Home / Cheated of 100K, I Came Back Ruthless / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of Cheated of 100K, I Came Back Ruthless: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

At the company's celebration dinner, my boss, Patrick Gibson, handed me a gold-embossed envelope. "Evangeline, this 100 thousand dollars is yours. You've earned every penny of it."I tore open the envelope in front of everyone, and a sheet of paper fell out. In bold letters, it read, "Certificate of Recognition."I let out a bitter laugh. "Mr. Gibson, is this supposed to be my bonus?""Mr. Gibson, what's going on?" Anthony Thompson was the first to speak, clearly taken aback. He was my boyfriend of three years, and he worked at the same company. Like me, he'd assumed the envelope contained a payment slip for my bonus. In an instant, the ballroom fell silent as everyone turned to look at the paper in my hand. Patrick's smile faltered. He stepped closer and lowered his voice. "Evangeline, don't make a scene. We'll talk about your bonus later, in private."I didn't budge. Instead, I raised the paper a little higher. Patrick's expression shifted, and he turned to address the ro

Chapter 2

When I didn't respond, the emcee chuckled awkwardly and jumped in to break the silence. "That's mighty generous of you, Mr. Gibson! Come on, everyone! Let's give Evangeline, the person behind this project's success, a round of applause—""Hold on!" I cut him off. Then, I looked Patrick in the eye and enunciated each word. "You said presenting me with the certificate first was supposed to show me some respect. "Then why not transfer the 100 thousand dollars to my account right now in front of everyone? That would show me a whole lot more."My words set off a wave of whispers among my coworkers. "What's her problem? Does she have any idea how to read the room? This is a company celebration!""Has Evangeline lost her mind? How dare she put the boss on the spot like that!"Another muttered, "She clearly has no intention of staying with the company."As murmurs spread through the crowd, Anthony grew flustered. He grabbed my arm and pulled me back, saying, "Evangeline, don't do this

Chapter 3

The coworkers around me began whispering among themselves. "Seriously. Mr. Gibson already said he'd pay her. Why won't Evangeline let it go?""All this over something so trivial. She had to make a scene at the company dinner of all places."Another chimed in, "Look how good Mr. Gibson's been to her! He's offering her a 100-thousand-dollar bonus, and she can't even show a little gratitude.""What an ungrateful wretch!""Who does she think she is, demanding money at the company party, no less?"Their words cut deep. I'd kept a close eye on the project from start to finish, staying up night after night to work on the plans. I'd even come close to ending up in the hospital after drinking with clients. The project had earned the company far more than my bonus was worth. And now I was supposed to be grateful?I fixed my gaze on Patrick, enunciating each word. "That 100 thousand dollars was my bonus. I earned it. Can't I even ask for the money I'm owed?"Then, I stepped forward and h

Chapter 4

I hit play on the recording, snatched the microphone from the emcee, and held it close to my phone's speaker. In an instant, Patrick's voice came through loud and clear. "Evangeline, I'm going to be honest with you. The company's been a little tight on cash lately, so I had to move that 100 thousand dollars to cover some immediate expenses."His voice echoed through the ballroom, and the entire place fell deathly silent. The color drained from Patrick's face. He charged at me and knocked the phone out of my hand. It hit the floor with a sharp crack, the screen splintering on impact. "That recording's been doctored!" Patrick yelled. "You made it up to frame me! Evangeline, even if you have a problem with me, that doesn't give you the right to make up lies about me!"Anthony stood frozen, swaying slightly. He looked at me, then at the phone lying cracked on the floor. Finally, he turned back to Patrick. "Yeah… The recording has to be fake. Evangeline, after everything Mr. G

Chapter 5

I stared at Patrick and enunciated each word clearly. "That 100 thousand dollars went to a woman named Deborah Lloyd."Everyone at the table froze. Then, someone asked, "Who's Deborah Lloyd? I've never heard of anyone by that name working here."I held Patrick's gaze. "Deborah is Mr. Gibson's mistress."The color drained from Patrick's face at once. His wineglass slipped from his hand and shattered against the floor. Nearby, Jessie's knees nearly gave way. She took a step back and knocked over the chair behind her. Over the past three days, I'd done more than go through the company's books. I'd also tracked down Deborah. Every payment from the company had gone straight into her account. The room erupted in shocked whispers. "What? Mr. Gibson's been keeping a mistress? And he's been using company money to support her?"Another exclaimed, "Oh my goodness! What a scumbag! Isn't that embezzlement?"The same people who'd called me ungrateful moments ago all fell silent, their e

Chapter 6

People near the front craned their necks to get a better look at the screen."I'm sorry, Mr. Gibson. I can't keep covering this up anymore," said Jessie. Patrick went still. It probably never occurred to him that she'd kept a copy of every transaction he'd signed off on. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he roared, pointing at Jessie. Jessie sank to the floor and burst into tears. "For the past three years, I've been terrified every time I processed a transaction. I knew it was only a matter of time before everything came to light, so I kept a copy of every transfer I made."Patrick stumbled and caught himself on the edge of a table. Then, he glanced around, taking in the suspicious looks on everyone's faces. "D-Don't listen to her! She's making this up! She's trying to frame me!"But not a single person spoke up for him. Even those who'd been shouting the loudest moments earlier fell silent. "Evangeline… we were wrong about you," one of my coworkers said quietly. "We sho

Chapter 7

A resigned look crossed Anthony's face when he heard that. "Evangeline, you're good at what you do. There'll be other chances to earn a bonus. Just let this one go."My heart sank. I looked at him and asked, "Who are you really asking me to back down for?" Anthony's voice dropped to barely a whisper as he answered, "F-For us.""For us?" I stared at him. "Then tell me, did Patrick make some kind of deal with you just now?"Anthony jerked his head up, panic flashing in his eyes. Then he quickly lowered his gaze. "Was it the 100 thousand dollars? Or did he promise you a promotion to manager?" I pressed. Anthony raised his voice. "No!""Look me in the eye and tell me you didn't make a deal with him."Anthony opened his mouth to speak. But several seconds passed, and nothing came out. I finally understood what Patrick had said to him. Patrick had offered Anthony the 100 thousand dollars I'd fought so hard to get back that day. He'd taken the money I'd gone through hell to r

Chapter 8

Patrick pressed his lips into a thin line. Meanwhile, hundreds of people held their breath, no one daring to break the silence. Someone in the crowd quietly raised a phone, its camera aimed at us. I stepped closer to Patrick until I was barely an arm's length away. Patrick retreated until his back met the pillar, leaving him nowhere else to go. "Listen," he began, lowering his voice so only I could hear. "I'll send you the 100 thousand dollars privately. Just give me what you have, and we can put this whole thing behind us."I raised my voice. "Privately? Mr. Gibson, you promised me that 100 thousand dollars in front of the whole company today. And now you want to pay me in private?"A menacing glint flashed in Patrick's eyes as he hissed, "Evangeline, don't push me too far.""I'm pushing you? Mr. Gibson, all I'm asking for is the bonus I've earned. How does that make me the one pushing you?"Patrick's expression darkened, and he raised his voice. "Fine! So you want to mak

Chapter 9

Anthony moved to my side and lowered his voice, saying, "I messed up today. I wasn't thinking straight. "Mr. Gibson called me over earlier and told me that if I could get you to back down, he'd give me the 100 thousand dollars and put me in Troy's position. "At the time, I just thought it was our money anyway. What did it matter who got it? I didn't think it through."I turned to look at Anthony, and he went on, "I know you only said you wanted to break up because you were angry. It's fine. I'm not going to hold it against you. "But I can't leave with you right now. I just agreed to something, and I still have to finish handing over the project. If I leave now, Mr. Gibson will find a way to make my life miserable. Just give me a little time. Once I've finished handing over the project, I'll come find you."Anthony finished speaking and waited for me to respond. "Are you done?" I asked.He looked momentarily stunned, but I turned and kept walking toward the exit. "Evangelin

Chapter 10

After learning what had happened to Patrick, I couldn't help but think he'd gotten exactly what he deserved. Seeing my expression soften slightly, Anthony went on without waiting for me to respond. "Now that the company's gone under, the clients are coming after me for compensation over the contracts that fell through. I used up every penny I'd saved paying the penalties, and it still wasn't enough."He paused, then added, "I don't have a job anymore, and I'm broke.""So?" I asked coldly. Anthony looked up at me and said, "Evangeline, I'm not here to ask you for money."He set the paper bag down on the bench. "I just wanted you to know.""Why are you telling me this?""I—"I cut him off. "Are you telling me you don't have a job because you expect me to take care of you?"I looked at him. "Anthony, I thought you were so good at waiting."Anthony froze.I continued, "Patrick offered you 100 thousand dollars and a promotion to manager if you could get me to drop the matter.

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