Chapter 1

On my very first day on the job, I walked in on Linda screaming at someone.

"How dare you accuse me of swapping your gold bracelet!"

The girl getting yelled at had bloodshot, watery eyes, her knuckles white as she clutched a dull metal band.

"Linda, I only lent it to you for one afternoon! When I got it back, it was cheap brass! Who else could it have been?"

"Bull crap! You're a fresh-faced intern, like you could ever afford real gold!"

Linda stood with her hands jammed onto her hips, her frizzy curls trembling as she shrieked, "You're just jealous of my new gold bracelet! You can't afford one yourself, so you're claiming I stole yours!"

"You..."

The girl stood there, choking back a sob, tears spilling over her lashes and splashing onto the floor.

None of the other coworkers dared to utter a single word. Standing at the back of the crowd, I let a thought slip out before I could stop myself.

"We could just check the security cameras."

Everyone snapped their heads toward me. A spark lit up in the crying girl's eyes.

"Right! I want to check the security footage!"

Linda shot me a lethal glare. "Who the hell are you?"

Before I could answer, Mark Price, the senior training me, jumped in.

"Sorry, Linda. She's new. She doesn't know how things work around here."

Mark grabbed my arm and dragged me straight into the break room.

"What’s wrong with you? Linda is the Director of Administration. She controls the security system. You think anyone is ever getting to see that footage?"

I froze. "But she's crying her eyes out. Is nobody going to do anything?"

"Do anything?"

Mark scoffed and gave me the rundown on Linda's legendary reputation.

She was a twenty-year veteran at the company whose absolute specialty was the bait-and-switch. She swapped out everything, from basic office supplies and water bottles to high-end holiday perks, turning around and selling the real stuff for quick cash.

Word was that the intern had called Linda out for replacing gourmet client gift packs with cheap knockoffs, and the very next day, her gold bracelet mysteriously turned to brass.

Linda was old friends with the CEO, so the management completely ignored her antics.

Mark warned me to keep my head down and stay as far away from Linda as possible. Even as a newcomer, I knew better than to pick a fight with the person who pulled the strings around the office, so I nodded along.

A few days later, the intern quit, but not before Linda docked her final paycheck for alleged attendance violations.

The girl filed a complaint with the state labor department, but when investigators requested the security footage, Linda conveniently claimed the cameras were broken. With no evidence, the intern had no choice but to swallow the loss.

That day after work, as I was unlocking my electric scooter in the parking lot to head home, Linda appeared out of nowhere and cut me off.

"Hey, newbie. Emergency at home. Can I borrow your scooter?"

Panic twitched in her eyes. It didn't look fake.

When I hesitated, she pressed harder. "Come on, please! Traffic is completely jammed right now. I'll reimburse whatever you spend on an Uber today!"

I didn't care about being her friend, but I didn't want an enemy either. So, I handed over the keys.

The next morning, I went to her desk to get my scooter back, but she claimed she forgot it at home. When I mentioned the Uber reimbursement, she brushed it off, saying she would settle up when she returned the vehicle.

The day after that, she claimed she was charging it at her place and promised to bring it back once it had a full battery. I fell for it again.

By day three and day four, the excuses just kept piling up.

My blood was boiling. After work on Friday, I watched her like a hawk. The moment she stepped out of the building and swung her leg over my scooter, I charged into the parking lot and planted myself right in front of the vehicle.

"Linda! You’re giving me my scooter back today!"

She flashed a greasy, fake grin. "Oh, come on, just one more day! The traffic is brutal!"

"Linda, I'm stuck in traffic too! I've been late to work every single day this week! My attendance bonus is gone, and you haven't paid me back a single cent for my rides!"

Her smile evaporated into a snarl. "Are you serious right now? It's just a damn scooter! Stop nagging me!"

Fury surged through my chest. "How can I not nag you? You keep dragging this out day after day! Give me my keys right now!"