Chapter 24: Unpaid Seventeen Hopeless People Getting A Handsome Sendoff

The entire office fell into a strange silence.

For several seconds, nobody moved.

Nobody even seemed to understand what they had just heard. They simply stared at Ryan.

"You’re... firing us?" One of the employees finally broke the silence.

Ryan nodded. "Yes."

"But why?"

Another employee stepped forward.

"What happened to the boss?"

"Why did he leave like that?"

"Did something happen?"

"Who exactly are you?"

The questions came one after another.

The office that had been quiet only moments ago suddenly became filled with murmurs.

Some employees looked worried.

Others looked angry.

A few simply stood there with confused expressions, trying to understand how their ordinary workday had suddenly turned into this.

Ryan remained calm.

He raised his hand to reveal the paperwork he held.

"I think there’s been a misunderstanding."

He opened the official agreement on the flat hardcover book and showed it right to them.

"Your boss sold this building."

The murmurs immediately grew louder.

"What?"

"He sold the building?"

"To him?"

"When?"

"I didn’t know anything about this."

"Does that mean we’re all unemployed???"

Ryan waited until they had finished talking.

"Yes."

The office became even noisier.

Several employees began discussing among themselves, and Ryan could barely make out what they were saying.

He wasn’t interested in listening to every conversation by the way.

He had already bought the building.

The company was no longer his problem...

The employees were.

And he hadn’t planned on keeping them.

At least, not yet.

Ryan glanced around the office and counted seventeen people... Not a particularly large workforce as he could judge.

He was about to say something when a woman stepped out from the group.

Unlike the others, she didn’t seem afraid to approach him. She looked to be in her early thirties.

She walked toward Ryan with a serious expression.

"Sir."

Ryan looked at her.

"Yes?"

"You said the building was sold."

"It was," Ryan remained composed.

She took a breath.

"Then what happens to our salaries?"

Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

The woman looked around before turning her attention back to him.

"The company hasn’t paid us for several months."

Ryan’s expression changed slightly.

"Several months?"

She nodded.

"Yes."

A few employees behind her immediately agreed.

"We’ve been waiting for months."

"Some of us have families."

"We kept working because the boss promised us he would pay."

Ryan remained silent as the woman continued.

"The company is in debt. Everyone knows it. We’ve been trying to survive while waiting for our salaries."

Ryan looked toward the elevator.

The boss was already gone...! Really!

Funny enough!

And Ryan had a pretty good idea of where he was heading.

That man had just received two million dollars. There was no way he was going to stay around and deal with the employees.

He had probably already started thinking about how to settle his debts and disappear from this place.

Ryan sighed.

’So he left me with this.’

He looked at the employees again.

They were all waiting for his response.

Ryan had no intention of taking responsibility for the company’s debts.

That wasn’t part of the deal.

But he also didn’t feel like leaving seventeen people standing in front of him with months of unpaid salaries.

Besides...

Whatever he was owing that shouldn’t be too much for him to handle.

He had just spent two million dollars on a building.

Fifteen thousand per person was practically nothing, as he had thought.

Ryan looked at the woman.

"How many of you are there?"

"Seventeen."

"All of you are owed money?"

They nodded almost immediately, their eyes eager.

Ryan thought for a moment, and then he pulled out his phone.

"Alright."

The employees stared at him.

"I’ll give each of you fifteen thousand dollars."

The entire office went silent, and they all began to exchange glances in shock.

The woman blinked.

"Fifteen..."

"Thousand."

Ryan nodded. "Each."

Nobody spoke.

For a moment, it looked as though none of them had understood him.

Then someone behind the woman whispered.

"Did he just say fifteen thousand?"

"I think so."

"Each?"

"That’s what he said."

The woman stared at Ryan.

"Sir, you don’t have to do that."

"I know."

Ryan smiled.

"But I’m doing it anyway."

He looked around at everyone.

"Consider it your final payment from this place," he began. "Start a new life out there. Don’t let the failure of this company weigh you done."

The employees looked at one another, some of them appearing speechless.

Others were visibly relieved.

A few began thanking him immediately, but Ryan simply raised his hand.

"Don’t thank me yet."

He turned toward the office.

"I have other things to take care of."

He didn’t wait for their response.

He simply walked away.

Behind him, the murmurs started again.

But this time, they sounded completely different.

...

Ryan entered the boss’s office.

He closed the door behind him, as the room immediately fell quiet.

He walked behind the desk and sat in the chair. For the first time, he looked around properly.

’This would do,’ he thought.

The office wasn’t luxurious, but it was spacious.

There was a large desk, a few chairs, shelves filled with files, and a window overlooking the street.

Ryan leaned back.

He pulled out his phone and smirked.

There was only one person he needed to call.

He found her number and pressed the call button.

Once It rang twice, she immediately answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Miss."

"Mister Ryan."

"Site secured," Ryan announced with an accomplished tone, squeezing his hands.

There was a brief silence before Ryan smiled.

"I need you here ASAP."

"Where, sir?" Michelle asked.

"Vanguard Solutions."

Michelle paused.

"The company?"

"Yeah."

"You went there?"

"I did."

"What happened?" She asked, a very deep tone of anticipation could be felt in her voice.

Ryan looked around the office.

"I bought the building," he said

"What?" Michelle exclaimed.

Ryan laughed softly.

"I’ll explain when you get here."

Michelle didn’t respond immediately.

Then she sighed.

"Fine."

"See you soon, sir."

Ryan ended the call and placed his phone on the desk.

Then leaned back in the chair.

For the first time since he had arrived in this world, something was beginning to feel real.

This wasn’t just an idea anymore.

He had money.

He had a building.

He had a manager.

And soon... He would have a company.

Ryan looked through the window.

’The Time Selling Company.’

A faint smile appeared on his face.

’It’s finally starting.’

...

About an hour later.

A car stopped outside the building.

Michelle stepped out and looked up at the building before walking inside.

The employees immediately recognized that she wasn’t one of them.

She approached the reception area.

"Excuse me."

"Yes?"

"I’m looking for Ryan Calender."

The receptionist pointed toward the hallway.

"He’s in the boss’s office."

Michelle nodded.

"Thank you."

She walked toward the office, and a few seconds later, she knocked.

"Come in."

Michelle opened the door only to find Ryan sitting behind the desk.

She looked at him.

Then at the office... Then back at him.

"So..."

She folded her arms.

"You really bought the building."

Ryan nodded.

"I told you I did."

Michelle shook her head.

"You’re unbelievable. I have to say that, sir."

She walked farther into the office.

"I leave you alone for a little while, and you somehow buy an entire building."

Ryan shrugged, smiling to her mood of speech. She was already talking like she was his business partner, when somehow, it she was!

Ryan saw nothing in it.

"I needed somewhere to start."

Michelle looked around.

"It’s actually a decent place."

"I thought so," he nodded.

She walked toward the desk, then suddenly stopped.

"Oh."

Ryan looked at her.

"What?"

Michelle narrowed her eyes.

"Sir... Before we talk about this..."

Ryan already knew where this was going.

"I have to ask... What did you do to Richard?"

Ryan’s expression remained calm.

"Why are you asking?"

"I... Just wanted to ask."

Michelle placed her hands on her laps, staring at him with a demanding face.

"I genuinely have no business with Richard. He’ll be fine," Ryan said.

"Fine?" Michelle asked.

"He sent me a text message. He told me I can give back to my apartment, and that my properties are intact."

"He also apologised..." Michelle said.

"Richard apologising... It’s not something I’ve ever seen," she added, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Ryan who was excitedly yet composedly watching her only grinned and muttered.

"Oh well... Good news it is."