4. Wild Accusations

That morning, it felt incredibly heavy just to open my eyes. The image of Vanesha’s face, ready to torment me again, made me reluctant to get out of bed. But reality slapped me awake—I needed money. In a world that constantly demands bill payments, pride is a luxury I cannot yet afford.

I had no choice. I left immediately, forcing myself to arrive early even though I had only returned home late last night. At least by coming in early, I could steal some time to finish my primary tasks before Vanesha arrived and dumped her entire workload onto my shoulders.

The office was still quiet as I began to toil away at my computer screen. I was fully focused on the daily task list that had appeared in the system. My fingers danced across the keyboard, trying to complete the reports as quickly as possible. One by one, the staff began to arrive; the sound of light chatter and the aroma of coffee started to fill the room.

However, the silence of my work was shattered by a hysterical scream.

"The money is gone! I clearly put it in this drawer yesterday!" shouted Bianca, the division treasurer.

Everyone turned their heads. Bianca looked pale, rummaging through her drawer with trembling hands. It seemed she had been careless and forgotten to move the office petty cash to the main vault last night. Now that the money was missing, she wailed as if her world were collapsing.

"Who was the last one to leave last night?!" Bianca stood up, her swollen eyes scanning the room wildly.

Then, her finger pointed directly at my nose.

"Her! Daisy! She was the very last one to leave last night! You must have taken my money, haven't you?!" she screamed in a shrill voice.

Instantly, every pair of eyes in the room turned toward me. Gazes that were previously indifferent now turned into looks of accusation and disgust.

"Are you accusing me?" My voice trembled—not out of fear, but from suppressed rage.

"Yes, you! Who else was here last night? I also stayed late, and I made sure the money was still in the drawer when I left. You need money, don't you? Just admit it!" Bianca snapped with a condescending tone.

I stood up and stepped closer to her. With all the courage I had left, I looked her deep in the eyes.

"I may be poor, but I am not a thief!" I replied firmly. "Don't blame others for your own carelessness. You’re the one who failed your responsibility, so why are you accusing someone else?"

They had always known me as Daisy, the easy target for bullying. But when it comes to pride and honesty, I will not back down an inch. I work hard for honest money, and I won't let someone else’s mistake be shoved onto my shoulders.

"You dare talk back to me?! You could be fired this very day!" Bianca barked, her face flushing red with embarrassment.

"Why should I be fired? What is my fault?" I shot back, my voice rising. "You're the one who lost the office money; you should be the one kicked out of here! Besides, this building is heavily guarded. You can check the recordings from the Surveillance Division to see the truth!"

The other staff members began to glance at each other. Whispers started to ripple through the room, and this time, some of them seemed to agree with my argument. Their eyes seemed to say that Bianca was the one in the wrong.

Seeing the tide begin to turn, Vanesha, who had been watching from a distance, finally stepped forward.

"That's enough, don't make a scene! The money has been found. It turns out Mr. Marcus took it yesterday afternoon for an urgent matter," she said casually, as if she were just talking about the weather.

My blood boiled. I glared at Vanesha with fury. That woman had been there since the beginning; she heard me being harshly accused, yet she stayed silent. She only spoke up when I started to fight back against Bianca.

It was crystal clear: this was a trap. They wanted to test my mental strength, or perhaps they truly wanted to eliminate me in the most humiliating way possible—by making me look like a thief.

Without any intention of escalating the conflict further, I immediately returned to my seat. I knew my place; for now, I had to back down and swallow my pride before they could find another loophole to corner me.

Not long after, Vanesha appeared and slammed a document folder onto my desk.

"Mr. Marcus needs this immediately. Take it to the Marketing Division Office Two right now! He is already waiting for you there," she ordered curtly.

Vanesha didn't even wait for an answer or for me to agree. That wicked woman simply strutted away after dumping her task onto my shoulders. I stared at the folder with a sinking feeling in my chest. I only hoped this wasn't another trap they had intentionally planned to bring me down.