Fired Me? I Bankrupted the Company Chapter 1

It was time for the company’s end-of-year review.

The boss announced that revenue was down. To boost morale, he decided to take my entire annual commission and distribute it to everyone as a holiday bonus.

My coworkers were absolutely thrilled.

One guy chimed in that since I drove a BMW and didn't have student loans, I should look out for those of them who had families to feed. Another preached that a company only thrives when its employees are happy, telling me to be a team player and show some sacrifice.

I just smiled, nodded, and immediately stepped out to call my clients, telling them to freeze all their pending payments.

Fast forward to the week before the holidays. The company had zero cash flow. They couldn't even make payroll. Panic set in.

And one by one, they all came crawling to me, begging for help.

* * *

"The economy is tough right now. To make sure everyone has a great Christmas, Riley has generously agreed to donate her entire commission for the year. It will be distributed as your holiday bonuses!"

The moment our boss Victor finished his sentence, the conference room erupted into thunderous applause.

As the subject of this supposed generosity, I sat there completely stunned.

Using my commission as the company bonus pool? This was the first time I was hearing about it.

Swallowing the bitter taste of anger in my throat, I spoke up. "Our sales volume increased by fifteen percent compared to last year. Logically, the company is highly profitable. We shouldn't be in a position where we can't afford standard holiday bonuses, right?"

Victor’s fake smile instantly vanished.

"Do you have any idea how much it costs to keep all of you employed? I match your 401k, I pay for premium health insurance. Have I ever mistreated you?"

"What do you know about operating a business? Just because you say we're profitable doesn't make it true! Why don't you sit in this chair and run the company!"

Victor was getting more agitated by the second, slamming his hand flat against the mahogany table.

Terrified of getting caught in the crossfire, my coworkers kept their heads down, exchanging nervous glances. The room fell dead silent until Victor's assistant finally broke the ice.

"Come on, Victor, don't get mad! Riley definitely didn't mean it like that. She’s a veteran here. She would never just sit back and watch us struggle through the holidays."

Serena, our Sales Director, had always hated my guts. There was no way she was going to let an opportunity to screw me over slip by.

"Riley, whenever you needed help, Victor and I never hesitated! You've always been the most mature one here. The company is facing a rough patch and needs your sacrifice. Don't be ungrateful!"

With that, she shot a pointed look at Valerie sitting next to her.

Valerie’s eyes darted around before she took the cue. "Look, most of us spend our paychecks covering mortgages, car loans, or kids' tuition. You're different. Your parents bought your condo in cash. Even without this commission, you're going to have a fantastic holiday."

"But don't worry, your generosity won't go unnoticed!"

She plastered on a sickeningly sweet smile and addressed the room. "Everyone, when you visit your hometowns this break, make sure to bring back some local treats for our girl Riley!"

"Oh, absolutely! My whole family will be so grateful to you, Riley. I'll bring you some of my mom's famous homemade maple syrup!"

"Riley, I promise to work twice as hard next year! I'm going to toast to your health on New Year's Eve!"

"I'm not great with words, but I'll put it out there. From now on, whatever you need, just say the word and I've got your back!"

One by one, they chimed in, piling the fake praise higher and higher.

Seeing his employees act so obediently, Victor finally cracked a smug smile.

"I always knew I wasn't wrong about Riley. When the employees thrive, the company thrives! Come on everyone, let's give it up for Riley's selfless contribution!"

The applause grew louder, but my heart turned entirely to ice.

As the top sales rep in the company, I was scraping by on a pathetic base salary of three thousand a month. If my family wasn't financially comfortable, and if my parents didn't occasionally help me out, I wouldn't even have enough cash to cover the fancy dinners required to entertain my clients.

It wasn't like I had never complained about this.

I had told Victor that the base pay was insulting, expense reimbursements took months to clear, and relying on my own pocket to build client relationships was hurting our business growth.

His response back then? An awkward chuckle and a personal Venmo transfer of five grand, framed as a "personal loan" to tide me over.

He had heavily implied that I needed to understand the company's struggles and tough it out. He even promised that when my year-end commission was calculated, he would throw in interest for the hassle.

Like a fool, I believed him. I gritted my teeth and worked like a dog.

I had been counting down the days until the end of the year. The moment December hit, I sat down with our new accountant to run the numbers. When I saw my accumulated commission was sitting at a cool hundred grand, I was ecstatic.

I had it all planned out. I was going to pay my parents back and use the rest to take them on a luxury vacation to the Bahamas.

And now? Without a single word of consultation, he took my hundred thousand dollars and handed it out as charity to buy loyalty.

It hit me then. Victor never intended to pay me a dime.

If he was going to play dirty, I was going to play ruthless.

I held up a hand, stopping a younger colleague named Noah who looked like he was about to speak up in my defense. I let out a cold, sharp laugh.

"Alright. Since everyone feels so strongly about it, let's consider it done."