Chapter 1

The moment Sora stepped into the office, Lily cornered her, relentlessly interrogating her about last night. "Hey, why didn't you pick up my calls? Those clients have a notoriously filthy reputation in the industry. The second I heard that bitch sent you alone to negotiate the contract, I knew it was a trap. Tell me, did something happen? Speak! I'm dying of anxiety here!"

Sora slumped onto her desk, her mind still wandering. "Almost. But I got out."

"Thank God." Lily let out a long sigh of relief before her tone shifted to pure outrage. "I bet that bitch did it on purpose! She already snatched the Assistant General Manager position away from you. Why does she still have to make your life a living hell? To think you were the one who trained her when she first joined the company!"

Sora wasn't quite as filled with righteous indignation. She just kept her head down, quietly organizing the documents on her desk.

"She's coming..." Lily whispered frantically into Sora's ear before scurrying back to her own seat.

Sora glanced up, her eyes landing naturally on a pair of sky-high stilettos swaying towards her, ultimately coming to a halt right at her desk.

Propping her chin on her hand, Sora nonchalantly looked up at the beautiful woman standing before her. Luna. Burgundy bob cut, slightly exaggerated earrings, flawlessly exquisite makeup—she was aggressively stunning in a trendy, K-pop sort of way.

"I heard from Barry over at Vanda Corp that you were completely wasted last night? And that you actually tried to use your body to close the deal?" Her opening words dripped with sheer arrogance.

Oh, look. The villain playing the victim... No, wait, it was one villain snitching to another villain.

Sora rested her head back on the desk, letting out a bored "Oh." She didn't even have the energy to argue.

"Sora, you really have no shame. I had already negotiated that deal with Barry. Sending you was just me doing you a favor. If you wanted to hog the credit, you didn't have to resort to such cheap, slutty tactics... Now that you've blown the deal, are you going to compensate the company for the loss? This contract was worth millions. How exactly do you plan to pay it back?" Luna used the opportunity to aggressively dress her down. The more she spoke, the more energized she got, almost as if tearing Sora apart was her morning workout routine.

Sora endured it for a long time. While holding her tongue, she forced her mind to wander to various other things, trying desperately to distract herself.

She thought about her suffocating mortgage. Her son's tuition fees. Her mother's constant nagging. The ever-rising cost of living. But the moment Luna’s manicured finger actually poked her forehead, Sora’s patience snapped.

She shot up from her chair, grabbed a heavy folder, and hurled it right at Luna. "Are you done?! The worst that happens is I quit! You'll have my resignation letter in a minute. Bye!"

The junior clerk next to her dropped her jaw. "Manager?! You... you have a meeting in a few minutes..."

"Screw the meeting!" Sora barked at the clerk, fully aware she probably looked like a complete lunatic right now.

The clerk instantly shut her mouth, trembling like a leaf.

Poor kid, fresh out of college and already dealing with an unreasonable shrew like Sora. But fine. If you don't erupt in silence, you die in silence. And Sora wasn't ready to die just yet.

Luna was taken aback. When the folder hit the floor, she jumped back several paces. With so much makeup caked on her face, it was impossible to tell if she had paled from shock.

"Sora, are you crazy?! If you want to quit, then quit! Who are you yelling at?! Do you really think this company can't function without you?!" Luna finally snapped out of it and exploded.

Sora sneered inwardly. What is she so smug about? If Sora hadn't kneed the CEO's playboy son right in the crotch the night before the board meeting, how would the Assistant GM position have ever fallen into Luna's lap?

She literally earned that position on her back, and now she thinks she can step all over me?

"And another thing! Even if you're leaving, you have to hand over all your client contacts. Those are company property, not yours!" The bitch reacted quickly. Seeing Sora grab her bag to leave, she instantly stretched out her arm, blocking Sora's path.

Sora couldn't hold back a scoff. "That's hilarious. Didn't you, the great Assistant GM, secure all those projects yourself? Why are you asking a lowly manager like me for files? Like you just said, I'm just riding your coattails. I don't have any resources left, so there's nothing to hand over. Goodbye. Oh, and by the way... I heard a little rumor..."

Sora lowered her voice into a whisper, a sly smile spreading across her lips. Leaning in right next to Luna's ear, she gossiped secretively, "The young boss has a disease. A filthy one. You might want to go get yourself checked."

This time, Sora finally saw the panic and fury flash behind Luna's blue colored contacts. From her side profile, Luna's lips were visibly trembling with rage. It was incredibly satisfying.

Sora gave her shoulder a sympathetic pat. Slinging her oversized LV bag—which she usually used to carry groceries—over her shoulder, she strutted away on her heels, leaving the high-end office building behind in style.

She had always thought quitting would be the hardest thing in the world, but it turned out to be remarkably easy. However, the second she stepped out of the building, the reality hit Sora like a ton of bricks.

Depression set in.

She hadn't even received her commission for her last deal. She had literally drunk herself into stomach bleeding just to secure that contract!

Tomorrow, her son’s tutoring fees were due. Next week, she had a five-thousand mortgage payment.

And then there was her year-end car insurance, the HOA fees, her cousin's wedding gift money, class reunion expenses...

Not to mention her mom's chronic illness that required regular hospital check-ups. Every little visit was another thousand down the drain. For the past two years at this company, she had worked herself to the bone just to earn a meager ten grand a month, barely scraping by. And now? She had just thrown it all away in a fit of pique.

Sora, oh Sora, why did you have to act so tough? So what if Luna was walking all over you? What good is pride when you're broke!

If she went back right now...

The thought flashed in her mind for only a second before she fiercely despised herself for it. A good horse doesn't turn back to eat the grass behind it. She might not be a 'good horse', but she wasn't about to be that pathetic, either.

Weighing her options, she was forced to resort to her absolute last resort. She pulled out her phone, scrolled to "Ally," and hit dial.

Ally picked up. The background noise was deafening—she was probably at a party. Her voice was just as boisterous and dramatic as ever.

"Borrow money? How much? ... Awkward? Why would I be awkward! Honestly, it's so rare for you, Sora, to actually ask for help! Not only am I not awkward, I'm practically overjoyed! But if it's a small amount—like anything under a hundred grand—don't even bother asking. Are you trying to insult me by acting like I'm poor?!"

Sora pulled the phone slightly away from her ear, holding on to her temper. "Stop throwing your wealth in my face. I just need fifty thousand. Take it or leave it!"

The wealth gap between them was truly infuriating.

"Why are you getting mad? Of course I'll lend it to you. I have cash on me right now; come get it. You know where I am, right? Alex's new bar. 8 PM tonight, be there or be square. Oh, and bring Leo along! I haven't seen him in days, I miss the little guy," Ally coaxed.

Leo was Sora's son.

"He went on a two-day historical tour with my mom. He's not home. Besides, even if Leo was home, I wouldn't bring him to see you. My son is pure and innocent! How could I expose him to a bunch of degenerates like you?" Sora huffed.

"Alright, alright. 8 PM. If you're a degenerate yourself, hurry up and get your ass over here." Ally hung up; something on her end was likely demanding her attention.

Ally was Sora's absolute best friend. Back in college, she slept in the bunk bed above Sora.

But now? She was the wealthy young madam of the prestigious family.

During their senior year, Ally had gone through a brutal breakup when her boyfriend dumped her and went abroad alone. She had smashed beer bottles on the track field, screaming that all men were trash and swearing to become a lifelong, man-hating nun. Who would have thought that after graduation, she would be the first one to tie the knot? And she married into the most wealth, too.

And Sora? From freshman year, all she had wanted was to get married. She had been dead set on finding a husband. Yet here she was, in her late twenties, officially on the downhill slope of youth, and she was still entirely, hopelessly alone.

Behind the grand play of life, there had to be a cynical, eccentric scriptwriter pulling the strings, forever making sure you could never predict the next move.