Chapter 1

A new marketing director just parachuted into our company.

The new guy wanted to assert his dominance immediately. On his very first day, he dug up an old, dusty account to frame me and suspended me from work.

What he didn't realize was that I held eighty percent of the marketing department's client resources in my palm.

Since he wanted to squeeze me out, he shouldn't complain when I decide to let everything burn once they beg for my return.

1

The former marketing director was transferred to the head office for training. He was preparing for a promotion.

As the top sales performer in the department, it was an open secret that I was next in line for his chair.

My close colleagues, Artie and Lenny, along with my trainee Cassie, were all waiting to celebrate my big promotion.

When the corporate transfer order finally arrived, everyone was cheering for me.

However, before I could even get my chair warm, a new director was parachuted in the very next day.

He carried an order from the national headquarters. His paperwork held more weight than our regional office's decisions.

Just like that, I was pushed back down to being a regular sales rep.

Later, I overheard the office gossip and found out this guy, Barney Bullock, was the son of a high-ranking executive at HQ.

A nepo-baby had stolen my promotion. To make it worse, he was a total rookie with zero marketing experience.

I checked his profile on our internal system. Barney's previous role at HQ was just a fluff position where he did nothing.

I was beyond frustrated to have someone like that as my direct boss.

I tried to comfort myself. I told myself that as long as I had the talent, I would get my raise and promotion sooner or later.

But I never expected that on his first day, Barney would come for me using a discrepancy in the books.

Barney called me into his office. He narrowed his eyes and pushed a yellowed ledger toward me, trying to look serious.

"Ms. Sterling, I've heard about your performance over the years. You're a veteran here, and I should really learn from you," he said.

"But can you explain this thirty-thousand-dollar deficit in the accounts?"

"Why are there so many unclear transactions with clients that haven't been reported?"

The moment I saw that ledger, my head felt like it was filled with buzzing flies.

This deficit was a historical mess. I had heard rumors about it years ago.

An old sales rep had been dishonest. He was using company goods to run his own side business.

That debt belonged to that era. It had absolutely nothing to do with me.

If anyone should be held responsible, it was the former director.

Looking at the dates, I wasn't even working in this department back then.

I had only been the acting director for one day. There was no way this was my fault.

I shook my head and suppressed my anger. "I'm just a sales rep. I don't have access to these kinds of high-level ledgers."

"If you want answers, Mr. Bullock, you should probably ask the regional office for a full audit."

In our world, you always call someone one rank higher than they actually are. It's a survival tactic.

He called me Director to mock me, so I called him Vice President to play along.

He just smirked and didn't say another word.

I thought the matter was settled.

But a week later, the company issued a formal disciplinary notice against me.

Barney had officially pinned that old debt on my head!

I was given two choices.

I could go back to the factory warehouse to work the assembly line for three months. After that, I would be reassigned to a new market.

If I did that, all the client relationships I had built over the years would vanish.

I had been with this company for nine years. This treatment was a slap in the face.

The other choice was to take a three-month unpaid suspension.

This was happening right during the annual bonus season.

Our region did great this year. My bonus should have been around twelve thousand dollars. Losing that would hurt.

Looking at Barney's shady eyes, I knew he was the one pulling the strings.

He caught me in private later that day.

"Jade, if you're willing to share your client list with me, I might consider speaking to the board on your behalf."

He wanted to dump the old debt on me and steal my clients for himself.

This fat pig was a lot more calculated than he looked.

I refused him flat out.

If he wanted a fight, I would give him one.

He wanted my clients? He should go find them himself. Dreaming of taking mine was pathetic.

I filed an appeal through the company system. But Barney blocked it at the departmental level.

He replied with a condescending note.

"Jade, when you make a mistake, you need to own it. Don't let your seniority make you think you can fight the company."