Chapter 1: The New Queen Bee

The first time Emily walked into the office—designer tote in hand, resume stamped with Ivy League ink—you could feel everyone sizing her up. Even the hum of the printers seemed to pause. Her credentials were impressive, but I noticed right away that her copy danced dangerously close to breaking advertising laws—a real risk in the States, where the FTC is always lurking.

So in our weekly team meeting, I called her out by name. My voice was steady, but I felt every eye on me. “Emily, you’ve got to stick to the rules. We can’t afford to play fast and loose here.”

You’d think that was just basic management, but Grant’s jaw tightened, and his eyes went flat—like he was already calculating how much trouble I was worth. My cheeks burned, and I suddenly wished I’d kept my mouth shut. But the words were out there, hanging in the stale conference room air.

At the year-end all-hands, our boss, Grant Chandler, took the mic and—flashing his usual broad smile—announced a pay raise for every single employee, plus an extra month’s bonus. Someone popped open a can of LaCroix. There were leftover donuts from the morning—nobody touched them. The room buzzed with excitement, everyone exchanging looks of disbelief and joy.

Except for me—my salary was slashed by thirty percent. The applause faded around me, and I could feel sweat prickling at the back of my neck. Even the fluorescent lights seemed to buzz louder. The silence that followed my name was so thick you could hear the wall clock tick.

Not willing to just roll over, I marched to Grant’s office, fists balled and pulse pounding, determined not to let this slide without a fight.

He sat there behind his desk, backlit by the big office window, swirling black coffee in a heavy mug. There was a certain nonchalance in the way he leaned back, as if this was just another Tuesday.

“If you don’t like it, there’s the door. Your degree doesn’t mean squat to me. If I wanted MBAs, I could find plenty.” His voice was smooth, but every word hit like a hammer.

I clenched my teeth so hard my jaw ached, slammed the door behind me with a bang that echoed down the hallway, and walked out, my pride in tatters but my anger burning bright.

Just as he wanted, I was forced to resign. The HR lady didn’t even meet my eyes as she handed me the exit packet. A week later, I heard he’d hired five people, but none could keep up with my old workload. The office grapevine buzzed with stories of mounting chaos.

That is, until the day a new hire made a blunder so epic it nearly dragged the company into bankruptcy…