Since I've spent a few minutes using the toilet during work hours, I only receive 3500 dollars despite my salary being 20 thousand dollars.

I confront my boss, Vivian Dune, immediately. Although she seems fair and just on the outside, she adopts a passive-aggressive attitude with me.

"The security footage from last month shows that you've used the toilet for 40 minutes altogether. Don't tell me you're working there, right?

"It'll be 500 dollars for every minute you spend in the toilet. That's the new rule of the company. Since you're a veteran employee, you should be the one taking the lead. Honestly, I already went easy on you."

I'm a veteran employee who has been working at this company for ten years. Each business deal that I've closed brings the company at least 100 million dollars worth of revenue.

But now, I get robbed of my most basic right as a human.

Seeing my lack of response, Vivian flashes me a venomous smile.

"If you really don't want to work here, you might as well leave. Do you seriously think we need you? Don't forget that your five-year contract isn't up yet. Who in this industry will want to hire you next?"

I don't argue with her any further. But when my contract, which only has five days left, comes to an end, she's the one panicking instead.

My manager was still going on and on.

"Sadie Lawson, you've been at this company for years now. You should know how things work, shouldn't you?

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a job right now? I'm only docking your pay because we go way back. If it were anyone else, I would've told them to pack their things and get out a long time ago!"

I couldn't help but laugh at that. I'd spent five years at this company, giving everything I had, spending every single day focused on landing new deals.

With my track record, plenty of companies were willing to pay the penalty just to poach me, but I never once entertained the thought of leaving out of loyalty. Even with only five days left on my contract, my plan had been to renew. But now, there was no point anymore.

That offensive pay stub was flung at me without an ounce of respect.

"Think it over carefully. Stay or go?"

I picked up the slip of paper and said flatly, "Understood. I won't use the restroom during work hours anymore."

She froze for a moment, clearly not expecting me to take it lying down. But after getting a good look at the defeated expression on my face, she smiled, thoroughly pleased with herself.

"That's more like it. Not a single minute should be wasted."

Just before I reached the door, she threw one last jab. "I don't know what certain nobodies think they're proving. You can talk all you want in my office, but at the end of the day, you still scurry back to your desk like a good little dog.

"God, I can't stand people who put on airs."

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I just walked away.

Outside the office, everyone was in high spirits over payday. Seeing that I wasn't in the best mood, a few coworkers offered me some snacks.

But the company's new intern, Hailey Dune, was a different story entirely. She walked past me without a word, and, without asking, snatched my pay stub right off my desk. After reading it, she let out an exaggerated gasp.

"Oh my god, Sadie, you only got 3,500 dollars? That's less than what I spend on a pair of shoes!

"Aren't you supposed to be the company's star performer? Look how far you've fallen."

She passed the pay stub around for everyone to see, repeating herself over and over. "Sadie, did you mess up big time or something? That's seriously all you got?"

A colleague, Wendy Porter, asked with genuine concern. "Sadie, why did they only give you this much? Did they make a mistake?"

I forced a smile in her direction. "Spend one minute in the restroom, and you'll get a 500 dollar fine."

Confusion spread across her face. "What kind of nonsense is that? The company's never had a rule like that."

My expression froze.

"Alright, everyone, listen up."

Our manager, Vivian Dune, sauntered out of her office. She put on an air of authority, acting as though nothing were out of the ordinary.

"New company policy, everyone. For every minute you spend in the restroom, you'll get a 500 dollar fine.

"We already ran a trial on our team lead, Sadie, this month, and it worked wonderfully. Starting next month, it will go into full effect for everyone.

"Oh, and one more thing. Certain people shouldn't think that just because they've been here a while, they can boss others around. Do your own work and follow company rules."

With that, Vivian patted me on the shoulder. "Sadie, just bear with it, alright?"

I stood frozen in place for the longest time, unable to process what had just happened. So that was what this was really about. She'd been targeting me from the start.

I was the only one getting my pay docked, and that little comment about bossing people around was aimed squarely at me.

But she had a conveniently short memory. There were only five days left on my five-year contract. And the one who'd been bossed around and run ragged all this time? That was me.

Fine then. She couldn't blame me for not being sentimental about it.

With that thought, I pulled up the message from a rival company that came in last night and typed back, "I'll be leaving in five days. I'll be there to start on time."

The person on the other end was thrilled, clearly not expecting me to accept. Out of caution, I asked about the salary and benefits.

The reply came almost instantly. "Don't worry. As long as you do good work, you name your price."

I stared at that message and let out a long, slow breath.

I still worked diligently through the rest of the afternoon, though my efficiency took a noticeable hit after being banned from the restroom. But what could I do? Company policy was company policy.

Around 5:00 pm, someone came by to ask me to help negotiate with a client. They said this one was difficult, and I was the only person who could handle it.

If this were before, I would've agreed without a second thought. I used to believe the company was a team, and if the company did well, I did well. So whenever anyone came to me, as long as it was for the company's benefit, I helped out, even if it left me completely drained.

But after being singled out with that new policy, it started to dawn on me. I was just an employee. If I ran myself into the ground, who was going to feel sorry for me?

I wasn't going to be that naive anymore.

I put on a timid expression. "Sorry, I really can't."

"Why not?"

"Weren't you listening this morning? Using the restroom gets you fined now. If I leave with you, what happens when she thinks I'm slacking off on company time?

"My paycheck is barely anything as it is. Dock it again and I'll owe them money. I've only got myself to feed, but I'd at least like to be able to afford that much."

She went quiet after hearing my explanation, and eventually left without pressing the issue.

At 7:00 pm, I shut down my computer right on time. Without everyone else's messes to clean up, my actual workload turned out to be surprisingly light.

So this was what it felt like not to carry everyone on my back. It felt amazing.

I walked out of the office with a spring in my step. The evening breeze brushed against my face, and it felt wonderful.

I didn't bother calling a cab. Instead, I grabbed one of those rental bikes on the sidewalk and pedaled toward the market.

I couldn't help but marvel at the fact that in five whole years of working here, this was one of the rare times I could actually take my time going home. I honestly didn't know how I'd survived the way I'd been living.

Once I got home, I cooked myself a proper meal and took a long, hot shower. I picked out a show to watch, then sat down to eat.

The food I cooked myself was actually good—nothing overcooked or tasteless, just simple dishes done exactly the way I liked.

For years, I'd been wining and dining clients to close deals, eating at odd hours and drinking too much, until it all caught up to me and wrecked my stomach. But from now on, I was going to take care of myself.

After dinner, I was just about to order groceries for the next day when I noticed my phone had completely blown up. There were video calls, work group chats, messages from coworkers, and even text messages. Every single notification showed 99+.

I tapped into one of the group chats and found it flooded with people demanding I call back.

"Urgent!"

"Vivian is furious. Call back now!"

Right on cue, Vivian's call came through. I thought about it for a moment, then decided to pick up.

The second the line connected, a torrent of screaming hit me.

"Sadie Lawson! Where the hell are you? You had the nerve to leave before finishing your work! That's a thousand-dollar fine!"

I kept my voice steady. "Vivian, let's be clear about something. My work was finished. I sent the completed checklists to everyone, and they can all confirm that.

"Besides, I actually stayed a few extra minutes out of respect for the fact that you're my boss."

"But don't worry about paying me for those extra minutes. I've always been reasonable like that."

The moment those words left my mouth, I felt a weight lift off my chest.

The line went dead silent for a long time, like the calm before a downpour.

While I waited, I scrolled through the work group chat to catch up. It turned out that without me there to help, the negotiation with that client fell apart completely. The company took a massive loss over it, and the owner personally called Vivian to chew her out.

On top of that, since I hadn't picked up any of the miscellaneous tasks people usually dumped on me, everyone's workload shot up overnight. Nobody could adjust, and productivity tanked across the board. By the end of the day, the entire office was in shambles.

It wasn't until they were truly desperate that they started calling me. But I'd already turned on "Do Not Disturb" after clocking out, so I never got a single one.

Vivian stayed quiet on the line for what felt like forever. Finally, she forced the words out through gritted teeth. "Fine. I got it, Sadie. Just make sure you're at your desk on time tomorrow."

I knew she was up to something, but I didn't care anymore. I was almost out the door for good. There wasn't much she could do to me now.

The next morning, I arrived at my desk right on time. But Vivian still came looking for me.

She approached with a smile. "Sadie, this company isn't some kind of torture chamber. There's no need to avoid it like the plague, is there? Just be honest with me. If you have a problem with me, I can sort it out."

I laughed to myself. Of course. All that smiling was just a fox circling the henhouse.

I understood exactly why she was doing this. If she could've just fired me outright, she would have. The fact that she only docked my pay told me I was too valuable to let go.

She wanted to use the contract to keep me in line, but she didn't actually want me to leave. The only flaw in her little scheme was her terrible memory. She'd forgotten exactly when my contract expired.

I kept my composure. "Vivian, what are you talking about? Of course I don't have a problem with you. We've worked together for years now. Why would I?"

Seeing me play along, she dropped the subject of last night entirely. Instead, she scribbled something on my pay sheet and knocked off another 200 dollars.

"Sorry, Sadie. I told everyone to be here on time today, but you were late."

I stared at her in confusion and was just about to argue when she cut me off, feigning surprise.

"Oh, I forgot. I announced it during overtime last night. Everyone was supposed to come in half an hour early today.

"But since you didn't stay for overtime, you must have missed it. You should really keep up with your messages after hours so you don't miss anything important. Understood?"

She bit down hard on that last word. It was a warning, plain and simple.

Then she tossed a file onto my desk. "I'm leaving on a business trip soon, so I need you to take over this. It's a new deal, and the client is one of those tough ones you've closed before. Take Hailey with you this time and get it done."

"Next week we'll be bidding against Yorker Corp, and I'll be there for that. But once we win the bid, don't hog the spotlight in front of the boss. Give the younger people a chance to shine. Got it?"

She didn't wait for my response before someone called her away, and she was gone.

I had to hand it to her. She played her cards well. Everyone knew Hailey was her niece. This whole thing was designed to let me pave the road, then hand everything over to Hailey before kicking me to the curb.

I knew it had always bothered her that I was better at my job than she was and that the boss valued me more. That was why she'd been quietly undermining me all along, trying to strip away my influence piece by piece.

But I wasn't going to fall for it.

It was Tuesday, just three days until I was gone. And in those three days, I wasn't going to touch this deal.

After all, in three days, I'd be reporting to Yorker Corp as their newest hire. Leaking confidential information was illegal, and I'd never do something like that.

But showing up just to rub it in her face? That I was absolutely going to do.

"Vivian, I'll be there for the bid. Just not as your employee."