Chapter 1

I had led the engineering team through three months of nonstop overtime, and our company's new platform finally launched.

At the celebration dinner, I brought the project bonus application to our newly appointed Director of Operations for her signature.

Instead of signing, she tore the paper to shreds right in front of everyone.

"Company policy says if a project is delayed, there is no bonus. Didn't you know that?"

I froze. We had delayed the launch by two weeks solely to polish the system to perfection, a move that ended up multiplying the company's profits several times over.

"Director, doing this goes against standard protocol, doesn't it?"

She crossed her arms, her voice dripping with mockery.

"Do you really think writing a few lines of code makes you special?"

"My dad sits on the board of directors. Around here, my rules are the only rules that matter."

Looking at this girl in her early twenties, I forced down the boiling rage inside me.

"Director Lee, it was a strategic two-week delay. It was explicitly permitted in the original project charter."

"Besides, thanks to those two weeks of optimization, our pre-registered user count doubled. The exact data is right there on the company intranet..."

Chloe Lee. She was parachuted in as Director of Operations just a month ago—rumored to be the chairman's precious daughter.

"Data? I only care about the rules written in black and white."

Chloe cut me off, scooped up the shredded paper from the table, and tossed it into the trash can by her feet.

"The policy states very clearly: failing to launch on the designated date counts as a delay. Your bonus is wiped out. Period."

The office went dead silent. Everyone held their breath, watching the scene unfold.

I could feel the gazes on my back—some sympathetic, some amused by the drama, and others belonging to my devastated teammates who looked just as crushed as I felt.

"My mother's medical condition requires urgent funds. If possible, could the company please make an exception..."

"That's your personal problem!"

She raised her voice abruptly, her porcelain face twisted with arrogance and impatience.

"Logan, stop trying to guilt-trip the company! If everyone came crying about their personal tragedies whenever something happened at home, how could we ever enforce our policies? How could we run a business?"

The bonus Chloe just snatched away was money I had already earmarked for my mother's next round of treatments.

During the final month of the crunch, devastating news had arrived from home: my mother was diagnosed with cancer.

I was right in the middle of cracking the project's most critical bottleneck.

Gritting my teeth, I had buried all my terror and anxiety deep down.

I told myself to push through. Finish the project, secure the bonus, and Mom would be saved.

I spent endless nights in the server room staring at the glowing screen, my mind consumed by the image of my frail mother going through chemotherapy.

Three months of bleeding for this company, only to be rewarded with pure humiliation.

I took a deep breath, trying one last time.

"Director Lee, for the past three months, no one on the team took a single day off. We rebuilt the server architecture three separate times. These achievements..."

"Doing your job well is expected. Failing means punishment!"

"Logan, do you honestly think this company can't function without you?"

She stepped out from behind the desk, her high heels clicking sharply and gratingly against the floor.

Stopping right before me, she lowered her voice so only the two of us could hear:

"Don't push your luck. You're just a code monkey. Under my watch, you keep your head down and stay in your lane."

"My dad owns this place! Everything goes through me. Got it?"

Looking into her contemptuous eyes, I suddenly smiled.

Fine. Perfect.

The flagship product my team and I had poured our blood and sweat into—the product meant to carry this company for the next three years.

In the eyes of people like her, it was nothing more than a tool to flex her authority.

I didn't argue any further. Facing absolute power, words were nothing but a joke.

Turning around, I walked back to my desk in silence under a barrage of conflicted stares.

I didn't bother going to our CEO, Mr. Taylor.

Chloe wouldn't dare act this brazen if she didn't already have his blessing.

Going to him would only mean listening to more corporate garbage about "looking at the bigger picture," letting him grind my dignity into the dirt all over again.

Sitting down, I forced myself to stare at the complex architecture diagram on my monitor.

That wasn't just code. It was over a hundred days and nights of our lives.

"Logan..."

My top engineer, Kevin, leaned over and whispered, his face flushed with fury.

"Are we just letting this go? What about your mom's hospital bills..."

I slumped back in my chair, exhausted. "I'll figure something out."