From a Trip to a Toy

At the annual party, the organizer held a raffle box and let us draw lots one by one. Watching the company prosper made me incredibly proud.

I casually unfolded the paper and couldn't believe my luck. I won the grand prize—a three-day trip to Marosa!

I could either get reimbursed for the trip afterward or have 50 thousand dollars added to my paycheck.

To support Vincent Cosby's startup, I hadn't even asked my family for a single cent all year. 50 thousand dollars was certainly no small sum to me.

Smiling, the emcee held up the microphone and said, "Next, please come onstage and claim your prizes according to your numbers."

The first few prizes were nothing special.

"36."

Finally, it was my turn. I was thrilled inside, already planning my upcoming vacation.

I handed the slip of paper to the emcee. For some reason, her smile seemed to grow wider.

"Congratulations, Harriet Underwood! You've won a horse plushie. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth!"

Startled, I froze in place.

A hint of impatience flickered across the emcee's face. She shoved the plushie into my arms and forced me offstage.

The cheap plushie in my hands felt rough to the touch, and the price tag hanging on its back still read five dollars.

I recalled what was written on the slip earlier and knew I hadn't misread it. I was about to go onstage to explain when thunderous applause broke out across the hall.

"Congratulations, Katie Thorpe! You've won first prize this year—a three-day trip to Marosa!"

Katie Thorpe covered her mouth in shock.

Many colleagues looked at her enviously. "She just started her internship and already won first prize. She's so lucky."

"She hasn't even been here a few days. Why can't I be that lucky too?"

I hurried onstage and grabbed the organizer, whispering, "Could you be mistaken? The first-prize slip is mine, not Katie's."

But the organizer refused to admit it. "There's no mistake. You won the plushie. I already tossed the slips into the box. We're all from the same company. Don't tell me you're trying to scam me."

Her voice was loud enough for the audience to hear. In an instant, everyone started chattering.

"What's going on? Is Harriet dissatisfied with her prize?"

"At least she won something. Harriet's been here forever and has always been so decisive and professional. I didn't expect her to get greedy over something like this."

Katie also spoke up for the emcee.

"Harriet, you may be a senior here, but that doesn't mean you get to push others around!"

Watching my colleagues cover for each other, I finally understood that they were pulling some shady stunt so Katie could take my prize.

A year of starting a business had taught me to rein myself in, but if my colleagues thought they could walk all over me, they couldn't be more wrong.

I calmly got to my feet and stood firm. Smiling, I pointed at the surveillance camera above the stage.

"I'm not lying. I won the first prize. If you refuse to admit it, let's pull up the footage and see what number was on the slip I gave you earlier."