Wrong Guy to Betray

Give me a break.You're nothing.I wanted to blow up, but I bit my tongue.Had to hold back—for now. The truth would hit way harder later.I took a slow breath. "Really. Don't worry about me. I've got it handled."Yvette, thinking I was finally caving, sounded all pleased. "Glad you came around. Stop being so dramatic. Focus on your next interview. I'm gonna check on Kevin—he's been feeling so guilty, he hasn't even eaten.""Got it." I hung up, cool and clean. Didn't want another word from her.Then came the new offer from Gauthier Corp.Not an intern this time—a full-time employee.Right after I turned in my onboarding paperwork, Yvette pinged me:[Sending out résumés? Any other interviews lined up?]I hit back: [No.]She stalled—probably scrambling for her next move. Then, right on cue:[Job hunting takes time. Dylan, Kevin felt SO bad about what happened. He wants to take you out, say thanks properly.]Yeah, I could already see their phony smiles through the screen.D

The next morning, I skipped the subway chaos.A sleek black Bentley was already curbside. The driver stepped out, gave a respectful nod, and held the door like I was royalty or something.I hit Gauthier Corp HQ a solid thirty minutes early.No visitor line for me—I swiped in and took the CEO's private elevator straight to the top.Ding.Haisley stood at the office door, rocking a killer designer suit that screamed boss energy.She scanned me once, nodded. "Not bad. You finally look like a Gauthier."No mention of the stolen offer. No drama. Just handed me a matte black ID card."Max clearance," she said. "From now on, nobody here can boss you around—except me."She paused, that barely-there smile playing in her eyes. "Do whatever you need to do. I've got your back, no matter what."Yeah, that hit.I threw on the suit I'd prepped, slicked my hair back, clean and sharp.One look in the mirror—and there he was. Cool, collected, ready to raise hell.Game on, Gauthier Corp.**

Not long after I started, my first big internal project presentation came up—my shot to actually prove I belonged.And surprise, surprise, Yvette and Kevin weren't about to sit that one out.Kevin strolled into my office all fake-friendly, holding out a cup of coffee like some peace offering."Mr. Dunham, you've been grinding hard," he said, voice all careful. "Heard you're working on that new product proposal. Ms. Wallace has tons of experience with that stuff... but, uh, she's got a temper. Try not to step on her toes."Sounded helpful, right? Yeah, no.Ms. Wallace was the loudest voice against the proposal—and one of Yvette's little pawns.Kevin was laying a trap, plain and simple.I watched his little act, took the coffee without blinking. "That so? Appreciate it," I said, playing along like I bought it.Behind the scenes, I started digging.Turned out Yvette had "accidentally" left out a key market report while helping organize the data. The one with all the juicy updates

"I... I didn't! It was a glitch! Must've been a system malfunction!" she stammered, eyes bouncing all over the place.Kevin shot up too, throwing on the fake worry. "Yeah, Mr. Dunham, the system bugs out sometimes. I'm sure Yvette didn't mean to."Still clinging to the old classic—blame the tech.I didn't say a word. Just watched their little improv show play out.Then, calm as ever, I turned and clicked to the next slide.The screen lit up with system logs—Yvette's name stamped in bold red.No wiggle room. No excuses."I don't know if the system glitched," I said, voice even. "But I know the logs don't lie. Yvette Klutz, this isn't about your skills anymore. It's about integrity."Gasps rippled through the room.Every head turned to her—faces twisted in shock, some straight-up disgust.She went pale as drywall. Sweat broke across her forehead. Whole body trembling.That's when Haisley finally spoke."Ms. Klutz. If you've got a problem with my executive assistant, bring it

It had everything—Yvette's bogus report that tanked my offer, how they played coworkers, stirred gossip, and pinned it all on me.Every anonymous post? Traced. IPs logged.Water cooler whispers? Recorded.Kevin's scheming in group chats? Logged, stamped, airtight.It was a full circle of solid proof.As the committee flipped through the stack, their faces darkened.This wasn't gossip—it was a straight-up takedown attempt.And I was just sitting there, waiting for the hammer to drop.***In Gauthier Corp's stiffest conference room, the air was heavy.Both sides of the long table packed with board members and execs.Yvette and Kevin got seats as the accusers.I was the last to walk in—the one on trial.The meeting kicked off, and a senior board member came for Haisley hard."Ms. Gauthier, these rumors have wrecked your reputation and the company's. You owe us answers."Yvette seized the moment.She stood and pointed at me, all fired up. "I'm the one who reported him! I sw