Chapter 1

My manager was still going on and on.

"Sadie Lawson, you've been at this company for years now. You should know how things work, shouldn't you?

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a job right now? I'm only docking your pay because we go way back. If it were anyone else, I would've told them to pack their things and get out a long time ago!"

I couldn't help but laugh at that. I'd spent five years at this company, giving everything I had, spending every single day focused on landing new deals.

With my track record, plenty of companies were willing to pay the penalty just to poach me, but I never once entertained the thought of leaving out of loyalty. Even with only five days left on my contract, my plan had been to renew. But now, there was no point anymore.

That offensive pay stub was flung at me without an ounce of respect.

"Think it over carefully. Stay or go?"

I picked up the slip of paper and said flatly, "Understood. I won't use the restroom during work hours anymore."

She froze for a moment, clearly not expecting me to take it lying down. But after getting a good look at the defeated expression on my face, she smiled, thoroughly pleased with herself.

"That's more like it. Not a single minute should be wasted."

Just before I reached the door, she threw one last jab. "I don't know what certain nobodies think they're proving. You can talk all you want in my office, but at the end of the day, you still scurry back to your desk like a good little dog.

"God, I can't stand people who put on airs."

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I just walked away.

Outside the office, everyone was in high spirits over payday. Seeing that I wasn't in the best mood, a few coworkers offered me some snacks.

But the company's new intern, Hailey Dune, was a different story entirely. She walked past me without a word, and, without asking, snatched my pay stub right off my desk. After reading it, she let out an exaggerated gasp.

"Oh my god, Sadie, you only got 3,500 dollars? That's less than what I spend on a pair of shoes!

"Aren't you supposed to be the company's star performer? Look how far you've fallen."

She passed the pay stub around for everyone to see, repeating herself over and over. "Sadie, did you mess up big time or something? That's seriously all you got?"

A colleague, Wendy Porter, asked with genuine concern. "Sadie, why did they only give you this much? Did they make a mistake?"

I forced a smile in her direction. "Spend one minute in the restroom, and you'll get a 500 dollar fine."

Confusion spread across her face. "What kind of nonsense is that? The company's never had a rule like that."

My expression froze.

"Alright, everyone, listen up."

Our manager, Vivian Dune, sauntered out of her office. She put on an air of authority, acting as though nothing were out of the ordinary.

"New company policy, everyone. For every minute you spend in the restroom, you'll get a 500 dollar fine.

"We already ran a trial on our team lead, Sadie, this month, and it worked wonderfully. Starting next month, it will go into full effect for everyone.

"Oh, and one more thing. Certain people shouldn't think that just because they've been here a while, they can boss others around. Do your own work and follow company rules."