Chapter 3

I replied, "She said I took a kickback, and she's parading it across the entire company."

Julio let out a sneer. "Asking for a kickback from my dad's farm? Has she completely lost her mind? Alright, I'll send you the footage right now. I've also got an audio recording of her trying to shake me down for a kickback that day."

I froze. "She asked you for a kickback?"

"Yeah. Right before the team-building ended, she cornered me in the back courtyard. She said if I didn't give her 20 thousand dollars, she'd drag her feet on settling the final balance."

…

Marilyn wasn't stopping. Next, she uploaded an audio clip into the group chat.

My voice came through loud and clear. "Keep this money. Don't let anyone else know. Thanks for the hard work, everyone."

Then came a man's voice. "Thank you, Ms. Gibson. I'm looking forward to working together again."

The chat exploded into complete chaos once more.

"Holy crap! She's caught on tape!"

"Sheryl is really disgusting. Acting all innocent and sweet, but she's incredibly greedy behind closed doors."

Ben was overjoyed. "People like this have to be fired! And we need to get that money back. That belongs to everyone!"

Listening to the clip, I just found it absurd.

That conversation happened on the final night of the trip, when I was handing out overtime bonuses to the farm's three helpers.

Ethan had been in high spirits that evening, so the party went well into the night.

He had pulled me aside and specifically told me to slip the staff some extra cash as a personal token of appreciation.

I did tell them not to let anyone else know, but only because I didn't want the rest of the staff to see it and feel slighted.

I never could have guessed that Marilyn would secretly record that moment, let alone twist it so maliciously out of context.

Gripping my phone, I typed my very first response in the group chat. "Marilyn, you claim the farm owner gave you this evidence. What's his last name again?"

Marilyn shot back within seconds. "Stark! Mr. Stark told me himself. Are you still trying to argue?"

I nearly laughed out loud.

Marilyn sent another message. "Mr. Stark is an old acquaintance of mine. He can't stand greedy people like you. He's already printed out all the bank transfer records. He'll be delivering them to the office shortly."

I replied, "Perfect. Why don't we all head down to the farm and clear this up face-to-face?"

Marilyn shot back with a dismissive emoji. "Who do you think you are? Mr. Stark doesn't have time to waste on you. Sheryl, if you return the cash and confess right now, maybe Mr. Keller will cut you some slack since you're a veteran employee."

The rest of the staff began jumping on the bandwagon.

"Just admit it, Sheryl. The evidence is ironclad."

"Exactly. Pay it back and pack your bags. Stop dragging the company's reputation through the mud."

I watched the once-familiar names on the screen, each one turning more detestable.

I had lost count of how many times I'd helped them out with their tedious chores.

Whenever Ben's reimbursement receipts were missing details, I was the one who fixed the paperwork for him.

When Lexi Clarke had family emergencies and couldn't get leave approved, I was the one who covered her shifts.

Now, just to suck up to Marilyn, they couldn't wait to step on my neck.

I tucked my phone away and glanced out the window.

The door to Ethan's office swung open.

His secretary walked out, her expression incredibly grim. "Sheryl, Mr. Keller wants to see you in his office."

As I walked through the open-plan office, Marilyn deliberately stuck her foot out to trip me.

I sidestepped her smoothly, throwing a cold glare her way.

She lifted her chin in defiance. "In you go. Better start rehearsing your farewell speech."

Ben chimed in from the sidelines, "Don't forget to take some tissues, Ms. Gibson. You'll need them to wipe away the tears in a minute."

I pushed open the door to Ethan's office.

Ethan was seated in his high-backed executive chair, his expression dark.

Laid out across his desk were a few printed screenshots—the exact ones Marilyn had leaked.

"Sheryl, explain this."

Ethan's voice was completely flat.

I stood straight, meeting his gaze with absolute calm.