My name is Michael, and I used to believe that hard work always pays off. For five years, I gave everything I had to the company I worked for. I was the first to arrive and the last to leave, often working overtime without extra pay just to meet deadlines. My dedication earned me respect from my colleagues but not from my boss. He saw my progress as a threat to his authority.
It started subtly. He’d criticize my work even when I did everything right. He’d take credit for my ideas during meetings and pretend to be the hero. I brushed it off at first, thinking maybe he was just strict. But things got worse when a promotion came up, and everyone expected me to get it. Instead, he accused me of stealing company funds an accusation so shocking that I thought it was a bad joke.
