Chapter 4

The next morning, the company's main conference room was packed.

The air hummed with barely suppressed excitement and anticipation.

It didn't feel like a crisis management meeting; it felt more like a victory celebration.

Chloe Reed and Gary Thompson sat in the front row, surrounded by a cluster of younger colleagues.

Gary boasted, spitting enthusiasm, "I told you, Alex can be swayed by persuasion, but not by force. As long as we stick together and make enough noise, he'll definitely cave!"

Chloe looked even more smug, even secretly starting a live stream on her phone.

The live stream's title was particularly jarring:

"Fam, witness Gen Z cleaning up the workplace! This is how we snatched our benefits back from the corporate overlords!"

At precisely nine o'clock, I walked into the conference room.

All eyes immediately fixated on me—some with schadenfreude, others with anticipation.

I walked to the front and bowed deeply.

"I apologize."

A ripple went through the room, followed by a burst of enthusiastic applause.

In Chloe's live stream, the comments were instantly flooded with "Boss apologized!" and "Go, Gen Z!"

I straightened up, scanning the smug, triumphant faces below.

"Due to my personal stubbornness and outdated thinking, I overlooked the importance you place on personal time and caused significant distress. For that, I sincerely apologize."

The applause grew even louder.

Gary Thompson even stood up and shouted, "It's a good thing Alex can admit his mistakes and correct them!"

Chloe, even more delighted, aimed her live stream at me, as if showing off her trophy.

I waited for the applause to subside, then shifted my tone.

"To fully restore freedom and choice to everyone, after an entire night of careful consideration, I have decided to implement a radical overhaul of this year's team-building plan."

Everyone held their breath, eyes gleaming with greedy anticipation.

I looked at them, and one by one, I announced my decisions.

"First, effective immediately, AscendCorp will completely cancel all collective travel traditions that have been in place since the company's founding."

A cheer instantly erupted in the conference room.

Ignoring their reaction, I continued with the second decision.

"Second, to compensate everyone and support your freedom to travel, the company will instead issue a $500 free-travel stipend to each active employee."

"This is our way of expressing the highest respect for your freedom!"

Silence fell over the room.

Chloe Reed's phone, which was still live streaming, clattered to the floor, its screen shattering.

From a lavish, all-expenses-paid trip to the Maldives worth thousands per person, it had plummeted to a paltry five-hundred-dollar stipend.

The massive disparity simply short-circuited their brains.

I added, expressionless, "This is the precious freedom you fought so hard for, even at the cost of damaging the company's reputation. Now, you are free."

I connected my phone to the projector.

On the screen was the real-time stock market candlestick chart for AscendCorp's parent company, a stark, downward green line that was alarming.

Beside it were pop-up alerts from major financial news outlets.

"AscendCorp's corporate culture questioned amid forced team-building controversy, stock plummets 15% at open!"

Everyone's expressions rapidly shifted from bewilderment and shock to unconcealed panic and despair.

Their jobs, they realized, were about to be shattered by their own hands.

Chloe Reed was the first to jump up, her voice sharp and shrill.

"The team-building budget was thousands per person! Why is the free-travel stipend only $500? You're so greedy!"

I looked at her coldly.

"Your public shaming threatened the company's survival, causing the stock to crash and company funds to tighten. This is the direct consequence of your reckless actions."

My gaze swept across every pale, anxious face in the room.

"We lost three hundred million dollars in market value in half a day. The board of directors has demanded that I purge the toxic elements causing this crisis within 24 hours. Otherwise, to cut costs and stabilize the stock price, the company will immediately initiate a 30% layoff plan."