All Chapters of My 500,000 Prize Money Was Confiscated: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

“Seth really lives up to his reputation as a money grubber. There has to be a limit to how cheap someone can be. How could he even come up with an idea like this?”Juliet Young, my team member, looked at the bottle cap in her hand and let out a helpless sigh.“You should’ve expected this the day he started charging for water. People like him consider it a loss if they go out and don’t pick up money others have dropped. Anyway, I’m used to it by now.”Zeke Gibson tossed a bottle cap into the air and caught it like it was nothing.“Come on, watch me. Maybe I’ll win another bottle!”Three seconds later, he tossed the cap into the trash.Juliet and I exchanged a smile before we took out our phones to scan the QR codes.Instead of the expected “Better luck next time,” a picture of a car appeared on my screen.[Congratulations! You have won a 2025 Porsche 911 GT3 RS worth 500,000 dollars. Please bring the redemption code to your local dealership to claim your prize.]I stared at the

I stood at the doorway as my fingernails dug into my palm.I had drunk till my stomach started bleeding to secure a deal. I had also slept for only four hours a night for an entire week to finish a proposal. I could say with confidence that I deserved every dollar I earned.Initially, I had planned to part on decent terms. But after hearing their conversation, I refused to let them off the hook so easily.I took my phone and went up to the rooftop terrace.The cold winter breeze cleared my head and cooled the anger that had left me lightheaded. Then, I called Elena Frost, the CEO of Saint New Group.Her cheerful laughter came through the phone. “I heard you won a car. Congratulations. My sister runs a car wash at the International Trade Center. Come by anytime. It’s free.”“Thank you, Ms. Frost. I don’t need to wash my car right now. I’m calling about something else. There’s no rush to settle this year’s remaining payment. As for next year’s main contract, let’s put that on hol

“Don’t push your luck, Ruby!” Seth pointed at me in anger. I merely glanced at him and looked at Quincy.Quincy needed something from me, so he dared not make things worse. He glared at Seth and stopped him from pointing at me.“Ruby, it’s the end of the year. You know the company’s situation. If you want a car, fine. Wait for next year. I’ll personally get you one, then.”“Understood, understood,” I said with a small, embarrassed smile. “But I just got back, and my head hurts. I’d like to take a few more days off work.”Quincy panicked. His lips parted, but he could not get a word out.Seth was about to step forward when his phone rang.“What? Okay, okay. Hang on for a moment. Mr. Langley and I will be there right away!”After hanging up, he was ecstatic.“Mr. Langley, I arranged a meeting with Benjamin Lewis, the vice president of purchasing at Saint New Group. It’s at 2 p.m. today at the coffee shop in the International Trade Center.”Quincy’s eyes lit up. “Saint New Gr

“Let me reintroduce myself.”I pulled out a freshly printed business card. “Ruby Jameson, vice president of Evergrand Group.”Seth took it and studied it repeatedly.Quincy’s face turned pale, and he instantly realized why I was here. “Ruby, you can’t go in.”“I’m Ms. Frost’s guest. Why can’t I go in?”Quincy froze and failed to form a reply.However, Seth suddenly remembered something. “You signed a non-compete agreement when you joined us. You can’t work for a similar company for three years after leaving.”I pretended to think about it carefully and said, “Oh, that’s right. But my lawyer told me that for a non-compete to apply, the company has to pay me 30% of my salary each month. Mr. Langley said he wouldn’t pay me a single cent, and he even tried to drag it out. It looks like I don’t have to abide by it after all.”Quincy’s face turned pale again. At that moment, the receptionist received a call. Elena asked her to let the Prospera Group people enter as well.Quinc