Chapter 1

I received my January paycheck—only 600 dollars.

When I went to the finance department, she gloated:

"The Manager Logan said you've been working overtime every day and using the company's electricity, wasting public resources. Naturally, the electricity bill needs to be deducted from your salary!"

I went to find Logan to explain the situation.

I'd been working overtime because the company had suddenly expanded its business.

As the head of HR, I needed to work through the nights recruiting and onboarding people, coordinating everything.

But Logan just shrugged:

"Melissa, if you can't complete your work within the designated time, how can you expect the company to foot the bill?"

I smiled, looking at the new message on my phone.

It was from the high-end technical specialist I'd hired, asking when he should start.

I calmly replied:

"Don't bother coming."

The company had suddenly expanded.

Without funding or sufficient staff, they'd blindly launched a new business venture.

They'd taken on a program design project for a major gaming company.

The client required all work to be completed within fifteen days.

Because the money was good, Manager Logan hadn't consulted anyone—he'd just accepted it directly.

As the head of HR, I had no choice but to recruit people through the night.

I'd even brought in my cousin,Bob—a renowned game server development engineer in the industry—at a salary far below market rate.

To build the project team, I'd worked overtime for ten nights straight.

Finally, I'd secured all the personnel.

If nothing went wrong, the project could be smoothly completed in five days.

I never expected to have my salary docked for using the company's electricity while working overtime.

Right after Logan kicked me out of his office, I received a text message.

It was from Logan in the project group chat:

"After comprehensive consideration, HR head Melissa has been found to have excessively used company public resources while working overtime, causing this month's electricity bill to exceed by $10,600. This amount will be deducted from HR Melissa's salary."

"However, to demonstrate the company's humanitarian care, we've only deducted $10,000. I hope everyone takes this as a warning!"

I looked at those cold words and laughed bitterly.

What humanitarian care.

What a warning.

The phones of my nearby colleagues rang one after another—clearly they'd also received the message.

Someone whispered:

"Serves her right! Who told her to work overtime until late every night, showing off like that? Acting like the company can't survive without her."

"Exactly. The company asked her to recruit people, and she brought in seventeen or eighteen people, all of whom she knows. Isn't that just nepotism?"

"The project hasn't even made a profit yet, but she's already spent all the funds!"

I slammed my hand on the desk:

"Which person I recruited is useless?"

My colleagues immediately fell silent.

Just then, Logan walked over.

"Oh, Melissa, I need to inform you of something else!"

"Because the company has expanded its personnel and is short on funds, starting next month, your base salary will be reduced to $1,500!"

"After all, you're the one who recruited all these people, so naturally when their salaries aren't enough, you need to bear part of the burden."

I looked at his matter-of-fact expression and laughed in disbelief.

I didn't argue back. I just quietly opened my phone's recording app:

"Logan, I need to confirm with you—are you now, without any work errors on my part, arbitrarily reducing my salary to $1,500?"

Logan replied arrogantly:

"What? You don't accept it?"

"But I'm the general manager of this project. How much each person's salary is—I have the final say!"

His lackeys sucked up to him:

"Logan is thinking about our project. The funds are limited, so shouldn't they be used where they're most needed?"

"Exactly! If it were me, I'd have accepted it gladly! Melissa, you need to think more about the company!"

Logan nodded with satisfaction.

Seeing me holding my ground stubbornly, he asked:

"You don't accept it?"

I looked at him silently, wordlessly protesting.

He snorted and called out several more names.

These people were all new recruits I'd brought in.

"You few—your work abilities are mediocre. Each of you gets a $1,000 salary reduction!"

Those people looked at each other and protested:

"On what grounds? Our salaries were agreed upon when we joined!"

Logan didn't answer. He just looked at me triumphantly:

"Melissa, do you have any objections to my arrangements?"