Chapter 3

That night, my phone kept buzzing nonstop.

I opened the company chat group. The pinned message was last month's performance summary.

I glanced over it. My name was dead last, at the very bottom of the rankings.

All the project results that should have been credited to me had been reassigned to Theodore. He was now in first place, far ahead of everyone else.

The group chat had long since blown up, overflowing with flattery and bootlicking comments.

"Mr. Wesley is amazing! No wonder he's the star of our department!"

"If you want a future, stick with Mr. Wesley. Not like some hacks who only know how to cheat their way up."

"Exactly. She's ranked at the bottom and still dares to hold on to an assistant manager role. I would've resigned a long time ago if I were her."

All of it, overt or not, was meant for me. It turned my stomach inside out.

Ever since I was transferred to Theodore's department, he had been routinely taking at least 30% of my performance and putting it under his own name.

Whenever I confronted him, he would just grin and say, "We're family. What's yours is mine anyway."

There was no mistaking it. By blatantly placing my name at the very bottom this time, he was clearly trying to get back at me for what had happened during the day.

I simply sent a clapping emoji in the group chat.

The group instantly went silent.

Petty exclusion really was childish, even for adults.

Then Theodore messaged me privately. "Do you finally understand who's in charge around here? Meg, women like you should learn not to be so ambitious. That's how you end up alone.

"Then again, it doesn't matter if you don't get married. As long as you behave, I can take care of you for the rest of your life."

I almost gagged on my dinner right then and there.

Then a photo popped up. It was from last week, when I had accompanied a client to an exhibition.

Next, he sent a voice message. The moment I played it, I could almost smell the nauseating stench of alcohol coming through the speaker.

"Meg, you look just like your sister in that dress… Why don't you keep me company tonight? I'm so lonely."

Goosebumps broke out all over my skin.

Before I could even respond, a second voice message came in.

"The company's annual celebration is in three days. Ms. Eva Taylor from headquarters will be attending in person. I'm quite familiar with her secretary. If you still want that Amberton assignment, you know what to do. Fix the proposal for me."

I felt my eyebrow twitch. Unexpectedly, there was a useful piece of information buried in all that filth.

Two days ago, Ms. Taylor had already complained to me that internal company information kept leaking. Several deals had been poached by competitors at the last minute because of it.

It looked like there was a mole inside the company.

My disgust eased just a fraction as I sent my reply.

"If you're lonely, Mr. Wesley, try a graveyard. There's plenty of company there. It's perfect for someone like you."