A Cookie During Overtime Cost Me a Six-Figure Commission Chapter 2

I knew what he was doing.

As Sales Director, my desk was in the open-plan office, but I had a whole row to myself—a prime spot with a clear view of the entire floor.

Now, he couldn't wait to shove me into the corner. My new assigned spot was a tiny cubicle right against the window, a space no one wanted.

Even with the AC, company policy forbade closing the blinds. The afternoon sun would bake me alive, the glare making my monitor unreadable. A perfect little corporate penalty box.

But I didn't care. I silently packed my personal items and picked up my laptop to move. He stopped me, his hand on my machine. “Hold on. I need to check the contents of your computer. Can’t have you walking away with client data, can we?”

“Be my guest.”

I powered it on and let him search through everything.

The old Chairman had recruited me himself. His words still echoed in my mind: “Leo, within this company, your word is law.”

But the Chairman’s health had been failing, and he was recovering at a clinic overseas. This whole charade was laughable.

I knew exactly what Miranda was thinking: get rid of the expensive top performer to cut costs. A classic, foolish move.

Felix found nothing suspicious and waved me away with a dismissive flick of his wrist.

A message from Alex popped up: “Don’t worry, Leo. We’re all on your side.”

I sent back a smiling emoji. Their support was nice, but it didn't matter. The fact that the 23rd floor had let Miranda do this meant they’d approved it.

And if they knew, the Chairman, even oceans away, knew too. If that’s how they wanted to play it, I wasn’t going to fight them.

That evening, for the first time, I clocked out. I didn’t know how things used to be, but from now on, I was following every rule to the letter. No problem there, right?

Usually, my evenings were spent taking clients out for drinks or dinner, networking, and building relationships. Not anymore.

I drove straight home, collapsed onto my bed, and watched the sunset paint the sky. I felt incredible.

Free from the endless cycle of schmoozing, I finally had time for myself. I pulled out my phone and booked a ticket to a play I’d been wanting to see for years. The lead actor was my favorite, but I’d never had a free evening to go. Until now.

Later, I was added to a new sales team group chat.

The admin was Felix.

“@everyone: Effective immediately, all sales staff will submit a daily work log. I want to know who you met, what you discussed, and their level of interest. Furthermore, each of you is expected to secure 5 qualified leads per month. Failure to meet this quota will result in a 20% reduction in your monthly performance review.”

Alex messaged me privately again. “Can you believe this guy? He comes back from some fancy school overseas and starts pulling this old-school factory-floor crap on us?”

“Has he ever even worked in sales? Qualified leads don’t just grow on trees! Five a month? The whole damn company is lucky to close one new major deal a month, and that’s usually with existing clients!”

“The economy is crap, big clients are impossible to get, and there are only so many small clients in this city. He’s trying to kill us.”

I read Alex’s rant and just offered some simple advice. “Take it easy. Just do what the boss says.”

“How can you be so calm, man? If it were me, I’d have quit already! I can’t take this BS!”

I just smiled and didn’t reply.

I wasn’t in a hurry. They’d figure it out soon enough.