

My willingness to agree so readily left both Luke and Linnea stunned.

Still, he quickly recovered. In fact, he looked relieved as he immediately told HR to prepare the reassignment agreement.

A brand-new employment contract was placed in front of me in just five minutes. I didn't hesitate as I picked up the pen and signed my name with a flourish.

Linnea walked over, her chin tilted up. Then, she spoke in a voice only the two of us could hear. "The data department is mine now. I'm definitely better than people who only got ahead because of connections."

I smiled and ignored her jabs.

…

The reassignment took effect the next day. I moved straight from my private office to the farthest corner of the open-plan workspace.

Linnea was now sitting in my old office.

I had to admit, she moved fast as she called a meeting with everyone in the data department that very afternoon.

The first thing she did was scrap the entire workflow I had established. Then, she introduced a vague theoretical framework she had pulled straight from a textbook to replace it.

Several senior employees in the data department were furious, but they didn't dare say a word. So, they could only grit their teeth and put up with an outsider who clearly had no idea what she was doing.

The company held the kickoff meeting for the e-commerce shopping event that Wednesday.

It was the company's biggest project every year, and everyone was on edge.

"This project is extremely challenging," the sales director repeatedly emphasized. "The user targeting has to be incredibly precise. If we target the wrong audience, not only will the budget go to waste, but it could also damage the brand's long-term reputation."

Linnea stood up the moment he was done talking. She looked at Luke, her eyes shining with confidence.

"Mr. Zephyr, let me handle this project. I guarantee I'll not only hit the KPI, but also increase the conversion rate by another five percent."

Luke clearly liked her confidence and came to a decision in her favor on the spot.

"Good. Linnea, you'll have full responsibility for the project. The company will give you our full support for whatever resources you need."

After the meeting adjourned, Linnea walked straight to my desk.

She slapped a stack of documents onto it.

She looked down from her oh-so lofty height and instructed snootily, "Savannah, these are the first batch of test materials for the baby-products campaign. I need you to review them by the end of today."

She didn't sound like she was talking to a colleague. Instead, she sounded like she was clearly ordering around a lowly slave.

I didn't bother sparing her a glance as I picked up the top sheet of paper and skimmed through it.

"Got it," I replied flatly.

Alas, it seemed that my calm composure throughout the exchange had made her dissatisfied. So, she just had to get in a couple more digs before she was satisfied.

"I never thought I'd see the day when you'd be doing this kind of basic work, Savannah."

She folded her arms, a mocking smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

"Checking typos and reviewing pictures all day must be pretty easy, right? Unlike us. We're responsible for tens of millions in revenue. The pressure is intense."

I finally looked up at her. "Is that so?"

"Of course."

"Then, don't bite off more than you can chew," I drawled blandly as I set down the paper and looked at Linnea.
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  • The Genius They Underpaid   Chapter 14 No More Tears

    Luke stood outside the car, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something. However, he had nothing to say for himself after my sharp words.My car pulled out of the parking garage, the sunlight blinding my vision for a second.I saw Luke's figure grow smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror until he was a mere speck at the garage exit.I didn't look back.Some people weren't worth stopping for, not even for a second.…I later heard a few things about Luke and Linnea through a long chain of mutual acquaintances.Linnea's nail salon went under less than six months after its launch.After her parents paid off the more than 200,000-dollar debt she owed, they promptly cut ties with her. It wasn't that Linnea wanted nothing to do with them. Instead, her parents were simply too afraid to call her their daughter anymore.Their relatives back home had spread the story of what she had done all over the family group chat. Eventually, her father posted a single message in the fam

  • The Genius They Underpaid   Chapter 13 No Second Chances

    I didn't reply. Instead, I deleted the text and blocked the number.It wasn't that I was heartless. I only did that because some people deserved one more chance, while others didn't.I headed toward the parking garage after the event. My heels clicked sharply against the pavement.The underground garage was eerily quiet, with only the sound of my footsteps breaking the silence.Just then, I saw someone standing beside a car. His back was hunched, his hair gray, and he was wearing a dark gray coat covered in pilling.It wasn't until I got closer that I saw that the person's cuffs were worn through, the cotton stuffing poking out.The man standing there was painfully thin. His cheekbones jutted out, his eye sockets were sunken, and his skin had a waxy yellow pallor.Only his eyes still held a trace of the person I remembered.It was Luke. He looked at least 20 years older than he had in my memory. He had been in his early 30s three years ago. Now, he looked like he was in his 50s

  • The Genius They Underpaid   Chapter 12 The Bottom Line

    My eyes suddenly began to sting as I ate.I wasn't crying because of Luke. I was thinking about my mother.If she were still here, she would've been so heartbroken for me after seeing everything I had been through these past few months.But she would have said, "Savannah, you did the right thing. In life, you can afford to learn the hard way when you lack the skills, but you can't afford to learn the hard way by trusting the wrong people."'Mom, don't worry. I will never make that mistake again.'…I found myself standing on the stage at the industry's annual conference three years later, facing an audience of more than 2,000 people.The spotlight was uncomfortably warm against my skin, but I could ignore it."Hello, everyone. I'm Savannah Eve, head of the digital technology division at Eve Group. Today, I'd like to talk about The Bottom Line for Algorithms."A smattering round of polite applause broke out from the audience.I calmly opened my PowerPoint. The first slide disp

  • The Genius They Underpaid   Chapter 11 No Looking Back

    I later heard that Luke had been sentenced to prison on a rainy afternoon.I was reviewing a contract in my office when my secretary knocked and came in. "Ms. Eve, there's a package at the front desk that requires your signature."I signed for it. When I opened it, I found a photocopy of a court judgment. The sender was someone I knew well—Luke's mother.Why would she send me her son's judgment? I didn't understand, but I opened it anyway."The defendant, Luke Zephyr, is hereby sentenced to two years and six months in prison for embezzlement and one year in prison for assault. The defendant shall serve a total sentence of three years…"Assault? I frowned and continued reading."The defendant, Luke Zephyr, got into an altercation with the victim, Linnea Gardenia, and pushed her down a flight of stairs, causing a fracture of her left tibia, which constituted a minor injury…"Luke had pushed Linnea down the stairs.I stared at those lines for a long time, and a thought suddenly cr

  • The Genius They Underpaid   Chapter 10 The Fall

    If Linnea had never gained access to the company's finances, the 800,000 dollars would never have been transferred into her bank account.It also meant that she would never have been arrested if she couldn't get her hands on that 800,000 dollars.That was the wonder of cause and effect for you. It only sucked more for Luke because he planted the buds of the cause to his own ruin.He had planted a seed called "Linnea," and it grew into a tree called "Destruction."Who could he blame? Himself.Linnea's case was resolved quickly. Later, I heard she had been released pending trial. However, she was ultimately given a two-year suspended sentence due to the amount of money involved, with three years of probation, and ordered to repay all the stolen money.She had already spent more than 200,000 dollars of that 800,000 dollars she stole, leaving her with less than $600,000.She had to fill that 200,000-dollar hole herself.Her parents sold their house back home to help her scrounge

  • The Genius They Underpaid   Chapter 9 Two Wrongs Settled

    What was in the past was in the past.We couldn't keep looking back. The more we did, the harder it became to move forward.Later, I heard about Luke from the former sales director.After he left the company, we bumped into each other during a few business dealings. One day, he suddenly brought Luke up after we were done talking shop over the phone. "Ms. Eve, I need to tell you something. Please don't get upset.""Go ahead.""Luke's father was hospitalized. He had a stroke."My fingers tightened slightly before relaxing again. "When did that happen?""Last month. His father fell ill because of him. When Luke's company went bankrupt, he got sued. Their house that his mother had poured her entire retirement savings into was seized. The old man was so overwhelmed that he suffered a stroke.""How is he now?""They saved him, but he can't move the left side of his body. He needs long-term rehabilitation. I heard from our former colleagues that Luke couldn't even afford the hospital

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