Chapter 3 Every Word on Record

Simon looked annoyed, but he answered anyway. "Yes, Leo. I've already told you, didn't I? The company's cutting costs."

"And those were Ms. Dugan's exact words?" I pressed.

"Of course! You think I'd cut the budget without her say-so? I'm just the admin manager."

I nodded obediently before needling him a little more. "So… if I don't pull this off, Ms. Dugan won't consider hiring me full-time?"

Simon's expression darkened. "That's right. If you want to stay with this company, you'd better do a good job. And stop causing trouble for me."

He slid the envelope toward me. "Take the money and don't mention it in the group chat. Be smart with what you buy. Make the packaging look nice so no one notices how cheap the gifts really are."

"Got it, Mr. Brant," I murmured quietly.

That seemed to satisfy him. He stood up and gave me one last warning before leaving. "You've only got one shot at this, Leo. Don't let me down again."

The nervous look on my face melted away as soon as the door closed behind him. Then, I took out my phone. I had recorded the entire conversation and caught every word out of his lying mouth.

Simon had just verbally confirmed that the 100 dollars he'd given me was the budget for the entire company. I also had it on record that he'd insisted that this decision came straight from Kate herself.

Naturally, I also had on record that he'd threatened to take away my chance at a full-time job if I didn't cooperate. It was all there as clear as day.

I saved the recording and uploaded it online before handling the envelope. I laid it flat on my desk, put the 100-dollar bills beside it, and took several photos.

I even took painstaking care to make sure that the words "Thanksgiving Employee Gift Budget" were clearly visible, along with the date and time shown on my computer screen.

Once I was done, I stored everything in a password-protected folder.

In my previous life, I spent so much time trying to convince everyone I was innocent, only for my words to be deemed a lie. I wouldn't make that mistake again.

This time, I had proof of my innocence. When the time came, I was definitely going to let the evidence speak for itself.

I'd just finished my preparations when my phone buzzed with messages from the company group chat.

Jake from Sales had tagged me. "Leo, I want one of those fancy chocolate treats. The company next door gave them out last year, and they looked expensive."

Linda from Marketing quickly added her own request, "Can we get some name-brand snack boxes? None of those cheap, no-name variety packs."

"How about fruit baskets?" Megan from Customer Service suggested. "Maybe some premium grapes and cherries?"

Eric from IT wasn't nearly as particular. "I'm not picky. Cookies, nuts, fruit, gift cards, whatever. Just make sure it's something good."

Before long, the chat flooded with people agreeing with the suggestions and adding their own requests.

"Same here!"

"Me, too!"

"Count me in!"

Then, Simon joined the conversation.

"Leo, make sure you write down everyone's requests and try to accommodate as many as you can. It's Thanksgiving, after all. We want everyone to be happy."

He even added a smiley face, putting on a show of being the considerate admin manager who wanted nothing but the best for his employees.

I couldn't help but snort. He'd just told me to make 100 dollars cover 235 people, but now he was telling everyone to ask for whatever they wanted.

Still, I didn't hesitate to play along.

"Will do, Simon. I'll keep track of everyone's requests and do my best to make it happen."

Everyone seemed excited about what they might get, but I knew better. The real trouble would start when they handed out the gifts, and this time, I intended to be ready.

…

When it was time to buy the gifts, I didn't waste time going from store to store as I had in my previous life. Instead, I went straight to a wholesale food store on the west side of town and bought 235 of their cheapest individually wrapped Thanksgiving cookies.

The total came to exactly 100 dollars, and that was with delivery included.

I made sure the store owner gave me a detailed receipt showing the product name, quantity, price per item, and total cost. I even recorded myself paying so no one could doubt where the money went.

Last time, I'd spent thousands of my own savings in an attempt to make everyone happy. This time, I wasn't about to spend even a single dime of my own money on it.

The wholesaler delivered several cardboard boxes to the front desk the day before Thanksgiving. After signing for the delivery, I carried everything into the break room and posted a message in the company group chat.

"The Thanksgiving gift baskets have arrived. Everyone can come pick theirs up in the pantry."

I'd barely put my phone down when I heard footsteps rushing down the hallway.

The sales team arrived first, led by Jake, who was grinning from ear to ear. "So, are my fancy chocolate treats finally here?"

Linda from Marketing came in right behind him, looking just as eager. "Let's see what the company got us this year."

Megan from Customer Service followed them in, already holding up her phone to capture the fateful moment.