In the workplace, experiences like being targeted by a supervisor, unpaid internships, or even having to pay to work, and uncompensated overtime were all too common. In the end, it often came down to nothing but mental resilience.

Over the past year, I worked tirelessly from dawn to dusk.

Dad felt for me, so he promised to transfer the final nine million dollars to the company regardless of how the project turned out—all because he had my back.

When Dustin caught wind of this through the grapevine, he couldn't wait to claim the project's success as his own just days before my contract renewal.

Unfortunately, not only were there still unresolved bugs in the software, but Dad also had no intention of paying them the remaining funds.

What Dustin didn't know was that his threats meant nothing to me, as I could easily file a labor arbitration claim to recover my rightful wages.

The day after the incident, I decided to slack off and see what Dustin and his darling girlfriend could come up with.

After all, we were the generation known for taking the path of least resistance. Thus, staying true to the art of doing the bare minimum, I began clocking in and out exactly on time.

Instead of actually working, I just relaxed at my desk and scrolled through short videos to pass the time.

On the third day, just as I was about to leave right on the dot, Sandy slammed a USB drive onto my desk.

Probably still holding a grudge from our confrontation the other day, she pointed at me and yelled, "Brooke, why didn't you tell me there were still bugs in the software? Did you do this on purpose?"

I glanced at her and replied innocently, "That's because you never asked. Since you didn't, why should I say anything? After all, I've already handed over all the files.

"Besides, there were clearly gaps in the code. Don't tell me you didn't notice? Anyway, I've got to head home now and binge-watch some shows in bed."

With that, I turned and dashed off, completely ignoring Sandy's furious shrieks behind me.

…

At exactly 8:00 am, I clocked in right on time.

Slumping into my office chair, I saw there were hardly any documents left on my desk.

With no work to do for now, I picked up my phone and started playing ranked matches.

My colleague from the next cubicle, Candice Burch, spotted me and immediately leaned over to relay a message from Dustin.

"Brooke, last night Ms. Richmond went to complain to Mr. Kline. The client said they specifically want you involved in the project, and Mr. Kline agreed. You're also expected to attend the project meeting this morning."

I totally tuned her out and kept playing my game. To me, she looked like a throwback to some old-time servant in a wealthy household, acting all arrogant and entitled for no reason.

Right as my team was closing in on the enemy's base and we were moments away from winning, I heard Sandy's shrill screech cut through.

"Brooke, are you deaf? Can't you see the client specifically asked you to report on the project progress? How dare you make everyone wait for you?"

Only after finishing my ranked match did I slowly look up, casually digging my ear.

"God, that was loud. If I didn't know any better, I'd think someone was slaughtering a pig. Ms. Richmond, getting angry so early in the morning isn't good for your health, you know."

Usually, everyone was used to Sandy's habit of shouting and making a scene whenever something happened, and they would quietly go about their work without daring to speak up.

But now, things were different. I had already been kicked out of the project team by Dustin, so at most, they would just gossip behind my back.

I strolled leisurely to the conference room door and took a closer look. Well, well, it was a room full of familiar faces.

I took my seat with practiced ease and opened my game before greeting the client's representatives with a friendly smile.

"Here's the thing—I'm no longer the project lead, so the new project lead will handle the reporting from now on. Ms. Richmond, please go ahead. As the lead, you should give a proper presentation."

Sandy's face visibly paled. She had no idea how to present the report at all.

Dustin hadn't expected me to completely step back and not care at all.

He and Sandy exchanged uneasy glances, clearly at a loss.

The client's representatives looked at each other before one spoke up.

"In that case, let's have Ms. Richmond go over the project progress."

Sandy hesitated and stumbled over her words, too afraid to admit she didn't yet have a full grasp of the project.

As she passed by me, I couldn't resist giving her a cheeky, insincere cheer.

Sandy forced her way through the presentation, stumbling and fumbling from start to finish.

Then came the Q&A session.

"Ms. Richmond, we'd like to understand more about the bugs you mentioned earlier—specifically, which ones are currently unresolved?"

"Uh, it has to do with incomplete scenario restoration in some areas," Sandy stammered.

"A friendly reminder, Ms. Richmond—we'd like to know about all of them."

Sandy stood stiffly in place, silently pleading with me to step in and save the situation. Sitting nearby, Dustin also shot me a meaningful glance.

Oh, God. This was so boring. I might as well stare at the ceiling to pass the time.

As the client's representatives continued to ask questions, Sandy kept dodging and downplaying the issues, which only made them grow even more dissatisfied.

Their questions grew sharper and more pointed.

By the time the meeting ended and the client's representatives left, they had made it clear—both directly and indirectly—that Sandy was clearly inadequate. This earned me a fierce glare from Dustin.

After the meeting ended, Dustin hastily called for another one.

"Lately, some of you have been not only slacking off at work but also clocking in and out right on the minute. That's downright unacceptable. You young people should work hard. This company hired you to work, and that paycheck is what lets you establish yourselves in society!"

"Yeah, we should totally do that since we get paid extra for coming early and staying late," I muttered sarcastically under my breath.

…

The entire meeting was filled with nothing but empty motivational talk and lofty ideals. The whole tone of the discussion was dripping with passive-aggressiveness, clearly aimed at getting under my skin.

At 5:00 pm, Sandy called me into her office and reluctantly asked for my help.

"Brooke, what does this line of code mean?"

When I saw the code snippet, I almost laughed out loud.

Her fake smile was barely holding up. "It's just been so long, so I can't remember the details clearly anymore."

Sure, sure. It had been "so long" since she graduated that she couldn't even understand the most basic C programming language.

Sandy spent the whole time asking questions but never got to the point.

At 5:59 pm, I dragged Candice into the office.

"Ms. Richmond, it's almost time for me to clock out. But Candice here would be more than happy to stay and work overtime with you, so I'll be heading out now."

Before either of them could say anything, I rushed downstairs as fast as I could.

Just as I reached the entrance of the company, Dustin's call came through.

I held the phone away from my ear as he shouted, "Brooke, how can you just leave when everyone else is busy fixing bugs? Get back here right now! The launch is only a few days away! Do you even care about getting ahead?

"I want all the bugs fixed in three days! You are to come back now and work overtime!"

"Mr. Kline, isn't Ms. Richmond still there? And there's still a week left. You should trust in her ability. I'm sure she can pull it off."

Dustin was briefly stunned into silence, only to erupt into shouting again moments later.

"I'm ordering you—get back here and work overtime now! Otherwise, you can forget about getting paid!"

For someone in charge, he was surprisingly out of the loop. Had he really not realized my contract was about to expire?

Moreover, what kind of boss tried to squeeze an employee dry right before their term ended instead of talking things over properly to keep them around?

"Hello? Mr. Kline? Mr. Kline, are you there? Hello?" I ended the call with a sly smile and switched it to "Do Not Disturb" mode.

I decided to treat myself and took my parents out for a shopping spree.

During the workweek, to ensure I could work with a peace of mind, I would wake up each morning with one thought only—get to work. I couldn't even count how many late nights I pulled.

The moment my alarm went off, I would wash my face, brush my teeth, throw on some clothes, and head straight out the door. There was never any time to dress up properly.

Seeing how worn out I had become, my mother, Melissa Hart, whisked me off to a beauty salon. Dad, for his part, was perfectly content to just tag along and pay the bill.

Looking at my well-groomed reflection in the mirror, I truly was the epitome of fair skin, delicate features, and long legs.

The feeling of having shifted the pressure onto someone else left me refreshed and clear-headed.

The company was still in its startup phase, and Dustin was a total slave-driver. He preached unpaid overtime and routinely worked fresh interns to the point of quitting.

It was clear proof that an inability to lead only guaranteed a crushing workload.

Over the next two days, no matter how much Sandy and Dustin ranted and raved, I let their words go in one ear and out the other. I watched as everyone else was dragged into the abyss of another late night.

Two days before the launch, Candice finally broke under the relentless pressure from Sandy and Dustin.

She came to me in tears. "Brooke, you're our only hope. We've managed to fix most of the bugs somehow, but there's still one left. Please, you have to help us!"

I couldn't help but chuckle as I gently pried her hands off my shoulders.

"What's the rush? If you can fix the other bugs, you can definitely handle the last one too. Have faith in Ms. Richmond's abilities. If she says it can be done, then it will be. Just relax."

Just then, Sandy strode over with a look of pure triumph. There was none of the usual frantic exhaustion from all-night debugging sessions on her face.

Following close behind her was a gaunt-faced man and a beaming Dustin.

She shot me a haughty glance before turning her attention to Candice.

"No need to beg her for help, as I've already taken care of it," Sandy reprimanded.

She looked arrogantly confident, as if she already had victory in her grasp.

"Brooke, you really shouldn't be so arrogant. Look, we can manage perfectly well without you. Behind me is Johnny Wright, the company's new hire. He'll be taking over the duties you previously handled.

"Candice, you'll be shadowing Johnny. I want you to watch closely and learn exactly how this job is supposed to be done."

Candice scurried after the two of them like an eager puppy. "Yes, Ms. Richmond!"

I thought they had actually solved the problem themselves, but it turned out they just found someone else to do the work.

Well then, best of luck to Sandy.

After I complained about everything at home, even if the project turned out somewhat decent, the company still wouldn't get the remaining payment.

As a man who tolerated no flaws, Dad would never accept a project with even the slightest imperfection.

Just when I had started to believe they might actually fix that bug, the fiasco on the launch day proved I had overestimated them.

After the three of them left, Dustin called me into his office.

I had barely taken my seat when he slid a new employment contract toward me.