Bankrupting The CEO With His Own Employee Handbook

I was on a business trip when I spontaneously bought a scratch-off lottery ticket at a client event. I hit the second-tier prize: ten thousand dollars.
The next day, back at the office, my boss demanded I hand over the winnings.
You were on company time, conducting company business. Every cent of your travel and lodging was reimbursed by the firm. That ten thousand dollars is, by definition, company property!
I was startled, but I pulled up the transaction record for the scratch-off.
"On this trip, I negotiated a deal that will profit the firm by tens of millions. I won that money on my personal luck, after working hours. How is that company property?"
Marcus Stone slammed his hand on the desk, his voice a roar.
"Sienna White, are you completely insane? If the company hadn't sent you on that trip, you wouldn't have had the opportunity to win! You're trying to pocket firm money! That kind of greed is repulsive!"
"If Madison hadn't told me you were trying to keep this a secret, I would have been completely in the dark!"
"From now on, you are barred from all projects involving expense accounts! People like youyou're a liability. Who knows how many kickbacks youve been taking behind my back?"
"You will return the firms appropriated funds today, or Ill call the police and have you arrested!"
Through the glass of the office door, I inadvertently locked eyes with Madison.
The chilling, knowing look shed given me when I refused to split the prize with her the other day flashed into my mind.
I didn't utter a word.
I simply looked down at the tiny sports camera still clipped to my collar.
It was what I used to record the open contract negotiations.
After all, as a corporate counsel
I knew exactly how to enforce my rights.
1
Mr. Stone.
You are stating that I must give the firm the ten thousand dollars I won on the scratch-off, correct?
And if I dont transfer it today, Ill be fired?
What else did you expect?
He let out a short, dismissive laugh, gazing at me with arrogant triumph.
You wont just lose your job. What youve done is embezzlement. Ill press charges, sue for damages, and watch you rot in jail for a decade or more!
I raised my head, ensuring Marcuss obese figure was perfectly framed in the camera lens.
I let out a slow, deliberate sigh.
Youre right. I cant afford that consequence.
Ill transfer the ten thousand right now.
Marcus was momentarily stunned.
He clearly hadn't anticipated the hard-ass lawyer would fold so quickly.
A crisp, mechanical female voice announced the transaction confirmation.
The confusion vanished from his face, replaced by a satisfied grin.
He raised an eyebrow in approval.
Thats the right call. Its not worth ruining your entire career over ten thousand dollars.
The law and the Employee Handbook arent just suggestions, Sienna. Im doing this for your own good. If this went to court, youd have nowhere to turn.
Its good to step back when youve made a mistake. The company is, and always will be, your home.
I nodded.
I turned and walked out of the office.
As soon as I was out of Marcuss line of sight, I quickly unclipped the sports camera and tucked it into my pocket.
I made sure to screenshot the transfer confirmation.
During the transaction, Marcus had specifically required me to include the memo: Return of Company Funds.
Looking at those four words, a cold laugh echoed in my head.
Marcus must have forgotten that Id been the firm's counsel for ten years.
I personally drafted every labor contract and every single clause in the companys policies and procedures.
No one was more familiar with the rules than I was, and no one was better at leveraging them.
If my boss was going to stoop to this level, then, starting now, I was going to show him.
He was about to feel the crushing weight of the rules he built, used to drag him straight to hell.
I returned to my desk, my face impassive.
Madison, who sat opposite me, quickly lowered her head, then, when she thought I wasn't looking, darted into Marcuss office.
Moments later, my phone vibrated.
I saw the message and my heart sank.
A wave of nausea hit me.
[@ALL-STAFF: Emergency All-Hands meeting in the main conference room in three minutes to address Sienna Whites misappropriation of firm funds.]
I hadnt been wrong. Demanding the scratch-off prize was just the bait.
Marcuss real goal was to completely humiliate me, to tarnish my reputation so thoroughly I would never be able to hold my head up in the firm again.
In the conference room, Marcuss face was dark, his gaze intentionally lingering on me for an extended moment.
The firm has reached a decision regarding Sienna Whites violation of policy and private appropriation of firm funds.
One: Her monthly salary will be reduced to three thousand dollars.
Two: Her position will be changed from Legal Manager to Assistant.
The vacant Legal Manager position will be temporarily filled by Madison.
The room was instantly filled with murmurs and whispers, every syllable drilling clearly into my ears.
Are you kidding? Traveling twenty days a month for a three-thousand-dollar paycheck? My intern salary is higher than that!
Demoted from manager to assistantId be too embarrassed to even show my face here
Embezzlement is basically being a thief. Why isnt Marcus calling the cops?
I clenched my fists tight, remaining completely silent.
Marcus had repeatedly and not-so-subtly hinted that my salary was too high and that I wasn't as "committed" as Madison.
The demotion and pay cut.
He was trying to force me to quit voluntarily.
Seeing my silence, Marcus slammed a document onto the table in front of me.
The company pays for your travel, your meals, your lodgingnot so you can use business trips as an excuse to fleece the firm!
I pay for your full, undivided commitment!
The collective stare of my colleagues was like a whip lashing across my face.
I suppressed my rage and looked up.
My gaze skimmed past Marcus.
And landed on Madisons smug, triumphant expression.
I accept the firms disciplinary actions. I am happy to yield the manager position to a more capable individual.
My peers in the industry made at least three times my salary.
Id had plenty of headhunters calling over the years.
But I wasn't motivated by money.
Because I had been with Marcus since the startup days, I had never considered leaving.
Besides working until midnight every day, I personally proofread and produced dozens of contracts daily.
Madison, on the other hand, was completely incompetent, a placeholder.
She didnt even understand the basics of labor law.
She had only been fast-tracked to a full-time position after this business trip.
I was curious to see how she would hold onto that manager title.
After the meeting, I completed the full handover of my duties in less than ten minutes.
Then, in one clean sweep, I highlighted every backup file on my computer and hit the delete key.
From this moment on, I was a mere assistant making $3,000 a month.
Anything more than the bare minimum was a loss for me.
At 5:30 PM, I shut down my computer on the dot.
The instant my rear lifted off the chair, I heard Madisons shrill, passive-aggressive voice.
Leaving already, Ten-K Thief?
Are you too ashamed to stay, or are you rushing home to well, whatever it is you do now?
I suggest you stick around and put in some overtime. Youre thirty, youre just an assistant now. Relying on stealing from the firm will land you in jail eventually!
I offered her a slight smile.
Manager Madison, I perform work commensurate with my pay. The Employee Handbook states that the workday ends at 5:30 PM. Since the firm doesnt offer overtime pay, I cant be expected to give away my labor for free.
My tasks are complete. I wouldnt want to drain the firms electricity.
I turned and walked straight into the elevator without looking back.
Madisons raging insults behind me nearly pierced my eardrums.
Less than thirty seconds later, my phone blew up with over a hundred notifications.
Madison was furiously messaging Marcus in the work group chat, complaining about my early departure.
Marcus, enraged, started cursing me out in the chat.
The other colleagues chimed in with their vile comments.
The entire exchange was a cesspool.
Sitting in my car with the heat on, I coldly recorded every single message.
They didnt know it, but every piece of filth they spewed in that chat
was a catalyst accelerating their own corporate demise.
I played dead in the group.
Marcus, utterly livid, vowed to teach this disobedient animal a lesson.
So, the next morning.
When I clocked in right at the last minute.
My desk was gone.
Following the gleeful, knowing glances of my colleagues, I spotted a large black trash bag next to the restroom.
I strode over to it, only to find a few of my possessions.
My lunch break blanket had been shredded.
My tablet, used for signing electronic contracts, had been folded at a ninety-degree angle, the screen shattered.
Several of my professional suit jackets were covered in muddy footprints.
Madison tossed a plastic chair at me.
She pointed to the security camera directly above my head.
Marcus said we have a thief, so we need extra vigilance. This is your new workstation. He feels safer with you sitting right here.
Since we recovered the stolen firm property, maybe this will teach you a lesson! Dont act like a petty thief again! If you even think about company funds or assets, I, the Legal Manager, will be the first to prosecute you!
I was beyond fury. I nearly laughed from the absurdity.
The words tumbled out before I could stop them.
Company property? Madison, are you insane? From my personal laptop and tablet down to my keyboard and blanketnot a single item belongs to the firm!
What are you, a sewer rat? Only capable of doing despicable things behind peoples backs?
My property here is easily worth six figures. Unless you return it to me in its original state, Im calling the police right now!
Madisons eyes widened. She raised her hand to strike me.
You little bitch! Im the manager! How dare you speak to me like that?
Six figures? The thief is making threats! Ill shut your mouth for you!
The colleagues swarmed forward.
They looked like they were trying to break up the fight.
In reality, they used the chaos to shove me down, "accidentally" stepping on me as I fell.
Madison shrieked, shoving her phone camera right into my face.
Everyone look! This is the thief who stole firm funds and appropriated company property! This gambler exposed her true colors on the business trip, buying lottery tickets right in front of the clients!
She grabbed a handful of my hair while I was struggling to stand, forcing my head back into a humiliating position.
Im going to make you famous across the entire internet, Ten-K Thief!
The taste of blood filled my mouth.
I held my phone tight against my chest.
I glanced down, ensuring the recording was still active.
I tried to reach the emergency alert button on my smartwatch with my right hand.
Suddenly, a searing pain shot through my wrist.
The watch was violently ripped off.
It shattered on the floor.
Marcuss voice boomed from above me.
Sienna White, instigating a brawl! Thats a five hundred dollar deduction from your salary this month!
I looked up in shock.
He glared down at me, letting out a cold snort.
You disagree? Fine. Im canceling your annual bonus entirely!
I couldnt believe my ears.
Every contract I had handled maximized the firms profits.
This year alone, I had generated at least fifty million in extra revenue.
I calculated my bonus would be no less than $200,000.
And he was canceling it with a single, throwaway sentence?
On what grounds?!
But before I could speak, Marcus and Madison turned and walked away.
The colleagues made no effort to hide their smug, snickering faces, pointing fingers at me.
I was the joke of the entire firm.
Humiliation flooded my heart.
I scrambled up, wiping the blood from my lip.
I rushed into a restroom stall.
Pulling my laptop from my bag, I swiftly logged into the firms security system.
The movement was automatic, seamless.
Madison had been too busy basking in her newfound authority these past two days.
She hadn't bothered to update the systems permissionsso my access was still fully intact.
These videos were my ultimate nuclear weapon.
I watched coldly as the footage showed my colleagues coordinated accidents. The hatred in my heart intensified.
I pulled out my phone and called the hospital.
Hello, I need to schedule an injury evaluation. I require the documentation for a Level One Felony Assault.
When I returned to the office that afternoon.
As expected, I had been cancelled online.
Madison had posted the video of the assault to social media.
In half an hour.
The views had surpassed one hundred thousand.
[Looks professional, but shes a thief? Those designer clothes are probably stolen too!]
[I guess women can be gamblers too. Did she get addicted somewhere seedy?]
[Poor company! This woman has been doxxed. She was a high-paid legal manager, handling seven-figure projects daily. Think of the kickbacks she must have taken!]
It took me zero seconds to guess that the doxxing was Marcus and Madisons handiwork.
I was about to go educate Madison on defamation law.
The next second, a brand-new Employee Handbook was slapped down in front of me.
I looked up and met Madisons deeply unhappy expression.
Marcus is sending you on a business trip.
There was a minor error in the Eastwood Dynamics contractI wrote a decimal point in the wrong place. You go over there, talk to them about pretending they didnt see it, and swap in this new version.
Her tone was casual, as if she were talking about a simple math mistake.
I shook my head.
I wont go. As an assistant, business travel is outside my job description.
She pointed at me, incensed.
Negotiation is your strength, isnt it? Why refuse?
Since when does an assistant refuse the managers orders?
Havent you learned your lesson online yet? Fine, Ill send that video to your parents, your family!
A triumphant smirk played on her lips.
Also, Marcus personally drafted the New Employee Handbook.
If you refuse to go, you will be fined five thousand dollars and required to write a ten-thousand-word essay to be read out loud at the morning meeting for a full week!
My personnel file was in Madisons office. She must have illegally copied my family's contact information.
My mothers health was fragile. If Madison sent her that video
I had no choice but to agree.
Seeing my silence, Madison scoffed.
Smart girl. Remember to adhere to this New Employee Handbook!
Your cell phone must be reachable twenty-four hours a day while traveling. Three minutes of disconnection will be counted as a no-show.
Hotel standard is fifty dollars, meal standard is twenty, client entertainment is fifty dollars, and travel will only reimburse for coach train tickets
With every item she read, a gasp rippled through the surrounding colleagues.
I remained completely silent, only looking at her with cold eyes.

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