Chapter 2

The room went dead silent.

I felt like I had been slapped hard in the face.

Carter knew better than anyone how difficult it had been to get this client to renew. Now that the deal was done, he was throwing me away like garbage.

Did he really think that just because the contract was signed, everything was fine and he could just sit back and collect the cash?

I stared at him with pure contempt, ignoring the fact that we were in a meeting. "Do you honestly think that signing the contract and getting the initial deposit means you're safe?

Aren't you afraid of failing to deliver? The breach of contract fees alone will ruin you!"

Blowing a fuse, Carter slammed his hands on the table.

"Who do you think you are?! You were just a stray dog abandoned by your last company! If my friend hadn't recommended you, I would have never thrown you a bone.

You were a nobody in this industry! Without me, you'd be dumpster diving right now!"

My hands shook with rage, but my mind became incredibly clear. "That's just because you've never reached my level. You aren't even worthy of knowing the people I know.

Your little startup is barely staying afloat, and you're acting like a tech giant. If you hadn't begged me, I would have never come here. Other companies offered me $150k a year, and you pay me barely enough to cover rent. It's obvious who the real garbage is."

"Fine! My company is small. If you don't like it, get the hell out! How I deliver the project is none of your business. Do you think the world revolves around you? Do you think this company can't survive without you?!"

The next second, Carter pointed at my junior assistant. "Ashley, you're taking over this project. How much have you learned from Chloe?"

Ashley stood up gracefully. I noticed she was dressed up exceptionally well today. She nodded solemnly, looking down at me with a smug smile. "Chloe, thank you for your mentorship. If you hadn't kept me as your assistant, I wouldn't have learned all your tricks.

Thank you for stepping down so I can finally lead."

Looking at her arrogant eyes, I found it hilarious.

She had always resented me, thinking I was holding her back by keeping her as an assistant instead of letting her run projects independently.

But the truth was, I brought in ninety percent of our clients. Managing the high-level strategy was my job. I had only been at this company for a year, and she had zero experience. Of course I had to train her first.

Besides, it wasn't like I hadn't given her smaller projects.

But what did she do? She played petty games, fabricated data, spent company money on fake traffic, and embezzled funds by overreporting budgets to buy herself designer bags.

If I hadn't caught her early—and if she wasn't the boss's sister—I would have let her go and let the police handle her.

Yet here she was, mocking me.

As soon as Ashley finished speaking, HR posted a company-wide announcement in our WhatsApp group about her new appointment. They didn't even need time to draft it.

What else was there to say? They had planned this all along.

"In that case, I wish you the best of luck!"

Looking at Ashley’s smug face and Carter’s arrogant smirk, I sighed.

Last year, my career hit a bump. My previous company baited me with promises of promotions, but once the project succeeded, a nepotism hire snatched the fruits of my labor.

While I was debating whether to accept offers from other top firms or start my own agency, Carter had begged a mutual friend to introduce us.

He couldn't offer a high base salary, but he promised me equity and massive bonuses. I brought the expertise and the clients, he built the operations, and we’d split the profits at the end of the year.

Because I valued our mutual friend, and because Carter seemed genuinely sincere, I agreed. I hated dealing with administrative bureaucracy anyway.

Using my connections, I quickly brought in several major accounts. But because our startup was so small, clients were hesitant at first. I told my team that as long as we worked hard, our time would come.

Back then, Carter seemed decent. He spent money on marketing to build our brand, and it worked.

I thought I had finally found a good partnership. Even though working with his spoiled sister was a nightmare, I was content. No job is perfect.

Once I started trusting Carter, I brought in bigger clients.

This $50 million account was one of them.

Our team was so new that the client, Mr. Vance, had expressed deep concern. When we signed, he told me frankly, "If it were just you, Chloe, I’d sign in a heartbeat. But since you aren't the owner of this company, there's still a huge risk."

I had to pull every favor in my book to close this deal.

I thought my hard work was finally being appreciated. But in the end, it was the same old story. Squeeze out every drop of my value, then bring in a family member to steal the credit.

I guess you can't trust anyone. If you want something done right, you have to be the boss.

"Pay me my profit share, and I'll leave immediately. Let’s see how well this company runs without me!"