Chapter 1

I had worked overtime for two and a half months straight. With just seven days left until my probation ended, my team lead, Rick, called me into his office.

"You're not cut out for this," he sneered, slamming my file onto his desk. "The company decided not to offer you a full-time position."

I stared at him, almost laughing out loud.

For three months, I had carried the workload of all five people on our team. I stayed past midnight every single day, only to be told I was "incompetent"?

I turned around to leave.

Rick grabbed my shoulder and shoved me hard back into my seat.

"Leaving? Not a chance!" He jabbed his finger at the monitor. "You're handling this project. If you walk now, who finishes it? You finish your final week, or else!"

He leaned in close, his voice dropping into a venomous whisper. "Walk out now, and you won't see a dime of your internship pay. I'll make sure you don't get your recommendation letter, either. Who do you think you are? You think your daddy owns this place?"

I looked at him and smiled.

He guessed right.

My dad actually did own the company.

"On top of the project proposal, sort through these files by tomorrow morning!"

Rick dumped a massive stack of folders onto my desk, his chin tilted up arrogantly.

"Have them ready before work starts, or kiss your three months' pay goodbye!"

Watching him gloat, I didn't feel angry. I just felt amused. If he knew my dad had sent me here as an undercover intern to learn the ropes from the ground up, would he still be smiling?

"Aren't these the documents Mr. Miller assigned to you in this morning's meeting?" I asked coldly, meeting his gaze.

"Just do what you're told!" Rick exploded, jabbing his finger in my face. "You know why you failed probation? You talk too damn much! Try slacking off, and I swear I'll ruin you!"

For the past two months, I had been doing everyone's work. I worked until 2 AM every night, hoping to earn a permanent spot on merit and prove myself to my dad.

Instead, I got treated like dirt.

Catching these corporate parasites myself would probably make my dad prouder than passing some regular internship anyway.

Seeing me sit still, Rick slammed his hand down on the files. "What are you staring at? Need a written invitation?"

I scooped up the stack and walked to my isolated corner desk.

Right as I sat down, Sarah from the next desk tossed a stack of receipts at me while pinching her nose.

"Hey, newbie. Tape these expense receipts for me. Do it neatly, or you're paying if finance rejects them." Her voice carried across the open office. "Oh, and go downstairs to pick up my package. It's a huge box of paper towels. You can handle that alone, right?"

A few snickers broke out around the room.

I looked down and sorted the papers. Sarah exchanged a smirk with Kevin across the aisle.

At noon, I grabbed my lunch, ready to eat.

Rick strolled over holding his mug, brown stains coating the rim.

"Taking lunch already? No slackers allowed on my team." He slammed the mug down on my keyboard with a wet thud. "Go wash it. Use boiling water. I hate germs."

Coffee splashed between the keys. My hands hovered in mid-air.

"What? Too good to run errands now?" His tone turned dangerous.

I picked up the cup and headed to the breakroom.

Behind me, he barked out a laugh. "See that? That's what being obedient looks like!"

When I returned, my takeout container was gone.

Kevin held up a half-eaten chicken leg, waving it at me with a grin. "Sorry, thought you weren't hungry. Did you a favor."

A female coworker beside him giggled. "Kevin, that's messed up! But thanks for saving the food, haha."

All afternoon, I buried myself in that massive pile of chaotic documents.

Right before quitting time, Rick slammed a folder onto my desk.

"What kind of garbage is this? You're embarrassing the whole team!"

It wasn't even my work. It was Sarah's morning report.

"This isn't mine—"

"Talking back again?" he cut me off, spit flying onto my cheek. "Redo the whole thing tonight! If it's not done by tomorrow, get the hell out!"

He stormed into his office and slammed the door.

Sarah slowly packed her designer bag. Passing my desk, she leaned down and whispered, "Don't blame me, sweetie. Blame yourself for getting on Rick's bad side. You're out of here in a week anyway. Just suck it up."

The office emptied quickly. One by one, the lights clicked off.

I sat alone in the dark, listening to their laughter fade down the hallway.

Someone was definitely getting kicked out in a week.

It just wasn't going to be me.