Chapter 1

The company is short-staffed for one of our new projects. Despite everyone's objections, I, James Connor, fight to bring in three sidelined, former colleagues onto the project. And so, the four of us become the project's core members.

The project's workload is fairly light and comes with a generous bonus. So, they praise and flatter me, calling me their lucky star.

Three months later, the project is about to be submitted to the higher-ups. I happen to pass by the smoking lounge and overhear them plotting, wisps of smoke escaping from their lips.

"The three of us contributed the most to this project. Why should James get an equal share of the bonus just because he recommended us for the job? He barely pulled his weight."

"That's right. We should bring this up with the director. Tell him that we're the ones who laid all the groundwork and that James doesn't have the technical skills to be on this team. We'll ask to have him removed from the contributors list."

"Just the thought of not having to split those hundreds of thousands of dollars with him is making me feel like I'm on cloud nine. Hey, let's go celebrate tonight!"

I push the door open and am promptly greeted with their shocked faces. I merely smile at them as I think to myself, "You want to cut me out? Sadly for you, I'm the director who was sent here to evaluate all of you."

Chapter 1

"I've already revised the project's acceptance report and removed James' name from it," someone said.

I was just about to get myself a cup of coffee from the break room when those words stopped me in my tracks.

Shane Moonton had said those words, which was funny because he'd cried like a baby when he begged me to get him onto the team. At the time, he had been so desperate to be at my beck and call.

"You did good by doing that! He might be the nominal leader of this project, but what has he actually done for the team these past three months? All he knows is to sign papers and sit in meetings. We're the ones who broke our backs with all that coding!"

And that was Lila Rowle adding in her two cents. Her technical skills were average, but she could be relied on to follow instructions. That was why I'd made an exception to add her to the project's roster.

"I might as well have been working for nothing for the past year if we let him walk away with 40% of the bonus. Anyway, management only cares about results. As long as we stick to the same story, it'll be easy enough for us to deal with a networking fiend like him.

"What we need to do now is come up with a plan to make him quit of his own volition."

That last speaker was none other than Kevin Lowell, who was my assistant in this project.

"We don't need to bother with a plan. We should just confront him." Shane's voice was laced with ruthlessness as he took a long drag from his cigarette.

Then, he continued, "The project's pretty much over and done with. Plus, we have all the core data. He doesn't even know the basics. If it weren't for us, either the project would be a bust, or he'd be fired. The guy's a total social loafer. I'm sure he wouldn't dare to raise a fuss about this."

"You're right! Let's do that! I've been sick of that guy right from the start. Look at him strutting around the office like a peacock... God, who does he think he is? Our boss?"

The trio quickly came to an accord. Alas, they had forgotten something very important.

And that was that the company had been preparing for layoffs three months ago.

They had been the ones who had contacted me late at night, telling me their sob stories about their mortgage payments, car loans, and whatnot. They had begged me to give them a chance.

The soft-hearted fool that I was, I did. I petitioned the higher-ups for three additional slots on the roster and granted them a spot on the company's annual S-tier core project.

For the past three months, I had handled the overall planning for this project, negotiated with our partners, and secured us resources. I shielded them from countless of our client's unreasonable demands and helped them revise their deeply flawed proposals.

In order to pad their wallets, I even assigned them the most basic tasks possible while I handled the more challenging work.

Yet now, my strategic plans were relegated to "not pulling my own weight," and my decision to delegate was seen as "having no technical skills."

I inhaled deeply and pushed the door open.

Their gleeful chuckles came to an abrupt stop.

Kevin was the first to recover. There was a flicker of awkwardness on his face before he quickly donned a look of righteous confidence. Then, he stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and said, "James, since you've already heard everything, then there's no point in us hiding it any longer."

He shoved both hands in his pockets and leaned against the table. "We're all adults here, aren't we? And as adults, we should be paid according to what we've contributed at work. So, let's be honest here. You didn't really bring anything to the table."

I strode over to the coffee machine and calmly poured myself an Americano.

"I didn't bring anything to the table, you say?" I drawled, eyeing him coldly.

"It's nothing personal," Shane cut in. "It's true that we wrote the code, and we ran the tests. We even did the final presentation slides ourselves. What did you even do? All you did was string a couple of sentences."

"James, do be reasonable." Lila chimed in, her voice tinged with contempt. "We've already thanked you for your so-called recommendation by treating you to a meal. This and that are different things.

"For starters, we're talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars in bonuses. You can't expect us to let you walk away with half of it when all you did was talk."

I took a sip of my bitter coffee and found it all very amusing. "What do you want, exactly?"

The three exchanged glances. Kevin then whipped out a document from his bag and slapped it on the table. "This is a resignation letter. Sign it.

"As long as you leave this team voluntarily, we won't expose the fact that you've been collecting your paychecks despite not doing your job. We'll let you save your dignity. If you refuse, we'll file a joint complaint that your incompetence has caused the project several setbacks.

"When that happens, the company will make you pay for damages. You'll lose both your job and your money."

Chapter 2

I looked at the already-printed resignation letter and felt the last shred of camaraderie I had for them disappear.

They'd truly come prepared.

"And if I refuse to sign?" I asked blandly.

"Refuse?" Shane sneered as he closed in on me. "James, don't make us do this the hard way. We've already changed the password to the core project's system. If you refuse to leave, then you can enjoy having absolutely nothing to talk about during the acceptance meeting tomorrow!

"When the client loses it, you'll be the one taking the fall as the team leader once the company starts looking for someone to blame!"

It was a threat. Plain and simple.

They were using the access I'd granted them to stab me in the back.

"James, if you sign, I promise I won't make things too hard for you. After all, we're colleagues." Shane suddenly changed his tune as he said kindly, "Don't worry. I've already got a backup plan waiting for you."

He took out a job listing from his pocket.

"My uncle's a supervisor in the Security Department, and they're hiring. They're looking for a night shift security guard. It's even a captain position! It's going to be rough to pull those late hours, but it's a stable job.

"You'll even be working in the same building. If we ever need someone to do the heavy lifting or the grunt work, we'll be sure to throw you a bone. What do you think?"

Kevin burst out laughing, saying through gasps, "Shane, you're amazing. You actually got James a job so quickly? Then again, being a security guard really does suit him. After all, all he's been doing is patrolling the office these past couple of months."

Lila joined in on the mockery. "They're right, James. Can't you see how thoughtful we are? We've even got you a backup career ripe for the taking. So, why don't you hurry up and thank us?"

I looked at Shane coldly. "You want me to become a security guard? That's your grand backup plan?"

"Hey, you shouldn't be so picky. Based on your current capabilities, you'd be hitting the jackpot if you land the job in the Security Department," Shane retorted imperiously. "I only did you this huge favor by getting you a spot because of our history."

I nodded, crushed the paper cup in my hand, and threw it in the trash. "Fine. Since the three of you are so very capable, I'm washing my hands off this project."

I turned and walked away right after that.

Soon, their triumphant voices rang out behind me.

"I told you he was all bark and no bite, didn't I? All it took was one scare, and he folded like wet tissue!"

"Yay! That hundreds of thousands is all ours now!"

As I left the smoking lounge, I took out my phone and sent a text to headquarters. "Evaluation's over. Time to wrap things up."

When I returned to my desk, I wasn't surprised to find that I'd been locked out of my computer.

The screen was even flashing with a bright red "Access Denied" message.

Still, I had to admit that their tactics were more underhanded than I expected.

Shane swaggered over and looked down his nose at me. "Oh, goodness, James! I'm so, so sorry. You know how it is with my butterfingers. I slipped and accidentally deleted your account."

His mouth was blabbering words of apology, but the look on his face was pure schadenfreude.

"Well, you've already signed the resignation letter anyway. There's not really a point in keeping this computer lying around, wouldn't you say? You might as well pack up now and make room for your replacement." He even kicked the legs of my chair as he spoke.

Our colleagues all turned to look over, watching us curiously.

I didn't bother wasting my breath on him. Instead, I lowered my head and quietly packed up my personal belongings.

When Shane saw my lack of response, he assumed that I was intimidated. So, he became even more arrogant.

So, he said, "James, don't blame us for being ruthless. It's always the survival of the fittest in the workforce. When it comes to people like you, who coast on connections instead of merit… Well, you're bound to be weeded out sooner or later."

"Connections?" I paused mid-packing and looked up at him. "And whose connections did I rely on?"

"Quit playing dumb already."

Shane loomed closer as he deliberately raised his voice and declared, "Everyone in the company knows how you got hired. Do you really think you'd have kept your job for this long if you hadn't been that former female vice president's boy toy?"

"What he said. Also, you're always dressed so nicely, but… That watch right there is a fake, right? Let me guess. You had to save up all your money to keep your sugar mama happy?" Lila added, tittering mockingly.

I had to give it to them. Their smear campaign was no joke.

Not only did they just make others question my capabilities, but they'd also attacked my dignity as a man while they were at it.

Sure enough, the whispered discussion around us grew louder.

"So, he leeches off rich women? No wonder I never see him work overtime."

"You really can't judge a book by its cover."

I swept my gaze across their smug faces and couldn't help but find the entire thing absurd.

Back when they had begged me to save their arses, they said over and over how "James, you're such a stand-up guy" and "James, it's all thanks to you".

And now, they'd turned into a pack of rabid hyenas just for the sake of some paltry bonus.

"Are you done?"

I slid a document into my briefcase and rose to my full height at six-foot-one, instantly overwhelming Shane in sheer presence. "If you're done, then do us both a favor and get out of my way."

Chapter 3

"Who the hell do you think you're talking to?" Shane snapped in humiliation, shoving me hard in the chest.

Unfortunately for him, I was a year-rounder at the gym and was no feeble doormat. So, I barely budged, while he ended up stumbling back.

"Fuck! Clearly, we've been too nice to you! You think you can just walk away after this? Dream on! You'd better compensate us for the equipment you damaged before you go.

"I'm talking about that high-performance server we used for last week's demo. The motherboard's fried! You must've fried it because you didn't know what you were doing."

Shane then pointed at an old computer case gathering dust in the corner and barked, "Between the disassembly and repair costs, you owe the company 500 dollars!"

That machine was labeled as scrap long ago, and I'd been using it to prop up my monitor. I responded dryly, "That's a decommissioned piece of scrap from the warehouse."

"Save it! It was on your workstation, so you're responsible for it!" Kevin chimed in. "You can either pay up, or we'll call the cops on you right now! We'll report you for damaging company property! If you don't, you can forget about passing the background check for your next job."

To think that I'd once treated these two with utmost sincerity, viewing them as close friends.

They'd thrown away whatever modicum of shame they had in their bones just for 500 dollars.

"I don't have a single penny for the likes of you. So, go ahead and call the cops. I don't care."

Then, I picked up my briefcase and headed for the door.

Shane shot Kevin a look, and the two suddenly lunged at me, yanking violently at my briefcase.

During the struggle, the documents in my briefcase and my water bottle were left strewn on the floor… along with an external hard drive.

"What do we have here? My, my, James. How dare you save a copy of the company's confidential data without authorization!"

Shane pointed at the hard drive lying on the floor.

"Corporate spies are the scum of the industry! To think we used to think of you as a friend! I can't believe you'd turn out to be so dishonest!"

The crowd around us immediately started criticizing me.

"I'd never expected that from him. He looks so respectable, but it turns out he's a thief."

"I heard that he's been rather sticky-fingered way back when he was still in his old department."

"I can't believe that not only is he a sugar baby, but he's also a corporate spy!"

Shane and the others became even more emboldened when they saw how the crowd had turned against me.

Just then, a middle-aged woman in business attire strode over with a stern look on her face. "What's going on here?"

"Ms. Wallace!" Shane hastily scurried over to her and regaled her with a highly embellished version of the actual events.

Hortensia Wallace was the department manager and was infamous for being a social climber.

"Well, well! You dare commit theft right in front of me? James Connor, you've got some nerve!" she barked, utterly enraged.

Kevin sidled up to her and suggested maliciously, "Ms. Wallace, although we've recovered the hard drive, he might have already sent the data out. Why don't we destroy it just to be safe?"

Hortensia nodded. "You make a good point. We can't risk leaking such confidential information."

Once she gave the green light, Shane promptly raised my hard drive high in the air and brutally threw it against the ground. Then, he even stomped on it several times for good measure.

The external hard drive's casing cracked apart like an egg, scattering its parts everywhere.

My eyes turned flinty as the drive contained critical data that I hadn't had the chance to upload to the cloud.

These absolute imbeciles had no idea what they'd just destroyed.

"You'll pay for this," I said lowly.

Hortensia merely scoffed at me. "We'll pay? Please. You should be worrying about yourself."

Then, she turned to the guards and ordered. "Security! Throw him out. I want him out of my sight."

Two security guards stomped over and reached for my arms.

I shook them off and straightened my suit collar. "Don't touch me. I can leave without your help."

Lila kept snapping pictures of me with her phone, her lips flapping as she nattered, "Take a good look, everyone! This is what happens to corporate spies! Anyone who dares to hire him in the future might as well be letting a fox into the henhouse! Get lost, you loser!"

Kevin and his posse all raised their middle fingers at me, exaggerating their mouths as they hollered, "Get. The. Fuck. Out."

I smiled as I thought to myself, "Fine. Very well. Since you lot insist on salting the earth, don't blame me for not showing you any mercy."

"Sure. I'll go." I picked up my briefcase and walked away without a backward glance.

I sincerely hoped that these guys could continue grinning so brightly this time tomorrow.

Chapter 4

The next morning, the project acceptance meeting was held as scheduled at the company's largest conference room.

Although I'd been "sacked," I was still the project's team leader on paper. Therefore, my name remained on the client's guest list.

So, I deliberately wore my bespoke dark suit and arrived at the company entrance right on time.

Alas, I was stopped just as I got to the front desk.

Kevin was wearing an ill-fitting cheap suit and had his hair slicked back with gel. He was ordering Lila around, making her run around carrying materials.

When he saw me, he let out an exaggerated cry of surprise, "Hey now, if it isn't James the Jobless! What's this? Did you come back here to steal something even after you got yourself fired?"

The receptionist looked at me, clearly in a dilemma as she said, "James, Ms. Wallace instructed us not to allow you entry. She said she's deactivated your access card."

"You hear that? You're not welcome here!" Kevin crossed his arms over his chest and strutted over like a peacock, saying arrogantly, "Our boss right over from headquarters is coming over to personally inspect the project herself.

"None of us would be able to bear the consequences if a person with a stain on his record, like you, shows up and offends an important guest."

"The boss from headquarters, you say?"

"Scared yet?" Shane walked over to me as well, carrying a thick stack of documents in his hands. "I heard headquarters is taking this very seriously, what with Ms. Kingsley leading the team herself and all. So, we're going to meet Ms. Kingsley today.

"Once the acceptance meeting is over, we're sure to be given a raise and promoted. As for you…" He trailed off as he sized me up before scoffing derisively. "The only thing you're good for is standing at the door as the security guard."

"Why are you wasting your breath on him?" Lily urged impatiently. "Just get rid of him already. His mere presence is ruining the decor."

Kevin's eyes gleamed as he suddenly let out a chuckle. "What's the rush? Since he's already here, we might as well let him look around. We should let him watch with his own two eyes how we're going to collect our bonuses and how we're going to be commended for our hard work.

"Don't you think it'd be way more satisfying for him to see the sheer difference between our situations?"

Shane immediately understood what he was putting down. "I could always count on your sharp mind, Kevin. That's one way to twist the knife, alright."

And so, Kevin turned to the receptionist and said, "Let him in. We'll just say we hired him as a… porter. It's just as well, really. We do need someone to move the chairs in the conference room."

The receptionist didn't dare object and could only quietly open the door for me.

I didn't say anything. Instead, I simply strode right in.

The conference room was already packed like sardines.

The client's representatives and the company's executives were already there. Hortensia was also at the front, fussing over the equipment like the toady suck-up she was.

When she saw me enter, the fawning smile on her face fell. She was about to blow her top when Kevin immediately rushed over to whisper something in her ear.

After she heard him out, a cruel smile appeared on her lips.

"Since you're so eager to squeeze yourself dry, go stand over there. When Ms. Kingsley gets here, try to read the room and please her. Don't just stand there like a pile of dense bricks," she drawled, pointing at a corner piled with miscellaneous items.

Everyone in the conference room turned to look at me, their eyes filled with mockery and contempt.

I walked over to the corner, but I didn't move any equipment. Instead, I pulled out a spare chair next to the main table and naturally made myself comfortable there, crossing my legs while I was at it.

"Who told you that you could sit there?" Kevin bellowed angrily. "That's a seat reserved for the executives! Who do you think you are?"

"Get up right this instant! Go over there and do your job!" Shane rushed over and reached to yank me up.

Just then, the conference room doors were pushed wide open.

Chapter 5

A large group of people swept into the room.

The woman leading them possessed an overwhelming presence. She was none other than the CEO of the company, Renata Kingsley.

The entire room instantly fell silent as everyone rose to their feet, their faces painted with flattering smiles.

Hortensia even went as far as to jog over, saying ingratiatingly, "Ms. Kingsley, you're here! Please have a seat."

Kevin and the others hastily straightened their clothes and puffed out their chests, trying their best to play the part of elite employees as they looked at Renata eagerly.

Renata didn't even spare them a glance as she headed straight for the main seat.

However, her footsteps stuttered slightly when she passed by me.

Kevin noticed it immediately. He wasted no time leaping forward and reprimanding me hotly, "James, are you blind? How could you not stand up and greet Ms. Kingsley? How dare you sit there so arrogantly! Do you not have any sense of proper conduct?"

His loud outburst successfully drew Renata's attention.

Hortensia also blinked to awareness at his shout. Cold sweat instantly beaded her forehead as she pointed at me and yelled angrily, "Security! Where the hell are the guards? How could you let someone like him into the building? Hurry up and drag him out!"

Then, she turned to Renata and squeezed an apologetic smile on her face. "I sincerely apologize, Ms. Kingsley. This man is a former employee we just fired from our department. He's a dishonest thief and sick in the head. He's been refusing to leave.

"I'll have someone remove him immediately. We wouldn't want him to disturb you."

Kevin took advantage of the situation to add, "That's right, Ms. Kingsley. His name is James Connor. He used to be on the team for this project, but he did absolutely nothing. He even stole confidential data from us.

"His personal life is also a complete mess. He only got a job here by leeching off wealthy women. We only refrained from reporting him to the cops because we felt sorry for him. We didn't expect him to be so shameless."

Renata stopped in her tracks as she repeated, "Stole confidential data? Leeching off women?"

None could tell what she was feeling based on her voice.

Kevin assumed that Renata believed him.

So, he became even more enthusiastic in smearing my good name. "That's right! We even have proof of his misconduct! Not only did he steal, but he also tried to harass Ms. Wallace! He's been resentful ever since she rejected him. That's why he wants to sabotage the acceptance meeting today!"

"Employees like him are a liability to the company! He must be severely punished!" Shane shouted vehemently.

The three of them surrounded me as if I were some unforgivable criminal.

Shane, who was eager to impress the executives, reached out to grab my tie. "What are you still sitting there for? Hurry up and get lost!"

The second he touched my collar, I swiftly grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm behind his back.

"Ah!" Shane screeched in pain as he was forced to his knees.

I released him, rose to my feet, and calmly adjusted my suit. "That's the evidence you're talking about?" I swept my gaze over them, my eyes piercing.

"How preposterous!" Hortensia roared in a fit of fury. "How dare you assault someone in front of Ms. Kingsley! The nerve of you! Someone call the cops! Arrest him!"

The conference room descended into chaos.

Kevin shot me a gleeful look as he mouthed. "You're so dead."

Just as the guards were about to rush in and restrain me, Renata, who had been silent the entire time, finally spoke. "Stop."

She wasn't loud, but her voice carried a tone of unquestionable authority.

Everyone froze mid-movement.

Hortensia blinked at her dumbly. "Ms. Kingsley, why…"

Renata didn't even bother looking at her. Instead, she approached me.

Then, she nodded at me slightly and extended her right hand under everyone's astonished gazes. "Mr. Connor, thank you for all your hard work these past few months."