Fired Me? I Bankrupted the Company Chapter 2

Victor clearly hadn't expected me to cave so easily. A flicker of suspicion crossed his eyes, but he didn't push his luck.

With a stiff chuckle, he patted my shoulder and dismissed the meeting.

My coworkers filed out, side-stepping me. As they brushed past, the mocking glints in their eyes practically screamed that I was the biggest sucker on the planet.

I sat alone in the quiet room, waiting until the last person was gone before returning to my desk.

"Alright everyone, our holiday bonuses are secured! To celebrate the good news, afternoon coffee is on me!"

Serena clapped her hands, her voice loud enough for the whole floor to hear. Noah, who was on my team, immediately jumped in.

"That new place downstairs has a seasonal roast. I've been dying to try it."

He glanced over at me. "Riley, what do you want?"

Before I could politely decline, Valerie’s voice dripped with sarcasm. "Oh please. Riley drives a Beamer. She wouldn't be caught dead drinking drip coffee from downstairs. She only does artisanal lattes. Just order for ourselves."

Noah looked deeply uncomfortable. I saved him the trouble. "I've been dealing with insomnia anyway. I'll pass."

Grabbing my phone, I walked straight to the rooftop terrace.

The biting winter wind cut through my rage, bringing a sharp clarity to my mind. I found a contact and hit dial.

"Harper. Put a hold on this year's final payments. There's no rush."

After a burst of bright, infectious laughter, Harper started teasing me. "Are you playing hard to get, Riley? Relax. I already approved the paperwork this morning. The funds will drop in two days. I promise you won't be stuck living off a three-grand base salary anymore!"

"I'm not joking, Harper. Seriously, hold the payment."

Sensing the shift in my tone, Harper's voice instantly dropped the playful edge.

"What happened? Who messed with you?"

"Let me guess. Victor lost his damn mind and disrespected his top earner?"

"...Don't tell me he backed out of paying your commission."

I let out a heavy sigh. On the other end of the line, Harper sounded like she had just struck gold.

"I told you! I told you to come work for me! If you jump ship and join my team, I'll beat whatever commission rate they gave you by a full percent!"

"Don't answer right now. Just think about it. My door is always open."

She hung up quickly, almost as if she was afraid I would reject her on the spot.

Truth was, I had no intention of rejecting her.

If anything, I was incredibly grateful for how she had looked out for me over the years. I wasn't some corporate heiress. I didn't have a CEO father or family connections to pave my way. I wasn't even that great at schmoozing executives over expensive cocktails.

But I knew how to be genuine, and people remembered that.

When one client's mother was diagnosed with diabetes, I consulted a specialist and personally typed up a custom dietary plan. When another client was too busy to notice her daughter was being relentlessly bullied at school, I was the one who drove down there and raised hell in the principal's office.

Every single account I won, I bled for. I earned my title as top seller from the ground up.

After hanging up with Harper, I dialed a few more of my key accounts.

Thankfully, these were people who actually considered me a friend. They were more than happy to help me serve up a cold dish of revenge.

Satisfied, I slipped my phone into my pocket and headed toward the stairwell, fully intending to march down to HR and quit. But as I rounded the corner, Victor's voice echoed from the hallway.

"A hundred grand is not chump change. Once it hits my accounts, it's my money. Riley isn't asking for her commission. She's reaching into my wallet and robbing me."

"I'm withholding it on purpose. What's she going to do? She'll swallow her pride and keep working like a dog to make me rich."

My stomach dropped. I quickly stepped back, hiding behind a row of filing cabinets.

I heard Serena’s voice next. "People online say firing your top earner is like cutting a major artery. You aren't worried she'll quit and take the clients with her?"

Victor scoffed loudly. "Top earner? She's a gullible idiot!"

"She only pulls those numbers because she has the Apex brand backing her. Any account she can close, I guarantee you can close too!"

I heard the dull clink of ceramic as Victor playfully bumped his coffee mug against Serena's.

Serena giggled. "Well, I know my place, unlike her. I'd gladly take a lower commission rate. Thanks for the opportunity, boss!"

They erupted into laughter. "She brought this on herself. If she wants someone to blame, she can blame her own high numbers!"

My fingernails dug so hard into my palms they almost broke the skin. The blood roared in my ears.

Originally, I was just going to hand in my resignation and take the commission issue to the Department of Labor.

But now? The game had changed.

I was going to make Victor fire me. And I was going to bleed him dry for every single cent of severance and commission I was owed.