Eight Years a Contractor, My Own Backbone

Iris, a second-generation immigrant, works eight years as a contractor at Merrill Bank. Ranking top in performance across the whole bank, she faces long-term suppression and unfair deductions by her supervisor Margaret. Biding her time, she presents evidence at an all-staff meeting, triggering clients to withdraw tens of billions in assets and sparking a liquidity crisis for the branch. She then joins NEOBank as vice president, reunites with Ethan, her youthful benefactor. Together they crush her former employer’s plots. Eventually she becomes Manhattan branch president and speaks at the National Financial Summit.