Selling Big, Paid in Pennies

I'm the top salesperson at a tutoring center. Payday comes, and my commission is 50 cents.

I'm so furious that I march straight to my boss to demand answers, but his secretary, Sasha Watson, steps in front of me.

She digs through her pocket, pulls out 50 cents, and flicks it straight at my face in front of everyone. "Here's your 50 cents!"

My ears ring. Heat crawls up my neck and into my skull.

"Ms. Watson, this has to be a mistake. I closed 1.5 million dollars on my own last month. My team pulls in over three million dollars. My commission should be at least 200 grand."

Sasha rolls her eyes. She reaches into her wallet, pulls out a dollar bill, and slaps it against my cheek. "Stop barking! Fine, I'll throw you a dollar. Keep the change!"

I'm about to lose it. "My mom is still waiting on that 200 grand for her surgery. Without it, she could die."

The coworkers around us start whispering.

"50 cents? For the top salesperson? That's insane!"

"Lower your voice. She's the boss's niece! What she says goes. Unless you want to get fired, pretend you didn't hear anything."

I turn away, pull out my phone, and dial our biggest competitor. "I'm in. Five million dollars a year."

I slammed my palm on the desk, heat flooding my chest. "Sasha! Who the hell do you think you are, cutting my commission?"

Sasha Watson scoffed, lifted her coffee cup, and blew on it like she had all the time in the world. "I didn't cut your commission. Your commission is 50 cents."

My head was ringing. I jabbed a finger at the performance chart hanging on the wall.

"I brought in 1.5 million dollars last month! It's written right there in black and white! How's my commission only 50 cents on that?"

Sasha's voice shot up, completely drowning me out. "That isn't net profit! You think the company doesn't have costs? Do you have any idea how much we pay for rent, utilities, and instructor salaries?

"You're just in sales. You don't know shit!"

Blood rushed to my head, and my fingertips went numb. "Let me see the financial statements. I have every right to look at them!"

With a sharp snap, Sasha slammed the ledger shut. She stood up, leaned in, and jabbed a finger so close it nearly hit my nose.

"Financial statements? Those are internal company documents. You think you can go through them just because you feel like it? Cassian Golding, you're just an employee. Don't push your luck.

"Keep this up, and I'll make sure you don't even see that 50 cents!"

I clenched my fists until my nails dug into my palms. "Everyone else in sales is getting their full commission. How come I'm the only one stuck with 50 cents?"

Sasha rolled her eyes and fired back, clearly over it. "That's them. You're a different story. Mr. Watson said you took too many days off last year. It dragged down team morale, so your commission got cut."

I forced my anger down and lowered my voice. "My mom is in the hospital in critical condition. I took emergency leave. The contract clearly says that it doesn't affect my commission."

Sasha snorted, yanked a document out of the drawer, and slapped it down on the desk. "Then open your eyes and read the additional terms yourself. The company gets the final say."

I grabbed the contract, my hands shaking so badly I could barely hold it. The additional terms were packed onto the page in tiny, cramped print.

"If an employee's personal situation seriously affects team cooperation, the company reserves the right to adjust the commission structure."

When the words finally sank in, my heart started pounding against my ribs, and my vision went dark around the edges.

"This term is completely unfair! I want to see Mr. Watson!" I snapped, my voice shaking with rage.

Sasha stood up, arms crossed, a smug little smile tugging at her lips. "Mr. Watson doesn't have time to see you. You should be grateful you're even getting 50 cents."

I turned toward Emily Wright, the senior accountant in finance, my voice coming out tight and rushed. "Ms. Wright, please, tell me, what exactly was my commission for last month?"

Emily's shoulders hunched as she shrank back, her eyes darting away from mine.

She stammered, "I-I really don't know. Ms. Watson handles all the commissions. Yours might actually just be 50 cents."

Sasha lifted her chin, that smug smile right back in place. "Hear that? I'm the one in charge of the books now, and 50 cents is all you're worth."

Refusing to accept it, I pulled out my phone and called Joe Watson.

To pay for Mom's treatment, I'd already drained my savings. I'd sold the house, sold the car, and I still owed the bank money. I was still 200 thousand dollars short of the surgery that could keep her alive.

The call went through, and the second he picked up, the words spilled out of me.

"Mr. Watson! Why is my commission only 50 cents? My mom is waiting on that money for her surgery deposit! You promised you'd pay me the full 200 grand as it says in the contract!"