Year-End Bonus: Three Zoo Passes, One Phone Call, Zero Mercy

When I'd been forced to drink with clients until my stomach bled, Jack had told me to take better care of myself.

When I was so exhausted from closing deals that I fell asleep at the airport leaning against my suitcase, he'd told me that I'd worked hard.

Only now did I understand that what Jack did wasn't out of empathy or love. It was just routine maintenance from someone benefiting from the arrangement.

He had treated me like his personal ATM. The moment it looked like the money might stop, he panicked faster than anyone else.

"So, me being treated like a joke is the bigger picture you're talking about?" I shot back, wiping my tears. "Jack, do you really think staying home to cook and care for our child is harder than what I do? That I could just earn money by tapping on a keyboard?"

I didn't give him any chance to respond and ended the call at once.

Almost immediately, I received a text from my mentee, Mandy Ziegler.

"Are you okay, Suzie? Mr. Lewis completely lost it. He's smashing things in his office. Please don't do anything rash. If anything goes wrong with Mr. Skylar's deal, the company's quarterly revenue is done for!"

My fingers tightened around my screen as I stared at the words "don't do anything rash".

I replied, "I trained you myself, Mandy. When have I ever been rash with clients or contracts in the past two years? You were right there at the annual dinner. Do you really think what William did was right?"

Mandy's reply came a short while later, and it disappointed me completely.

"Maybe Mr. Lewis has his reasons too, Suzie. After all, with so many people in the marketing department, he has to balance things out. Everyone knows you've done a lot, but you can't overshadow the new hires too much. Otherwise, no one would be motivated to work hard."

I stared at that text for a full minute.

Mandy was someone I'd hired personally. I'd taken her under my wing and treated her like a younger sister.

To help her grow faster, I handed her deals I could've closed easily and took on the most difficult clients instead.

Mandy had been my right hand throughout this 50-million-dollar deal. And now she was accusing me of overshadowing the new hires.

Suddenly, I remembered something William had said during the annual dinner earlier.

When he was rewarding Lily Lane, our receptionist, he'd added pointedly, "Our company believes in giving young people more opportunities. As long as you're willing to work hard, you'll be rewarded !"

It turned out William thought I was earning too much and had too much authority as a sales director. I was in his way of promoting his own people.

I blocked Mandy, then sent a long text in the marketing department group chat.

"All further coordination regarding Mr. Skylar's deal will be handled by me personally. Without my written authorization, no one is permitted to contact Mr. Skylar or his team on behalf of the company in any capacity. Any violations will be dealt with accordingly."

After sending it, I disbanded the group chat.

I didn't have the energy to go home and argue with Jack, so I checked into a hotel instead.

He called me again in the middle of the night. Annoyed, I swiped to answer and cut him off. "If you're calling to tell me I'm immature, then don't bother."

Jack didn't argue with me. Instead, his voice was filled with panic when he said, "Where are you? Your mom fell and hurt her leg. She's at the hospital now, and the doctor says she needs surgery."

"Which hospital? I'm coming right now!" My heart dropped. I grabbed my car keys and rushed out.

Jack gave me the address, then added hesitantly, "About the medical bills—"

I cut him off irritably, "Use the joint family account first!"

…

I sped all the way to the hospital.

Dad was standing outside the operating room. His eyes were red when he spoke. "Jack said you threw a tantrum and didn't come home. Your mom got worried and went to look for you. That's when she fell.

"She's still in surgery. The doctor said it's a fractured femur. They have to operate immediately, or she may never walk again."

Ignoring my darkening expression, Jack tugged at my sleeve. "The surgery costs 150 thousand dollars, Suzie. We—"

"Don't worry about the money!" I pulled out my phone, ready to make the transfer.