I was starving after working late, so I ripped open a bag of spicy chips. That’s when Sharon, my manager, absolutely blew her top. She darted over, pointing a finger right at my face. “Harper! Is this your personal kitchen? If you want to snack, do it on your own damn time!” “And that $200,000 commission you were expecting this month? Forget about it!” I stared at her face, contorted with rage, and calmly popped another spicy chip into my mouth. “Oh, whatever.” Then, right in front of her, I pulled out my phone, opened a job hunting app, and started browsing. That made her panic. “Harper, don’t be impulsive, that’s not what I meant.” Sharon’s face, which had been bright red, instantly drained to white. The woman who’d just been yelling in my face now forced a smile that looked more like a grimace. I couldn’t be bothered with her. My fingers flew across the job hunting app on my phone. I even clicked on a listing for a position that explicitly stated “$300,000 salary,” perusing it with an almost theatrical interest. “Let’s talk this through calmly. We’re colleagues in the same department; no need to make things so hostile.” Sharon’s voice softened, laced with an attempt to appease me. I didn’t even bother to look up. “Sharon, you’re the one who made things hostile.” “You work late, I work late with you. I get hungry and eat a bag of spicy chips, and you want to deduct my $200,000 commission.” “Now I’m looking for a new job, and you’re telling me not to be impulsive.” “I’m not quite following your logic.” My tone was as flat as if I were discussing the weather. The other colleagues still working overtime in the office didn’t dare to breathe. Each of them had their ears practically glued to our conversation. Sharon’s face cycled through shades of green and white. Clearly, she’d never been so publicly humiliated by a subordinate. She took a deep breath, trying to regain some composure. “Harper, I know you work hard, but this is still a corporate office. It doesn’t look good.” “I was just speaking out of anger earlier. We can revisit the commission.” “Revisit?” I finally looked up, meeting her eyes directly. “Are you saying you never intended to give me the full $200,000?” Sharon’s gaze flickered, and she stammered, “What do you mean… it’s what you earned, but there are always procedures, right?” I smiled. I got it. The $200,000 commission was mine from the company, but it needed her, the department manager, to sign off on it. She wanted a cut. The spicy chips were just an excuse she found to intentionally make things difficult. I couldn’t even be bothered to argue with her anymore. I picked up my phone. And directly clicked “Connect” on that $300,000 job listing. “You!” Sharon was trembling with fury. I slowly stood up, gathering my personal items from my desk one by one into a cardboard box. My water bottle. My little plant. My keyboard, my mouse… With each item I packed, Sharon’s face grew darker. Her sycophantic colleague, Tiffany, leaned over and whispered in Sharon’s ear, “Sharon, she’s just trying to scare you. $200,000 commission? She’d never walk away from that.” Sharon seemed to find some sense in that, her expression softened a bit, and she straightened up, regaining her managerial stance. She cleared her throat and put on her manager’s air again. “Harper, don’t take this too far. I know you’ve contributed to the company, but the company isn’t indispensable to you.” I didn’t say anything, just quietly continued packing. Once everything was packed, I picked up the box and walked over to her. “Sharon, could you please move?” Sharon froze. She hadn’t expected me to actually go through with it. “Harper, if you walk out that door today, you won’t get a single penny of that $200,000!” She blustered, but her voice wavered. I stopped, turning back to look at her. “Oh, I forgot to tell you.” “The HR person I just connected with asked if I’d be interested in bringing my team over.” “Salary, double.” With that, I didn’t look back at her instantly pale face. I carried my box and walked out of the office without another glance. Behind me, there was a deathly silence. And the sharp crack of a cup shattering.
I had just reached the elevator with my box when my phone started ringing like crazy. It was Mr. Sterling, the big boss. I swiped to answer, and before I could even speak, Mr. Sterling’s angry voice crashed over me. “Harper! Get back to your office right now!” “Who gave you the nerve to storm out on your superior?” I leaned against the cold elevator wall, my voice calm. “Mr. Sterling, I think there might be some misunderstanding.” “Misunderstanding? Sharon just called me! She said you publicly defied her in the office, showed insubordination, and even incited other colleagues to quit!” Hah. Classic move. The one in the wrong always points the finger first. I could practically hear her embellishing the story on the phone. “Mr. Sterling, I was just hungry from working late and ate a bag of spicy chips.” “Sharon said she was going to deduct my $200,000 commission this month.” “I figured, since company rules are so strict, it’s better if I don’t cause any more trouble for the company. Resigning seems like the better option.” Mr. Sterling on the other end of the line fell silent. A $200,000 commission wasn’t a small sum. It meant I had secured a multi-million dollar deal for the company. Mr. Sterling was a businessman; he understood the stakes better than anyone. After a few seconds, his tone softened. “Harper, it’s normal for young people to have a bit of a temper. Sharon can be a bit direct, but she’s always looking out for the company’s best interest.” “Just come back, and we can sort everything out in person.” “Looking out for the company’s best interest means arbitrarily withholding an employee’s legitimate earnings?” I calmly retorted. Mr. Sterling was clearly taken aback again. “Alright, just calm down. I promise, you’ll get every cent of that commission.” “Come back now, and I’ll make Sharon apologize to you.” Make Sharon apologize to me? It sounded sincere. But I knew this type of power play too well. Today, he might make Sharon apologize to appease me. Tomorrow, he’d find ways to make my life hell to protect Sharon. After all, Sharon was his wife’s niece. A nepotism baby. And I was just a tool to generate profit for him. “No need, Mr. Sterling.” “My decision is made.” “I’ll send my resignation letter to your email.” With that, I hung up the phone. With a ‘ding,’ the elevator doors opened. I stepped inside with my box. The elevator doors slowly closed, reflecting my calm, unwavering face. Back in my apartment, I put down my things and took a hot shower. Then, I ordered a deluxe spicy noodle soup takeout. With extra spicy chips, of course. My phone had dozens of missed calls – from Mr. Sterling, Sharon, and other colleagues. My SnapChat was blowing up. Tiffany was in the department group chat, indignantly accusing me: “She was just told off a little bit, did she have to make such a scene?” “Getting the highest commission in the company and still being so thin-skinned, it’s unbelievable.” “Sharon is really unlucky to have to deal with such a difficult person.” A few other colleagues who were close to Sharon quickly chimed in with their agreement. Meanwhile, my friends and those I usually got along with chose to remain silent. I looked at the chat history, a cold smirk playing on my lips. This was the corporate world. No permanent friends, only permanent interests. I didn’t bother to defend myself in the group chat. I just quietly took a screenshot. Then, I found our key client, Mr. Davies, on SnapChat, took a photo of my luxurious spicy noodle soup, and sent it to him. With the caption: “Mr. Davies, finally some time to enjoy a proper meal.”
Mr. Davies replied almost instantly. A single question mark. “?” I responded, “Just left my last company, feeling light as a feather.” Silence for about a minute. Then, the phone rang directly. “Harper, what’s going on? You quit?” Mr. Davies’s voice was surprised, with a hint of seriousness. “Yes, just finalized it today.” I picked up a spicy chip, savoring it, but kept my tone professionally calm. “Why so sudden? What about that multi-million dollar project of yours, the follow-up procedures and technical maintenance? I only trust you.” Mr. Davies was a client I’d been working with for six months. He was notoriously particular, but incredibly fair. A true tech purist, he hated corporate games and all their twists and turns. I had secured his business not through wining and dining, but through genuine professional competence and sincerity. “Mr. Davies, don’t worry. Even though I’ve left, I’ve arranged all the project materials and follow-up contacts, and I’ve left detailed handover documents. It won’t affect your project schedule.” That was my professional standard. Even if I was leaving, I’d ensure a smooth handover. “I’m not talking about that!” Mr. Davies’s voice was a little agitated. “My cooperation with you was based on *you*, on your technical solutions! I don’t trust anyone else!” “That Sharon manager at your company, I already didn’t like her when we had dinner last time. She knew nothing about the business, only how to suck up and propose toasts. Annoying as hell.” I chuckled. “Can’t help it, she’s the boss’s relative.” On the other end of the phone, Mr. Davies scoffed, full of disdain. “I figured. A nepotism baby.” “Harper, tell me the truth, did she make your life hell?” I didn’t answer directly, changing the subject instead. “Mr. Davies, let’s not dwell on that. Maybe we’ll have a chance to work together again in the future.” The phone line went silent. So long that I thought he was going to hang up. “Harper.” Mr. Davies’s voice returned, now exceptionally steady. “I recognize your ability. But honestly, you alone aren’t enough. In this industry, connections, a team, resources – none of them are expendable.” My heart sank. Everything he said was true. “However,” he continued, changing his tone, “there might be an opportunity.” My heart skipped a beat. “One of my subsidiary companies has a very important project going up for public bidding at the end of the month. The scale is much larger than your current project, and the technical requirements are more complex.” “This will be a pure battle of strength, and all the big companies looking to participate will be there. I can’t give you any promises, and I won’t open any backdoors for you.” He paused, his voice carrying a testing tone: “If you have what it takes, to put together a team in such a short amount of time.” “And come up with a solution that will convince me, and all the judges.” “And win the bidding…” “Then, between us, we’ll have a foundation to discuss further cooperation.” “If you can’t do it, then this call today never happened. You’ll be on your own.” I hung up the phone and looked at the unfinished spicy noodle soup in my bowl, suddenly finding it tasteless. Mr. Davies wasn’t feeding me empty promises. He was offering me a path I could see, but it was a tightrope suspended over a bottomless chasm. Win, and the world is mine. Lose, and I’m utterly ruined. Ripping open that bag of spicy chips had kicked off the biggest gamble of my professional career. Just then, my phone rang again. An unknown number. I answered it. “Hello, is this Harper?” A shrill, arrogant female voice. “It is. Who’s this?” “I’m Mr. Sterling’s wife. Sharon’s aunt.” Oh, so the real boss had arrived. “Can I help you?” My tone remained flat. “Harper, I don’t care how you do it, but you need to go to the company right now and apologize to Sharon!” Her voice was sharp and cutting, a command that brooked no argument. “Otherwise, I’ll make sure you can’t survive in this industry!” “Oh?” I let out a soft laugh, a lazy, mocking sound escaping my nose. “Mrs. Sterling, you’ve got some nerve.” “Who do you think you are? The queen of this industry?”
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “298750”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic
Leave a Reply