Chapter 2

Alaina was overjoyed.

The others in the conference room did not exactly share her enthusiasm.

I finally could not hold back any longer.

“What in the world makes Alaina qualified to be Principal Engineer?

Alaina could barely read the code. She could only read the comments within it.

Replacing me with someone who did not actually know how to do my job was a bigger insult than all the baseless accusations they just made up against me.

Vincent immediately stepped in front of her to shield her.

“Ally is my junior from grad school. She has a Ph.D. in Robotics Engineering from an Ivy League university.

“You’ve got a Bachelor’s from some local computer science program. Everything you know, she can do better.”

I stared at Alaina and questioned her directly, “What do you think? Do you actually have what it takes?”

Alaina puffed out her chest and said smugly, “I spent eight years specializing in robotics engineering. I understand both the technology and the engineering. This Principal Engineer role is rightfully mine.”

That dumb, self-assured gleam in her eyes nearly made me throw up.

Vincent, however, nodded with satisfaction and then said to me, “Joel, I know you have been with the company for eight years and have indeed contributed a great deal to Astra Technologies.

“This doesn’t have to be the end of the road. Write me a ten-thousand-word apology letter by tomorrow. Show me you’re serious about fixing your attitude, and I’ll consider giving you your job back.”

Inwardly, I said to myself angrily, “Screw that! Do I look like I’m in middle school?!”

But instead, I just asked, “What if I refuse to write it?”

His expression turned cold. “If you refuse, then scram!”

With that, he left the conference room with a dark expression.

The smug-looking Alaina followed behind him.

Other colleagues in the meeting room began shaking their heads and sighing.

Zac patted me on the shoulder.

“Vincent is just asserting his new authority now that he’s back from abroad. He’s trying to make an example out of you. Don’t take it personally. With your track record, you’ll definitely get your position back soon.”

I nodded and pretended to agree on the inside. But the truth was I did not agree at all.

Was he trying to make an example out of me?

Did he think I was a pushover?

In just this past month alone, eight tech companies had already tried to poach me.

When I went on a business trip to DeepSpace Technologies last month, Wilfred Bridger, the president, even offered me three times my current salary to join them.

DeepSpace Technologies was the leading artificial intelligence company in the country. Its AI technology set the global benchmark.

However, for the sake of the robot project I had worked so hard on for so long, and to repay Vincent’s father, Henry White, for his recognition and support, I still politely declined.

I never expected that upon my return, I would be met with such heartless abandonment and humiliation.

Without saying a word, I went back to my office.

I first sent an email to DeepSpace Technologies to cancel the collaboration and offer my sincere apologies. Then, I called a lawyer friend, Alex Bicker.

After I hung up, I felt more confident about my situation.

I then started to organize all the materials from the past eight years that could prove my capabilities and accomplishments on my computer.

I even prepared an attendance record.

To my surprise, I had never realized that I had been working overtime for the company without pay for at least one thousand hours each year.

I also obtained the surveillance footage from the restroom entrance and the conference room from the security department.

After uploading all the evidence to the cloud drive, I opened Minesweeper and started slacking off.

As for the apology letter that Vincent demanded, I was not playing along in the slightest. Writing it would be equivalent to admitting guilt.

Not long after, a person knocked on my door.

It was none other than Alaina, the new Principal Engineer.

She smiled smugly and said, “Joel, don’t hold today against me. This was all Mr. White’s call.”

I glanced at her dismissively.

“Cut the act. If you have something to say, say it. If not, get out.”

She brushed it off, stepped close, and leaned in to my ear.

“Joel, let’s work together. You can still handle all the Principal Engineer’s actual work. I’ll put in a good word for you with Mr. White. Together, we can make the robots even better.”