Chapter 4

By the time I reached the main office, several of the newer streamers were crowded around Tasha's desk.

"Tasha, that's incredible. You've gained more than 300,000 followers in only three days."

"I heard Mr. Vaughn is throwing you a celebration once you hit a million."

"Looks like the company might have a new top streamer soon…"

I ignored them and went straight to my desk.

The moment Tasha noticed me, she put on a concerned expression and said, "Lindsay, your face still hasn't completely cleared up, yet you're already back at work. That's dedication."

One of our coworkers chimed in, her tone laced with sarcasm, "Dedication? Please. She probably came back because she's afraid somebody's taking her spot. Maybe she thinks the whole company will collapse without her."

A coworker who usually got along with me stepped in to defend me.

"Would you all knock it off? You sound jealous."

Someone fired back, "Then how come nobody else's face broke out like that? For all we know, it isn't an allergy. Maybe she caught some nasty STD."

Normally, I wouldn't have bothered arguing with these idiots, but accusing me of having an STD was enough to make me want to snap back.

Before I could say anything, Victor walked into the office.

"Do you people have so little work that this is how you're spending your time? If you want better numbers, earn them. Sitting around taking shots at someone more successful than you isn't going to improve your performance."

The group immediately fell silent and returned to their desks.

Larry stood beside Victor, openly looking the company's female streamers up and down with the same sleazy expression he'd worn earlier.

"Everyone, wrap up what you're doing," said Victor. "We're meeting in the conference room in ten minutes."

A dozen or so people eventually gathered around the conference table, with Larry seated among them. His presence made the already tense room feel even more oppressive.

Meanwhile, Victor stood in front of the projection screen with a serious expression.

"Everyone knows the company has been dealing with cash-flow problems lately. That's why, over the next two days, we're putting every available resource behind one major sales livestream."

Then, he looked directly at me. "Lindsay, you're hosting."

I had just opened my mouth to speak when the comments appeared.

"They're pretending this is a high-end jewelry sale, but every customer is a decoy Larry arranged to make purchases with dirty money."

"Once those payments pass through Lindsay's account, the money comes out looking legitimate."

"Victor already lined up 20 fake buyers. The largest individual purchase is three million dollars, and the stolen money has been split into smaller transactions."

I kept my expression perfectly calm.

"Of course."

I looked at Victor and flashed him a tired but cooperative smile. "Don't worry, Mr. Vaughn. I understand how important this stream is to the company."

Victor nodded in satisfaction.

Behind him, however, a brief flash of jealousy and resentment crossed Tasha's face. She had probably assumed that once I got sick, she would naturally take over my position and everything that came with it.

Another pair of comments floated past.

"Tasha's furious. She thought she was finally replacing Lindsay, only to end up doing all the groundwork while Lindsay gets the spotlight again."

"Spotlight? More like a death sentence. Whoever hosts this stream is screwed."

Victor continued assigning responsibilities.

"We'll be featuring luxury goods and custom jewelry, all high-ticket products with strong profit margins."

Then, he turned to Tasha. "Tasha, you'll assist Lindsay. Make sure she has all the product information and that every part of the livestream is coordinated properly."

"Of course, Mr. Vaughn," Tasha replied sweetly, but the look she gave me was sharp enough to cut.

More comments appeared.

"Tasha's losing her mind with jealousy. One piece of jewelry from this stream costs more than she'd blow on cosmetics in an entire shopping spree."

"She probably regrets going easy on Lindsay. I bet she wished she used more of whatever she slipped her and made sure Lindsay's face never recovers."

A chill ran through me as I read them.

I couldn't stay at this company much longer. I needed to find a way out and fast.

That night, I locked every door and window in my apartment before testing the new voice recorder I'd bought three separate times.

According to the comments, Victor had three days to launder the money, which meant those three days were my only real window to act.

Before time ran out, I either needed solid evidence of his crimes so Section 31 would terminate my contract automatically, or my name would be permanently tied to 50 million dollars in dirty money.

At the same time, a text suddenly appeared on Tasha's phone.

"Your 50-million-dollar loan is now 15 days past due. Please make payment immediately. If the balance remains unpaid for another three days, collection proceedings will begin."