Chapter 4Your Future Belongs in My Trash Can

That night, I was, unsurprisingly, wide awake.

I didn't know if I could achieve justice tomorrow. I only knew that some things had to be done.

And I was ready to be the one who did them.

At 8:00 AM, I arrived at the office. Everything was normal. Dahlia, having heard about my conversation with Rich, walked past my desk and glanced at me with an odd, pitying look.

At 10:00 AM, Spencer asked me to lunch, supposedly to celebrate that I hadn't been fired.

“It’s a good thing Rich is a good guy and decided not to hold your temper tantrum against you. If my mom knew you were jobless, she’d never let us get married.”

I picked up my lunch tray and walked away, not even granting him a glance.

At 3:00 PM, Rich arrived. He strode into the open-plan office, looking invigorated.

“To celebrate securing the Summit Group project,” he announced grandly, “I’ve asked Dahlia to prepare a big bonus envelope for everyone!”

“Rich is the man!”

“Best boss ever!”

Rich chuckled, waving his hand dismissively. “Dahlia, start handing them out.”

The envelopes were distributed.

Marcus, an assistant who’d been with the company for three years, gasped. “Five thousand dollars! Rich is so generous!”

“Five thousand for me too! Great to be on Rich’s team!” Said a married, older male colleague, his eyes crinkling in a delighted smile.

Vivian, at the next desk, tore open her envelope, then pouted. “Why did I only get three thousand?”

“Me too. Three thousand.”

The female employees, all of them, got three thousand.

“Well, three thousand is better than nothing.”

“But I work just as hard as the men. Why the difference?”

Why the difference? I repeated the question silently, opening my own envelope.

Neat, crisp bills. Five hundred dollars.

“Jenna, don’t take it personally. I just gave you that big raise yesterday. Giving you too much would make the others talk,” Rich explained, smiling broadly, his eyes watching my reaction intently.

I knew he was trying to 'tame' me.

I didn't argue or protest. I calmly put the envelope in my desk.

“Thank you, Rich.”

At 7:00 PM, the Summit Group motorcade arrived downstairs. Victoria Graham, the CEO, and her delegation walked into the conference room. Rich and Spencer were there, all smiles and obsequiousness, greeting the delegation warmly.

At 7:30 PM, the ceremony began.

Rich, as the CEO, stepped up to the podium to speak.

“Thank you, Summit Group, for giving our firm this invaluable opportunity. Since our first collaboration, we have always adhered to a spirit of transparency, fairness, and professionalism. Through our joint efforts, we have achieved significant results. Moving forward, we will continue to provide professional service and quality work, hand-in-hand with Summit Group, to create greater, mutual success.”

Rich delivered his prepared remarks with eloquent pride.

Victoria Graham, seated in the VIP section, looked satisfied. She took the microphone. “After several years of collaboration, we have absolute faith in your firm’s capabilities. However, even more than capability, our company prioritizes whether your principles of transparency, fairness, and professionalism extend to your employee relations—especially regarding gender equality.”

Rich’s face twitched. He chuckled nervously. “Of course, of course.”

Before he could finish, the main screen behind the podium went black.

A few seconds later, the conversation between Rich Kingsley and me, recorded in his office, echoed throughout the venue.

“You women are inherently not the same as men…”