Chapter 2

Joyce watched me with concern.

“Ms. Heaton, the hundred thousand was drawn from the headquarters account. Casey took it in cash. Right now, we have no direct proof that she kept the money. Maybe I can contact the bank and see if there’s any surveillance footage from the withdrawal.”

I nodded wearily.

I had known for a while that Casey had been eyeing my position.

She was shrewd, calculating, and had a gift for making alliances.

Over the next few days, I showed up at the office exactly on time and kept up a calm routine.

I ignored the sideways glances and the hushed conversations.

By Friday, I wrapped up my work earlier than usual. Just like every week for the past few weeks, I picked up the fruit basket and nutritional supplements I had already prepared.

I was going to visit Jack Heiser, an employee recovering in the hospital from a work-related injury.

He had been rushing to meet a project deadline, working late, and ended up taking a bad fall down the stairs on his way out. The fall sprained his wrist and ankle badly.

It was the right thing to do, both professionally and personally, to visit him weekly.

I parked my car and walked into the hospital with the things I had brought with me.

I knocked and entered. When Jack saw me, there was a brief flash of surprise in his eyes.

There was none of the usual warm and enthusiastic reception I got from a subordinate.

“Ms. Heaton…”

In the living area, I noticed two other familiar faces.

They were Marilyn Fuchs and Debra Grey. Both were senior employees.

When they saw me, they exchanged a glance heavy with unspoken understanding, then slowly pushed themselves to their feet.

“Good afternoon, Ms. Heaton. We didn’t expect you to visit.”

The words were courteous on the surface, but the underlying sarcasm was clear as day.

In my office, I had decided to let their blatant disrespect slide.

I set the fruit basket down on the table.

“Jack, how’re you recovering? The company is very concerned. Please let us know if you need anything.”

Jack did not respond. He simply shifted silently to sit on the edge of the sofa.

It was Debra who spoke next, with a smile on her lips that did not mask the malice beneath it.

“Ms. Heaton, you’re always so personally concerned about Jack. His accident must have been terribly distressing for you.”

A cold weight settled in my stomach. I suppressed my displeasure.

“When an employee is injured, visiting them is part of my responsibility as their manager. I’ve been coming by for weeks.”

“Your responsibility?” Marilyn scoffed.

“Or is it that only young, attractive guys like Jack get special visits from you… with gifts, no less, Ms. Heaton?”

My clutch tightened in my grasp, and my nails dug into my palm. “Mind your words! I am here solely on behalf of the company—”

“On behalf of the company?”

Marilyn cut me off and raised her voice as she said, “That’s funny because we heard that you’ve been asking about Jack’s personal life, like what he likes or if he has a girlfriend… At the last department dinner, you made sure to sit next to him and even served him food yourself. Come on, Ms. Heaton. Sounds like your personal interest isn’t as well-hidden as you think, Ms. Heaton.”

The vulgar insinuations hit me like a bucket of filthy water.

A cold numbness spread through my limbs. When had I ever done those things?

I could not believe they had been spreading such ugly and twisted rumors behind my back!

“What? That’s absolute nonsense!” I was so angry that my voice was trembling. “None of that’s true!”

“True or not, only you know for sure,” said Marilyn, with her tone dripping with sarcasm.

I turned to Jack. I was hoping he would say something.

But Jack just pursed his lips and avoided my eyes. His face was a mix of discomfort and irritation.

It seemed he believed such nonsense!

Just then, my phone rang. It was Casey.

I answered. Her voice was practically dripping with fake concern.

“Ms. Heaton, I heard you went to see Jack again today. I know you care about your employees, but you’ve got to be careful. The gossip at the office is getting out of hand. People are saying you’re playing favorites. I know you’re not that kind of person, of course, but you know how such talk spreads.”

Every word she said sounded like she had my best interests in mind, but she was actually reinforcing the lie.

“Casey, you…”

My jaw clenched so tight in anger that it hurt.

“Ms. Heaton, I only have your best interests at heart.”

She sighed and hung up.

Jack’s face darkened. He glared at me from the sofa. His eyes were filled with humiliation and anger. He clearly thought that I had crossed a line.

“Ms. Heaton, thank you for visiting, but this is just too much! Please don’t come here again! I’m just an employee! Please just leave me alone, okay?”

I opened my mouth to speak, but my throat felt so tight that no words could get past.

I had only wanted to do the right thing as a manager. I had only wanted to check on an employee who had gotten hurt doing his job.

In the end, I said nothing.

I turned stiffly, opened the door, and walked out.

Since no one cared about what was true and untrue, I could not do anything. I took out my phone and called a board member at headquarters.