"Labor laws state..." I started to protest.
Michael's face darkened immediately. "You want to quit? Do you know how hard it is to find jobs these days? If you don't want it, plenty of others do."
I took a deep breath, the truth of his words stinging. Still, the humiliation burned hotter the longer I stood there.
I met his eyes without flinching. "I can resign, but you will settle my salary in full. And I closed that thirty-million-dollar deal, so you should pay me the $1.5-million bonus you promised."
"You can walk out right now, but you won't see a penny," he snorted.
One of the few colleagues hurried in, grabbed my arm, and pulled me away. "I'll lend you the money for your mom's meds. Don't do anything rash. Jobs are tough to come by right now."
I caught my breath and calmed down a bit. An idea began to take shape.
Back at my desk, I ignored the endless notifications and studied the coupons. The store was called Sally's Market, which rang a bell. I decided to drive there after work to confirm my suspicion.
I arrived just in time to see Michael drop Sarah off at the entrance. They shared a long, passionate kiss, clearly reluctant to part.
As far as I remembered, Michael was married. Hida Enterprises had been built with heavy investment from his wife's family. That lady was infamous for her fierce temper.
I snapped a few photos with my phone. Along with the coupons, I anonymously sent them to his wife.
The next day, just as Michael was about to nitpick my proposal to pieces and declare it worthless, Natalie Wright stormed in. "Michael Wright, you scumbag! How dare you cheat on me right in the company?"
She swung her purse at him, reached up on her tiptoes, grabbed his ear, and twisted.
Michael yelped in pain. "Honey, this must be a misunderstanding. I'm the boss here. Spare me some face."
Natalie's voice rose even higher. "Misunderstanding?"
She slammed the photos and coupons onto the desk, jabbing at them. "What's this? Do you think I'm blind? You sleazy jerk, skimming employee wages to pamper your mistress?"
Right then, the people she brought dragged Sarah out into the open. Seething with rage, Natalie slapped her hard. "You shameless slut! How dare you seduce my husband?"
Sarah was stunned by the blows, wailing and struggling.
Besides me, a few other unlucky employees had also been paid with coupons. Now, everyone saw the real reason, cursing under their breaths, "Serves them right!"
Natalie forced Michael to fire Sarah on the spot and reclaim those worthless coupons.
I stared at my phone as the 8,000 dollars finally hit my account. For the first time in weeks, I smiled so widely that my eyes crinkled.
The 2025 Civil Service Exam was happening this weekend. After a full year of preparation, I was ready.
After the test, I checked my answers. The hope was high.
While waiting for the results, I kept working and praying.
With Michael's affair exposed as a cautionary tale, Natalie installed her siblings in key business departments and finance. She even dropped by the office from time to time, keeping Michael on a tight leash.
One day, as I was about to finalize a major deal, Michael called me in. "Those clients will be handled by Ethan Stephens from now on. He's new and struggling. You're our top performer. Should focus on new businesses."
I stood my ground, looking him straight in the eye. "I nurtured those leads from the start. The deals are basically locked in, totaling around $10 million in sales. The $500,000 commission is definitely mine."
"What are you thinking?" he scoffed. "Without the company, those leads wouldn't exist. Commission goes to whoever closes deals."
I laughed coldly, understanding his game. With his love affair having been caught, he was trying to use my hard-earned results to butter up his wife and her family.
Met with my defiance, he raised an eyebrow and tapped hard on the desk. "Get this straight, Lisa. You're just an employee. We're the ones feeding you. Ethan is my brother-in-law and basically your boss too."
I could hardly believe the feudal nonsense coming out of his mouth. "We signed an employment contract, not a deed of sale."
