Chapter 1: The Demotion

After working overtime for two straight months to secure a major client, I took two extra days off during the Memorial Day weekend, using my paid time off. When I came back, the company demoted me for being absent without cause.

It felt like the world spun sideways, my pulse roaring in my ears, heat crawling up my neck. Part anger, part disbelief, my heart pounded as I made a beeline for HR. My palms were slick on the doorknob—the kind of sweat you get when you know you’re about to walk into a showdown you never asked for.

The HR manager barely glanced up from her desk, her smile thin and tight, all business.

"The company’s struggling right now. Everyone’s burning the midnight oil, but you—you actually took a vacation? We can’t have supervisors setting that kind of example, Derek. Your bonus is gone, and I hope that makes things clear for everyone else."

Her voice was pure ice, the kind you hear when someone’s already made up their mind. No pretense of fairness—she just kept her eyes glued to her monitor, nails tapping an impatient rhythm against the desk. My PTO form was pinned on her corkboard behind her, almost like a taunt.

But I’d followed the official approval process. Before the holiday, she was the one who suggested I take those two days off.

I was furious, about to argue—

When I saw the person taking my place was actually the new intern.

He stood at my old desk, fidgeting with his tie, glancing at the HR manager like he was waiting for a sign. The way she grinned at him—warm, proud, not a hint of the frost she saved for me—said everything.

I glanced at his last name, the same as the HR manager’s, and saw how chummy they were.

Right then, I understood everything.

It hit me like a gut punch—the nepotism, the cold calculation. All those late nights, all that hustle—and it didn’t matter. Not when you didn’t have the right last name. My hard work meant nothing. I’d been tossed aside to make room for someone with connections.