Todos os capítulos de Lowball My Bonus, Lose Your Lifeline: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

Carter Stevens blinked, apparently not understanding what I meant. He pulled off his headphones as a look of pure annoyance flashed across his face."What's that supposed to mean, Kate? Mr. Ribeiro told you to show me the ropes.""Show you the ropes?" I scoffed coldly, sat back down, and turned on my computer. "You make 5,000 dollars a month, whereas I only make 2,000 dollars. Mr. Ribeiro really knows how to get his money's worth by asking me to take you under my wing."Carter's expression changed instantly. He clearly hadn't expected me to know his salary. He glanced around nervously, then lowered his voice."Kate, you can't look at it that way. I have a master's degree, and as a man, I'll have to shoulder more responsibilities down the road."You may be the top sales rep now, but you're not getting any younger, and you'll be retiring in a few years. The company is investing in me for the long haul."Besides, didn't Mr. Ribeiro give you a year-end bonus? You should learn to be c

"Oh, right," Rupert continued. "And Carter still isn't that familiar with our products. Put together some of your client case studies and give him some material to work with."My grip tightened around my pen.That summit was a project I'd been following up on for six months. The organizers had given our company a speaking slot only because of my relationship with them.And now, he wanted Carter to swoop in and take the credit. Worse still, he expected me to hand over the results of my hard work on a silver platter."Mr. Ribeiro, the organizers specifically invited me by name. They know me. They don't know Carter."Rupert slammed his hand down on the desk."Kate, how can you be so immature? The organizers invited the company, not you personally. You work for the company, so your connections belong to the company. Asking you to pave the way for Carter is me thinking highly of you."Don't be so ungrateful!"Breathing heavily, he pointed toward the door."Get out! Send the PowerPo

"Kate! You framed me!" Carter roared as he shot to his feet, lunging over and trying to shove me.I sidestepped him, so he missed completely and crashed straight into the corner of a desk. He doubled over, grimacing in pain."Carter, you can put anything in your mouth, but watch what comes out of it," I said, tilting my chin up at him. "You were the one who presented the PowerPoint. You were the one who sent out the contract. I'm just an entry-level grunt. How could I possibly frame someone with a master's degree like you?""You—" Carter jabbed his finger at me, too angry to get the words out.Just then, the door to Rupert's office opened."What's all this noise? Haven't we embarrassed ourselves enough already?" Rupert barked as he stepped out, his expression dark as night. "Kate, get in here."I followed him into his office. He locked the door behind us and pulled down the blinds."Kate, let's stop beating around the bush. You were the one behind this whole mess, weren't you?"

"Kate, don't burn your bridges. You never know when we might cross paths again. You might be doing well at Vantage Tech, but it's still a new and unfamiliar place. How could it compare to your old company, which you know inside and out?" Rupert asked."Besides, taking so many clients with you is a major taboo in this industry. If word gets out, your reputation will be ruined."I stood up, walked over to him, and looked down at him from my height."Mr. Ribeiro, the clients followed me out. I didn't steal them from you. You couldn't hold on to them because your service was that bad."As for my reputation? Results speak louder than anything else in this industry. I'm the top performer right now. Who would dare badmouth me?"You, on the other hand… How's the tax audit into the company's tax evasion going?"The moment he heard the phrase "tax evasion", Rupert shot to his feet, his face drained of color."So it really was you who reported me?""Who else?" I asked, looking at him cold

If an avalanche occurred, not a single snowflake would be innocent.Rupert's greed and arrogance ultimately destroyed not only him, but also his family.Just when I thought the dust had settled, something unexpected happened.Rupert was released on bail pending trial. Allegedly, it was because of health issues, along with the fact that he had paid back some of the taxes he owed.Yet the first thing he did after getting out wasn't to reflect on his actions, but to seek revenge.He posted an open letter in an industry group chat, accusing me of being a corporate spy and an ungrateful snake. He also claimed that to advance my career, I had seduced the boss of a rival company and leaked confidential trade secrets from my old firm.He even posted screenshots of chat logs and photos that were cherry-picked and taken out of context. One of the photos showed me drinking with Julian at a business dinner. The photo was cropped at such a precise angle that it made the picture look more inti