I instinctively held my breath and pressed my body rigid against the cold marble wall.

I heard Grant laugh indifferently. "If you let it slip, that's that. It's no big deal."

Clare's voice was probing, tinged with a hint of playfulness as she said, "I saw Shania's expression shift. What if she quits?"

Grant let out an extremely contemptuous scoff. "Quit? She doesn't have the guts, not even in a million years. Shania's like a leashed dog. Even if you kick her a few times, she won't bark.

"Besides, she's got a 30-year mortgage to think about. She has to make that payment every single month without fail. Even if I told her straight to her face that she has the lowest salary in the whole company, she'd have to suck it up.

"She's 30 years old, unmarried, and has no kids. Who else is going to hire her?"

I felt something inside me snap. I stood in the shadows, feeling like a laughingstock that had been stripped of my dignity.

I had worked diligently for five years and never complained. I did the work of three people, working overtime until dawn without ever daring to ask for overtime pay.

I negotiated discounts to save the company money and pushed through projects even when I was sick, just to meet deadlines.

Looking back, it seemed I was the biggest joke in the world.

"Alright, don't worry about her anymore." Grant yawned. "When you get back to the private room, remember to offer her another toast. Butter her up, okay? We need her to slave away on that big project next year.

"Stick close to her, learn her ways, and take over her contacts. Then, you can get promoted to manager."

"Got it! Thanks, Mr. Conner!" Clare said before making her way back to the hall.

I took a deep breath before walking back to the restroom. I turned on the tap, splashing cold water on my face and letting my tears wash down the drain.

When I returned to the hall, the year-end bonus ceremony was just starting. Grant, red-faced, stepped onto the stage with a microphone in hand.

"This year, our company has achieved a historic breakthrough!" he announced.

Thunderous applause erupted from the audience.

Grant gestured for everyone to quiet down, then said, "But first, I want to give out a special award. This award belongs to an exceptionally outstanding and dedicated employee. Shania Lawrence! Come on up!"

All eyes in the hall suddenly turned to me.

In that moment, my heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Grant had finally grown a conscience?

Under the gaze of hundreds, I stood up and walked excitedly to the stage.

Grant enthusiastically beckoned me up, grabbed me by the shoulder, and gave me a hearty pat.

"Shania works diligently and never complains! She's a true team player who isn't calculative and always puts the company first!"

As I stood beside him, the heavy scent of booze and cologne made my head spin.

"So, I've specially customized an unprecedented award for her."

With that, Grant handed me a certificate that had "The Company's Backbone" written on it.

My entire body tensed up on the spot, but Grant acted as if he hadn't noticed my stiffness and solemnly pressed the certificate into my hands.

"Here, take it! It's too tacky to offer you money. This honor is truly priceless. It's the highest recognition the company can give you!"

The applause from the audience sounded again, now even louder than before.

Grant told me not to go back to my seat, but to stay on stage as a "role model" for the other colleagues receiving awards.

I stood under the spotlight like a fool, holding that worthless certificate in my hand.

I watched as one colleague after another happily walked up to the stage. Jared Burch took home ten thousand dollars. Maya Porter took five thousand dollars…

Even Clare, who had only been here a month, got a two-thousand-dollar bonus for the "Best Newcomer" award.

Somehow, I made it off the stage and went home in a daze after the event ended.

…

The next day was the weekend, so I turned off my alarm, wanting to sleep in until I could wash away all my exhaustion and humiliation.

However, my phone kept buzzing.

Half-asleep, I reached for my phone and opened Slack.

It was a message from my department's manager, Howard Vance, along with a picture of an Excel spreadsheet.

"@Everyone: The schedule for the holiday shift is out. Please confirm your dates and message me privately if there are any issues."

I clicked on the image and skimmed through it.

With just one glance, I snapped wide awake, and anger surged through me like an electric shock.

On the schedule, for the entire one-week holiday, starting from Christmas, I was the only person listed on duty.

I was even scheduled to work on New Year's Eve!

I thought I had misread it, so I zoomed in and looked again.

I wasn't mistaken—it was just my name.

Immediately after, Howard specifically mentioned me in the group chat.

"@Shania: Most of our team are from out of state. They've been looking forward to going home and celebrating with their families all year. They already bought their tickets, so it's not easy to schedule them."

"You're a local and a longtime employee of the company. You've got a better head on your shoulders, and you don't have much going on at home."

"So, just do us a favor and cover everyone for this holiday season. Thanks a million!"

My hands shook with anger as I read his messages.

This was how it had been in previous years. Every time a holiday came around, Howard would use this same speech to guilt-trip me.

In the past, I would soften up because I felt bad for the new hires. Tickets were hard to get too. Since I was a local, what was a few days of covering shifts?

But now, I knew they were going home happily with year-end bonuses of tens of thousands.

Why should I have to sacrifice my entire holiday so they could spend time with their family?

"@Howard: I'm not doing it. Whoever wants to work can do it."

The moment the message was sent, the once-lively group chat fell into a dead silence.

No one spoke for several minutes. They probably hadn't expected me to publicly snap like that.

Soon, a private chat from Howard appeared.

"Shania, what's with that attitude? There were so many others in the group! Mr. Conner thinks highly of you and specifically told me to entrust you with this heavy responsibility. Don't ruin your own future over something so trivial!"

I was so angry that I laughed out loud. Why should I do all this for three thousand dollars?

I didn't reply to Howard. I simply closed the chat and logged out of Slack.

Then, I got out of bed and sent an email. The content was just one sentence.

"I accept your previous job offer."

The boss of the competing company had tried to poach me multiple times before, but I had always refused. Still, he told me that the offer would always be available for me.

Since these people wanted to play dirty, they couldn't blame me for being disloyal.

That afternoon, I met with Richard White, the CEO of the competing company.

After looking through my details, he clicked his tongue in admiration.

"I knew I wasn't wrong about you. Ms. Lawrence, your practical skills are even better than I imagined."

He closed the file and made his decision on the spot. "Let's skip the fluff. What's your expected salary?"

My hands, resting on my knees, clenched slightly as I did the mental calculations.

My current company paid me three thousand dollars. Should I ask for a thousand more or be bold and ask for five thousand dollars?

After all, I had a mortgage. If I could get a salary of five thousand dollars, it would make my life so much better.

"Uh… I think five thousand dollars…" I said the number tentatively, my voice trailing off at the end.

When Richard heard that, he looked at me with an unreadable expression.

That look made my heart skip a beat. Did I ask for too much?

"Five thousand dollars?" he repeated before shaking his head helplessly. "Ms. Lawrence, are you joking? Given your ability and background, that figure in this industry is an insult to you and to our professional judgment."

He grabbed a pen and wrote down a new figure on the offer letter, then slid it over to me.

"A base salary of ten thousand dollars and 14 months of guaranteed pay, excluding performance bonuses. You also get the full insurance and retirement package upon joining. This is how much we value you."

I stared at the number, feeling like I was dreaming. It was more than triple my current salary.

My eyes reddened instantly, and my vision turned blurry.

"Ms. Lawrence? Are you okay?" Richard asked with concern.

I took a deep breath, fought back the tears, and looked up with a bright smile.

"I'm fine. Thank you for recognizing my value. I can start anytime."

After leaving the office, I took out my phone and glanced at my Slack notifications.

Grant had sent me a voice message that was a few seconds long.

I tapped on it, causing his impatient voice to play through the speaker.

"Get back here as soon as you've recovered! There's a pile of work waiting for you! Don't try to slack off. That report needs to be on my desk by the end of the day!"

I ignored his message, leaving it on read.

…

On Monday morning, I walked through the company doors at exactly nine o'clock.

The tension in the office was suffocating. Grant stood at the center with his hands behind his back, running the morning meeting with spit flying out of his mouth.

When he saw me come in, his brows knitted together, and his expression turned livid.

"Oh, it's the busy Ms. Lawrence. Feeling better now?" he quipped sarcastically.

I paid him no mind and walked to my desk. Just then, Grant barked, "Stop right there! Now that you're here, why don't you explain to everyone what's with your attitude?"

He jabbed a finger at me, almost poking my nose.

"Why did you cause such a scene at the annual dinner? And what's with you talking back to your manager in the group chat?

"Shania, I've been showing you respect because you're a veteran employee. Stop being so ungrateful!"

The office was deathly silent, and every head turned to look at us.

"Given your recent appalling behavior, you're losing your entire attendance bonus for the month! Also, the holiday shift is non-negotiable!"

Grant stood with his hands on his hips, looking as though he had me cornered. "This is a test of your loyalty! If you can't show team spirit now, how can the company ever trust you with an important promotion in the future?"

It was the same old spiel again.

If this were before, those words would have made me hang my head in shame and wonder if I really was being too selfish.

But today, I didn't cower or back down like usual.

With everyone watching me, I walked straight up to Grant and said, "Mr. Conner, I'm not accepting this test."

I pulled the resignation letter out of my bag and slammed it onto the table in front of Grant.

"I quit!"