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Semua Bab My Boss Used Me, I Kicked Him Out After Rebirth: Bab 1 - Bab 8

8 Bab

Chapter 1

"Chloe. You'd consider pair-binding with me, right?"Jared was standing next to my desk. His voice had a question in it. His face didn't. He was sure I'd say yes.I'd been yanked back out of my own death by only a few hours.A synthesized chime had gone off inside my head a moment earlier, and that's when it all came back to me.Same as the first time around, every working adult in the country had gotten the Performance-Share System today.It was lunch hour. The whole floor of Summit Tower had lost its mind over it. People were talking over each other.Jared had come to me first, as I knew he would.My numbers were the best in Client Solutions. But my network — the old-money connections, the relationships — were nothing. Zero.And Jared was exactly the inverse.If the two of us paired, we were the odds-on favorites for this year's top bonus.The System almost seemed built for us.In my previous life, I'd been thrilled. I'd said yes immediately. I hadn't even flinched when he pushed Ste

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Chapter 2

"The year-end bonus cycle is a zero-sum game. The moment we pair-bind, we're allies — and also the two people who know each other's work best. Potentially the most dangerous enemies.""I'd rather trust myself than the uncertainty of depending on someone else."I didn't leave him any room to counter.Jared let out a tight, outraged laugh. His face said this was absurd."You think you can carry the top-bonus seat alone? You've already forgotten how you lost the Riverside deal? Without me smoothing the way, you don't move an inch.""However much raw effort you put in, it'll convert far less than taking the shortcut with me.""My path, I walk myself," I said, voice steady. "You've got time to stand here lecturing me. Go find a more willing partner."My phone alarm went off—the end of lunch hour. Jared looked like he wanted to keep at it.I didn't have the patience for it. When my department head walked onto the floor, I raised my voice on purpose."I am never going to agree to pair-bi — "

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Chapter 3

"If you're here to talk me into partnering with him, I've already made it crystal clear to Jared. That's not happening."The smile on Stephanie's face stalled out. Her voice went soft and high."Chloe, don't be so absolute about it — Jared and I really do want to work with you. He thinks so highly of you. How can you not trust him?"I didn't give her anything gentle back."I've already been through his motivational-speaker routine.""Besides. Say I did partner with him. What's it to you? Do you plan to knock out our competition during the review?"Stephanie's small face went pale. Her eyes filled."Enough, Chloe."Jared, of course, was right there — I hadn't seen him come up. He pulled the outraged-protective-boss face."Is partnering with me really this much to ask from you? Is my word worth that little?""Steph came over in good faith to help me bring you around. I thought a woman-to-woman conversation would be easier. I did not think you'd be this sharp with her."Stephanie teared u

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Chapter 4

The next day, I went to Jared."Running to building management, sabotaging a coworker's housing — when did you get this cheap, Jared?"He didn't even flinch at being called out."Sorry, Chloe. You forced the issue. If you won't pair, I had to use what I had."What a performer.Yesterday he was icing me out for Stephanie. Today, the minute he thought I was cracking, he was back to concerned-manager mode."I can agree. But you meet me on a few conditions."Stephanie swooped in."Really? Oh my god, that's great, Chloe. Name your terms. Jared and I will work with whatever you need."I was supposedly the core of this whole partnership, and Stephanie had framed me as the person being granted a favor.I ignored her."One. All core data and final deliverables live on my machine, under my custody, from here to the end.""Two. We do not file with HR. This pairing stays off the registry. No one outside this room knows."Jared visibly hesitated at "off the registry." Skipping HR was a violation. T

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Chapter 5

The System popped a confirmation."Confirm dissolution of partnership? Upon dissolution, performance will be assessed on individual contribution only, and the partner channel will close permanently."Without hesitating, I hit Confirm.The world went quiet.In my previous life, the partner channel had been a riot from the second the review started. Stephanie had been machine-gun-messaging me."Chloe, what were the first client's numbers, I need them.""Chloe, the key parameters for this model, send them now.""Chloe, just the conclusion section of the final report — your thinking — so I can pre-build."Jared too. He'd said he only needed my "thought process" as a reference. In practice he'd pasted my report into his, word for word. All he hadn't done was make me format his slides for him.This time, the channel was black. Closed. Dead.Back when the System first launched, the internal Slack was full of bravado about secret pairings. In practice, very few people actually risked their car

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Chapter 6

When I looked up again, I was clear-eyed in a way I hadn't been in two lifetimes."Here's the deal. You help me gather evidence on Jared's off-registry operations. I help you get dirt on your department's old fox. Call it an intel-share alliance."A few days of surveillance had made one thing obvious to me: alone, evidence-gathering was too slow.Chris copied my shrug, his hair flopping forward."Fine. Knew you wouldn't trust me straight off. Silent alliance it is. You'll see — with my tech stack behind you, you're unstoppable."I gave him a flat look. "We'll see who's behind whom."In the office I was publicly done with Jared, Stephanie, and anyone associated.So after work, Chris and I would meet at the Blue Bottle in the Summit Tower lobby."So wait — you're actually paired with them, behind the scenes?""Like hell I am. The data lives on my machine."Chris caught on instantly."Damn, cold-blooded. You left yourself the back door.""Whether any of this works depends on whether Profe

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Chapter 7

During every project meeting, I looked half-asleep and listened harder than anyone.They still didn't trust me. They were afraid I would figure out the core model they were hoarding.Stephanie made up an excuse to move to the desk next to mine.She started in with the harassment. Shuffling my papers during a meeting. Rebooting my monitor while I was in the restroom. "Accidentally" knocking over my cold brew while I was processing data.She called it "staying in character."Coworkers started calling her out. The louder they got, the more she enjoyed it.No mystery — Jared was feeding her lines.So I stayed late. After the floor went dark and everyone had gone home, I'd dig into the numbers alone.On the surface, their surveillance was working.Underneath, I was learning more than I ever had. I could feel my command over the full project deepening every week.In my previous life, the System had a hidden rule: whoever initiated the partnership was automatically the "lead," and the lead ha

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Chapter 8

A call interrupted my train of thought.I picked up. My dad, George, started in on me before I had the phone to my ear."The Harringtons have been calling the house nonstop, they're saying you offended your manager, they're saying you're going to lose your job! You're alone in Manhattan, what are you supposed to do about rent and groceries? If you lose your job, Chloe, what then?""I haven't been able to reach you in days! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"I didn't have the patience to explain everything right now. I softened my voice."Dad. I'm safe. I have not lost my job. Give me another week, I'll walk you through everything. Tell Mom to stop worrying."I hung up.For the next few days I worked remotely from a hotel room near Midtown.Core data was no longer my weak link. I had the time to go back and optimize the backend architecture for the entire project.Clients. Models. Market data.I shipped, clean, line after line.By the time I came back to the city, a month had pa

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