Chapter 3

I took a deep breath and forced myself to pull my foot back. I bent down, picked up my employee ID, and slipped it back around my neck. Then I returned to my desk.

Lena and Adrian exchanged a look before bursting into laughter.

"I thought you had some backbone. Turns out, you'll bow your head for a paycheck this small. That's just pathetic."

Lena walked over and slammed a thick stack of documents onto my desk.

"If you're not leaving, then get to work. Bennett wants that important client information, plus the bilingual speech for tomorrow's meeting. I want both on my desk tomorrow morning."

I opened the documents, and my eyebrows immediately drew together.

They were packed with highly technical industry materials.

Lena could not even handle basic client communication. How did she manage to get into a company where the standards for dealing with external clients were this high?

Had HR really skipped the entire hiring process just because she said, "I'm the CEO's sister"?

I was full of questions, but I did not waste any more time. I turned on my computer and started working through the materials.

If she wanted me to write the speech for her, then I would be more than happy to 'help'. I deliberately mixed up the units for several key technical parameters in the speech.

…

The next day, a typhoon swept through the city, bringing torrential rain with it.

Our guests were scheduled to arrive at 2:00 pm.

At 1:00 pm, Lena walked over to my desk.

"Mr. Lawson's favorite thing is the blueberry muffin from that bakery in Solstice City. Go buy two boxes. We'll serve them to the guests."

I glanced out the window at tree branches being ripped apart by the howling wind.

"There's a typhoon. I can't get a car, and delivery services have stopped."

"Then walk!"

Adrian came over, grabbed me by the arm, and hauled me out of my chair. He practically dragged me toward the company entrance.

"Solstice City is only ten miles from here. Run fast, and you'll make it back just in time for the meeting!

"Chloe, this affects the company's reputation, and it affects our most important client. If you don't bring those muffins back, or if you delay the guest's schedule, you can pack up your things and leave!"

I had no choice. Remembering Mom's warning, I could only accept my fate and go.

By the time I pushed open the conference room doors, I was soaked from head to toe, and the meeting was already halfway over. Lena was standing in front of the projection screen, stumbling through the speech I had written. Every so often, she even mispronounced one of the technical terms.

The moment she saw me walk in, she pinched her nose in disgust. "What happened to you? Hurry up, put the stuff down and get out. Don't make the conference room dirty!"

Wesley Smith, one of the company's guests, frowned. He seemed less than pleased with Lena's attitude.

Lena immediately put on a bright smile and turned to Wesley. "She's just a cleaner."

At that moment, one of the guests pointed at the data on the PowerPoint slide and demanded an explanation from Bennett.

"This is your company's idea of sincerity? All the units for your core data are wrong, and your spokesperson's language is extremely rude! Are you insulting us?"

Cold sweat broke out across Bennett's forehead. He spun around and glared at Lena. "What did you do?!"

Lena's face went white. Then, her eyes landed on me. She suddenly pointed at me and screamed, "Mr. Turner, she did it! She's trying to steal my credit, so she secretly replaced the slides behind my back! She's trying to sabotage our partnership!"

Adrian immediately jumped in. "Exactly! Mr. Turner, Chloe has always been jealous of Lena. She must have done this on purpose to get revenge!"

I let out an icy laugh, my voice rough from the rain and exhaustion.

"Lena, didn't you just tell the guests that I'm only a cleaner? How exactly would a cleaner steal your credit and replace your slides? Is your brain as bad as your communication skills?"

Lena's face turned pale, then red, then pale again.

Bennett had spent years navigating the corporate world. There was no way he could not see what was going on. He shot Lena a furious look and lowered his voice into a harsh roar.

"Shut up! Haven't you embarrassed us enough already? Get out!"

He immediately turned around, plastered a smile onto his face, and went back to placating the guests.

Lena was kicked out of the conference room. Once she reached the hallway, she turned and glared viciously at me.

"Chloe, you think you can set me up?" She leaned close to my ear, her teeth clenched in fury. "Just you wait. I'm the president's own sister! The first thing I'll do when my brother gets back is have him blacklist you across the entire industry!"

I quietly pressed the stop button on the voice recorder in my pocket. "Sure. I'll be waiting."

Just then, Adrian rushed over to curry favor with Lena. He grabbed me by the collar and roughly dragged me toward the door. "You still have the nerve to talk back? Go to the bathroom and think about what you've done! You're not coming back until I say so!"