Início / No Overtime Pay? Enjoy Your Missing Database / Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

Todos os capítulos de No Overtime Pay? Enjoy Your Missing Database: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

10 Capítulos

Chapter 1

"Mickey, you need to learn to see the bigger picture," Hank Zucker said in a solemn, fatherly tone.His hand came down hard on my shoulder, making it ache.In front of the entire department, he crumpled the meticulously calculated and printed overtime claim form I'd prepared and casually tossed it into the trash can behind him."Are you seriously going to quibble with the company over a mere three thousand dollars? What would people think if word got out? Most people would kill for the opportunity to lead this AI project! The company is basically showing how much it trusts you. It's a blessing, understand?"Some of my coworkers lowered their heads and pretended to be busy. Others stole glances at me from the corners of their eyes. Their expressions were a mixture of sympathy, schadenfreude, and barely concealed anticipation for the drama.I could feel my cheeks burning.One month. One entire month.For one whole month, I'd practically lived at the office with my team. I had a fo

Chapter 2

I opened the email. The enormous bolded headline practically stung my eyes.The email read, "In recognition of Hank Zucker's exceptional leadership and strategic vision in the SkyDome AI Project, the board of directors has unanimously approved the following awards and promotions."Hank will receive the Outstanding Contribution Gold Award for the year, along with a bonus of 50 thousand dollars. He will be promoted to Vice President of Technology..."Hank's name appeared repeatedly throughout the email, surrounded by one flowery phrase after another. One would think he'd single-handedly pulled off the entire project, working tirelessly around the clock and pouring his heart and soul into it.As for my team and me, we were merely given a single passing mention at the very end."We would also like to thank all members of the project team for their hard work and dedication."They didn't even bother to list our names.A coworker beside me let out a gasp. "50 thousand dollars! Holy cra

Chapter 3

Once all hope died out, a person could carry themselves in a strangely calm manner. At that point, I no longer had any illusions about this company.During the day, I worked like an emotionless coding machine, handling whatever tedious little tasks Hank threw my way. At night, I stopped working overtime. I went home on time and immersed myself in labor law, corporate law, and various technical forums.I studied every word of the company's employee handbook, approval procedures, and data management policies until I knew them inside out. I studied them the same way as I'd once studied the underlying architecture of the AI project.Only by knowing myself and my enemy could I win every coming battle.After being promoted to vice president, Hank was eager to establish his authority in his new position. So, he turned his attention to me once again.Late Friday afternoon, just before the end of the workday, he summoned me to his office.Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city was

Chapter 4

The moment I sat down at my desk, the department manager, Donald Larson, came rushing over frantically. His face was drenched with sweat."Hurry, Mickey! We've got a huge problem!"I looked up, feigning surprise. "What's wrong, Mr. Larson?"He replied urgently, "The SkyDome system! All the core user data is gone! It's empty! There's nothing left!"I felt perfectly calm inside, but I put on an appropriately shocked expression. "How could that happen? Everything was fine on Friday.""How should I know?" Donald looked like he was about to cry. "Mr. Zucker is losing his mind. Even the CEO has been alerted. He's in the conference room right now, tearing into everyone!"Before he could finish, Hank came storming toward my desk like a whirlwind. His eyes were bloodshot, his hair was a mess, and he looked nothing like the composed vice president he'd pretended to be.He grabbed my arm with astonishing force. "Mickey! Did you do this?"I frowned and shook off his hand forcefully. "Watch

Chapter 5

The atmosphere in the main conference room was so gloomy that it was hard to breathe.Maddox Sloan, the company's founder and CEO, sat at the head of the table, his face dark with fury. The horrifying ransom email was displayed on the laptop in front of him.Every executive sat in terrified silence and didn't even dare to breathe too loudly. Hank and I stood in the middle of the conference room like two prisoners waiting to be sentenced."Hank!" Maddox's voice wasn't particularly loud, but it carried an overwhelming fury. He raged, "I entrusted you with the most important project in this company, and this is what you give me? A disaster of this magnitude? How can hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of user data and our core AI model be gone?"To make matters worse, someone is holding that data hostage and demanding a ransom! How did you let this happen, Vice President of Technology?"Hank shuddered from head to toe, sweat pouring down his face. "M-Mr. Sloan, I... I have no id

Chapter 6

"What did you just say?" Maddox frowned so hard he was practically scowling.Hank, on the other hand, jumped out of his seat. "How dare you threaten the company? This is extortion!"I laughed. "There's no need to get so worked up, Mr. Zucker. I'm simply stating a fact."I reached into my pocket and pulled out a neatly folded sheet of A4 paper. Then, I gently placed it on the conference table before sliding it toward Maddox.It was my resignation letter.I said evenly, "In my opinion, a company that disrespects its employees' contributions, arbitrarily withholds bonuses, and relies on empty promises and psychological manipulation to manage its most valuable technical talent isn't worth working for. So, I've already made my decision. I'm leaving."Maddox didn't even bother looking at the resignation letter. His eyes remained fixed firmly on me as he said, "Mickey, don't burn your bridges. You never know when our paths might cross again. What good would it do you to drive the comp

Chapter 7

Aetrix Tech's legal team operated with remarkable efficiency.Just five minutes later, Brian appeared at the conference room door with two assistants. Dressed in impeccable business suits, they carried an air of authority that stood in stark contrast to the panicked executives inside.Without wasting time on pleasantries, Brian placed a document in front of Maddox. "This is a draft settlement agreement we've prepared, Mr. Sloan."First, let's talk about Mr. Starr's personal compensation. Your company must pay him the three thousand dollars in withheld overtime wages, his quarterly bonus of 50 thousand dollars, and an additional 160 thousand dollars in compensation, calculated at twice the statutory rate under the labor law."That brings the total to 213 thousand dollars, which must be transferred to Mr. Starr's personal bank account by 5:00 pm today."Maddox's lips moved as though he wanted to say something, but Brian didn't give him a chance. "Second, this is regarding data rec

Chapter 8

At 3:00 pm that day, I received a text message from my bank. "You received 213 thousand dollars in your bank account."Meanwhile, the 30 million dollars for Aetrix Tech's technical consulting fee had also been transferred.The money was in. Now, it was time for me to get to work.With Aetrix Tech's legal team accompanying me every step of the way, I walked back into the place where I'd once spent an entire month working myself to the bone—the server room.Maddox and the remaining senior executives of the company's technical team followed closely behind me, not daring to utter a word. Their eyes no longer held the contempt and hostility they'd shown me before. Now, they looked at me with a mixture of awe and fear.I walked up to the main server and connected my personal laptop. Next, I opened a black terminal window. Lines of green code began flying across the screen.I explained, "The Data Hibernation Protocol was triggered because, over the weekend, the system detected more than

Chapter 9

My first official day at Aetrix Tech caused quite a stir."Have you heard about that new technical genius called Mickey Starr? Rumor has it he single-handedly took down his former employer.""That's putting it mildly. He crushed them! He triggered the Data Hibernation Protocol, walked away with 30 million dollars in consulting fees, and sent the supervisor who'd been bullying him straight to prison. Turns out the idiot had sent the ransom email himself. Talk about being stupid!""Holy crap, that's insane! This guy's my hero!"The break room was buzzing with stories about me.My current direct supervisor was a technical prodigy who looked even younger than me. He smiled and gave me a friendly pat on the shoulder."Don't pay attention to the gossip. Welcome aboard, Mickey. We've all seen what you're capable of. Here, you don't need to worry about office politics or constantly look over your shoulder to please someone. All you need to do is focus on what you do best. Use technology

Chapter 10

When I heard the news from a former coworker, I was celebrating the successful launch of the Aegis system with my team in Aetrix Tech's spacious, brightly lit office. Outside the windows, the city skyline glittered against the night sky. Champagne and cake filled the table.Everyone wore a genuine smile. Our team had received the largest project bonus the company had ever awarded.Another long string of digits had appeared in my bank account. However, money was no longer what mattered most to me.I looked at the passionate, creative people around me and at the remarkable achievement we'd built together. This was something that would go down in the industry's history. An overwhelming sense of accomplishment and belonging unlike anything I'd ever experienced welled up inside me.Perhaps this was what a true blessing felt like. It wasn't something handed to you by someone else, but something you earned through your own hard work with your head held high.A year later, I represented A

ESCANEIE O CÓDIGO PARA LER NO APP

DMCA.com Protection Status