Chapter 1

There was one minute left before Mom's lifesaving medication went out of stock.

With no time to think, I switched the payment card on my account and clicked on the purchase button. A soft ping confirmed the payment.

Mom's life was saved.

With tears welling up in my eyes, I scanned the room and tried to comprehend that I'd truly been reborn.

As I took a deep breath, a surge of anger and sorrow washed over me. The despicable Andrea Reeves and Norman Halt killed me once, and I intended to make them pay for it.

A moment later, Andrea stepped into the office and stood before me. She lowered her head timidly. "I'm so sorry, Ms. Walton. I was clumsy and accidentally sent your pay to Margaret.

"She's a single mom. If you take the money back, she’ll be devastated. Please don't try to get the money back, okay?"

She innocently clung to my sleeve and tugged pleadingly. But I let out a short, mocking laugh and shoved her away.

"Let's get something straight. Margaret Vance and I are both victims here. You're the one who should take responsibility. Fix this right now, or I'll report this to upper management."

Last month, I had closed a major deal and earned a commission of at least 100 thousand dollars.

Colors drained from Andrea's face. When I pulled out my phone, she immediately lunged forward and tried to snatch it.

"You already make so much each month, Ms. Walton. Can't you just be generous for once?"

I had earned every dollar of my salary by working myself to the bone, just so I could keep Mom alive. The thought of it made my blood boil with hatred for Andrea.

Without hesitation, I shoved her away. I barely used any force, but she let out a dramatic scream.

"Andrea! What happened?" Norman rushed into the room.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Halt. I'm so clumsy that I upset Ms. Walton." Andrea sobbed.

Norman's expression turned icy. His glare locked on me. "Are you proud of bullying a young woman, Heather Walton? Are you really that desperate for money? It's just 100 thousand dollars. Fine! I'll give it to you!"

When my phone chimed with a notification from the bank, my heart felt as if it was being clenched tightly.

When Mom was rushed into the ER and urgently needed money for her treatment, Norman insisted we split the bills until we married. Now, he didn't even bat an eye before wiring money to cover Andrea's mistake.

"You have your money now," he said. "And since you scared Andrea, apologize."

My head snapped up in disbelief. "What did you just say?"

His tone hardened. "You pushed her. Shouldn't you apologize?"

Andrea tugged on his sleeve and muttered, "It's fine, Mr. Halt. I was clumsy, so I don't hold grudges even if I get bullied."

To our surprise, Norman stepped forward, gripped the back of my neck, and forced my head down. Rage burned through me at the humiliation.

Summoning the strength I didn't know I had in me, I broke free and slapped him hard. "Do you want to lose your position as the finance director, Norman?"

Before he could respond, Andrea threw her arms around him and screamed, "Ms. Walton slapped Mr. Halt! Someone help!"

I sneered. "Yes, I slapped him. Go ahead and call the cops. Since you two treat payroll like a joke, they can settle this for us."

Andrea's screams came to an abrupt halt, and she looked away, guilt in her eyes.

Perhaps my expression was terrifyingly stern because Norman lowered his voice and hissed, "You know that Andrea's always been a bit slow. Mistakes happen, so let's not disrupt the other employees and talk about this later."

He wasn't like this when he forced me to apologize earlier.

I watched Andrea shrink behind Norman and smiled. "Right, but the company doesn't pay idiots or ungrateful traitors who steal from their own team."