Chapter 3

I submitted my request for paid time off to Victoria—thirty days in total, accumulated over five years of never taking a break.

The moment she saw the form, her face darkened. "Summer, what is the meaning of this?"

She slammed the paper onto her desk. "The department is understaffed right now. Taking such a long leave is a direct defiance of my management!"

She lowered her voice, her tone dripping with venom. "Don't think you're safe just because you're a regular sales rep now. Your career is still in my hands. If you push me, I can make sure you never get a job in this industry again. Keep this up, and it won't just be a demotion. Believe me, I will fire you on the spot!"

I remained silent. I pulled my recent medical report from my bag and laid it on her desk. "Victoria, I was diagnosed with cardiac arrhythmia last week. My doctor strongly advised me to rest."

My voice was dead calm. "Chronic high stress is bad for the heart. As my senior, I'm sure you understand that."

She picked up the report, her face turning pale and then red. She couldn't find a single logical way to argue against a doctor's note.

"Hmph!" She let out a sharp sneer, grabbed her pen, and aggressively signed her name on my PTO form.

Just as I turned to leave, Ethan walked into the office floor.

He was holding Sophie’s hand, and he smirked when he saw me. "Well, look who it is. Our former star seller, Summer Miller. What’s wrong? One setback and you're already running away like a coward?"

Sophie added with a smug grin, "Some people just don't have the skills or the mental strength for high-level corporate work. It's natural selection."

Ethan chimed in, "Don't think this company can't run without you. Let me tell you, Sophie is ten times the leader you'll ever be."

I didn't waste a single second on them. I walked straight past them and headed out.

The office manager caught up with me at the end of the hallway and shoved a cup of coffee into my hand. "Summer, do you remember the client you saved with CPR the other day?"

I nodded.

"That was Mr. Harrison, the founder of Nova Enterprises. His son, Liam, has been trying to get in touch with you to thank you properly." The manager sighed. "But Victoria blocked his calls. She told him it was a team effort and praised Sophie's leadership instead. You're too soft, Summer. You need to learn to fight for your own credit."

I simply nodded and thought to myself, *That's a thank-you gift they won't be able to afford.*

I boarded my flight to visit my parents in Chicago. Shortly after takeoff, while the plane was still taxiing, Ava called me, her voice trembling and on the verge of tears. "Summer! Oh my god, everything is ruined! Nova Enterprises' core operating system just crashed! Their entire business is paralyzed!"

My heart skipped a beat.

"Sophie took over the account, but when she saw the crash, she thought it was just a simple server error. But because the system has a custom security encryption protocol, she was too scared to force a reboot! She's been staring at her laptop, reading standard operating procedures, but she's too terrified to make a call! She refused to hire external experts to save face, and now she actually suggested Nova Enterprises shut down their operations for three days!"

Ava's voice cracked. "Summer, that's Nova Enterprises' core system! Every single minute they are offline costs them millions! How could she suggest they shut down for three days?!"

Right then, my call waiting beeped. It was Victoria.

I hung up on Ava and took Victoria’s call.

Victoria's screech blasted through the speaker: "Summer Miller! Get your ass back to the office right now! If Nova Enterprises' system is permanently damaged, I will destroy your career!"

I pulled the phone away from my ear, waited for her to finish screaming, and then replied smoothly, "Victoria, first of all, I am on approved medical leave. Second, I am just a regular sales rep. I don't have the security clearance or the capability to handle a crisis of this scale. Isn't your brilliant, ivy-league niece Sophie the expert in solving these complex issues?"

With that, I hung up.