Chapter 3

In the photo Kimmy pulled up, I was handing a thick manila envelope to a member of the accounting staff.

The compliance officers’ expressions hardened immediately.

“Lisa, how do you explain this?”

I leaned in for a closer look.

I explained that it had been a staff fundraiser. I had gone to the hospital as their representative to deliver the donation.

However, the angle of the photo was deliberate.

There was no hospital signage. There was just me handing over the cash.

The officer adjusted his glasses.

“We’ll verify what you’ve said. Now, let’s talk about the alleged falsification of financial records.”

I had no choice but to walk them through the entire situation again.

The compliance officers were all long-timers. They were people who had been with the company before Michael fell ill, and from a time before Dale had a chance to pull them onto his side.

After hearing everything, they left.

My old apprentice, Ned Morita, slipped into the storage room.

He told me that Kimmy had taken the story online.

Kimmy had been cultivating her “office lucky charm” persona online for years and had built a modest following of people who envied her seemingly effortless, well-paid lifestyle.

Just then, she posted a new video.

She went into detail about how she had uncovered a major management failure and supposedly saved the company from a massive loss.

The comment section flooded instantly.

[Oh my god! She’s lucky and competent? The office lucky charm is actually real!]

[That floor manager got exactly what she deserved. Who tries to take on the office mascot? Enjoy the investigation, loser.]

[Exactly! How dare she try to mess with the human lucky charm? Now they’re investigating her for embezzlement! Bad luck has got to her.]

[She had it coming. My parents work in the production bay. They work nonstop, and then they get screwed over by people like her. When targets aren’t met, it’s their pay that gets hit.]

[People like her are disgusting! If I ever saw her on the street, I’d hit her.]

A handful of comments defended me, but they were drowned in minutes by the algorithmic tide of outrage.

I felt a chill spread through my veins as I read the vicious comments.

The force of public opinion was overwhelming. Kimmy was trying to end my career.

Forcing myself to think clearly, I turned to Ned.

“Pull the surveillance footage from the production floor and everything that happened earlier, especially the moment Kimmy changed the specs. Also, pull up the footage of the confrontation with me afterward. Don’t bother with Dale. He’s a lost cause. Go through my desk drawer and find Michael’s card. Tell him what’s been happening on the floor.”

Ned looked anxious.

“Lisa, I can get the security footage, but your office has been locked. I can’t get in.”

“You have to find a way. Right now, the only person who can stop Mr. Huidobro is Michael.”

Ned told me he understood and hurried out.

After the compliance officers were sent off, Kimmy doubled back.

She took in my disheveled state and curled her lips into a smile.

“Lisa, everyone knows Mr. Huidobro values me. Don’t you think you brought this on yourself?”

She pulled out the industry reports I had compiled and began idly defacing them with a pen.

“What’s the point of all this work, Lisa? All I have to do is open my mouth, and it carries more weight than anything you do. Mr. Huidobro put me in charge of overseeing production. Sure, I’ll miss the New Year’s Eve celebration, but taking you down makes it worth it!”

I could not understand it.

All I had done was focus on work. I could not understand where her hostility toward me was coming from.

Every time I assigned production tasks, she either interrupted or nitpicked.

Once, just to beat me to the office, she clipped my car in the parking lot.

Whenever anyone praised my work, she found a way to step in and take credit.

Seeing my confusion, malice flickered in Kimmy’s eyes.

“Oh, drop the act, Lisa! You’ve looked down on me since day one. You’ve got skills, sure, but you’ve always thought I only got this job because I brought in good luck. That takes work, too, you know. And since you wouldn’t let me lower the tolerance, I adjusted the strength ratings instead. The bolts marked 4.8, 8.8, 12.8? I bumped them up to 5, 9, and 13. That should shut you up, shouldn’t it?”

I was genuinely stunned.

Those numbers represented tensile strength.

If those specs were altered to exceed the maximum classification, the component would not hold under load. It could lead to a catastrophic structural collapse.

“Kimmy, you’ve messed up big time! Those specifications cannot be changed!”

I stood up immediately to rush out. I had to tell them to stop the production.

Mistaking my urgency for an attempt to flee, Kimmy called for the guards.

“Restrain her, and shut her up! Mr. Huidobro said she’s to stay here until this investigation is over!”