Chapter 2

Lena was sitting in the swivel chair across from me, filing her nails.

When she saw me come back, she did not even bother looking up. "Oops. My hand slipped. It's just a crappy computer. You're not seriously going to get upset about it, are you?"

Looking at that smug, superior expression on her face, I almost laughed from sheer disbelief.

For the longest time, I could not figure out why Lena had been targeting me from the very first day I joined the company. Then yesterday, I happened to overhear her gossiping with a few coworkers in the break room.

"That Chloe girl dresses like she got her clothes from a thrift store, and she can't even be bothered to put on makeup."

"Do you know who personally brought her into the company on her first day? The general manager!"

"Who knows what kind of tricks she used to get that kind of treatment? I'm the CEO's own little sister, and even the general manager has never been that attentive to me. What makes her so special?"

That was when everything finally clicked.

Lena had been playing the part for so long that she had actually convinced herself she was the company's little princess.

Remembering my brother's warning on the phone, I felt a fresh wave of anger. I pulled out my phone and took several pictures of my blistered palms and the ruined computer.

…

The next morning, the Planning Department held a meeting.

The vice president, Bennett Turner, sat at the head of the table with a proposal in his hands, his face glowing with excitement.

"This proposal is outstanding! The data is thorough, and it gets straight to the heart of the problem. Lena, did you write this entire proposal yourself?"

Lena stood up, pride shining in her eyes. "Mr. Turner, you're too kind. I was only doing my job. After all... you have to treat the company like it's your own home."

She deliberately emphasized the words 'your own home'.

Adrian immediately started clapping, a sycophantic grin plastered across his face.

"Lena really has the right attitude! Mr. Turner, I think she's more than qualified to become a full-time employee early. And since our assistant team leader position has been vacant for a while, why not let her take that position too?"

Bennett waved his hand. "Approved."

Lena turned around and shot me a provocative look.

I sat quietly in the corner, head lowered, barely managing to keep a smile off my face.

Yes, I had written that proposal.

However, I had a little habit. Whenever I had a draft that had not been finalized and officially handed over, I always planted a hidden data trap somewhere inside. All it took was a slight change to one of the external parameters, and the entire profit projection would collapse. Instead of making a profit, the company would be looking at a massive loss.

Lena had not even understood what she was looking at. She had simply snatched up the proposal and claimed it as her own.

Just imagining the way she would get torn apart when the numbers blew up had me practically giddy.

After the meeting, Lena strutted over to my desk, already acting like she was the assistant team leader. "I'm officially a full-time employee today, so I'm buying coffee for the whole team. Hey, you. Ms. Miserable. Go downstairs and bring back 30 cups of coffee."

I did not move. "It's working hours. And getting coffee is an assistant's job."

"Just go!" Adrian slammed a hand onto the desk. "What, the assistant team leader can't order an intern around now? Refuse, and I'll cut your performance bonus!"

It was 100 degrees outside, and the pavement looked like it was practically smoking under the sun.

By the time I made it back to the office carrying thirty cups of coffee, my shirt was soaked through with sweat. My head was spinning, and I could barely keep my balance.

I set the coffee down on Lena's desk.

"That's $220. Cash, Venmo, or PayPal?"

Lena had just picked up a cup when she heard that. Her hand froze. "Are you asking me for money? You ran an errand for me, and now, you want an errand fee too? Seriously, why are you so petty?"

"I'm talking about the money I paid for the coffee." I stared straight at her.

"Oh!" Lena suddenly let out a little cry. Her foot caught on something, and she stumbled forward. The piping-hot latte splashed directly across me.

I sucked in a sharp breath as pain shot through me. My skin turned bright red almost instantly.

"Oh, wow. I'm so sorry. I just lost my balance." Lena covered her mouth, but there was not a trace of sincerity in her voice. "Just consider the coffee my treat. No need to thank me."

I stared at the stains spreading across my shirt as black spots started swimming in front of my eyes.

I braced myself against the desk and looked at Adrian. "I'm suffering from heat exhaustion, and I've been scalded. I need to take the rest of the day off and go home."

Adrian rolled his eyes. "Take the day off? Did you file a request ahead of time? If you leave, who's going to do your work? What exactly does the company pay you for?"

I was speechless. Who was supposed to know ahead of time that they were going to get coffee dumped on them and suffer heat exhaustion?

That was it. I was done.

I yanked the employee ID badge from around my neck and slammed it onto the desk. "Fine. I quit. Anyone who wants this miserable job can have it!"

Adrian gave a harsh laugh.

"Sure. Go ahead and miss half a day. Your perfect-attendance bonus will be gone, and don't even think about passing your internship evaluation. If you're thinking of becoming a full-time employee, you can keep dreaming!"

I did not care about that little bit of money anyway. I had just picked up my bag and was about to walk out when my phone buzzed.

It was a message from Mom: [Your brother just called. He said you're causing trouble at the company again. You have to stay at the bottom until you become a full-time employee. If you dare quit halfway through, forget about getting the $1 million startup fund for your design studio.]