After working nonstop for twenty-four hours to secure two one-and-a-half-million-dollar deals, I took a quick bathroom break and dozed off for about ten minutes. Surprisingly, out of the blue, I received a fine worth one hundred and fifty dollars. At that time, I did not think much about it.
However, the next day, when I tried to clock in, I found out that I had been fired for not paying the fine on time.
Furious, I stormed into the CEO, who happened to be in my fiancée’s office, to confront her, only to be met by her assistant, who said arrogantly, “Using the restroom during work hours is slacking off. What’s wrong with deducting a day’s wages?”
Then he added, "The other colleagues can come out in ten minutes. Why can’t you?”
My fiancée also backed him up, “As a senior executive, you should’ve known better and not made a mistake. You must be severely punished to serve as a warning to others!”
On my way out, I glanced through the blinds and saw the two of them, tangled together. So, I turned around and called our rival company’s CEO. "I got a gift for you. I'll give you three million dollars if you give me a position at your company."
"What are the conditions?" she asked.
I asked dryly, "Does your company practice limiting restroom breaks there?"
——
A seductive laugh came through the phone. Then she asked, "Blake Thomas, are you shitting me? Who came up with the idea of using a time limit for a restroom break?"
I sent my resume over and said, “Just arrange a position for me.”
Jane Collins immediately sent me the link for the Vice President's position. After that, she asked, "Is the vice president's position sound good to you? Or should I hand over my CEO's position for you?"
“You're a senior figure at Mia Baker's company, having been with her since the company's inception. I've tried to poach you dozens of times before, but you never agreed to come over. What's changed this time? Did you argue with her?”
I said irritably, “That's none of your business. What you should be thinking about is whether you can use these three million-dollar orders to lift you from your continuous runner-up position and finally surpass Mia."
Jane's voice was clear yet brimming with ambition, as she said, “Forget about the orders. Without you, Mia’s company is nothing."
After I filled out the employment information and sent her the contracts and details of the two orders, I said, “To a fruitful partnership.”
Seeing that I was not joking, Jane finally became serious. "Blake, if you're truly serious about joining my company, I'll certainly welcome you with open arms. But if this is just an emotional tactic to vent your frustration with Mia, I advise you to think this through. I don't want to hand over the second-in-command position to you only to be stabbed in the back.”
An emotional tactic to vent my frustration, huh? I only feel a chill in my heart.
After all, anyone who hears that a company executive was fired for spending ten extra minutes in the restroom would feel humiliated, especially since the one who made the decision was my own fiancée, whom I had been dating for the past three years and was about to marry.
Not to mention that she and I co-founded the company and it has grown to become the industry leader today.
Though I was heartbroken, I was not surprised. Ever since Mia gave special treatment to her male assistant, I have had a bad premonition.
“I don’t joke about work. I’ll clear my desk today and report in tomorrow," I finally said and hung up the phone.
Afterward, Jane still thought it was just a dream and kept texting me. However, I was too busy packing up my things on my desk and leaving, so I did not answer her.
Just then, the surveillance camera above the office barked, "Blake Baker, phone must be in silent mode during office hours. Violation of this rule will get you a thirty-dollar fine."
The moment Trevor Philips said that, all eyes turned on me.
I ignored him and kept packing my things.
Seeing this, he stormed out of the office and snapped, "Blake! Didn't you hear what I'm saying? President Baker had made an exception and paid your fine! Why are you still ignoring company rules?”
I forced a smile, finding him amusing and asked, “What rules does a fired man have to follow?”
