Chapter 2

Seeing how compliant I was, Tristan smirked. He went on to add two more rules: strict clock-in times and detailed client feedback logs.

The office instantly erupted into quiet groans. Sometimes we had to meet clients across town, and some weren't even in the same state. It was impossible to clock in physically at the office every morning. This new system was going to ruin everyone's schedule.

But as soon as the complaints started, Marcus shut them down. "No rules, no order! Did you all forget about the seven-thousand-dollar fine we just handed out? Let me tell you, I brought Tristan in to fix your lazy, undisciplined habits!"

The room went dead silent. I kept my mouth shut. If they wanted me to clock in, I'd clock in. If they wanted daily sketches, I'd sketch. I was in no rush.

In five days, they would regret this.

Tristan officially took over my office that afternoon, acting like he owned the place.

I wasn't bothered at all. I spent ten minutes using an AI generator to produce a basic design sketch, submitted it before 5:00 PM, shut down my computer, and clocked out.

Carter saw me leaving and teased, "Not staying to save the company today?"

"Hey, we have to follow the new rules, right? Strict work hours," I waved at him and walked out.

Carter was the second-best designer in the department. He had been trying to take my job for years, but now that I was demoted, he didn't get the promotion either. Instead, some random guy had parachuted in over both of us and brought a bunch of annoying micro-management rules with him. Seeing me leave, Carter rolled his eyes, shut down his laptop, and left too.

Getting off work exactly on time was a luxury I hadn't experienced in years. Normally, I would be revising blueprints or negotiating with clients until midnight, only to find out they liked the very first draft best. This level of freedom was actually nice.

On my way home, I picked up some groceries and made a warm pot of soup for Chloe.

She was surprised to see me home so early. When she found out I had been demoted, she looked incredibly guilty. "Is this because of my surgery?"

"It has nothing to do with you, honey. Honestly, the company needed a wake-up call anyway. Who says only Gen Z can quiet quit? I can do it too."

Chloe finally smiled, her worries washing away.

Since I actually had a free evening, I set up the projector and we watched a movie together. I posted a picture of our cozy setup on my Instagram.

Carter commented almost instantly: Look at you, living the dream!

I replied with a smiley face. But when I checked the company WhatsApp group, it was a war zone.

Marcus was throwing passive-aggressive shade in the group chat. "Some people only care about enjoying life. Have you finished your deliverables? Are you making enough money to afford being this lazy?"

Seeing him target me so obviously, I laughed out loud. I tagged him directly in the group chat.

"Marcus, let's keep business separate from personal life. I value my health. I enjoy my free time, but I also haven't missed a single deadline."

Then, I uploaded my entire quarterly performance report and client feedback logs directly into the chat. The Chairman and senior executives were in this group, so I had absolutely nothing to fear.

Sure enough, a second later, Marcus slid into my DMs, frantically demanding I delete the message. I ignored him and put my phone on Do Not Disturb.

The next morning, the moment I walked into the office, I was summoned to Marcus's office.

Marcus stared at me, his eyes dark. "I'm not going to waste my breath, Ethan. Hand over your current client files to Tristan today. Also, pay your fine."

"The transition is fine. But I don't have seven thousand dollars in cash. Just deduct it from my salary. My wife's surgery was expensive. I'm broke."

Marcus sneered. "Don't play games with me."

"I'm not playing games, boss. I requested leave a week ago, and I told you three months ago that my wife was having surgery and money would be tight. That's why I took on those high-budget clients, which you approved. I'm broke. If you want seven grand, take it out of my commission. My bonus and commissions for this month should be around that much anyway."