Semua Bab Undercover Boss's Takeover: Bab 1 - Bab 10

"I've finished revising the project acceptance report. I removed Chloe's name."I was on my way to the break room to get some water. Those words froze me in place.The speaker was Tasha Parker—the same woman who had once cried and begged me to bring her onto the project team."Good. She may be the project lead, but what has she actually done these past three months? All she does is sit in meetings and sign papers. We wrote all the real code."That was Vinny Owen, chiming in. His skills were mediocre at best, but he was obedient—reason enough for me to make an exception and hire him."If she takes forty percent of the bonus, I've worked this whole year for nothing. Leadership looks at results. As long as we stick together, someone like her is easy to deal with. We need to find a way to make her leave on her own."The last voice belonged to Patricia Brown—my number-one assistant on this project."No need to find a way. Just confront her."There was a sharp edge to Tasha's voice.

"Who are you calling a dog?" Vinny snapped, his face twisted with humiliation and rage as he shoved me hard.I couldn't dodge in time. I stumbled, my lower back slamming into the edge of a desk. Pain shot through me, so sharp I couldn't straighten up."Damn bitch! Don't push your luck! You think you can just leave? Not anymore."Pay up for the equipment you damaged earlier. That testing machine we used for last week's demo—the screen's scratched. You must've done it."Vinny pointed at a dust-covered old computer in the corner. "Depreciation plus repair costs. Five thousand."That computer was scrap—salvaged from the junk storeroom. I'd been using it to prop up a monitor."That machine was already decommissioned. It came from the scrap room.""Cut the crap!" Tasha chimed in. "It was at your workstation, so you're responsible. Either you pay up, or we call the police right now and report you for damaging company property. If you don't pay, you can forget about passing any backgrou

A large group of people filed in with great momentum.At the front was a man with an overwhelming presence—the CEO of the group headquarters, Roger Beckett.The room fell silent instantly. Everyone sprang to their feet, faces plastered with ingratiating smiles.Mr. Jackman practically jogged over, bowing and scraping. "Mr. Beckett, you're here! Please, this way—your seat is ready!"Patricia and the other two hurriedly adjusted their clothes, straightened their backs, and struck the pose of elite core staff, their eyes burning as they stared at Roger, as if he were a walking ATM.Roger didn't spare them a glance. He strode straight toward the main seat.As he passed by me, his steps paused—just slightly.Patricia, sharp-eyed as ever, immediately jumped out and pointed at me, shouting,"Chloe! Are you blind? Mr. Beckett is here, and you're not even standing up! You actually dare sit there so boldly—no manners at all!"Her shout successfully drew Roger's attention.Mr. Jackman s

"Mr. Beckett, we…" Patricia dropped to her knees with a thud. "We were wrong! We're so sorry!"She clutched at Roger's pant leg, crying and wailing."We lost our heads! Greed blinded us!"Tasha and Vinny snapped out of it as well. Following her lead, they knelt on the floor and began begging frantically."Director Simpson, please, we beg you for forgiveness. Give us one more chance!""We'll never dare do this again!""We have elderly parents and young children to support. We can't lose this job!"The same old lines.Exactly the same as three months ago, when they'd begged me to pull them into the project.The irony was almost painful.I watched them coldly, saying nothing.Roger frowned in disgust and told the security guards, "Take them away."The guards stepped forward at once and dragged the three of them up from the floor."Now you know you were wrong? Too late." Roger's voice was icy. "What you destroyed wasn't just project core data."His words stunned everyone in t

The verdict for Patricia and her accomplices came down quickly.Mr. Jackman, due to the enormous sums involved in his crimes, was sentenced to fifteen years in prison and had all his illicit gains confiscated. His fall sent shockwaves through the company.Patricia, Tasha, and Vinny, though not criminally liable for a major offense, were fired immediately for false accusations, workplace bullying, and colluding to destroy evidence—and blacklisted across the entire industry.That meant they would never work in this field again.But it didn't end there. The company's legal department filed civil suits against them, demanding compensation for the massive reputational damage and potential project delays caused by their actions.The amount? 200 thousand dollars.That was an astronomical figure for them. Even selling their houses and cars wouldn't cover it. What awaited them was a long, grueling life of debt.…I didn't see Tasha again until a few days later.I had just finished work