I was so mad that I nearly laughed.

Staring straight into Warner's eyes, I asked, "Mr. Maxwell, are you sure you want me to apologize and compensate?"

Warner's expression remained dark and unreadable, while Isabel quickly tugged at the hem of my shirt.

"Don't push it, Flynn," she whispered to calm me down. "Hayden is Natasha's son, so you can't afford to mess with him. Mr. Maxwell is counting on him to secure the partnership with Avenel Group."

I couldn't help but scoff. "He tells you his mom is Natasha Belmont, and you guys just blindly believe him. Did he bring his birth certificate to his onboarding interview?"

She took out her phone and tapped on Hayden's social media account. "It's true. Ms. Belmont personally sent him to the office on his onboarding day."

I looked at the figures in the photo and nearly dropped my jaw in shock.

My stunningly beautiful aunt, Natasha Belmont, stood in front of a luxury car looking sharp and confident, and Hayden indeed stood right beside her.

He had even captioned the post. "Deeply grateful to Mom for taking time out of her busy schedule to drop me off for my internship. I promise I'll never let you down."

I immediately dialed Aunt Natasha's number, but all I heard was a mechanical voice telling me that her phone was powered off.

When Hayden saw that I stubbornly refused to apologize, he stared at me viciously. "Don't regret this, Flynn. I'll make you pay for it."

…

The next day, I learned what Hayden meant by that threat.

At the recognition gala, the Top Sales Performer award and an 800-thousand-dollar bonus payout, which should have belonged to me, were awarded to him instead.

On the presentation slides, they hadn't even had the chance to swap my name with his for the acceptance speech.

This was blatant daylight robbery. Raging fury erupted in my chest.

I immediately demanded an explanation. "On what metric was the Top Sales Performer decided?

"My total project sales this month exceeded one billion dollars and generated millions of dollars in net profit for the company, outperforming the runner-up by a staggering five-million-dollar profit margin.

"Hayden, on the other hand, hasn't closed a single deal. So, my question for the executive board is—on what grounds are you handing my award to him?"

A dead silence fell over the room, while the finance director and sales director exchanged looks, but neither dared say a single word.

Hayden shot me an arrogant look. "Obviously, your projects were secured through shady means. The company can't tolerate such disgraceful, despicable behavior.

"As of right now, we're just revoking your Top Sales Performer eligibility. But if you continue damaging our corporate reputation with your filthy, underhanded methods, termination is what awaits you next."

Shaking with pure rage, I swept my eyes across the executives sitting on the main stage.

They were the same leaders who used to praise my performance and call me a rising star with endless potential. Now, all of them avoided my gaze and lowered their heads like spineless cowards.

I looked at the highest-ranking executive in the room, Warner.

"Mr. Maxwell, is that what you think, too?"

Warner was clearly displeased with being publicly called out. He impatiently frowned and replied, "The company has its variables to consider, Flynn. Do not disrupt a formal recognition gala over such a trivial matter. You need to look at the bigger picture."

"The bigger picture?"

My eyes turned red-rimmed, and my voice started trembling.

"Is your 'bigger picture' about me working all year, grinding past 12:00 am every single night to secure projects I work myself to the bone for, only for them to be handed over to someone else as his own achievement?

"You're completely erasing my hard work based on a baseless rumor he made up and sitting there, doing nothing.

"Let me ask you—where's the fairness in this? Where's justice? Don't you feel even a shred of guilt treating an employee who's contributed so much to the company like this?"

Warner had no response to my questions, while Hayden showed zero shame. He looked at me, raised his chin, and scoffed in disdain.

"Justice? Don't be so naive, Flynn. In the real world, justice belongs to whoever holds the power.

"If you want justice, find yourself a wealthy mom to stand up for you. But it's a pity you don't have one."

Hayden made no effort to hide the contempt on his face as he coldly continued, "As for me, my identity as the son of Natasha Belmont, CEO of Avenel Group, is enough to crush you so hard that you can never stand on your feet again!"

I stared at him and wondered where all his confidence came from. For a second, I started to question if Aunt Natasha might have secretly had an illegitimate son behind the family's back.

Suddenly, I said, "I heard Ms. Belmont has a nephew she treats like her own son. Mr. Belmont, I wonder if you've ever met him."

Hayden's expression froze for a split second before he shot me a look of disdain.

"That's my cousin, so of course, I've met him. But he lives abroad year-round and rarely comes back. I barely get to see him. A low-class peasant like you shouldn't even dream about it."

I scoffed. "Oh, really? If you're that important, Mr. Belmont, why are you out here robbing someone else of their title and bonus? You wouldn't happen to be a fake, would you?"

"How dare you!"

Hayden's face was flushed as he glared at me hatefully. "Don't push your luck, Flynn! Your Top Sales Performer title was revoked because you lack the character for it, while I earned it on pure merit!"

"Pure merit?" I echoed and took a step forward, looking him dead in the eyes.

"Are you talking about your talent for slacking off and playing video games in the office, your two-hour lunch breaks, or perhaps your discipline in clocking out at 5:00 pm sharp on the dot?

"Or are you referring to your skill of staring at the computer screen for an entire day, only to produce presentation slides with just two words, 'The Proposal' on them?"

I wasn't speaking fast, but every single word I said was enough to humiliate him.

Hayden opened his mouth, utterly speechless, before shooting Warner a pleading look for help.

A flash of disappointment crossed Warner's face before he looked at me and coldly said, "Watch your mouth, Flynn. This is a company, not a flea market. It is not a place for you to shout and throw tantrums!

"Don't think that landing a few projects for the company means you can act however you want. Survival of the fittest is the reality of the workplace; you have to accept being replaced by superior talent instead of throwing a fit."

All eyes turned to me. Everyone was waiting to see me fall apart with the company over the 800-thousand-dollar bonus.

But 800 thousand dollars? I wouldn't even blink at five million dollars. All I wanted was justice.

Instead of blowing up in rage or fighting back, I smiled mockingly.

"Fine. I accept it. The Top Sales Performer title should belong to whoever is more outstanding here."

I had just returned to my desk when the HR department issued two announcements.

"Employee Flynn Calder has severely violated company protocol by utilizing corporate funds for lavish personal dining. He is hereby removed from the Sales Manager position and placed on indefinite suspension for self-reflection.

"Intern Hayden Belmont has safeguarded corporate interests and displayed exceptional performance throughout his internship, creating massive profits for the company.

"Effective immediately, he is transitioned to a full-time employee and will assume the Sales Manager role, taking full custody of all pending accounts previously managed by Flynn Calder."

Immediately following the announcements, Warner tagged me in the company group chat, calling me out.

"Flynn, your wasteful extravagance and blatant disregard for company protocols have resulted in the forfeiture of your monthly bonus. You are required to submit a handwritten, ten-thousand-word self-criticism essay to this group chat. Let this serve as a warning to all other employees!"

This was outright bullying!

They stripped away my title as the Top Sales Performer, deducted my bonus, and branded me as an example of shame, dragging me onto a sacrificial altar for humiliation just to establish Hayden's authority.

The group chat went silent. Even the office plunged into dead quietness.

People began casting subtle, fleeting glances in my direction—some filled with pity, sorrow, and indignation, while others gloated over my downfall.

The announcements sat frozen on the screen, as if everyone was waiting for me to type out a humiliated, groveling apology in the group chat.

Warner pinged me again in the chat. "Are you blind?"

Still, I didn't reply.

On the other end of the screen, Warner seemed to be losing his mind and relentlessly tagged me out.

That was when Isabel texted me. "Don't be stubborn, Flynn. Just swallow your pride and give in. Your job is what matters."

I gave her a faint smile, which brought tears to my eyes.

My stiff fingers started tapping on my phone screen as I shakingly typed out my reply.

"Message received, Mr. Maxwell. I'll definitely remember this lesson and never indulge in such lavish wastefulness by ordering a 20-dollar dish. At the next company dinner, I'll only drink water and won't touch a single bite of food."

My message might seem like a compliant confession to my mistakes, but it hit the company group chat like a drop of cold water plunged into a pan of searing oil.

On the surface, it looked like submission, but in reality, it carried every ounce of an employee's disappointment toward the company.

I immediately logged out of all corporate accounts, revoked my access permissions, and began my suspension for reflection in earnest.

Warner cited his favorite motto, "Do not meddle in affairs outside of your jurisdiction," and cast me off to a desk right next to the restrooms. I was forced to sit there day after day, enduring the dismissive sneers and pitying glances of colleagues passing by.

Meanwhile, Hayden triumphantly sat at my desk and barked orders over employees in the department.

But my seat wasn't an easy one to fill. I had personally handled every project before this and knew every detail inside out—from design to production.

Hayden, on the other hand, knew absolutely nothing.

Within just a few days, more than ten clients filed complaints and demanded that I personally resume handling their projects, or they would cancel their partnerships.

The company suddenly faced a fortune in breach-of-contract penalties.

At last, Warner couldn't take it any longer. He swallowed his pride and came to my desk.

"Flynn, you were responsible for these projects. Some technical issues have come up, so coordinate with the clients and make sure they're satisfied."

I lazily looked up and gave him a puzzled look. "I think you've got the wrong guy, Mr. Maxwell. I'm suspended pending reflection."

He paused awkwardly, then stiffly continued, "There's work that needs to be done, even if you're suspended. Company policy states that whoever starts a project is responsible for it until the end."

I spread my hands. "But I've revoked all my access permissions and can't follow up anymore."

His expression faltered, then anger brewed in his eyes. "You were just suspended, not fired! Why would you log out of your accounts? Reapply for your permissions at once."

I calmly looked at him and replied, "Mr. Maxwell, you were the one who said, 'Do not meddle in affairs outside of your jurisdiction'. I was simply executing your orders."

Warner was visibly embarrassed, though he forced himself to stay patient.

"Tell you what—you'll get back to work right now. Immediately get in touch with the clients and stop them from canceling the partnerships."

I smiled. "Mr. Maxwell, shouldn't you assign this task to your more capable Top Sales Performer? I'm just a gigolo who relies entirely on my looks to hit my sales target, so I'm not capable of doing that."

His face flushed crimson as he struggled to suppress his rage. "That was just a joke between colleagues, Flynn. Are you seriously taking it to heart?"

I maintained my smile, though it turned cold and icy. "In that case, was stripping my title and robbing me of my 800-thousand-dollar bonus a joke, too?

"Was calling a 20-dollar dish lavish dining a joke too?"

Each word landed like a slap squarely on Warner's face. His face shifted from furious red to deathly pale, then to a bruised purple.

Still, he stayed silent.

I knew he was inwardly fighting with himself. After all, wanting a high-and-mighty CEO like him to bow his head and apologize simply didn't come naturally to him.

Just then, Hayden ran over excitedly. "Mr. Maxwell, Avenel Group agreed to invest in us!"

Warner's face immediately lit up with a triumphant grin. "Excellent! You really are the company's lucky charm, Hayden. With Avenel Group backing us, clients will be begging to work with us."

Then, he turned around and shot me a vicious glare. "You're fired, Flynn. Hit the HR department for your exit processing immediately!"

I calmly nodded. "Understood. I expect the company to compensate me per company regulations."

"You still want compensation?" he furiously roared. "You've caused catastrophic damage to our company! Just you wait; we'll sue you!"

Hayden shot me a malicious look and chimed in, "I'll make sure you're blacklisted across the entire industry, Flynn."

I gave a light nod. "Perfect. I'll be waiting."

After quietly packing my belongings, I walked out of the office where I had devoted an entire year.

I had poured all my passion, energy, and talent into this place. Instead of relying on connections or resources, I built my success on pure merit, and my capabilities are what made this company thrive.

Yet, it earned me nothing but a termination notice.