Year after year, George made promises that never materialized. Yet in the end, everyone tolerated it simply because he had said, "I'll make it up a little in the year-end bonus."

I clenched my fists, holding back my anger. "Mr. White, you promised that since we didn't get a raise at mid-year, the year-end bonus would make up for it!"

He slammed the teacup down hard. "Zachary! Mind your tone! The company has its assessment system. The administrative department doesn't have performance targets. Rewards are based on contribution, and you're at the bottom. What's the issue with that?"

I tried to argue. "But in previous years—"

"Previous years are previous years!" George cut me off. "For the company to grow, we have to reform. From now on, the administrative department has to learn to manage costs on its own. Don't expect the company to cover everything."

I rose to my feet. "I see. The administrative department is disposable in your eyes."

"I never said that," George replied.

"I don't need you to say it. Your actions speak for themselves," I said, then turned and walked away.

"Stop!" George snapped. "Zachary, you've been an administrative manager for eight years. How can you have no sense of perspective and throw a fit over a smaller year-end bonus? How do you think other departments will see the administrative system?"

I turned back to meet his gaze. "Mr. White, I may not have perspective, but my team is counting on that year-end bonus for the holidays. Caleb's wife has a follow-up exam. Julius is getting married. Renold promised to take his parents to the doctor—"

"That's their personal business. What does that have to do with the company?" George said, waving his hand impatiently. "This isn't a charity. We can't just hand out extra money because employees have personal problems. If you're unhappy, go take it up with the Department of Labor and see if they'll even take it seriously!"

I froze. He had no sense of decency at all.

"Fine. I'll ask them," I said.

George smirked. "Go ahead. But if you make a scene, don't expect to stay in this field for long."

I said nothing more and slammed the door behind me.

As I left George's office, I ran into HR director Bill Kennedy in the hallway. He grinned and patted me on the shoulder like we were old friends. "Zach, perfect timing. Come on, let's talk in my office."

I didn't refuse. Bill poured me a cup of tea and sat down across from me.

He frowned and asked, "Why bother with all this?"

I looked up at him, with disbelief written all over my face.

"Bill, my team is counting on that year-end bonus. Caleb's wife has a liver condition and has been on conservative treatment. He wants to take her to a major hospital in Stonebridge before the year ends. Julius had only just found a wife in his 30s and was counting on the year-end bonus to throw a proper wedding celebration.

"Renold promised his mom a trip to Florencia this year. She has rheumatism and can't handle the cold northern winter. However, the company isn't a charity. They follow the rules. They won't hand out extra bonuses just because employees have personal issues."

Bill waved it off casually, flicking ash from his cigarette. "Fine. We won't talk about their personal issues."

I pulled out a chair and sat down, opening my phone. "Let's talk about contributions. The annual review placed the administrative department at the bottom. Distribution is supposed to reflect contribution, and we got nothing. It's time to tally up exactly what the department has done."

I pulled up work emails. "The company signed 63 contracts this year. The approval process, stamping, and filing of every single contract were handled by our department. If we had outsourced it to a law firm, each contract would have cost 3,000 dollars for the process alone. That's nearly 200,000 dollars for 63 contracts.

"Last year, the company passed the environmental review thanks to our department, which made over 20 trips to the city government office and prepared hundreds of documents over the course of three months. Outsourcing would have cost at least 150,000 dollars.

"Then there's supplier management. We maintain relationships with 47 long-term suppliers. For 12 of them, we negotiated payment terms from 30 days to 60 days. How much cash flow did that save the company?

"There are four of us in administration. Our average monthly salary is 6,000 dollars, making annual labor costs about 360,000 dollars. Any single item I just mentioned alone exceeds that number. Is that really nothing?"

Bill was at a loss for words. After a long pause, he said, "It's not that you haven't contributed, but the administrative department doesn't generate direct revenue. On the financial reports, it's pure expense…"

I let out a cold laugh. "Then let's look at the workload."

I brought up the attendance records.

"Over the past year, each admin team member averaged 42 hours of overtime every month. During the National Day move, we worked 72 hours straight without rest, hauling heavy loads. When clients showed up unexpectedly at Thanksgiving, we handled everything ourselves, from airport pickups, lodging, meals, and meeting room setups. We didn't even have time to eat.

"And no, we didn't get any overtime pay, comp time, or extra allowance. That means we were effectively making 18 dollars an hour. Even a convenience store clerk earns 22 dollars an hour."

I paused, stressing every word. "18 dollars an hour for grueling, stressful work, and at year's end, they give us a broom as a token of appreciation. Bill, does that seem fair to you?"

Bill's face darkened, and he withdrew his hand from mine. "Zach, don't just focus on your own contributions. Look at the bigger picture. Sales and marketing contribute far more than you do."

I stood up and let out a cold snort.

"What exactly did they contribute? You mean dragging through reimbursements? The administrative department fronted reimbursements for other departments all year, and there's still over 80,000 dollars unpaid! Finance refuses to approve them, citing procedural issues. What are those procedural issues exactly? Last year, it was done the same way!

"On top of that, the planning department under Mr. White's nephew managed only three proposals, one of which caused a client complaint for plagiarism. They paid 50,000 dollars in PR fees, which came straight out of our budget. Is that what you call a contribution?"

My anger flared as I continued, "And your HR team? They spend all their time making attendance sheets and issuing fines—50 dollars for being a minute late, 100 dollars for forgetting to clock in, 50 dollars for untidy desks. Last year, they raked in over 30,000 dollars in fines. Where did that money go?"

I let out a cold laugh. "Well done, all you so-called great contributors! If the company thinks the administrative department contributes nothing, don't expect us to work overtime for free anymore! We're honest, but that doesn't mean we're stupid. You can only feed people so many empty promises before even fools know they're fake!"

Ignoring Bill's sullen expression, I turned and left. Behind me, a teacup shattered on the floor. Bill's so-called goodwill was just him playing George's messenger. At the end of the day, there was no way I could believe this year's annual meeting arrangements happened without Bill's hand in it.

Back in the administrative office, all three pairs of eyes were on me.

My nose tingled, and I forced the emotions back down. I opened my mouth but couldn't get a word out.

Julius smiled wryly and plopped into a chair. "Judging by that look, I guess we didn't get anything out of it. Forget it. I'll handle the wedding somehow. Worst case, I'll just borrow a bit."

Renold wiped his face hard. "Everyone just pitched in a bit for me. Let's get my mom a regular appointment first. Specialist appointments can wait."

Caleb didn't say a word. He stared at his phone, likely letting his wife know the follow-up had to be delayed.

They forced down their resentment and sorrow, swallowing it along with every ounce of hurt.

I tightened my fists. "Caleb, you've got a contact in HR, right?"

Caleb nodded. "Louis Jackerman. Why?"

I looked up. "Ask him if the company has made any moves recently."

Caleb sent a message immediately. Minutes later, his expression changed drastically. "Zach, Louis said Mr. White has been planning to replace our department for a while. He's unhappy that our salaries have been capped for three years and still won't go lower. He wants a batch of cheap, fresh graduates instead."

Caleb gritted his teeth and slammed his phone on the table. "Bill had the legal team start preparing materials. If we dare make a fuss, they'll dig into every account we've handled, from supplier kickbacks to reimbursement irregularities. A few charges like that would be enough to ruin us."

I said, "This time, we're not letting it slide."

My voice was rough, and my eyes were filled with a fierce resolve born of desperation.

Caleb looked up. "Zach, do you remember Mr. Derrick Jones from Redex Group? He called me last week. Redex is expanding, and their administrative team is short-staffed. He asked if I'd be interested."

I asked, "What did you say?"

Caleb gave a wry smile. "I didn't commit. I said I'd think about it. If I'd known it would come to this, I should've just said yes."

I said, "It's not too late. Call and find out how many people they can bring on board."

Caleb frowned. "Wait, you mean all of us together?"

I nodded. "Worth a try. If it doesn't pan out, we'll deal with it afterward."

Caleb immediately pulled out his phone. "I'll call right now."

Julius' eyes lit up. "Zach, Redex Group is one of the top companies in the industry. If we can get in…"

I cut him off. "Don't get excited yet. This has to stay secret. Before we officially resign, the company can't know our plans."

Julius asked, "Why not?"

I said, "Mr. White holds grudges like nothing else. Back when he was starting out, he took Mr. Jones' clients, and they've been at each other ever since. If he learns we're all jumping to Redex, he won't let it slide."

Julius nodded. "Got it. Zach, take the lead."

Caleb was on the phone for half an hour. When he came back, he was smiling.

"Mr. Jones said Redex is setting up a new administrative center and needs a full team. We can all move over if we want."

I asked, "What about the compensation?"

Caleb replied, "Base salary would be 30% higher than what we have now. Annual bonuses are paid quarterly in advance, and full benefits are covered. They can even schedule interviews as early as next week."

Renold jumped to his feet. "Seriously?"

Caleb nodded. "Mr. Jones said it himself. How could it be fake?"

Julius slapped his thigh. "What are we waiting for? Let's do it!"

I raised my hand to stop him. "Hold on. A few things need to be sorted first. First, organize all our materials—backup and photograph everything necessary.

"Second, continue working normally. Don't give anything away. Only once the interviews are done and the offers confirmed do we move.

"Third, ensure we have written confirmation of our resignation compensation. N+1 is the legal minimum—no exceptions. Lastly…"

I paused briefly and said, "The company's books aren't clean, and we have leverage we can use."

The three of them turned to look at me.

I continued, "Last year, all of Mr. White's personal dinners were run through us so he could claim them on company accounts. Have you forgotten? He even brought his mistress to Florencia, and every flight and hotel was charged to the company."

Julius drew a sharp breath. "Fake invoices…"

I added, "It's not just that. Three of the suppliers on the company list are actually companies run by Mr. White's brother-in-law. Every year, millions move through those accounts without any actual business. This is related-party transactions, possibly even misappropriation of company assets."

Caleb's face darkened. "Zach, are you saying…"

I looked at him. "I haven't said anything. I'm just reminding you to keep everything safe. We might need proof someday, and it's better to be prepared."

They all nodded silently, understanding exactly what I meant.

Over the next week, our transition was carefully organized.

Redex Group treated it seriously. Mr. Jones personally arranged the interviews, and all four of us passed. The offers came through, and the start date was set for early next month, perfectly aligned with our resignation plans.

I thought everything was under control—until Friday afternoon, when Mr. White suddenly tagged everyone in the company chat.

"We have an all-hands meeting at 3:00 pm. The entire administrative department must attend, and there will be important personnel announcements."

My heart sank.

At 3:00 pm sharp, the meeting room was packed. George stood at the front, and beside him was a young man I didn't recognize. He wore gold-rimmed glasses and was impeccably dressed, radiating the polished air of someone who had studied abroad.

"I've called everyone here today to share an important announcement," George said.