Chapter 1

The moment those words left his mouth, Joseph Hackley exchanged a smile with Mabel Smith, as if the three-billion-dollar partnership was already in their bags.

However, he seemed to have forgotten something. Back when this deal was still being negotiated, I was the one grinding day and night, running around, securing clients, and sourcing materials.

While I was stuck working overtime till midnight, Mabel was out getting her nails done. While I drank myself into stomach bleeding at business dinners, Mabel was enjoying luxury oil spa treatments.

Now, she wanted to swoop in, take credit for my work, sign the contract, and ride a three-billion-dollar project straight into a promotion. I called that a dream.

Just as Mabel was about to sign the papers, I shoved the conference room door open and stormed inside. "Hold it!"

All eyes in the room were on me. A flash of disbelief crossed Joseph's eyes.

Mabel grabbed his hand and muttered under her breath, "Didn't you say you drugged her with sleeping pills? Why is she awake this early?"

My heart dropped. No wonder Joseph had been unusually attentive last night, insisting on cooking me a plate of pasta as a reward for all my hard work. There were truffles in it, and I was allergic to them.

Not wanting to disappoint him, I had pretended to eat a few bites before going to the bathroom to throw up. I never expected that tiny decision would end up saving me.

The moment I walked in, Joseph immediately grabbed my hand. "Sorry for the scene, everyone. Please, continue with the signing."

He turned to me. "Stephanie, can you not do this right now? Whatever it is, we can talk after the contract's sealed. This is Mabel's first major project!"

I laughed coldly. By the time the signing was over, it would be too late to say anything.

I snatched the contract from the table and stared straight into Mabel's eyes. Calmly, I asked, "So, you're saying you secured this project entirely on your own?"

She subconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes. "Ms. Stone, I know you're my senior. Ever since I joined the company, you've helped me a lot. People even joked that we were like mentor and student.

"But that doesn't mean you can barge in and sabotage my client deal because you're jealous of me."

She bit her lip, instantly putting on the look of a young employee being bullied by an older senior in the workplace.

Another cold chuckle escaped me. What a clever little diversion.

First, she dodged my question entirely. Then, she turned around and slapped a label on me instead. Now, everyone would think I had barged in out of jealousy to humiliate her in front of the client.

I looked at her icily. "You're just an intern who hasn't even finished probation. There's no way the company would hand a core three-billion-dollar client account to you.

"So, tell me, can you swear that you secured this client entirely with your own effort? Did you write that proposal plan yourself?"

My voice couldn't be firmer.

The client representatives who had come to sign the deal exchanged uneasy glances.

"There's no funny business going on here, right? They actually let an intern handle a key client account? This isn't some shell company, is it?"

The moment he heard that, Joseph could no longer sit still. "That's enough, Stephanie! Everyone in the company knows you've been oppressing Mabel under the excuse of being her mentor.

"If it weren't for you, she would've become full-time a long time ago. Elliot, get Stephanie out of here now!"

The second he gave the order, Elliot Manson, the manager, actually rushed in and dragged me toward the door. I couldn't believe what was happening.

"You're covering for him just because you're his friend!" I told Elliot. "This is illegal and—"

Before I could finish, he clamped a hand over my mouth. "Illegal? Well, guess what? Mabel is the law here. Barging in and trying to steal her credit—you're the one breaking the rules here."

Back in the conference room, the moment I was dragged away, Joseph immediately turned to the client representatives with a smile.

"Just a minor interruption. Let's move on. Mabel is the most outstanding intern we've ever had. Honestly, the fact that we're willing to give such an important project to an intern only proves how open-minded and supportive our company culture is."

Pinned against the door outside, I let out a muffled grunt. "Let go of me! Let go!"

The next second, Elliot kicked me straight into the restroom. "Quit screeching like a hen! This is a company, not some place where you can make easy money just by opening your mouth!"

My eyes widened in disbelief. "But I'm the one who handled that project! You guys are stealing it from me!"

His face immediately darkened. "Landing clients is all about capability. I only care about the results, not the process."

With that, the restroom door slammed shut. I pounded on it hard, but no one answered.

Forcing down the rage boiling inside me, I took a deep breath. Fine—we were all about results, huh?

I pulled out my phone and immediately called Dad. "Hey, Dad. Change the profit split to 70-30 for the three-billion-dollar project with Empire Group."