The moment they released the year-end audit notice, I just stared in disbelief at the mention of my car, which I had paid for in full and in cash.

It was boldly listed under the company’s fixed assets.

“Our company practices a ‘family-friendly’ culture. What’s yours is the company’s. We’re a family. There’s no need to get picky about what’s yours or mine.”

As if that was not enough, the company fired the driver and handed the chauffeuring duty to me.

“Here’s the reception schedule for this month. Also, please pick up my dad at Babolle at 3 a.m. tonight.”

My expression had darkened. Nonetheless, the human resources manager continued, “In a family, there’s no ‘yours’ or ‘mine’. My dad is your dad, right?”

I was so furious that I almost exploded. ​

“I’m taking my car back, then!”

She immediately took out a loan contract.

“Simple. Pay by instalments. Work here for three years and you can ‘buy’ back your car.”

So not only did I have to work as a driver for free, but I also had to pay to reclaim my car.

Ever since the human resources manager parachuted in, she cut perks and cancelled vacations. She even started to dig into my wallet!

“I quit!”

She sneered. Then, she brandished a thick employee handbook.

“Clause 1867 states that an employee who resigns of their own accord will need to pay double their salary. You’re under a six-month probation starting from now. Pass it, then you can leave.”

“Most people go to work to earn money, but you want me to work and give you money. Do you have a few screws loose in your head?!”

The manager looked up at me and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. The gold bracelet around her wrist practically blinded me.

“What are you talking about? We care a lot about our employees’ well-being. When the company’s performance improves, you’ll naturally benefit from it.”

While saying this, the light caught on the huge diamond ring on her finger, blinding me again.

I could practically see her swallowing up my salary. I was so furious that I pointed right at her nose and snapped, “Why don’t you just sell yourself to the company?!

“You might as well tattoo ‘public property’ across your forehead! All the so-called cost-cutting and efficiency improvement ends up benefiting only you!

“Since you’re so good at calculations, you shouldn’t work in the human resources department. You should, instead, work in the finance department!”

The manager did not seem to think that anything was wrong with what she had said. Instead, she blinked, and in the next moment, tears streamed down her cheeks.

The commotion had drawn all our colleagues to the outside of her office to watch the drama unfold.

Many of them who curried favor with the manager pointed at me and cussed at me.

I decided to open the door and leave the room.

Many of them surged in.

When the manager saw this, she instantly sobbed aloud. Her tear-streaked face and fragile demeanor made their hearts go out to her.

Someone grabbed my hair from behind and hauled me out.

“Yelena, how can you mistreat her like that?! It’s just a car! Are you going nuts from being poor?!

“The company’s going through a rough patch. Liana’s only doing this for the long run. Why are you being so aggressive?

“Besides, you’re already a leader. Shouldn’t you be setting an example?”

These people were all just trying to guilt-trip me…

I pushed him away with the back of my hand, then stood on my tiptoes and yanked his hair.

“Such a short-sighted idiot! Why don’t you hand your car over then?! Since you like her so much, you might as well give her your paycheck!”

We got into a scuffle.

The manager staggered out of the crowd. The big gold bracelet she had shown off earlier had already disappeared.

She weakly held onto the table. Her voice trembled as her tears fell.

“Yelena, I don’t have a choice.

“I thought that since your family isn’t short of money, you certainly won’t mind something like this. About the resignation issue, it’s the company’s policy. There’s nothing I can do about it.”

Many of them played along with her words and rebuked me.

I finally saw their true colors.

They never knew how much it hurt until it hit them.

I was outnumbered and could not possibly fight them. It was best not to start a fight at that moment.

I forced some crocodile tears and pretended to grab her shirt.

The big gold bracelet hit the floor with a clink, and it immediately drew everyone’s attention.

“Since the company’s having such a hard time, why don’t we all chip in by taking a pay cut for this month? We can even donate a little more on top of that.”

“Hey, look! You can still afford a gold bracelet! I can barely afford a meal. Since the price of gold has gone up, why not sell it later?”

I sat on the floor and started to make a scene.

She was not the only one who could spout the wildest nonsense.

The room fell into awkward silence. The manager’s expression turned stormy.

I could not care less about it.

“Since the company’s facing such a huge challenge, of course, we need to help. Why don’t we call the CEO over and figure out a solution together?

“Ms. Baker, you said you wanted me to pick up your dad. However, I can’t leave the company during office hours.”

The crowd fell silent.

I snorted. I saw Liana clench her fists tightly, and I smiled at her.

I stopped faking tears.

Who would have thought that Liana actually called the CEO?

“Yelena, since you don’t believe me, I trust you’ll believe Mr. Pitt, right? I’m just an employee working in this company. Why do you have to make things difficult for me?”

While saying this, she actually dialed George’s number.

While talking to George in a playful tone, Liana looked at me with a smug grin.

“Mr. Pitt, they’re mistreating me because I’m still new to the company. It’s so hard for me to get my work done.”

I finally understood everything.

It was no wonder that she could instantly replace the former employee who had spent decades working in the company. She even strutted around the company like she owned it.

It turned out she had a powerful backer all along.

Everyone could read the room. After finding out that Liana had someone backing her, they became more aggressive.

Some even went as far as to hand over their house keys.

“It’s okay. I’m willing to mortgage my own home to help the company get through this rough patch.”

“Ms. Baker, I’m willing to donate my entire paycheck to the company this month.”

“That’s right! We’re a family. We won’t be calculating over petty issues like this.”

The way they fawned over Liana was so over-the-top that they practically fell over to please her.

After all, currying favor with her promised far more than just a paycheck.

It was as though Liana was no longer a manager to them. She was the God of Wealth.

Comparatively, I was the plague.

“Keep currying favor with her, and you’ll end up with nothing at the end of the day.”

I did not bother to entertain them. I dusted myself off and got up.

The company was going through a hard time? My foot! My father just signed a multi-million-dollar deal with the company today.

Since they would not let me resign, I would not.

I wanted to see what kind of tricks George had up his sleeve.

If I remembered correctly, George’s children were already in elementary school.

I was about to leave when the crowd turned on me again.

“Yelena, where do you think you’re going? Are you feeling guilty now?”

“Apologize to Ms. Baker right now! Stop playing dumb! You’re nothing but a coward who picks on the weak!”

I sneered to myself, but I kept my expression calm.

“So you all like being slaves, huh? Hurry up and hand your property over. My car’s already tagged. Do you want to transfer your house too?

“Ms. Baker, how can I possibly leave at this moment? I still have to pick up your dad.”

I forced a polite smile, but I actually ground my molars so hard that I could have shattered them.

I wanted to see if they would actually be willing to hand over their houses.

George’s wife and my father were long-time friends.

Of course, I was not about to miss the entertaining show that would soon play out in the office.

While speaking, I sent a message to my father on WhatsApp.

[Me: Dad, spruce up my office, and get ready to hand it over. I’m coming home to inherit the family fortune.]

Liana was about to add on. I put on my headphones and ignored her.

Many people rushed to curry favor with her. They naturally did not bother with me anymore.

I spent the whole afternoon being scolded by everyone.

I seethed with anger.

That night, at 2 a.m., I bombarded her phone with messages.

“Yelena, what are you doing? Are you retaliating against me? Keep this up and I’ll dock your pay!”

I was completely undaunted. Instead, I put on a pitiful act.

“Ms. Baker, I can’t do anything about it either. I’m just strictly following the company’s policy.

“It’s you who decided that the company’s car shouldn’t leave the company building during non-office hours, and that we need to get your approval to get the keys.”

In the meantime, her sultry voice came through the phone.

I carefully pressed the record button.

“Yelena, you did this on purpose! Don’t you have your own car keys? Besides, why didn’t you apply for approval during the day?”

There was a muffled moan on the other end of the line, and I had to hold back my laughter.

“Ms. Baker, it’s the company’s policy. We can only apply one hour in advance. There’s nothing I can do about it.”

Ever since I started to play dumb, life had been amazing.

“Yelena, pick up Mr. Pitt. We’re having dinner at David’s Diner tonight.”

I shook my head. “The car’s out of petrol.”

“Go and refuel it, then!”

I took out the thick employee handbook and read, “According to Clause 18,888, the employees aren’t allowed to take any company property outside the premises under any circumstances.

“Refueling doesn’t count as an official business, so I can’t take the car out. Otherwise, I’ll get my pay docked.”

This went on and on. Whenever Liana had a day off, I would certainly bombard her phone with calls. Whenever the moon came out, whether at 3 a.m. or midnight, I woke up to bother her.

After so many nights of poor sleep in a row, Liana’s dark circles were so visible that it looked like she had painted them on herself.

“Are you doing this on purpose?!”

“How could I? Ms. Baker, I’m just strictly following the company’s policy. Please don’t accuse me like that! If Mr. Pitt were to find out, I’ll have my pay docked again.”

It looked like Liana and George had fought.

The fall-winter collection had been out for a while. Based on her usual antics, she would have shown off about it on social media ages ago.

What surprised me even more was that she really docked a bunch of people’s pay.

She even targeted employees who took several days of leave in a row and implemented a “pay-to-work” system.

“You’ve taken many days off, and your work has fallen far behind.

“Do you think the company’s rent is free? When the production line stops, the company will suffer losses! Anyone who takes more than three days off will have their salary deducted. In addition, they must pay an additional fine three times the amount!”

I originally thought that there was strength in numbers, but it turned out that no one dared to talk to me anyway.

My daily routine was to use my phone to gather evidence. I slacked off during the day while studying the employee handbook. Still, I “clocked in” at night right on schedule.

Before I could even enjoy my little victory for two days, they issued a warning.

George sent out a mass email and criticized my recent passive-aggressive work attitude, my misdeeds toward the manager, and a whole list of other so-called violations. As a result, he would deduct an entire year of my salary.

I silently rolled my eyes. Meanwhile, Liana came over in her brand-new high heels while exuding an intimidating presence.

“Yelena, Mr. Pitt has spoken. Our employee handbook has been officially abolished. From today onward, you will listen to me.

“You’ll be my full-time driver and assistant. You’ll be on duty 24 hours a day!”

Our colleagues who were quick to suck up to whoever was in power immediately chimed in.

“We’ve been sick of you for ages. You always talk about rules and regulations. Hah! Serves you right for giving Ms. Baker a hard time!”

“Don’t be fooled by how nicely she used to dress. Her clothes were all paid for by men. I’ve seen her kneel in the street to tie some old man’s shoelaces!”

I barked a bitter laugh. In the next second, I ripped off my ID badge and shoved it at Liana’s face.

“I quit! You know all too well who the real mistress is! Another thing, I’ve been keeping a record of everything you’ve done this past month. Just wait for the subpoena!”