Chapter 1

The day before year-end bonuses were due, Mr. Sterling, the GM, called me in for a chat.

He told me my salary was disproportionately high, causing friction among the team and undermining morale.

He wanted to cut my salary specifically and reallocate my year-end bonus to Brittany, our new hire who got the job through connections.

I readily agreed, then decided to fully check out.

The next day, the client suddenly put a hold on their payment. The entire company couldn't afford a single cent of year-end bonuses.

Mr. Sterling desperately called me that night, begging me to help recover the payment. I simply replied:

"Me taking on too much of the payment recovery myself? That's not good for team morale. We should really spread that responsibility around."

"Cassidy, management wants you to lead the way with this salary adjustment. You have the highest salary in your team, and it's causing a lot of resentment among your colleagues. It's not good for team cohesion."

Year-end bonuses were supposed to be issued tomorrow, but Rob Jenkins, my direct superior, had just called me in to tell me my salary was being cut.

I was completely stunned. I’m the team leader and a core technical expert. Isn’t it normal for me to have the highest salary?

"When did the company make salaries public? Aren't we not supposed to discuss pay? How would other colleagues even know about the difference in our salaries?" I questioned, snapping back to reality.

"Well… secrets don't stay buried forever, do they?"

Rob's eyes darted away. He quickly added, "Your year-end bonus has been 'balanced' by leadership. It's been reallocated to Brittany, the new hire. Younger talent needs more encouragement to grow faster."

"Fine by me, no problem." I considered it for only three seconds.

Rob seemed speechless, clearly surprised by how quickly I agreed. "Great! You’re really seeing the bigger picture. I've got high hopes for you!"

It was laughable. I’d worked my butt off all year. During crunch times, I was practically living and breathing the project, working around the clock. Now, instead of a reward, I was being punished.

Back at my desk, Brittany was sitting in my chair. My data hard drive was plugged into my computer tower, and all my other belongings were gone.

"Cassidy, I find my old desk too chilly because of the AC, so I asked Mr. Sterling if I could sit here. You don't mind switching with me, do you?"

"Where are my things?" I asked calmly.

"Oh, Cassidy, you’re not mad, are you? If you're upset, I can totally switch back. Your stuff is all at my old desk, nothing’s missing."

I glanced at my team members around us. Usually, they'd be joking around with me, but now they were all hunched over, pretending to be busy.

"No need. You can sit there all you want. You can be the team leader too, for all I care." I threw out the line and walked over to Brittany's old desk.

"Cassidy, are you serious?"

Brittany actually ran with my words. "Mr. Sterling just talked to me too. He said us young people need to be brave and take on more responsibility, to help you out. I was worried you'd be annoyed."

The moment she finished speaking, Mr. Sterling walked over and announced to everyone, "Starting this year, we'll be implementing a rotating team leader system. Brittany has two years of experience studying overseas. Her technical skills are certainly not an issue, and she has a language advantage. So, from today, she is our new team leader, and she’ll also take over as project lead for the LL account. Cassidy, you've been busy all year, so you can take this opportunity to rest a bit."

Everyone was stunned by the news. The office fell silent instantly.

Everyone knew Brittany was Mr. Sterling's niece. She essentially bought a degree overseas, and her English was so bad it sounded like she was butchering the language, let alone understanding any tech. Now, they weren't even pretending anymore; they were just openly pushing her into the position.

"Congrats, Team Leader Brittany! Lead us to new glories!"

I started clapping, and soon, scattered applause followed.

After Mr. Sterling left, I turned and walked to the stairwell, pulling out my phone to call the client.

"Uncle, please don't send that payment to our company just yet. My boss says too much money could undermine team cohesion."