Empire of Shadows

Ennio’s father hadn’t yet realized the gravity of the situation. He even thought the human resources supervisor was joking with him.

In his perception of Federation people, they were all very humorous, especially the middle class. They would make some harmless jokes to achieve an emotional sublimation.

In his imagination, his old job would be terminated, but at the same time, he would get a new one.

Weren’t all the books he had read describing it this way?

First, give someone a scare, and then a huge surprise. Only in this way could the surprise bring a stronger emotional stimulus.

So at this moment, he did not show any frustration or other negative emotions. He looked at the human resources supervisor with a smile, “And then?”

He was ready to welcome his new life.

But the human resources supervisor just looked at him as if he were looking at a fool. “What ‘and then’?”

“And then you should pack up your things and leave the company before ten o’clock. We can only give you half an hour to handle this.”

“After half an hour, anything you haven’t taken with you will belong to the company.”Only then did Ennio’s father react. This wasn’t the “Federation Workplace Books” he had read. He looked at the human resources supervisor in disbelief. “Why, why are you firing me?”

“Didn’t we talk about it before?”

“If my sales for this quarter reach one thousand dollars, I’ll be given the position of business manager?!”

The human resources supervisor shook his head. “That has nothing to do with me. Whoever promised you, go find them.”

He glanced at his watch. “By the way, you don’t have much time.”

Ennio’s father’s face was full of anxiety and unease. He quickly left the human resources supervisor’s room and went to the manager’s office.

Ignoring the secretary’s attempts to stop him, he pushed the door open directly.

The manager was on the phone. He frowned when he saw Ennio’s father push the door in.

The atmosphere in the room immediately became somewhat oppressive. Ennio’s father, who had originally wanted to loudly question the manager about why he had not fulfilled his promise and was even firing him, subconsciously closed his mouth.

“Okay, okay… I have something else here, I’ll call you back later,” he hung up the phone, glanced at the innocent-looking secretary. The secretary breathed a sigh of relief, closed the door, and left.

The manager was only thirty years old, more than ten years younger than Ennio’s father.

He was wearing a well-fitting, high-end suit, sitting in an air-conditioned room. He gestured for Ennio’s father to sit down. “What’s wrong?”

This sentence made Ennio’s father’s anger rise again. He did not sit down, but asked loudly, “Human resources just told me I was fired. Why am I being fired?”

“Didn’t you promise that if my sales reached one thousand, you would make me a business manager?”

The manager did not deny it. He crossed his legs, leaned back in his chair, and played with a pencil in his hand. “That’s right, I did promise you that.”

“But someone said you bought those goods yourself. You have violated the company’s regulations.”

“Company regulations?” Ennio’s father’s voice grew louder. “When was this regulation made?”

In fact, the vast majority of salespeople in this company were buying the products themselves.

The products they sold… actually didn’t have a very strong competitiveness in the market, and the price was not very cheap.

If they didn’t frequently buy the unsold guaranteed products themselves, they wouldn’t even receive their basic salary, and they might lose this job.

Ennio’s father had looked for many jobs and had changed many jobs. The Federation people were not at all welcoming to immigrants with no special skills. He couldn’t even get a job in a factory.

The people at the recruitment office would tell him that the positions were already full as soon as they saw his immigration certificate, even if they were just talking about the salary a moment ago.

Plus, he had read many books about chasing dreams and realizing them. He firmly believed that he could find his direction in this line of work.

The direction had already been found, but for some reason, it was extinguished again. He wanted to know why.

The manager casually took out a contract and handed it over. “Turn to the third page, forty-seventh line, and tell me what you see.”

Ennio’s father did as he was told, and then saw a line of text—

“Salespersons are not allowed to obtain fraudulent sales performance by purchasing privately.”

“Once discovered, the company has the right to terminate the employment relationship unconditionally…”

When he signed the contract, he had not noticed this at all. He had only given it a cursory look. At this moment, his face was a little pale, and he was still trying to argue, “But many people are buying the unsold products themselves. I’m not the first, and I won’t be the last!”

The manager still had that slow, deliberate manner. “Yes, we all know. Occasionally you buy one or two pieces, we don’t care, we can let you go.”

“But look at you, you bought hundreds of dollars worth of things at once.”

“You are already deceiving the company, defrauding the company to become a business manager.”

The manager threw the pencil in his hand onto the desk. “The purpose of having you sell the products, besides selling the products themselves, is also to promote the company and the brand. That’s why we have set a higher commission in the industry.”

“But on the basis of defrauding the company, you have also affected our external publicity.”

“To be honest, not suing you is already the company’s greatest mercy and kindness to you. So you shouldn’t be coming to me now, but should pack up your things and leave with dignity.”

Ennio’s father’s momentum immediately weakened. His lips trembled, “We had an agreement…”

The manager looked at this man who was more than ten years his senior without any sympathy. “But you broke the rules.”

He paused. “You can leave now, or I’ll have to call security.”

Ennio’s father’s face was full of disappointment and sadness. He wanted to say something more to try, but seeing the manager’s merciless gaze, he finally gave up.

He thought of the sales problem of those products. “Then my commission…”

A fifteen percent sales commission was also a considerable sum, nearly a hundred dollars.

The manager had a mocking smile on his face. “You have violated the company’s rules, you have been fired. I have already said, not suing you is the company’s greatest mercy.”

“If you still want to cause trouble, either sue us and have us lose the case, and I’ll give you the money…”

“Or we will sue you, to make you understand that these breach of contract clauses are not just for show. You think it over yourself!”

This combination of punches had been used on many people and was invincible.

In fact, this whole set had been refined over a long time. Everyone knew that almost all salespeople were buying some of their unsold products themselves, but why didn’t they say anything?

Because this was the company’s way of making money—the salesperson consignment model!

Many people might not think in this direction, but the capitalists in a capitalist society had long been adept at playing these games.

Those super-conglomerates didn’t dare to sign consignment agreements, but for these sales companies, they could do it, because the salespeople were their safety net.

Each salesperson would have a basic quota. If they could complete these basic quotas, they would be able to get a guaranteed salary.

This guaranteed salary was actually generated from the profits of their sales. It was equivalent to them paying themselves a salary while also making money for the company.

If they couldn’t sell these things, it didn’t matter. They wouldn’t get the basic salary, which was equivalent to them working for the company for free.

So wanting to get the basic salary was equivalent to consignment. If you couldn’t do consignment, you would work for the company for free. This model was very popular.

Then they would find a few so-called star salespeople who were constantly creating myths to spur on and encourage those who wanted to give up.

In addition, the entire industry was also publishing books encouraging people to pursue their dreams. This was a huge capital trap.

Trick all those who can’t see the essence in, and then kill them ruthlessly.

Many people, in the end, would not realize that they had worked for several years, a dozen years, or even decades, but still had nothing and were penniless.

Because the tasks assigned to them by the company each month were all calculated by a model. How could the company let them take advantage of the company?

At the same time, from time to time, the company had to clear out a batch of old employees, because these old employees who had been unable to realize the Federation Dream for a long time would dampen the enthusiasm of some newcomers.

So how to clear them out?

Each company has its own different methods. At Ennio’s father’s company, they used the method of a contract trap.

Kill them ruthlessly one last time, squeeze out the last bit of residual value, and then dismiss them.

What if Ennio’s father didn’t buy these products himself?

Then he would never have any chance to be promoted to business manager in his life. As long as he was willing to advance, he would definitely find a way to fill this gap.

As long as he really bought them himself, then he had fallen into the trap.

Of course, there was another possibility. He did indeed sell these products. If he really did that, the company would still have other ways, for example, adding a “probationary period” to investigate whether he had cheated.

If he could continue to meet the excellent business standards for a quarter, then the company would also be willing to make him a business manager. After all, why wouldn’t a company want someone who could create more value for it?

When he could no longer create value for the company, the company still had ways to kick him out.

This plan ensured that the company was always profitable. Now that more and more immigrants in the Federation needed jobs, they might be one of the few companies that did not discriminate against immigrants. Coupled with the rich business environment, naturally, fools would come to report every day.

“Now, are there any other questions?” the manager looked at him.

Ennio’s father shook his head, his face pale. The manager showed a slight smile. “Now get out, pack your things, and don’t let me see you in the company again!”

“Get out!”

Ennio’s father could only turn and leave. He returned to his desk and sat in a daze for a while. Two security guards walked over from a distance and stared at him.

Only then did he start to pack his things.

He had struggled here for a long time. He never thought that one day he would leave in such an undignified way.

The people around were whispering, making him even more embarrassed and desperate. He felt like he could hardly breathe.

He didn’t know how he left. He staggered out of the company holding a box of things, was pushed, and fell to the ground.

His things were scattered all over the ground. He couldn’t bear to throw them away, so he could only pick them up again, bit by bit. Like a soulless corpse, he subconsciously staggered towards home.

His dream, his beautiful perception of everything in the Federation, was shattered at this moment.

Beno’s execution ultimately brought something to the family. He was not at the bottom. His death would make people have some different thoughts and would have a lasting influence.

Ennio had been with Morris during this time. Morris was still very young and was recovering well, but he was still a bit worse off than a normal person.

Lance had spent a lot of money to get the doctors to give him the best medical treatment. Although these treatments might not be that effective, at least it was better than doing nothing.

Morris was also very moved. When the two were bored, they suddenly started talking about his deceased father.

“When I have time in a few days, I want to go to the cemetery to see him again.”

“His life… sigh.”

Morris’s father’s life was actually not too bad. He hadn’t suffered much and had lived a happy life.

When he had money, he would go gambling. When he had no money, he would work as a temporary laborer. When he won money, he would take him out for a big meal. When he had no money, they would eat black bread together.

But in terms of enjoying life, he had not really enjoyed a good life.

He knew his father. Behind his passion for gambling was actually the idea of getting rich overnight.

Essentially, this was the only way he could think of to make big money and change the family’s environment. There was no other way.

Rely on temporary work?

He would never have a future in his life.

“What about you, have you been back to see your dad recently?” he looked at Ennio.

Ennio was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head. “No, he’s still chasing his Federation Dream!”

He couldn’t help but want to laugh when he said this. “I hope his Federation Dream can come true.”

However, Morris’s reminder, and what had happened to him, made Ennio decide to go back and take a look.

His relationship with his father had greatly eased. Sometimes what people say is really not wrong at all.

All unhappiness comes from poverty.

Now that he had money, inexplicably, the conflict between him and his father had lessened a lot, and they were not so confrontational anymore.

Money is really a good thing.

After settling Morris for the night, he went home with two thousand dollars.

Ever since what happened to Morris, now wherever these senior cadres went, they would be accompanied by people, carrying guns.

They could attack and assassinate others, so others could also assassinate them.

Morris’s serious injury and Lance’s assassination were all warnings to them. They were not “protagonists.” They would also encounter danger, get injured, and even have their lives endangered.

When Ennio pushed open the door, he happened to see his father sitting at the small round table in the living room, bandaging his arm.

When he was pushed and fell, both his arms and elbows were injured, and a piece of skin was scraped off.

It was very troublesome to go to the hospital to treat these simple external injuries. He had consulted and bought some medical supplies to treat it himself.

He didn’t expect Ennio to come back at this time. After a brief moment of surprise, he asked, “Have you eaten tonight?”

Ennio frowned and walked to the round table to sit down. “Did you fall?”

Ennio’s father grunted in affirmation. “I fell accidentally.”

“Let me help you with that. I’m familiar with this,” Ennio took the initiative to take over the job. The father and son sat at the table, neither of them speaking.

After a while, he cut the bandage, very satisfied with his handiwork.

He had treated wounds many times and knew how to do it best.

Neither of them knew what to say. For a moment, it was a bit awkward.

“I’ll… get you something to eat. It just so happens I haven’t eaten yet. You can have some more,” Ennio’s father stood up and walked towards the kitchen.

Ennio did not refuse. Although he had suddenly wanted to come back and see his father, when he really saw him, he didn’t know what to say.

Sometimes the relationship between a father and son is like this, hard to explain, but with a trace of connection.

While his father was making dinner, Ennio stood up in the house.

His room was very clean, just as it was when he hadn’t left. It could be seen that it was cleaned from time to time.

There was no musty smell in the room. Inexplicably, he thought of Bolton. Maybe he should find another one for his dad.

There should be a woman in the house, he thought.

When he returned to the living room, he found a cardboard box in the corner, which contained all his father’s things from the company.

“You were fired?” he could only think of this, because for his father, who firmly believed that as long as he worked hard, he could become a man of success, taking the initiative to resign was almost impossible.

But he soon discovered something was wrong, because there were obvious, fresh scrapes and fall marks on the cardboard box. Thinking of the injury on his father’s arm, a wave of anger rose from the soles of his feet.

“Did they push you to the ground and do this?”

Ennio’s father was very embarrassed. “They pushed me, but I was also not careful…”

“These sons of bitches, tell me what happened today!”

“I…” his father was still trying to be perfunctory, but Ennio was already a little out of control.

“They pushed you down, you were injured, and you’re still defending them?”

“Shit!”

“You should care about those who care about you, not cover up the facts for those who hurt you!”

Looking at his furious son, he was not angry at all. On the contrary, a smile appeared on his face. “Okay, actually, this is what happened…”

After listening to his account of his experience, Ennio’s anger had reached its peak.

“I’m going to kill him!” he said.

He then stood up. “What’s the name of your company, and what’s that damn guy’s name? Do you know where he lives?”

Ennio’s father was a little nervous. “Actually, I just fell…”

Ennio turned to look at him. “Don’t stop me from doing something for you, even though you were a bastard in the past.”

“But don’t forget, you are my father. If they humiliate you, it’s the same as humiliating me, humiliating the family!”

“If I don’t find him tonight, I won’t be able to sleep all night!”

(End of chapter)