บททั้งหมดของ Year-End Bonus: Three Zoo Passes, One Phone Call, Zero Mercy: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 10

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

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

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

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

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