I turned him down several times. I could tell he wanted to explode but was forcing himself to keep a sweet tone on the phone, "Madeline, let's not burn bridges here. We've been through so much together - just give me a chance, okay?"

I caught his key phrase. ‘Burn bridges?’

Perfect - he clearly didn't know what it really meant to have no way back.

So I agreed to meet him at an upscale restaurant.

At dinner, Felix tried every trick in the book - one minute reminiscing about the good old days to play on my sentiments, the next minute making veiled threats about my "ingratitude."

I calmly finished my meal, then smiled and said, "Felix, you really can't make payroll anymore, can you?"

Felix froze, then showed his true colors. "You think everyone's like you? Real loyal employees stick with the company whether they get paid or not!"

"Madeline, don't get too smug. I'm going to prove you wrong. I won't pay them just to show you how many employees aren't backstabbers like you!"

I finished my meal, wiped my mouth, picked up my phone from the table, and walked out with a smile, saying nothing.

Perfect. I got all his words on recording.

The entire remaining sales team at Sunrise quit en masse the day after my dinner with Felix.

He and Victoria were completely blindsided.

According to my former colleagues, when they resigned together, Felix first flew into a rage, approving their resignations one by one and telling them to "get the hell out."

Then he switched tactics, getting all emotional with lines like "don't be hasty" and "Sunrise is our family," but nobody was buying it.

Victoria rushed over when she heard the news. Felix, already on edge, immediately turned on her. "This is all your fault! If you hadn't insisted on getting those 'blessings' for your son and canceling their bonuses, none of this would've happened!"

Victoria stood there in her designer clothes, dripping in luxury brands, staring in disbelief at the empty office.

"How is this possible?" she asked Felix.

"I can't believe employees would jump ship over a measly thousand dollars in wages!"

Of course she couldn't believe it. She'd married Felix straight out of college and never worked a day in her life. She had no clue about real-world struggles.