Chapter 1

After pulling all-nighters for two straight weeks, I finally closed an eight-figure contract for the company.

Yet the second I returned from my business trip, my boss flat-out refused to reimburse my travel expenses.

"Rules are rules, Chloe. Staying at a five-star hotel completely exceeds our travel per diem."

I quickly explained that every hotel within miles of the client’s office was fully booked, and this was literally the only room available at a standard rate.

My boss just sneered with sheer contempt.

"Look, Chloe, as an employee, you need to be considerate of the company. Don't use business trips as an excuse to milk our budget."

"Besides, your commission will more than cover the room. You got to pamper yourself in a luxury suite for days on end—you’re hardly coming out at a loss."

I was so furious that I actually laughed. Fine. For our upcoming welcome dinner with the next client, I swapped the five-star restaurant reservations for ninety-nine-cent instant Cup Noodles.

After all, a good employee has to be considerate of the company. I wouldn't dare milk a single extra dime!

The dizziness from days of sleep deprivation hadn't even faded before I was summoned into the corner office.

"Well, Chloe, looks like you had quite the lavish vacation on company dime."

Richard didn't even look up from his desk. His voice dripped with thinly veiled sarcasm.

"The Skyline Hotel in downtown Chicago. Five stars. Five nights. Three thousand five hundred dollars. You're just a project manager. Who on earth authorized that kind of luxury?"

I took a deep breath, fighting down the burning exhaustion in my chest.

That trip had been an absolute emergency. The client had launched a surprise bidding round, and I was thrown into the fire to save the account.

Chicago was hosting an international financial summit that week. Room rates had skyrocketed, and every hotel was booked out weeks in advance.

I pulled out my phone, pulled up the flight itineraries, the email chain, and the booking receipts, then turned the screen toward him.

"Richard, the client's headquarters is right in the Financial District. At the time, that was the only hotel within two miles that had a vacancy."

"I booked their most basic standard room. It was literally the cheapest option available in the entire downtown area."

I kept my voice as level as possible, even though my throat was raw from days of non-stop pitching.

"And before I boarded my flight, I cleared the lodging crunch with Brad. He explicitly told me to do whatever it took to win the bid."

Richard finally glanced at my phone screen, then let out a dry scoff.

"Brad said to prioritize winning the bid. When did he say you could ignore our employee handbook?"

"The final sign-off for expense reports rests with me. If I say no, nobody else's word matters."

My eyebrows drew together. "Richard, this was an extraordinary circumstance. The presentation was held at the convention center right next door.”

“I had to be on-call around the clock. Commuting from an hour away would've cost us the deal..."

"Every team claims their project is an extraordinary circumstance!"

He cut me off, his voice suddenly spiking.

"If everyone acted like you, tossing the rulebook out the window just because they closed a deal, how could this company even function?

So what if it's a ten-million-dollar contract? Bringing in business is your damn job!

Do you think signing one big client means we have to bow down and put you up in the presidential suite?"

I stared at his smug, heavy-set face, my nails digging into my palms.

"So, you're saying you won't reimburse a single penny of the hotel bill?"

"Not a cent!"

He slammed his hand on the desk. "And it's not just the hotel. Your meal receipts are over the daily meal allowance too. Denied. All of it!"

I inhaled slowly, unable to believe the sheer audacity coming out of his mouth.

"Chloe."

Richard leaned back in his leather chair, switching to that patronizing, 'mentor' tone.

"Young people shouldn't let a little success get to their heads. The company invested a lot into training you. Learn to be grateful and understand the company’s tight spot.

Rules are rules. Take this as a cheap lesson, alright?

Once your commission check clears, you won't even notice this money. Have some vision. Don't be so petty over pocket change."

Looking at his hypocritical face, I felt a wave of cold absurdity wash over me.

To land this contract—a deal that would literally keep our company in the black this year—I had slept less than four hours a night for two weeks straight.

I reworked the deck dozens of times, handled ruthless questions from the client's board, and drank so much black coffee my stomach burned.

Now that the contract was signed, he wanted to lecture me on 'rules,' 'empathy,' and 'vision'?

I looked straight at him and gave a chilly smile.

"Understood, Richard. Perfectly clear."

With that, I turned around and walked out of his office.

The moment the door clicked shut behind me, I could hear him cheerfully humming a tune.