All Chapters of Year-End Bonus: Three Zoo Passes, One Phone Call, Zero Mercy: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

On the other end of the line, Mr. Timothy Skylar was clearly displeased. "You're saying there are problems with the schedule? That's not something to joke about, Ms. Johnson. My entire follow-up timeline depends on this project!"I replied calmly, "I'm not joking. Clear contract terms are the foundation of any partnership. How about this—I'll put together a detailed explanation tomorrow, and we can set up a time to talk through it."As soon as the call ended, my phone rang almost immediately. It was my boss, William Lewis."What the hell are you playing at, Suzanna?" he asked. "Wastembarrassing me at the annual dinner not enough? Now you're calling Mr. Skylar in the middle of the night? Are you trying to rebel?"I held the phone away from my ear and waited for him to finish screaming. Then, I replied flatly, "The client has concerns about the contract details, Mr. Lewis. As the project lead, it's my job to follow up.""Bullshit! What concerns could there possibly be when you're th

Chapter 2

When I'd been forced to drink with clients until my stomach bled, Jack had told me to take better care of myself.When I was so exhausted from closing deals that I fell asleep at the airport leaning against my suitcase, he'd told me that I'd worked hard.Only now did I understand that what Jack did wasn't out of empathy or love. It was just routine maintenance from someone benefiting from the arrangement.He had treated me like his personal ATM. The moment it looked like the money might stop, he panicked faster than anyone else."So, me being treated like a joke is the bigger picture you're talking about?" I shot back, wiping my tears. "Jack, do you really think staying home to cook and care for our child is harder than what I do? That I could just earn money by tapping on a keyboard?"I didn't give him any chance to respond and ended the call at once.Almost immediately, I received a text from my mentee, Mandy Ziegler."Are you okay, Suzie? Mr. Lewis completely lost it. He's sm

Chapter 3

Just then, the doors to the operating room swung open.A nurse walked out and looked at us somberly. "Which one of you is Suzanna?"My heart sank. "I am."The nurse's gaze landed on me momentarily. Then, she walked over, her expression stern."The patient is refusing surgery and insisting on seeing you," she said. " She says there's something about your husband she has to tell you before the surgery."…In the holding area of the operating room, Mom was drenched in cold sweat from the pain. But her grip on my wrist was surprisingly strong.She said, "Something's up with Jack, Suzie. I ran into him at the entrance of our neighborhood when I went out to look for you."Mr. Lewis from your company handed him a card with 300 thousand dollars inside and told him to find a chance to slip fabricated evidence of you taking kickbacks from a client into your bag. Then, the company would call the police and ruin you for good.She continued, "I wanted to stop them, but I slipped and fell d

Chapter 4

The conference room was already packed early the next morning.Mandy was sitting in my seat, gazing at William with open admiration. Even Jack was there, boldly sitting right in the front row.The moment I walked in, all eyes turned toward me."Well, look who finally showed up. I thought you'd be too embarrassed to come." William sneered. "Since everyone's here, care to explain about how you abused your position to take kickbacks from clients and even stashed company funds at home?"He waved a hand, and Jack immediately stood up to place a document envelope on the table."Hello, everyone," Jack said. "I'm Suzanna's husband. Inside this envelope is the cash she hid in the safe at home, and the draft copies of the fake expense claims she prepared. "She always complained at home that the company's commissions were too low and said she'd make up for it by skimming from deals. I tried to talk her out of it, but she wouldn't listen. I couldn't just stand by and watch her keep going do

Chapter 5

Mr. Skylar arrived just in time with his legal team. Terrified, the security guards immediately released me.William rushed over, eager to please. "You didn't need to come in person, Mr. Skylar. This is just an internal matter. We can handle it ourselves."Mr. Skylar ignored him and walked straight to my side. "Who was the one who said Ms. Johnson tried to extort me for extra fees?"Mandy turned pale as she shrank back without a word.Mr. Skylar let out a cold laugh and slammed his phone onto the conference table. "Last night, Ms. Johnson sent me a text telling me your internal management was a mess, and that I should reassess the risks of working with your company for the sake of project quality."Not only did she not ask for any extra fees, but she also sent me an email listing every potential issue in the project. Is this what you meant by taking kickbacks and extorting clients?"The room went dead silent. The same colleagues who had been judging me earlier couldn't even bring

Chapter 6

Seeing Mandy speak up, Jack quickly followed suit. "That card with the 300 thousand dollars is still in my pocket, Mr. Lewis.""Shut up!" William roared, pointing at them. "You idiots! Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough?"I crossed my arms, enjoying the spectacle as the three of them tore into each other.I said, "I gave you a chance, William, but you just couldn't make it work."I stepped closer, my tone suddenly serious. "Do you know why I was determined to mess this deal up? That's because last night I found out the subcontractor you recommended to Mr. Skylar is a shell company owned by your brother-in-law. That company doesn't even have proper licenses!"Mr. Skylar's face darkened instantly. "You've got some nerve, William."Just then, the door to the conference room opened once again. Several police officers walked in and flashed their badges. "Which one of you is William Lewis? We've received a report of large-scale tax evasion by your company. You'll need to come wi

Chapter 7

I headed straight to the hospital after finishing my statement at the police station.Mom's surgery had gone well. The anesthesia had just worn off, and she was lying weakly in the hospital bed.As soon as she saw me, tears welled up in her eyes. "Suzie, that Jack—""It's okay, Mom," I said softly as I took her hand. "Jack has been arrested. I've already contacted a divorce lawyer. Since he chose to betray me instead of living peacefully, I won't let him get away with it."…After settling Mom in, I drove home. When I got back, I saw my in-laws sitting on the couch watching TV.My mother-in-law, Lydia Hearth, rolled her eyes when she saw me. She spoke in a sarcastic tone. "Well, look who finally decided to come home. Why can't we get through to Jack? Did you upset him again?"Don't think you're all that great just because you earn money for the family, Suzanna. A woman should still put her husband first."My father-in-law, Shawn Hudson, chimed in, "That's right. Hurry up and ge

Chapter 8

The next morning, Mr. Skylar asked to meet me in person.The moment I arrived, I apologized sincerely. "I'm so sorry you had to be there for the scene yesterday, Mr. Skylar."Mr. Skylar waved it off with a look of admiration on his face. "That swamp of a company was never worthy of you, Suzanna. I only trust you with my 50-million deal. Wherever you go, the contract goes with you.Then he added, "By the way, I happen to be looking for a vice president. Are you interested?"I froze, then let out a relaxed smile. "It would be an honor."Just then, Alice Sorentia, my colleague from the marketing department, called me. "Something happened, Ms. Johnson! The company accounts have been frozen. They won't be able to process next month's payroll!"Several colleagues crowded onto the line, panicking."You can't leave, Suzie! You're the backbone of this team, we'd be lost without you!""We were foolish enough to be deceived by that bastard William, Suzie. Please don't take it personally."

Chapter 9

Even though William was under investigation, he still had connections from his years of being in the industry.While out on bail, he managed to get several companies to blacklist me. He claimed that I was unethical and leaked confidential information, and anyone who hired me would regret it.Suddenly, rumors were everywhere.Some anonymous accounts were even spreading rumors that I slept with clients to climb the ladder. They even posted a photo of me meeting Mr. Skylar at the cafe, cropped in a way that made it look suggestive.The caption read, "Shocking! Female sales executive sleeps her way to the top, cheats on husband with wealthy businessman!"I didn't need confirmation to know Mandy was behind it.I sat in my office, calmly taking in the online hate comments.Mr. Skylar walked in, looking slightly annoyed. "Do you want the PR department to handle the online situation, Ms. Johnson?"I waved him off with a laugh. "No need. Let's keep them spinning for a while more. Bad pr

Chapter 10

I heard William was arrested while trying to flee the city. He ended up getting caught at the train station.Mandy cooperated with the investigation, confessing and turning in the others. She managed to get off lightly with just a warning.But her reputation in the industry was completely destroyed. A decent job would be hard to come by from now on.Jack had it the worst. Due to his involvement in moving illegal assets, my lawyer told me he was looking at a minimum of three years.I was waiting for Daniel outside his piano classroom when I heard about all this. The afternoon sun was warm on my skin."Mommy!" Daniel ran out with his backpack and threw himself into my arms. "Why hasn't Daddy come to pick me up in so long?"I crouched down, smoothed his clothes, and answered gently, "Daddy went somewhere far away to learn how to be an honest person."Daniel asked, "When will he come back then?""When he's learned," I replied.Although it might take a long time, and he might miss

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