Fired for Booking a Hotel Room

Our company was having a team building event in the Huka Islands, where every employee would get their own room.

As I prepared to check in, my colleague from the same department, Yvonne Caruso, suddenly snatched my ID from my hand. The rooms are full. The rest of you should find another hotel.

I did not say anything much but took my ID back to hand it to the employee working behind the front desk. "One room, please. Thank you."

However, Yvonne pushed me away viciously and berated me, "I told you to get lost. Are you deaf?!"

I was not prepared for it, and I hit the corner of the front desk hard. I felt a sharp pain in my waist and immediately lost my temper.

Yvonne was infuriated when I pushed her back, and she roared at me, "How dare you push me! My dad is the real boss behind this company. He's the Don of the Carusos. Cross me and you won't even see it coming when you die!"

I was taken aback and broke out with laughter a second later.

The Don of the Carusos, Ian Caruso, was my father. Why did I have no idea that he had another daughter apart from me?

Chapter 1

Yvonne Caruso was delighted when I remained silent. She scoffed at me. "It's good that you know to be afraid. A hillbilly like you has probably never seen such a luxurious hotel before. Do you think this hotel belongs to your family?

"Just because you're a bimbo who got into the company doesn't mean you deserve a good room."

She pointed at a huge dumpster not far away. "That's where you deserve to live. Don't say I didn't warn you, but someone is going to take that place if you're too late."

I was close to blowing up. A bimbo? Since joining the company, I had worked diligently to complete several projects, all of which I had accomplished on my own merit. I was also the one who had secured several significant investments through networking.

This company was a legitimate business owned by the Carusos. How could she dare accuse me of being a bimbo when I worked my way up from the bottom?

I glared at her as I could no longer take it. "How can you say something like that to me when you don't make any sales, and you're not competent in anything you do?

"You're not the one paying for the employees' team building, the company is. What gives you the right to reduce the budget and save the company's expenses? Does Don Caruso know what a cheapskate his daughter is?"

Everyone burst out laughing at this. I could tell that they were all annoyed at Yvonne as well. She had been creating problems since she joined the company.

Yvonne once complained about our colleague, Lisa Russo, being pregnant as her maternity leave would affect our work. Yvonne went as far as to swap Lisa's pregnancy supplements for abortion drugs. Fortunately, Lisa thought the supplements were strange and did not take them. Otherwise, she would have lost her child.

After that, Yvonne was unhappy with another female colleague, Mona Landry, for using cheap perfume with a scent that irritated her. She switched Mona's perfume for disinfectant, which ended up burning Mona's skin.

That was not all. The worst thing she did was ask for Leon Moretti's help to fix her computer, but she was annoyed with how slow he was while diagnosing the computer's problem. Annoyed, Yvonne splashed coffee on him and caused the computer to short-circuit. If Leon had not been quick to react, he might be dead by now.

When everyone berated her for what she did, all Yvonne did was throw a condescending look at us. "They're all alive, aren't they? They're not worth an apology from me."

Our boss was forced to come forward to apologize on her behalf. Everyone was appeased only after the colleagues she nearly killed were compensated.

I had been wondering why everyone would stop me whenever I wanted to teach her a lesson. They even tried to talk me out of creating a fuss after everything that happened. It turned out it was because she was the 'daughter' of Don Caruso.

When Yvonne saw how brazen I was to berate her, she pointed at my nose and roared, "You really don't know what's good for you, you bitch! How dare you yell at me? This company is able to survive because of the Carusos. Everyone has to listen to what I say. I'm the one who decides who stays and who doesn't!

"All it takes is one call from me and you're dead. Cross me and you'll end up with nowhere to go, much less without a room at this hotel! Get on your knees and apologize right now, or you can end up dead here."

The front desk receptionist was in a panic as she looked at me. "Miss, why don't we"

I replied stoically, "Give me a presidential suite right now!"

I refused to believe Yvonne had the means to stop me. I had brought the company billions in revenue. Any normal person would know to try to keep me happy in the company.

This was just one presidential suite. If the company did not even have the funds to give me the room, it was probably time for me to change bosses.

The moment I asked for the room, our big-bellied boss, Morty Livingston, appeared in front of us. Yvonne immediately went crying to him as she leaned in close to his ear.

Morty glared at me right away. "Apologize to Yvonne right now, Natalia! Hasn't the company given you enough in bonuses? Why do you enjoy taking advantage of the company so much?"

Chapter 2

"How dare you hit Yvonne? Get on your knees and beg for Yvonne's forgiveness. You need to give her your year-end bonus of 100,000 and all of your projects' commissions as compensation as well."

I took a deep breath as my head was about to explode from anger. "Are you sure you want me to apologize to her, Mr. Livingston?"

Monty's face fell as he stared at me. One would think I had made an unforgivable mistake.

Leon carefully tugged at my sleeve to say softly, "Just give in, Natalia. She really is Don Caruso's daughter. We can't afford to anger her. The company would've gone bankrupt long ago if it weren't for Don Caruso."

I sneered, "Are we supposed to believe she's Don Caruso's daughter just because she said so? Did the Carusos publicly announce the identity of their heiress?"

Leon showed me his phone, which displayed Yvonne's social media posts. "So grateful that my Dad came to my graduation. He really loves me a lot!"

I was stunned as I carefully scrutinized the photo. The smiling man in the photo was my father. Yvonne was standing next to him, and it did look like they had a close relationship.

My heart sank. I immediately called my father, but no one picked up the call.

Yvonne was enraged that I was ignoring her. "Just you wait, Natalia. I'll make sure you pay for this!"

She took action right away. That night, I received a letter from my company informing me that I was fired. Aside from that, my passport, ID, and every other document I had went missing.

I looked up at the sun in the Huka Islands and found it exceptionally blinding. What a bad time for them to be working overtime just to settle my case. I went directly to Monty's room, only to find the company's higher management there, along with Yvonne.

Yvonne threw me a taunting look and said gleefully, "I knew you'd come, Natalia. I warned you about crossing me. You can't handle the consequences. Your position and your 100,000 bonus now belong to me!"

I ignored her as I tried to suppress my anger. I approached Monty and the other higher management executives. I questioned them, "Why did you fire me? You've all seen how much revenue I've brought to the company since I joined. It took me only one month to complete three projects and bring in five billion worth of investments to the company.

"What right do you have to take away my 100,000 bonus and give my sales wins to Yvonne, even going as far as to fire me?"

Everyone threw me a troubled glance and lowered their heads.

Yvonne gloated as she came up to me. She said arrogantly, "You only have yourself to blame for using despicable methods to win those sales. Who knows if you slept your way through everything, including all those projects and investments? You've given the company a bad name.

"Every sale the company won was because of everybody's hard work. The 100,000 is only for the one with the greatest contribution. You should count yourself lucky that I spared your life by only firing you. I've chosen not to go after you for accountability."

I grabbed my wrist hard to force myself to calm down. "What evidence do you have to prove that the projects and investments I got were through despicable means? Mr. Livingston, you know very well how hard I worked to complete those projects even if others don't." I looked at Monty.

He had come close to bankruptcy when he tried to legitimize the business and there were Soldati out for his life.

I was the one who saved the dying company by bringing in a few projects. Monty had been grateful to me back then. Yet, now, he was siding with Yvonne just to get on her good side, even humiliating me. It was a true testament of who he was.

Monty waved me off impatiently. "That's enough, Natalia. Stop harping on this. The company has its standards when it comes to judging employees. It's normal for employees to come and go, so it's best that we end things on good terms"

"On good terms?" I burst out laughing. "I worked many late nights over the past years just to rework tenders and project documents. I would meet investors to discuss partnerships and collaborations to help the company stand on its own two feet. That's how the company has managed to expand to such a large scale!

"Now, you're denying all of my hard work because of one word from her. Don't you think this is a huge disrespect to the work I've done and the results I've brought to the company?! Don't you have a conscience, Monty Livingston?"

Monty looked guilty, and he lowered his head to avoid my eyes.

Yvonne burst out with a laugh as she said tauntingly, "What is conscience worth to a man? You're not a child any longer, Natalia. Don't you know this is a dog-eat-dog world? If you want respect in this land, you need the power to demand it. Power is everything!"

Chapter 3

"If you want respect, you need to have a powerful father first. Unfortunately, that would be my father. I'm the daughter of Don Caruso, the Principessa of a mafia family. You'll never be better than I am in this life. You're nothing but a dog I can beat off!"

Looking at how confident she was, I frowned slightly. Could my father really have an illegitimate daughter behind our family's back?

I asked carefully, "I heard that Don Caruso's daughter is studying overseas and has only just returned. How do you explain the fact that you studied at a local public university?"

Yvonne did not expect me to ask the question and was taken aback. However, she suddenly said with a laugh, "You know a lot, don't you? That's my older sister. She's been working by my dad's side since she returned to the country, and she rarely appears in public. Do you really think a Don like my dad would only have one child?

"Well, that shouldn't be a surprise. Lowly people like you don't even know the way to the Carusos' front door, much less know anything about us."

I scoffed. "If we're lowly people, what does that make you? Aren't you despicable for robbing me of my position and bonus? To think that a mafia Principessa is greedy for measly 100,000 What a joke. Doesn't Don Caruso give you any pocket money?

"Or maybe you're not his daughter at all!"

Yvonne was infuriated by what I said. "Stop being ridiculous! No one robbed you of your position. You were fired by the company for being incompetent. It's only normal that your position is taken over by someone more capable like me!"

I could not help laughing. "Capable? Do you mean your ability to create trouble in the company? Like how every department in the company has lodged complaints against you for forgetting our clients' demands? Or like the time you blatantly revealed our base price publicly and caused a huge loss to the company?

"Don't forget how you always come to work late and leave early while forcing all other colleagues to do your work for you. Are those the things that make you capable?"

Every point I made only served to humiliate Yvonne further.

Her face turned pale, and she had no comeback for me. All she could do was look at Monty for help.

An unhappy look flashed in Monty's eye, and he glanced coldly at me. "You've been fired, Natalia. You have no right to question the company's decision. Even if you were still with the company, you wouldn't have the right to decide on any personnel transfer.

"Do you think you can order the company around just because you won us a few projects and brought in several investors? What right do you have to look down on others? Yvonne is just as capable as you are!

"Stop with all this nonsense and get out of here right now, or I'll get security to deal with you!"

My former colleagues started crowding outside room. I could hear them whispering about me while they threw me taunting glances.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Natalia has always been aloof. I can't believe I'm seeing the day she becomes a loser."

"How about a bet to see if she'll continue making a fuss?"

"The company is firing her now just to avoid paying her that bonus. A hundred grand isn't a small sum. It's only right that she puts up a fight."

My fists clenched as I sensed the taunting looks thrown at me. It was only 100,000. It would still mean nothing to me even if another zero were added behind that number. What I hated most was my hard work being disrespected.

I looked around at the crowd, and my sight finally zeroed in on Monty and Yvonne. "You want to fire me? Fine, I accept! My position definitely deserves to go to a more capable person!"

With that, I turned to leave without a second look at any of them. When I stepped out the door, I heard Monty making a loud announcement to everyone.

"Natalia used unscrupulous methods to bring us investors and illegal tactics to win us projects. She engaged in unhealthy competition with others and displayed a great disregard for the company by forcing the company to book a room for her during the team building event. The company has decided that she should be let go in light of everything she's done.

"On the contrary, Yvonne has displayed exceptional capabilities and has a high-performing sales record. From now onward, she'll be taking over the position of marketing director."

After Monty was done with the announcement, he suddenly called out to me. "You're no longer an employee of this company, Natalia. The company will not bear any of your expenses here in the Huka Islands.

"Please transfer the money you owe us for the hotel and flight. Also, you've maliciously slandered an employee of this company. Apologize to Yvonne right now, or"

"Or what?" I turned around with a grim look on my face as I stared right into Monty's eyes.

Yvonne took out my identification documents from her bag with a small smile. "Or we'll keep your identification documents until you pay us everything you owe!"

I laughed with anger. Those two people were just too much. Monty turned out to be an ungrateful bastard who not only fired me but also took my bonus away from me. He even humiliated me publicly.

As for Yvonne, she stole my identification documents to threaten me in a power move attempt that served to strip me of my dignity.

They probably thought they had it all planned out.

The atmosphere turned eerily silent as our colleagues stared at me while holding their breath for my next move. Some of them were sympathetic, while others could not wait to humiliate me further. However, most of them were just enjoying the drama.

Everyone waited with anticipation as they looked forward to witnessing the moment I would cave.

Monty and Yvonne stood side by side in front of me while staring down at me.

Mona leaned in close to my ear, cautiously whispering, "Just give in to them, Natalia. You can't board the plane without your passport. You don't know anyone here. What if something happens to you?"

Chapter 4

I closed my eyes. I could not stop trembling.

As Monty and Yvonne pushed me to apologize, I said out loud, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked for a room all to myself. The company's money shouldn't be wasted that way. I hope that none of the employees will repeat my mistake and end up losing their jobs."

It sounded like an apology, but the words were like a slap to Monty and Yvonne.

The other employees started to feel insecure about their jobs after seeing what happened to me. They took the initiative to downgrade their rooms and refused to spend any more money. What was supposed to be a joyful team building became an event of unhappiness and complaints.

This no longer affected me, however. After getting back my identification documents, I moved to another hotel and had a good time enjoying the Huka islands.

It was not until I returned home that I found out Monty had initiated a blanket boycott on me within the industry. No company dared to hire me because of pressure from Monty.

When I returned to the company to pick up my things, there was no shortage of insults and taunting. Yvonne sat in my office while throwing a gleeful glance at me. She kicked a box next to her foot. "Rubbish like this should've been thrown out long ago, just like its owner."

I sneered and ignored her. She would soon come to understand that not just anyone could sit in the position she was in.

As I expected, it took less than three days for Monty to appear at my front door. I used to handle every project in the company, and I was confident enough that no one could take over them except for me.

Yvonne was already in over her head with the work she used to handle previously, and with her current position, she was even more inept at taking charge of client demands. Yvonne made mistakes in calculations and mixed up rules and regulations. It did not take long for the projects to be put on hold.

The project investors had pumped in money because of me. Now that the person in charge had been changed, they immediately put a hold on signing the contracts and declared that they would only sign if I returned to the company.

With the projects on hold and the investors pulling out, the company's financial chain was almost broken. Monty had no choice but to beg me. "Natalia, we're facing issues with the projects and investors you brought into the company. You need to come back to sort it out."

My tone with him was cold and distant. "I'm sorry, Mr. Livingston. I'm no longer an employee of your company. I have no right to handle anything in your company."

Monty paused for a moment before replying grimly, "But you were in charge of these projects. You need to see things through"

Before he could finish, I stopped him. "Have you forgotten something, Mr. Livingston? You said that I used unscrupulous methods to win those projects and investors. If that's the case, I would suggest that you give them up for the sake of the company's reputation."

Monty screamed before I finished, "Impossible!" However, his tone softened when he saw the look on my face. "I know that you're mad about me firing you. How about this? I'll let you back into the company, and you can quickly settle all those problems."

I shook my head. "I'm someone who used despicable means to climb up the corporate ladder. How can I compare to your current marketing director who has true capabilities? You should see Yvonne about solving those problems."

Monty's face instantly turned red at my words. He tried his best to suppress his anger as he replied through clenched teeth, "Those were just mindless words that meant no harm. Why are you taking it so seriously?"

I laughed. "Why? You couldn't wait to fire me the moment we won those projects and pulled in the investors. You even refused to pay me my bonus of 100,000 and promoted Yvonne to my position. Was that all just a joke to you?

"Was it also a joke when you claimed I was wasting company funds for getting myself a room and when you threatened me by taking my identification documents?"

My words were like a slap to Monty's face. His face turned a brighter shade of red as he struggled to come to a decision. Monty might have considered giving in to me, but nothing came out of his mouth when he tried to speak.

I understood what he was going through. Monty had been working for my father for years. He was the best candidate to help the Carusos legitimize the family assets and manage the business. He had never given in to anyone besides the Carusos.

Just as he was about to let go of his pride, Yvonne arrived. She pulled on Monty's arm happily. "My dad has agreed to help us solve the problem, Mr. Livingston!"

Monty's eyes lit up instantly. "Really? You did great, Yvonne. I can't believe you managed to convince Don Caruso to help out. No one would dare go against him if he made a request. Promoting you as director was the best decision I made!"

He glanced at me condescendingly after that. "Do you really think the company can't manage without you, Natalia? You've been blacklisted in the industry by me. Prepare to be homeless!"

I replied stoically, "The company hasn't compensated me for firing me."

Monty lost his temper and questioned angrily, "How dare you ask for compensation? Our projects wouldn't have been put on hold if it weren't for you. Once the company stabilizes, I'll make sure to teach you a lesson!"

Yvonne stared at me like a venomous snake. "I'll make sure you'll have no place in Arendale, Natalia!"