All Chapters of The Rejected Man's Rise: Chapter 21
- Chapter 30
34 chapters
CHAPTER 21
At 4 o’clock.Caleb walked out of his office and said, “I have an announcement. Five people have been picked for removal due to their low performance. I’m willing to give all five of them a new project. If they can get a rating above 4, I will let them keep their jobs. If they get a rating of 4.5 or above, they will receive a bonus.”And then he started announcing their names.Sherry thought her name would be among those five, but it wasn’t there. She was relieved because of that.However, Mike’s name was listed among them.“This is ridiculous!” Mike shouted and got up from his seat. “I’m a member of the core team. My rating is 4.7! How can I be included in that list?”Caleb cast an indifferent glance at Mike. “4.7 isn’t your actual rating. We both know that.”“What? Don’t be ridiculous!” Mike didn’t back down. “If you’re trying to oppress me, things won’t end well for you. I will talk to the disciplinary committee.”His uncle Mike was the director of the disciplinary committee.“Sinc
CHAPTER 22
Caleb entered a small sports store and bought three pairs of loose T-shirts and trackpants of XXXL size. After bargaining, it cost him sixty dollars.He put a pair on and asked the shopkeeper how he looked.The shopkeeper gave a big thumbs-up. “You look five years younger.”“Haha, if these clothes don’t last at least two years, I will make you look older than your dad,” Caleb warned the shopkeeper and left.He returned to his car.“Do I really look five years younger?” he wondered. “No way. The store owner was probably lying.”When he looked at himself in the car mirror, his face did not please him.He couldn’t see his jawline, and the double chin made him want to poke it with a needle and get all the fat out.Sighing, he got into the car and drove away.He used the GPS to find Faye Gym.When he got there and asked a local, he was shocked to learn that the gym was on the fifth floor, and there was no escalator.“Are you kidding me?” Caleb was shocked. “I have to climb the stairs for f
CHAPTER 23
Caleb never stepped foot in a gym before.Now, he entered a place where there were nearly fifty people working out here and there in the huge hall.Some were working extra hard and so much their shirts and pants were drenched in sweat.But some were chatting and giggling in groups.Caleb looked for Faye.He roamed to and fro, but he couldn’t find her.“I came to the correct gym, right?” Caleb wondered. “There’s only one Faye Gym in the city, so I believe I’m in the right place.”Instead of panicking, he picked up five pound dumbbells.There were two girls nearby who saw him and snickered among themselves. The girls were using seven pound dumbbells.The five pound dumbbells looked too small in Caleb’s hands.Caleb, having never been to the gym, was oblivious as to why the girls were reacting like that.He just mimicked what the girls were doing, which made them look down on him all the more.“Hey, buddy, why are you checking out our girls?” Two men came there and stood on either side o
CHAPTER 24
Caleb had come to the gym with great enthusiasm, but all of it now melted away.“I don’t have to workout in gyms to reduce my weight,” Caleb thought. “I can do it outside in a public park.”He had already finished the daily dirt mission that morning, and he believed that the system’s mission would be enough for him.“I’ll just go home and take a rest. I need to recharge myself for tomorrow’s daily dirt mission as well.”He began to walk away, but the system’s message popped before him.[You cannot skip gym!]“What?” Caleb was startled. “I can work better when I am alone. There’s no need for me to work in a toxic environment. I’ve already grown tired of working in the office all these years, and I don’t want the gym to have a similar environment.”[Then turn the gym’s environment into your favor!] Dreamie responded.“Huh? You want me to beat them up or what?”[Take up Faye’s program and clear it with the highest score! Shut the mouths of those who pushed you out of the gym. You’ll also
CHAPTER 25
“You will bring fame to this gym?” Mark laughed hard. “That’s the biggest joke I have heard in a while. When was the last time you looked in the mirror, Bear?”“I didn’t come here to waste my time arguing with you,” Caleb said. “But how about we make a bet?”“What bet?”“If I get a better result at the end of the month than you do, then you will call me big bro and will become my subordinate for the rest of your life,” Caleb said.“Pfft, alright. But if you lose, you won’t just become my subordinate but a slave,” Mark said. “You’ll do everything I tell you to do. No questions asked.”“We have a deal,” Caleb said.“Hey, hey, what are you two doing right in front of my eyes?” Faye intercepted them. “While it’s good to have competition, you shouldn’t make such ridiculous bets.”“Where’s the beginner training schedule?” Caleb asked her.She gave him a booklet with detailed instructions.“So we’re doing cardio and strength on the first day, then cardio and core on the second. Light activit
CHAPTER 26
Caleb approached his car, and the eight men there saw him and laughed some more.“So this deadweight belongs to this deadbeat,” Mark commented, a mocking smirk tugging his lips.His two bodyguards and others snickered very much.Caleb said nothing.His car was in a poor condition. With the bumper dented, windows and headlights broken by men that Mike had hired, his vehicle never looked worse.He could understand why his car became a source of entertainment for these rich folks, but he didn’t like what Mark said.He turned around and looked at Mark.“What? Do you want some money for gas?” Mark said, making others laugh some more.He looked at his bodyguards, one of whom stepped forward and slapped a couple of coins on the hood of the car.The coins clinked onto the hood of the old car.That metallic sound accompanied by a hollow creaking noise stung harder than their insults.Caleb did not say anything because a couple of those guys were recording everything on their mobiles.He quietl
CHAPTER 27
Caleb returned to his apartment.He parked the car and stepped out. He walked around the car and took a good look and calculated the repair cost.“Why is a glass window replacement priced at 200 dollars?”He kept shaking his head, especially as he remembered Rita’s check that he refused to take.Even at the least estimate, it was reaching upwards of 1500 dollars for broken windows, headlights and dents everywhere.“If I add another 1500, I can buy a whole new second hand car,” Caleb thought. “What should I do? I can’t go to the office in a broken car like this. Now that I’ve become a Chief Designer, I should look my part.“And Dreamie is also going to penalize me if I lose my charm due to this car. I guess, buying a new car is inevitable. But I’ll need at least 20 to 25K to buy a decent car. I don’t have that kind of money. I can only wait for now.”He put his hand on the car and smiled.“Even if I buy a new car, I won’t abandon you. When my pockets get deep, I’ll get you repaired so
CHAPTER 28
Caleb was waiting outside, thinking of any excuse he could give to not go to a restaurant with this dangerous neighbor.His neighbor Velma was trouble wrapped in lipstick and loud opinions. Going anywhere with her felt like voluntarily stepping into a financial ambush.Just as he was about to head to his room, a translucent message blinked into existence before his eyes.[Take Velma to the restaurant and pay for her meal!Reward: An increase in charm point.Failure: 1000 dollar fine, and a charm point deduction!]Caleb’s jaw went slack.“Are you kidding me?” he muttered under his breath. “If I pay for her, she’ll definitely ask me to go with her again. She’s exactly the type who’ll squeeze a man dry if he so much as spends a dollar on her. This mission is suicidal. Can’t you give me something better?”The message flickered, as if mildly offended, then changed.[[Take Velma to the restaurant and pay for her meal!Reward: You’ll receive ten times the money you spent on her.Failure: A d
CHAPTER 29
“What’s the restaurant name?” Caleb asked.“Backfire,” Velma said.“That’s like five miles from here.”“Yeah. So?”“Nothing,” Caleb knew better than arguing with this woman.“Uncle,” the little girl looked at Caleb. “How much do you earn in a week?”“I don’t get paid weekly. I have a proper job. I get paid monthly,” Caleb said.“How much?”“Enough,” he replied.Caleb saw a woman ahead, asking the passing cars for lift. But nobody stopped for her.However, when she saw Caleb’s car, she didn’t even bother asking for a lift.It hurt Caleb’s pride a little.“Stop. That’s my friend,” Velma said.“Huh?” Caleb stopped the car. “We can’t let her in. Did you look at her size? The car would flip over if she sits in the back.”“C’mon, she’s probably the same weight as you.”“No. She’s at least fifty pounds heavier than me,” Caleb quickly retorted.“Let me just walk with her for a minute,” Velma said.Caleb reluctantly reversed the car and stopped by the obese lady standing on the road.Velma ste
CHAPTER 30
In the time Caleb took to reach the restaurant, Velma received three calls from three different men.She told them she was at a restaurant and had all three of them send money to her.“These idiots only sent me thirty dollars each, even though I told them I came here with my kids,” Velma snorted.She received ninety dollars in total and still wasn’t happy about it in the slightest.“Mm?” She looked at Caleb. “What? Why are you looking at me? Are you jealous that I get paid by my boyfriends?”“We’ve arrived,” he replied.“Oh…”The kids got out first, but Velma didn’t. She was looking at Caleb. “You don’t have to sweat, Caleb. No one expects a Brokie like you to pay. I don’t, either. So, don’t worry. The bill is on me.”Caleb frowned a little. “No. I’ll pay,” he said reluctantly, not because he wanted to pay for her meals but because of the system’s condition.And then Caleb got out of the car.Velma slightly chuckled. “Men are so easy to manipulate. You just rub their eyes a little, an