Chapter 1

1

My Christmas bonus, supposed to be twenty grand, turned into two hundred bucks.

I asked Mr. Henderson if there'd been a mistake.

He just sighed, "Tough year, kid. Market's been rough. We'll make it up to you next time."

I stared at my name on the sales sheet―four million in revenue.

Yeah, right. That's a load of bull, and I ain't buying it.

I quit that night and marched straight into the shop across the street.

...

That afternoon, Mr. Henderson strolled into the store carrying two iced coffees. He handed one to me, the other to my coworker, Maya, and chirped, "It's that time of year! Bonuses are hitting your accounts as we speak! Have a great holiday, and let's keep crushing it next year!"

Maya and I exchanged grins, feeling pretty good. Earlier in the year, Mr. Henderson had promised us a 5% commission on all sales, to be paid as our end-of-year bonus.

I’d checked my numbers― I was sitting on a cool four million in sales. That meant a twenty-thousand-dollar bonus, easy! Maya, even with half my numbers, was still looking at five or six grand. It was a happy afternoon.

As soon as my shift was up, I bolted over to the new apartment complex I'd been eyeing. I was done with the whole renting game. Each time I'd finally set up a place to feel like home, the landlord would hit me with a rent hike the next year. This apartment’s down payment was a sweet twelve thousand. Just twelve grand and I could have my own place, a little cozy spot in this city.

And, after that down payment, I'd have over eight grand left from my bonus! I could even take a vacation. The thought plastered a smile on my face I couldn't shake.

Humming to myself, I cruised over to the sales office on my scooter. The agent, a guy named Leo, was waiting for me. Head held high, I whipped out my card, feeling like a queen: “Let’s do it. I want that one I saw last week!”

Leo swiped my card a few times, his smile growing strained, "Huh, this seems to be... having some trouble. Ms. Chen, want to try another card?"

My smile wobbled. "No way, I just deposited twenty grand in there. Try again?"

He tried again, but the machine still spat out “Insufficient Funds.” I wasn't having it, so I hauled myself to the bank.

The ATM screen read, "$225.38.” That twenty-five bucks was already in there! That meant Mr. Henderson had only sent me two hundred dollars.

My brain short-circuited. Just then, my phone buzzed. It was Maya.

"Hey, Claire! How much bonus did you get? Mine's totally wrong, I only got a hundred!”