“What?” Alexander whispered.
“She said my performance didn’t meet company standards.”
“That’s impossible,” he snapped. “You run half the recovery operations in this company.”
“Well,” Sophia replied calmly, “apparently I’m not doing it well enough to earn more than a grocery clerk.”
Alexander exhaled sharply.
“Sophia… you were never supposed to have your salary reviewed. Your contract is under executive protection status. HR cannot modify it.”
Sophia frowned slightly.
“Apparently they can.”
“No,” he said coldly. “They cannot.”
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Then Alexander asked quietly,
“You resigned immediately?”
“Yes.”
“Did you sign anything?”
“No.”
Another pause.
Then suddenly Alexander laughed.
A sharp, dangerous laugh.
“Good.”
Sophia raised an eyebrow.
“Good?”
“You just saved us from a legal disaster.”
She frowned.
“What are you talking about?”
“Sophia,” he said slowly, “your contract includes a clause. If the company intentionally reduces your salary without executive approval, it counts as constructive termination.”
Sophia’s eyes narrowed.
“And?”
“And it activates a compensation penalty.”
“How big?”
Alexander hesitated.
“Three years of salary.”
Sophia blinked.
“Twenty-seven thousand dollars?”
“No.”
His voice dropped.
“Three years of total compensation.”
Sophia did the math in her head.
Salary.
Bonuses.
Equity.
Her eyes widened.
“…That’s over two million dollars.”
“Correct,” Alexander said quietly.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Sophia asked calmly,
