Chapter 2

2

The entire conference room fell dead silent.

The few people who had been clapping froze mid-motion, glancing at each other in sheer awkwardness.

Derek's face instantly darkened.

The fake smile froze solid on his lips.

"Zachary, what the hell do you mean by that?"

He slammed the banner onto the table with a heavy thud.

"The company is going through a crisis right now. As a senior employee and our top sales rep,"

"Not only do you refuse to show empathy, but you're also causing a scene at our annual meeting?"

"A crisis?"

I pointed at his wrist.

"Tell me, Mr. Palmer, did you buy that brand-new Rolex just to pull through these tough times together?"

Derek instinctively pulled his arm back, his embarrassment instantly morphing into fury.

"That was bought with my own private money! What the hell does that have to do with you?"

"That's your business. But my commission is written in black and white in my contract,"

"And it's the money you legally owe me."

I glared at him coldly.

"The contract clearly states my bonuses are settled at the end of the year. Are you trying to screw me over?"

Derek jumped to his feet, jabbing a finger straight at my nose.

"Zachary! Watch your fucking tone!"

"What contract? The company reserves the right of final interpretation!"

"I say how much you get, and that's what you get!"

He was going full scumbag now.

"Besides, didn't the company spend resources training you?"

"The computer you use, the electricity, the client platform―what part of it wasn't provided by this company?"

"Without this platform, you're nothing but a nobody, Zachary!"

"Giving you this banner is a sign of respect!"

"It's meant to inspire you to work harder next year!"

"And look at you, acting like a money-grubbing parasite!"

Derek grew louder and more frantic with every word.

"Two hundred grand? Take a look in the mirror! Are you even worth that much?"

"Greedy bastards like you don't deserve to survive in this industry!"

Murmurs rippled through the room.

"Zachary is being way too stubborn. The boss is genuinely pissed."

"Seriously, seven hundred is better than nothing. I only got two hundred."

"Talking back to the boss like this is straight-up career suicide."

The loudest voice belonged to Liam Walker, a brown-noser who ranked dead last in sales but excelled at getting Derek coffee.

Liam stood up, bowed slightly toward Derek, and turned to scold me.

"Zach, this is completely out of line."

"Mr. Palmer treats us so well on regular days. How can you be so ungrateful?"

"Think about the bigger picture! Where's your vision?"

"Is it really worth burning bridges over a little bit of money?"

Vision?

I owned hundreds of luxury properties across the city, and this loser wanted to lecture me on the bigger picture?

Demanding my legally earned compensation was having no vision?

"Right. You guys sure have great vision," I said, nodding slowly as my eyes swept across the room.

"So, you're definitely not paying me what you owe, right?"

Derek sneered, leaning back into his chair and crossing his legs.

"I don't have the money. Work if you want, or get the fuck out."

"Let me tell you something, Zachary. The moment you walk out that door,"

"I will blacklist you from this entire industry."

"I'll make sure every competitor knows,"

"That you're an ungrateful, money-hungry snake with zero professional ethics!"

"Let's see if anyone ever hires you again!"

Blacklist me?

In this city, nobody had the balls to say that to my face.

I took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to punch him.

Flipping the table was a rookie move. I had a much better game in mind.