After that incident, not one of them covered for me. They even blamed me for being so useless, saying I had ruined their fun by passing out after only a few days of work.
Thinking about it now, I really had been a fool.
"In your dreams!" I said as I looked back at him one last time before walking away.
I had been a fool for so many years, and it was finally time to wake up.
Despite leaving without hesitation, Bob's words kept echoing in my head. Eva, my sister… Her medical bills for the month weighed on me like a mountain to the point that I could barely breathe.
After thinking it over, I decided to collect this month's pay first. At the very least, I was not going to let the company keep what it owed me.
Once I made up my mind, I headed straight for my workstation.
When I passed by Kyle's office, I heard shouting and yelling from inside.
"What did you say? Dean actually asked how much all of you are making? Is he trying to start a rebellion?!"
Kyle slammed the desk so hard it shook.
Then came Bob's sneaky voice. "Yes. The second I heard him say that, I came to report it to you. I was afraid he might resign."
Kyle laughed, his voice full of mockery. "Him? If he really had the nerve to resign, I would at least respect him for being a real man. He talks all day about treating his sister, but he can barely afford her medicine now. Every dollar he has made has been turned into my luxury cars and mansions instead."
My heart sank even lower now.
Back then, I had chosen to follow Kyle and struggle with him from the days of being a start-up because he had promised to help me treat my sister.
I had stayed with the company until it became public until now. And yet, Kyle was spending money left and right. Meanwhile, me? Other than being plagued by work-related sickness, I had gained nothing. My salary had even kept dropping.
Bob was still buttering him up. "That just proves how brilliant you are, Mr. Brown. With the salary secrecy rule in place, no matter how suspicious Dean gets, he has no way to find out what everyone really makes. He can only stay here as cheap labor."
Kyle patted Bob on the shoulder. "Exactly. But you also did well by reacting quickly this time. Keep working hard for me, and I'll give you a raise next month."
Bob thumped his chest loudly. "Of course. If Dean is slacking off, I'll tell you right away."
I almost lost control, and I could only lean against the wall. I had been desperate to earn enough money for Eva's treatment, but that had simply become a weakness they used to control me.
Of course, they would throw all the dirty work at me, while promotions and raises had nothing to do with me.
All this illness that plagued me was what I deserved.
Suddenly, I heard soft footsteps approaching me. I turned and saw my intern, Sam. I had always thought he was kind and had real potential. Now… I was no longer sure.
Even he had lied to me.
It was my own fault for being blind and mistaking all the malevolent people for decent people. Without what happened today, I never would have seen their true colors.
In the past, Bob would occasionally lend me a hand when I worked. That tiny gesture had moved me more than I wanted to admit. But the work I was working on had been his to begin with, and Bob had only been putting on an act.
I looked at Sam warily, but he simply grabbed my sleeve and pulled me into a hidden corner. His eyes lit up as he looked at me. "You've finally seen those people's true colors, right?"
Only then did I realize he had tossed me his phone on purpose.
If they kept on deceiving me, Sam would have been one of the people benefiting from it. Yet, he had chosen to warn me.
I asked in surprise, "What exactly are you trying to do?"
What he said next caught me completely off guard.
