Chapter 2 Not Falling for It Again

"I trusted you with this assignment, Leo," Simon snapped. "And what did you do? You go straight to the company group chat and make Ms. Dugan look bad. Was that your plan all along?"

I looked up at him, feeling surprisingly calm.

He'd pulled the exact same stunt in my previous life. Back then, he'd made it sound like Kate had approved of this idea.

"Look, Leo, business has been slow lately, and Ms. Dugan wants us to save money. Thanksgiving gift baskets are just a routine this year. You're young. Try a bit harder and make the best of what you have."

I'd foolishly believed every word he sold me.

I'd spent days going from one discount store to another, checking prices and looking for bargains, trying to make those 100 dollars last long enough to buy gift baskets for over 200 employees. Alas, it didn't matter how hard I tried as the money just wasn't enough.

In the end, I even used 600 dollars from the savings I'd set aside from my first paycheck as an intern, just to make sure everyone got something decent.

And what did I get for it?

The moment the gift baskets were handed out, everyone started accusing me of stealing the budget.

I tried to explain that Simon had given me only 100 dollars, but he'd stepped forward before anyone could listen to me and exclaimed in disbelief, "What? I gave you 10 grand!"

That was all it took. Every head in the office turned toward me. Kate became furious, and my coworkers immediately started whispering behind my back.

"He always seemed like such a nice guy. I never thought he'd pull something like this."

"He stole 10 grand meant for our Thanksgiving gifts?"

"No wonder the gift baskets were so cheap. He pocketed all the money!"

It didn't matter what I said as none of them believed a word I said. And the worst part was, I had no way to prove I was telling the truth.

Simon had given me cash. There was no bank transfer, no receipt—nothing at all to prove how much I'd actually received from him. Even the security footage only showed him handing me an envelope, so there was no way to tell how much money it contained.

It was his word against mine, and I never had a chance. He'd been working for the company for years, while I was just an intern hoping to score a permanent job. Why would anyone believe me instead of him?

The company eventually sued me, and I was found guilty of theft and sent to prison. That's where I was bullied and finally beaten to death.

As if that wasn't bad enough, I heard Simon laughing about the whole thing after my death. He'd been talking to his wife on the phone at the time.

"That 10 grand's already gone toward our mortgage," he said. "It's not my fault the idiot was dumb enough to accept the cash."

The revelation alone made me clench my fists.

I'd trusted him once and suffered for it. I wasn't about to make the same mistake again.

…

Meanwhile, Simon seemed to take my silence as a sign that he'd scared me into submission. So, his expression softened after he figured he'd made his point. "Look, Leo, I'm not trying to be tough on you. But you know that Ms. Dugan approved that tiny Thanksgiving budget. You're just an intern. You can't go complaining about every little thing."

He paused before sidling up to me. "You're up for a permanent job at the end of this month, right? Let's be honest. You aren't that special, and you don't really have connections backing you up. Whether you get hired full-time depends entirely on Ms. Dugan."

He gave me a knowing look and added, "If you do a good job handling this, I'm sure she'll notice you. I'll even put in a good word for you. That will give you a much better chance of keeping your job. Isn't that better than causing trouble in the group chat?"

In my previous life, that little speech had been more than enough to scare me into doing whatever he wanted.

I'd been desperate to get a full-time job.

I was terrified that Kate would think I was being difficult, and even more frightened that Simon could ruin my chances with just one word.

So, I kept my head down, accepted the 100 dollars, and spent days running around town to find the cheapest Thanksgiving gift baskets I could. When the money ran out, I paid the rest of it myself.

At the time, I'd genuinely believed that Kate would notice and give me a permanent job if I worked hard enough.

Looking back at it now, I couldn't believe how naive I'd been.

Simon knew exactly how to manipulate me into doing his bidding. He knew I was shy, which meant I wouldn't dare question him and that I would rather accept any difficult task than risk losing my job.

He expected me to stay quiet, pay out of pocket, and take the blame when things went wrong. Meanwhile, he kept 10 grand and used it to pay off his mortgage.

Nevertheless, things were different now. I knew exactly what he was up to, and I had no intention of going along with it.

At least, not the way he expected.

I lowered my head and showed the same nervous, obedient look he'd gotten used to. "I understand, Mr. Brant. I suppose I'd been a little too impulsive earlier."

His face relaxed, clearly happy that I'd seen things his way. "Good. I'm glad we're on the same page."

I pressed my lips together, pretending to gather the courage to ask another question. "Then, Mr. Brant, can I just clarify one more thing?"

He looked at me, waiting.

"The 100 dollars you've just given me is definitely the full Thanksgiving gift budget for 235 employees, right?"