After that incident, not one of them covered for me. They even blamed me for being so useless, saying I had ruined their fun by passing out after only a few days of work.

Thinking about it now, I really had been a fool.

"In your dreams!" I said as I looked back at him one last time before walking away.

I had been a fool for so many years, and it was finally time to wake up.

Despite leaving without hesitation, Bob's words kept echoing in my head. Eva, my sister… Her medical bills for the month weighed on me like a mountain to the point that I could barely breathe.

After thinking it over, I decided to collect this month's pay first. At the very least, I was not going to let the company keep what it owed me.

Once I made up my mind, I headed straight for my workstation.

When I passed by Kyle's office, I heard shouting and yelling from inside.

"What did you say? Dean actually asked how much all of you are making? Is he trying to start a rebellion?!"

Kyle slammed the desk so hard it shook.

Then came Bob's sneaky voice. "Yes. The second I heard him say that, I came to report it to you. I was afraid he might resign."

Kyle laughed, his voice full of mockery. "Him? If he really had the nerve to resign, I would at least respect him for being a real man. He talks all day about treating his sister, but he can barely afford her medicine now. Every dollar he has made has been turned into my luxury cars and mansions instead."

My heart sank even lower now.

Back then, I had chosen to follow Kyle and struggle with him from the days of being a start-up because he had promised to help me treat my sister.

I had stayed with the company until it became public until now. And yet, Kyle was spending money left and right. Meanwhile, me? Other than being plagued by work-related sickness, I had gained nothing. My salary had even kept dropping.

Bob was still buttering him up. "That just proves how brilliant you are, Mr. Brown. With the salary secrecy rule in place, no matter how suspicious Dean gets, he has no way to find out what everyone really makes. He can only stay here as cheap labor."

Kyle patted Bob on the shoulder. "Exactly. But you also did well by reacting quickly this time. Keep working hard for me, and I'll give you a raise next month."

Bob thumped his chest loudly. "Of course. If Dean is slacking off, I'll tell you right away."

I almost lost control, and I could only lean against the wall. I had been desperate to earn enough money for Eva's treatment, but that had simply become a weakness they used to control me.

Of course, they would throw all the dirty work at me, while promotions and raises had nothing to do with me.

All this illness that plagued me was what I deserved.

Suddenly, I heard soft footsteps approaching me. I turned and saw my intern, Sam. I had always thought he was kind and had real potential. Now… I was no longer sure.

Even he had lied to me.

It was my own fault for being blind and mistaking all the malevolent people for decent people. Without what happened today, I never would have seen their true colors.

In the past, Bob would occasionally lend me a hand when I worked. That tiny gesture had moved me more than I wanted to admit. But the work I was working on had been his to begin with, and Bob had only been putting on an act.

I looked at Sam warily, but he simply grabbed my sleeve and pulled me into a hidden corner. His eyes lit up as he looked at me. "You've finally seen those people's true colors, right?"

Only then did I realize he had tossed me his phone on purpose.

If they kept on deceiving me, Sam would have been one of the people benefiting from it. Yet, he had chosen to warn me.

I asked in surprise, "What exactly are you trying to do?"

What he said next caught me completely off guard.

Sam began by saying, "You saw that recruitment post from two days ago, didn't you? I sent that."

I looked Sam up and down. No matter how I looked at him, he was still the same kid.

Seeing my confusion, Sam explained the truth. He was actually the boss of a competing company. However, his family was the one that had placed him there. He was worried he could not handle the shrewd senior employees inside the company, so he wanted to find a few allies ahead of time.

I had naturally caught his attention, since I had led my team in taking several projects from his company.

That was why he had hidden his identity and come here undercover. He wanted to see what I could do and poach me at the same time.

I was almost speechless. Then, I said, "For a CEO, you're really hands-on. You even have to poach your own people in person."

Sam scratched his head in embarrassment. "I mean, my family practically kicked me out for not achieving anything, but don't worry. I still have plenty of resources. You won't get the short end of the stick."

That almost made me laugh. I would never doubt a nepobaby born with a silver spoon in his mouth when it came to the sheer amount of resources they had access to.

Still, I had just woken up from years of being lied to. I no longer dared to trust anyone so easily. So, I tested him with a sneer, "From what you're saying, your situation doesn't look good. In that case, I'm going to ask for something outrageous."

Sam's tone turned serious. "What do you want? I'll do my best to get it for you."

His solemn expression startled me, so I tested him again. "I want five percent of the shares that you own. The team I lead must also have full autonomy. Executives can't interfere with my work."

I thought he would reject me immediately. But to my surprise, he let out a sigh of relief instead, and a sly smile appeared on his face. "That's all? Dean, your ability is worth those terms. Besides, I was ready to offer you fifteen percent of the shares I control."

My chest tightened.

So… There really were people who could see what I was capable of and tell me with certainty that I was worth it.

I thought back to when I first joined this company. The team had not even gotten off the ground, and I was the one running around alone, bringing in projects and solving problems.

Meanwhile, Kyle would simply sit back and relax with tea in his hand. "Keep it up, Dean! This is all part of your job, so don't slack off! Also, I'm out of my premium tea. Remember to buy me a few more packs."

I had long since gotten used to Kyle saying things like that.

The team's afternoon snacks, his premium tea, and every other extra expense had to be paid by me first. If I refused, I had no team spirit. But once I paid, I never got the money back.

I had gone to finance more than once, but they and Kyle kept passing me back and forth.

"Those were Mr. Brown's personal requests. They aren't company expenses, so they can't be reimbursed. If you want your money back, please ask Mr. Brown."

"Those were company expenses, so of course they go through finance. Go ask them for it."

I had been played for years. In the end, it was the boss of the competing company who was now telling me that I was worth it.

Looking at the light in Sam's eyes, I laughed softly. It was aimed at myself, but it was also one of relief.

"Alright. I accept," I said.

I also wanted to see how this company could keep running without me.

Before I could finish packing my things and hand in my resignation letter, Kyle called me into his office.

He started, "Dean, I heard you've had some complaints about the company lately?"

"I don't just have some complaints about the company. I have a lot of..." But before I could finish, Kyle held my shoulder.

"I knew it. You're always loyal to the company. Don't listen to the rumors out there. If something's bothering you, don't bottle it up," Kyle said to me after cutting me off.

A mocking smile appeared on my lips. Would saying anything change a thing? I then said, "Why don't we start with a promotion first, then? I think the position of departmental head suits me. Also, when are you giving me a raise?"

Kyle's smile remained, as if he had prepared an answer just for this. "I know things are getting hard for you, but there are so many young people in the company. We have to give them a chance to prove themselves, right? There's no rush on your promotion or raise. You're a senior employee. Do you really think I would mistreat you?"

Just another empty promise.

I crossed my arms and said, "Fine. Then I'll hand my projects over to them. I won't handle them anymore."

Kyle's smile finally faltered. "That won't do. You're the person I value most in this company. From now on, you're the sales manager. You can't only think about yourself in the future. You need to think about the team's performance, too."

I was a little confused. Since when did the company even have a sales manager position?

I did not dwell on it and asked my next question. "Then what about my salary increment?"

Kyle's smile completely vanished now.

"Dean, now you're just asking for too much. You must treat the company like your own home. We can discuss your raise slowly after this."

I lost all of my patience. "If there's nothing else, I'm going to leave now."

Suddenly, he grabbed my hand with a malicious smile on his lips. "Why the rush? The company still has a staff meeting after this. You can't miss it."

When I arrived at the conference room, my heart sank.

The entire room was packed. Kyle had probably called in every employee in the company.

He was giving a speech onstage at the moment. "Today, we're here to award bonuses to our outstanding employees."

Bob was one of the employees chosen. He received a five-thousand-dollar bonus.

The first part of the meeting went by quickly.

When the meeting was almost at the end, Kyle returned to the stage.

I instinctively knew something was wrong. Sure enough, Kyle turned his malice on me. "Lastly, there's one major highlight left in today's meeting. Let's invite our manager, Mr. Dean Rivers, up on stage."

I was hiding in the crowd, but he personally came down from the stage and dragged me to the front by force.

"Everyone, take a good look. This is our company's famous top salesman, Dean Rivers. Today, he suddenly came to my office and demanded a promotion to manager. Otherwise, he said he wouldn't work for the company anymore. But he's our top salesman, so I had no choice but to agree." As he spoke, he pinned a gaudy flower to my chest.

"Don't be fooled by how unimpressive he looks. Who would've thought he cared so much about status? Starting today, don't call him by his name anymore. Call him Mr. Manager. Come on, repeat after me. Hello, Mr. Manager!"

"Hello, Mr. Manager!" After everyone shouted along, Kyle looked at me with a dry smile. "Come up and say a few words, won't you? Weren't you acting so indomitable in my office just now?"

He was mocking me. He wanted to isolate me inside the company.

My hands trembled, and I could barely force a smile.

Kyle seemed very satisfied when he saw me like that and called the photographer over. "Let's take a photo today to mark the occasion!"

The moment the shutter clicked, something was placed in front of me.

Kyle took the photo from the photographer and handed it to me. "What do you think of this photo, Mr. Manager?"