I busted my butt for 24 hours straight, securing two massive contracts worth millions. I took a 15-minute power nap in the bathroom stall. That afternoon, I got hit with a random $150 fine. I ignored it because, honestly, I was exhausted. The next day, I clocked in only to find out I was fired for "failure to pay the fine." I stormed into the CEO's office—who also happened to be my fiancé—to demand answers. His little assistant, smirking like she owned the place, cut me off. "Taking a bathroom break on company time is time theft. Fining you a day's wages is perfectly reasonable!" she chirped. "Everyone else can finish their business in ten minutes. Why are you so special?" My fiancé chimed in, backing her up. "You're a senior executive, Sarah. You should know better. We need to make an example out of you." I walked out, catching a glimpse through the blinds of their silhouettes merging into one. I immediately dialed the CEO of our biggest competitor. "I've got twenty million in contracts. Give me a job." "Conditions? Does your company time bathroom breaks?" 1 A hearty laugh erupted from the other end of the line. "Sarah, are you pranking me?" "Who the hell times bathroom breaks? Is your boss a psychopath?" I shot over my resume. "Just give me a title." Harry, the competitor CEO, sent back an offer letter for Vice President. "VP work for you? Or do you want my chair?" "You're a founding member of Jack's company. You've been with him since day one. I've tried to poach you dozens of times, and you always said no. What happened? Lovers' quarrel?" I snapped, "None of your business. You should be worrying about whether these twenty million dollar contracts can finally drag your company out of second place and crush Jack." Harry's voice was crisp, brimming with ambition. "Forget the contracts for a second. Without you, Jack's company ain't shit!" I filled out the onboarding forms and forwarded the contract details for the two deals I secured. "Pleasure doing business with you." Harry, realizing I wasn't joking, turned serious. "Sarah, if you're genuinely joining, I'll roll out the red carpet. But if this is just a power play to mess with Jack, rethink it. I'm not handing over the reins of my company just to get stabbed in the back." A power play? I felt a chill run down my spine. Any executive fired for spending ten extra minutes in the bathroom would be mortified. Especially when the person firing you is the man you've been with for three years, the man you were about to marry. Especially when you built that company with him from the ground up, turning it into the industry leader it is today. It was cold, but expected. Jack's special treatment of his assistant, Amber, had been a red flag for a while. "I don't joke about work. Clear a desk. I start tomorrow." I hung up. Harry kept blowing up my phone with disbelief. I packed up my desk, ignoring his messages. Suddenly, the overhead speaker blared, "Sarah, silence your phone during work hours. Violation: $30 fine!" Amber's voice echoed through the office. Everyone looked at me. I ignored her and kept packing. She marched out of the office, furious. "Sarah, did you hear me? Jack was nice enough to pay your previous fine, and you're still breaking rules?" I chuckled dryly. She was a joke. "Why would a fired employee follow company rules?" Jack heard the commotion and walked over. He leaned in close, whispering, "The girl made the rules. I can't break them in front of her. But I paid your fine. You don't have to leave." I looked at him coldly and tossed my badge on the desk. "Don't bother. You didn't fire me? Fine. I quit." I grabbed my box and headed for the door, but Jack blocked my path again. His face was flushed with anger as he scolded me in front of the whole office. "Sarah, stop throwing a tantrum." "Amber set these rules to keep everyone in line. The company culture is better than ever, isn't it?" I rolled my eyes. Better? Just moments ago, people were complaining in the group chat. Sales reps had to take the cheapest trains for business trips. Accommodation was capped at shady $20 hostels. Client dinners were restricted to street food because the budget was a measly $40. Jack enabled her, thinking she was cutting costs. But the employees were suffering. Trying to close million-dollar deals over a $40 dinner was embarrassing. Amber was the cheapskate, but Jack was the idiot for approving it. I'd been on the road so much lately, I barely spent time in the office. Now they were timing bathroom breaks? Two a day, ten minutes max? His company was doomed. I ignored the new fine Amber slapped on me for not silencing my phone and walked out. 2 I slept until the afternoon and decided to cook myself a nice meal. Just as I set the dishes on the table, the door unlocked. Jack walked in with Amber, and they casually sat down and started eating. I stared at them coldly. "I cooked this. What are you doing?" Jack frowned. "Didn't you see my messages?" My phone was flooded with texts from him. Since hiring Amber, he hadn't texted me in a month. Today, he sent a dozen messages, all about her. First, he scolded me for embarrassing him. Then he claimed I made Amber cry. Finally, he demanded an apology or he'd call off the wedding. It's your fault for disrespecting Amber in public. She did nothing wrong. She's just looking out for the company. I'm bringing her over for dinner. Cook something nice to apologize. Jack looked at the cilantro in the soup with disgust, fueling my rage. "I told you Amber hates cilantro. Are you blind? Pick it out, stem by stem!" He picked a piece of meat, blew on it, and fed it to Amber. "This is Sarah's specialty. Try it." Amber ate it off his chopsticks, still pouting. "The food is okay, but unless she apologizes in front of the whole company, I won't forgive her!" "If she's this insubordinate, how am I supposed to manage anyone else?" Jack turned on me. "Hear that? Apologize to Amber. Or forget about your job. I'm cancelling the engagement!" We promised never to use breaking up as a threat. Lately, he'd threatened it multiple times because of Amber. They were flirting right in front of me. I gripped my phone so hard I thought it would crack. "Something needs to be picked out, alright. You two!" I roared, "Jack, take Amber and get the hell out!" "You get yourself a mistress, bring her to work to flirt, and I'm supposed to apologize?" "If anyone's cancelling the engagement, it's me!" Jack's face turned icy. He sneered, "This is our house. You're kicking me out?" I kept a straight face. "This is my house. Get out." Amber huffed as she left, smugness plastered on her face. "You dare kick me out? Do you know who I know?" "I know a bigshot investor! Apologize on your knees right now, and I might put in a good word for you!" Jack frowned, his tone menacing. "Hear that, Sarah? Kneel and apologize. The company needs her connections." I slammed the door in their faces. "I don't care who you know! The company isn't my problem anymore." Amber was fuming. Alone at last. Peace and quiet. But the food was ruined. I'd lost my appetite. I decided to eat out. While waiting for my food, I saw Jack's Facebook post. "Sarah, I'm telling you, if you don't publicly apologize to Amber, the wedding is off!" I rolled my eyes and blocked him. I hadn't left the company group chat yet. The next morning, someone leaked that Jack and Amber arrived in the same car, wearing the same clothes as the day before. Rumor had it they spent the night at a hotel. Someone saw them. Photos included. I left the group chat and headed to Harry's company. I didn't want to hear another word about them. 3 Harry gave me my own office. He still looked shocked to see me. "You actually came! I was worried I set this up for nothing." I handed him the contracts. "The annual industry awards are in three days. Whether we get first place depends on you." His eyes burned with determination. "Don't worry. With you on board, we're taking Jack down." I had three years of client relationships under my belt. That afternoon, I closed another deal. Walking out, I saw Jack with his arm around Amber, looking cozy. I tried to ignore them, but Jack pulled away and approached me. "I know about the group chat rumors. Don't overthink it. Amber's apartment flooded. I just gave her a place to crash as her boss." Who was he kidding? Everyone knew they slept together. I stayed silent and tried to leave. Jack, feeling generous, offered, "Sarah, I know you want to come back. Amber drafted a proposal. If you help her close the deal, I'll reinstate you." I scoffed. "Dream on. I'm not helping her." Jack sighed, his self-righteousness nauseating. "Amber's fresh out of college. She lacks experience. Help her, and consider it your apology for yesterday." "Stop being stubborn. Close this deal, and not only do you get your job back, but the wedding is back on." We were on different planets. I didn't want to talk to him anymore. I walked past him. Amber spotted the signed contract in my hand and gasped. "That's the new project proposal I drafted! You stole my work!" She showed Jack her papers, whining, "I stayed up two nights working on this, and she stole it." The papers in her hand were the proposal I submitted for approval before I left. I was the lead. When I left, the project was orphaned. She simply slapped her name on it. I opened my mouth to defend myself. Jack didn't ask questions. He slapped me across the face. "Amber fined you according to policy, and you steal her project? No wonder you wouldn't help her. Sarah, you disgust me! Did you steal all your previous wins too?!" My face burned. I stared at Jack in disbelief. I worked there for three years. Amber was a rookie. How could I steal her project? He snatched the papers from me and ordered his bodyguards to pin me to the ground. They grabbed my hair. Jack's face was cold. "Sarah, you owe Amber an apology." I struggled but was forced to kowtow to Amber. My scalp screamed in pain. Amber smirked, stepping on my hand with her stiletto heel. "Sarah, I despise thieves. Did you think an apology was enough?" Pain shot through my hand. She pressed down harder. "Thieves like you deserve to lose their hands!" It felt like her heel was piercing through my skin. My vision blurred from the pain. I whispered my defense, begging Jack to help. We were together for three years. He used to treat me like a princess. A papercut would send him into a panic. But now, Jack pretended not to hear. disgust filled his face. "No wonder your dad divorced your mom. You inherited her trashy habits. Even our engagement was something she sneaked behind my back to arrange. Like mother, like daughter." "I will never marry a thief. Sarah, the wedding is off!" He turned and walked away. My heart, already shattered, was pulverized. He used my family trauma, something he once comforted me about, as a weapon. I realized how pathetic it was to hope he'd save me. Amber waved the stolen proposal in my face, showing me a photo of her stepping on me. She sneered, "The project is mine. Jack is mine! Sarah, I'm warning you. Try to fight me, and I'll show everyone exactly what you look like crawling on the ground like a dog!" 4 I passed out from the pain. A stranger took me to the hospital. When I woke up, Harry was sitting by my bed. A flicker of pain hid deep in his eyes. He sat in silence. I whispered that I needed a few days off to recover. Harry agreed instantly. "Take your time. The awards are in three days. We'll take Jack down." On the day of the awards, Harry and I sat in the front row. Jack saw us and walked over with Amber, mocking, "Sarah, you stole Amber's project and ran to the runner-up? Even if you were fired, have some self-respect." "Oh wait, my company is number one. You couldn't find anywhere better." Amber chimed in, "Wait until we win again this year and partner with that investor. You'll be eating dirt while we monopolize the market!" I felt sick looking at them. My scalp tingled with phantom pain. Jack didn't hide it anymore. He held Amber close. "Amber is way more capable than you! She designed a cross-state medical collaboration effortlessly. You won't get a chance to steal from her again." I laughed internally. Was he talking about the scrap paper I threw in the trash? Amber liked dumpster diving, apparently. If Jack actually went through with that plan... showtime. Other CEOs swarmed Jack. "Why even have this award? As long as Jack is here, first place is a lock." "Exactly. The Best Enterprise trophy is nothing to Jack. But the funding from that investor? That's the real prize." "It's gotta be Jack." They glanced at Harry and me. "Sitting in the front row doesn't make you a winner. You gotta earn it!" Jack soaked up the praise and walked away with his entourage. Harry and I watched them calmly. Who would win was still up in the air. The ceremony began. Jack stood up before his name was even called, heading for the stage. In the dim light, he shot a rude gesture at Harry. But when the host announced the winner, the room gasped. "Congratulations to Harry for winning Industry Leader of the Year! And securing the meeting with Mr. Stone!" Jack froze on the steps. His mind went blank. Harry walked past him, a polite smile on his face, but his eyes danced with triumph. He whispered, "Jack, sorry we took your spot this year. But don't worry, you won't be getting it back. You threw away your ace."
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