Fired by the CEO I Made Rich
Chapter 3: No Way Out
I tried desperately to suppress my anger, but my voice still trembled:
“What’s wrong with my salary? My base pay hasn’t changed in seven years. Many junior colleagues now have a higher base salary than me. As for bonuses, I only get what I earn through performance, and the stock options you promised me back then—I’ve never seen them…”
My hands shook as I clutched the edge of his desk. Memories of all-nighters, skipped lunches, and extra weekends at the office flashed through my mind. I felt betrayed and small, my heart racing. The room was thick with the smell of coffee and old carpet.
Grant Chandler waved his hand impatiently.
“I don’t have time to listen to you go on about this. If you want to know how the calculation is done, go ask Manager Lauren in HR. I have so much to manage, where would I find the time to care about your salary?”
Manager Lauren… wasn’t she his gossip-loving sister-in-law?
Heh. There’s always some family member in HR, isn’t there? Like a bad sitcom you can’t turn off.
I clenched my fists and replied, enunciating each word: “I do not accept this salary adjustment.”
Grant Chandler’s face darkened completely.
He spat out, “I’m just informing you. Whether you accept it or not is your business.”
“And don’t show me your so-called achievements. The company’s performance has always been stable. The reason you got results back then was just because you rode the coattails of our family business.”
“If you want to work, then work. If not, I respect your decision. For your position, don’t even mention your bachelor’s degree. If I want MBAs, I can hire a handful.”
I was so furious at Grant Chandler’s words that I went numb.
He used to praise me as a rare talent, saying the company’s growth was thanks to me. I’d even seen him as a mentor and worked myself to the bone for the company.
But I never expected I’d only been a stepping stone for the company’s early days.
The taste in my mouth turned bitter. I looked around at his mahogany desk, the blown-up photo of his family on the wall, and realized the game had changed.
