Chapter 3

Overnight, AscendCorp, once an "ideal workplace" that everyone envied, had transformed into a "sweatshop" condemned by the entire internet.

The company's name, my photos—everything was doxxed.

Abusive DMs and incessant harassment calls flooded my phone, making it vibrate furiously on my desk.

"Cold-blooded capitalist, hope your company goes bankrupt tomorrow!"

"Exploitative trash company, already reported you to the labor department!"

My PR manager, with heavy bags under his eyes, handed me an emergency PR plan.

His voice was hoarse. "Alex, we have to speak out immediately! Draft an official statement, clarify all the facts!"

I pinched my throbbing temples, looking at him.

"If we issue a statement now, to the public, it won't be a calm explanation. It'll be seen as defensive and tone-deaf showing off of wealth, which will only provoke greater outrage."

The manager froze, his mouth agape, unable to speak.

When emotion overwhelms reason, facts simply fall on deaf ears.

I was wrong.

I thought that if I treated people with sincerity, someone would eventually choose to believe me.

But as I refreshed that trending video, a new anonymous comment, boosted to the top by countless likes, caught my eye.

The familiar tone made me almost certain it came from within the company.

"Don't bother trying to explain. I'm an insider at this company. That 'paid leave'? It's just them forcing us to use our own precious annual leave! Refuse, and your manager will make your life hell. We're all angry but too scared to speak up!"

I stared hard at that comment, my head swimming.

It wasn't anger. It was a bone-deep weariness and disgust.

I could even picture who typed those words – perhaps the same senior employee who had thanked me just last week.

This comment, like a giant boulder, crushed the last shred of hope in my heart.

With even more malicious lies, it tainted the company's sole act of goodwill, turning it into a conspiracy.

Below it, countless others claiming to be "internal employees" chimed in.

My mind flashed back to the days when the company first turned a profit, everyone celebrating at a local diner.

Back then, everyone's smiles were genuine.

I questioned myself: in terms of benefits and treatment, I had never short-changed any of the team who had struggled alongside me.

Yet, in the end, all I got was betrayal from everyone.

They comfortably enjoyed my generosity, yet for the sake of some vague "cash bonus," they didn't hesitate to stab me in the back.

Turns out, my carefully cultivated image of decency was nothing but a self-indulgent joke.

The PR manager was still anxiously urging me. "Alex, if we don't speak out now, our partners and investors will be flooded with calls!"

I wearily waved him off, pushing the proposal aside.

"No need."

My voice was chillingly calm.

"Prepare a new notice."

I stood up and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window.

Downstairs, several media interview vans were already parked.

I let out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh.

I hadn't lost to Chloe Reed; I had lost to my own ridiculous trust.

From today on, I, Alex Sterling, would only be a businessman.

A businessman deals in profit, not sentiment.

I picked up my phone and dialed my assistant's internal line.

"Notify all employees: tomorrow morning at 9 AM, everyone is to be in the main conference room for a meeting to discuss the final optimized plan for this year's team building."

On the other end, my assistant's voice was hesitant.

"Alex, are you... are you going to compromise with them?"

"No."

I looked out at the vultures of the media outside the window, enunciating each word.

"It's time for them to pay for their greed themselves."