Chapter 2

I let out a cold laugh and hailed a cab. Instead of going to the company, I headed straight for the lottery center.

"Hello. I'm the winner of the 800-thousand-dollar prize from this morning. I'd like to have a notarized certification of my winnings, please."

In my previous life, I had been so anxious to pay for my daughter's surgery that I never got around to having the prize money notarized.

By the time I was framed and tried to come back for it, a staff member at the lottery center had already been bribed by Russell and Kristen.

They altered the winner's personal information, replacing it with someone else's, leaving me unable to prove that the 800 thousand dollars had been legally won.

After completing the notarization confirming my identity as the rightful winner, I also asked the staff to print out the transaction records showing the transfer of the prize money.

In this life, I would never again give Russell or Kristen even the slightest opening.

My phone rang once more. It was Kristen again.

With a swipe of my finger, I answered.

"Melissa, why haven't you come back to the office yet? Do you have any idea what's happened to the company? Anyway… this has something to do with you. The general manager wants you back immediately!"

Her voice sounded urgent, but she deliberately avoided explaining what had actually happened.

I knew she was trying to make me anxious and confused, so I'd be caught off guard by her trap once I arrived.

"All right," I replied lazily. "I'll be there soon."

I took my time getting to the office. When I finally arrived, Kristen wore an expression of deep disappointment, her brows furrowed as she said, "Melissa, how could you do something like this? You've been so foolish."

I answered coolly, "Stop speaking in riddles. Just say what you mean."

She suppressed the triumph in her eyes and deliberately raised her voice.

"Melissa, you can drop the act. The company has already discovered that you secretly embezzled millions in company funds!"

The moment she said it, colleagues who had been working quietly looked up at me, shock written all over their faces.

"My God, Melissa always seemed so honest and hardworking. Who knew she'd have the nerve to do something like this?"

"The company noticed irregularities in the funds last week. I never imagined Melissa would be behind it!"

"You really can't judge a person by appearances. She looked so sincere, but she's this greedy behind the scenes!"

"What did she even do with all that money? Could she be keeping some lover on the side behind her husband and child's back?"

"Who knows? I heard her daughter's sick and needs surgery. Maybe she took the risk for her child."

"What surgery costs millions? It's obviously for her own selfish desires!"

"Whatever the reason, secretly embezzling company funds is a crime. Someone with such crooked morals deserves prison. Let's just wait and see."

Their contemptuous gazes pierced me from all directions, whispers buzzing endlessly around the room.

Kristen curled her lips into a smug smile.

My expression didn't change in the slightest. I said calmly, "I didn't embezzle any funds. I've never done such a thing."

"Melissa, the evidence is conclusive, and you still dare to lie! I trusted you so much. I was even planning to promote you next week. Is this how you repay the company?" The general manager, furious, slammed a thick stack of documents in front of me.

I flipped through them one by one and saw records of abnormal fund transfers from the company's financial system. The operator's name and employee number were listed as mine.

The most recent entry showed that ten minutes earlier, 800 thousand dollars had been transferred from the company's financial system into a bank account under my name.

I took out my phone and logged into my mobile banking app. Sure enough, one of my cards had received an 800-thousand-dollar deposit just ten minutes ago.

The manager glared at me, his voice brimming with anger. "Melissa, what else do you have to say for yourself?"

My colleagues' looks grew even more scornful.

"The evidence is right there. Let's see how she tries to wriggle out of this!"

"We slave away for this company and only get fixed salaries. How does Melissa get to siphon off so much money to support some lover and live in luxury?"