Chapter 5

"Hello? Mr. Kline? Mr. Kline, are you there? Hello?" I ended the call with a sly smile and switched it to "Do Not Disturb" mode.

I decided to treat myself and took my parents out for a shopping spree.

During the workweek, to ensure I could work with a peace of mind, I would wake up each morning with one thought only—get to work. I couldn't even count how many late nights I pulled.

The moment my alarm went off, I would wash my face, brush my teeth, throw on some clothes, and head straight out the door. There was never any time to dress up properly.

Seeing how worn out I had become, my mother, Melissa Hart, whisked me off to a beauty salon. Dad, for his part, was perfectly content to just tag along and pay the bill.

Looking at my well-groomed reflection in the mirror, I truly was the epitome of fair skin, delicate features, and long legs.

The feeling of having shifted the pressure onto someone else left me refreshed and clear-headed.

The company was still in its startup phase, and Dustin was a total slave-driver. He preached unpaid overtime and routinely worked fresh interns to the point of quitting.

It was clear proof that an inability to lead only guaranteed a crushing workload.

Over the next two days, no matter how much Sandy and Dustin ranted and raved, I let their words go in one ear and out the other. I watched as everyone else was dragged into the abyss of another late night.

Two days before the launch, Candice finally broke under the relentless pressure from Sandy and Dustin.

She came to me in tears. "Brooke, you're our only hope. We've managed to fix most of the bugs somehow, but there's still one left. Please, you have to help us!"

I couldn't help but chuckle as I gently pried her hands off my shoulders.

"What's the rush? If you can fix the other bugs, you can definitely handle the last one too. Have faith in Ms. Richmond's abilities. If she says it can be done, then it will be. Just relax."

Just then, Sandy strode over with a look of pure triumph. There was none of the usual frantic exhaustion from all-night debugging sessions on her face.

Following close behind her was a gaunt-faced man and a beaming Dustin.

She shot me a haughty glance before turning her attention to Candice.

"No need to beg her for help, as I've already taken care of it," Sandy reprimanded.

She looked arrogantly confident, as if she already had victory in her grasp.

"Brooke, you really shouldn't be so arrogant. Look, we can manage perfectly well without you. Behind me is Johnny Wright, the company's new hire. He'll be taking over the duties you previously handled.

"Candice, you'll be shadowing Johnny. I want you to watch closely and learn exactly how this job is supposed to be done."

Candice scurried after the two of them like an eager puppy. "Yes, Ms. Richmond!"

I thought they had actually solved the problem themselves, but it turned out they just found someone else to do the work.

Well then, best of luck to Sandy.

After I complained about everything at home, even if the project turned out somewhat decent, the company still wouldn't get the remaining payment.

As a man who tolerated no flaws, Dad would never accept a project with even the slightest imperfection.

Just when I had started to believe they might actually fix that bug, the fiasco on the launch day proved I had overestimated them.

After the three of them left, Dustin called me into his office.

I had barely taken my seat when he slid a new employment contract toward me.