Chapter 3
Backstabbing and greed meshed seamlessly within this group.
With every hit of the refresh button, hundreds of new vicious comments flooded the #CancelPulseMedia hashtag.
The office door crashed open.
Mike burst in, heavy drops of cold sweat rolling down his forehead. "Victoria, we've lost control of the situation! The official accounts are getting slaughtered in the comments, and the front desk is overflowing with angry calls from our partners!"
"They just gave us an ultimatum. If we don’t resolve the IP disputes and the public backlash, the S-tier distribution contract is null and void. The breach of contract penalty will force us into immediate bankruptcy!"
Mike swallowed hard, leaning in with desperate urgency. "How about we issue a public statement and take a step back? We can just delete all the IP priority clauses in the incubator project."
Compromise?
Compromise with this mob inciting cyber violence from the shadows?
The last trace of warmth completely drained from my eyes.
"Mike, once you pay a blackmailer, you pay them protection money for the rest of your life."
Mike froze in his tracks. "But the public backlash..."
A self-deprecating smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth. I used to be an idealist. I tried to be a mentor, to be their safety net. I thought that by providing resources and money, I could incubate a pure utopia.
Instead, I just incubated a nest of vipers ready to bite the hand that fed them.
Kindness without the boundaries of rules only breeds entitled brats.
They want creative freedom?
Fine. I will give them complete freedom. But they will bear every ounce of the cost themselves.
I directly dialed the building manager.
After hanging up, I looked at Mike.
"Tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM. All-hands meeting."
The next day, 8:55 AM.
Inside the sprawling open-plan office, the usual morning clatter of keyboards was entirely absent. Instead, a bizarre, manic energy hung in the air.
Jaxson slouched aggressively in his chair, legs crossed, looking like a victorious general.
He boasted loudly to the programmers who had blindly followed his riot: "Just watch. The trending hashtag has been up all night. She has no choice but to cave. As long as we insist this is a 'company benefit,' she’ll definitely revoke the contract today. She might even throw cash at us just to keep us quiet."
Sitting at a computer in the front row, Chloe anxiously twisted her fingers. She had just guiltily deleted her retweet of the protest post from last night. Now, she was staring obsessively at a private group chat, her fingers trembling as she typed: "Is she really going to just hand out the money...?"
The sharp ping of the meeting notification cut through the chatter.
The crowd surged toward the conference room like a tidal wave, every single pair of eyes burning with greed and the absolute certainty that they had forced my hand.
Two minutes later, I stood at the head of the table. My gaze swept across the room, utterly cold and completely still.
Jaxson had seized the dead-center seat. His chin was tilted up, just waiting to watch me surrender.
"Last night’s trending posts, the videos, and your voices in the comments—I’ve seen and heard them all."
I rested my hands on the table, deliberately slowing my pace so my tone carried a hint of "compromise and reflection."
"Everyone has been calling for unconditional creative freedom, prioritizing mental and physical health, and protesting the oppressive nature of the system." I gave a slight nod. "You are right. I was wrong."
The moment the words left my mouth, the tension in the room visibly deflated.
No one expected Victoria—the boss who never gave an inch—to actually cave!
The collective exhale revealed their ecstasy. Chloe’s face instantly flushed red, her hands flying up to cover her mouth in excitement.
Jaxson didn't miss a beat. Striking the pose of a moral arbiter, he spoke loudly: "Ms. Sterling, realizing the flaws in the system is a great first step. Since everyone is boycotting that malicious NDA, I move to abolish it immediately. And as for the $50,000 incubator fund? I suggest dividing it equally among the staff as compensation for our emotional distress."
A few people immediately banged on the desk, cheering on this "genius proposal."
They were all waiting for me to play along and pour the cash straight into their pockets.
I cut Jaxson off cold.
"Since you feel it is exploitation," I straightened up, pinning Jaxson down with a suffocating glare, "I hereby announce that the 'Genius Incubator Project' is permanently canceled, effective immediately."
The conference room plummeted into a dead silence.
"The $50,000 seed fund, the company-wide tuition reimbursements, and the advanced training stipends. All terminated. From this exact second forward, the company will no longer process a single financial application related to these benefits."
"To fully comply with your protests against 'exploitation,' the monthly learning stipend for every employee will now be reduced to a symbolic fifteen dollars."
I looked down at the faces that had instantly drained of all color. My voice rang out like a judge's final verdict. "Since you called this agreement a tool of exploitation, I am personally smashing it to pieces. Your freedom is fully returned to you."
After a brief moment of comprehension, the room erupted into sheer, desperate panic.
My icy voice sliced through the chaos. "A quick reminder. Effective immediately, if anyone is caught spreading unauthorized information inside or outside this company—you will be fired on the spot. Furthermore, the legal department will initiate breach-of-contract proceedings aiming for a multi-million dollar settlement. I dare you to try."
The triumphant smirk on Jaxson’s face died completely. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Cold sweat rapidly beaded and slid down his temples.
Chloe pushed herself up from the table. Her legs were shaking violently, her features twisted in an ugly mix of absolute terror and regret.
"Ms. Sterling?!"
She stared at me in pure despair.
"...Canceling the project, you... you're joking, right?"
