Chapter 5: Nepotism Exposed

I took leave and went straight to the Department of Labor to report the company. If they fired me and paid severance, great. If not, I’d make a scene.

The inspector said they’d investigate on-site the next day. Grateful, I called up a friend in corporate HR, hoping to get the real story on Eric.

Turns out, my friend warned me off—Eric was the department manager’s nephew. Mark Johnson’s nephew. It all clicked.

“Damn, the uncle-nephew duo set me up.”

I left the Labor Department, the city cold and gray, the American flag snapping overhead. My hands shoved deep in my pockets, I realized this wasn’t just office politics—it was family politics, and I was the odd man out. The whole thing reeked of old-school nepotism, right down to the last dollar.