Chapter 1

One of my coworkers had a notorious habit of freeloading.

Whether it was something as small as a ballpoint pen or as expensive as a pair of headphones or a phone, she would sneakily take whatever wasn't hers when no one was looking.

"We're all coworkers, aren't we? What's the big deal if I use your stuff?" she'd say, completely unapologetic.

"If anything, you should be thanking me! The cheap junk you're using practically destroyed my hands. I haven't even charged you for the medical bills yet!"

Word around the office was that her family owned the company, so nobody dared confront her, no matter how angry they were.

Until I joined. When I hosted a birthday party for the team, she managed to swipe an iPad off the cruise ship we'd rented for the event and then faked a heart attack to cover it up.

Big mistake. I used to work as a professional in search and rescue. CPR was my specialty.

"Sandra! Why did you take my phone again? I need it to call a client!"

Laura's voice trembled as she spoke, her face pale with frustration.

"Why the shouting? Your phone was just sitting there on your desk. If you're not using it, isn't it a waste? I'm doing you a favor by putting it to use. You should be grateful," Sandra replied lazily.

She lounged at her desk, a sheet mask plastered to her face, watching a drama on her phone. The occasional giggle escaped her lips, the sound only adding fuel to Laura's frustration.

Laura clenched her fists but didn't dare fully express her anger.

Instead, she muttered under her breath, "Just make sure you give it back when you're done. I need it too, you know."

Sandra ignored her completely, pretending not to hear. It wasn't until another coworker couldn't take it anymore that someone spoke up.

"Sandra, Laura needs her phone. Give it back."

Sandra shot them an annoyed glance. "What are you yelling about? Her phone isn't even with me."

Laura froze.

"Then where's my phone?"

"It's at the repair shop. Your phone broke, so I sent it in for you. Be a dear and reimburse me for the delivery fee. That would be 100 bucks."

Sandra reached out toward Laura, completely unfazed.

Tears welled up in Laura's eyes. "Sandra, that's my brand-new phone! How could it just break like that?"

"Come on, people drop dead all day. Why can't a phone suddenly break?" Sandra said with a shrug, then leaned in with a smug smirk.

"Or are you just trying to avoid paying the fee? Laura, think carefully. My family owns this company. If you want to ruin your career, be my guest."

Her veiled threat shut Laura up instantly. She wiped her tears and, shaking, handed 100 dollars to Sandra.

I had just finished my onboarding paperwork when I walked into the scene. Curious, I asked the coworker next to me what was going on.

They rolled their eyes so hard I thought they might disappear into their skull.

Leaning closer, they whispered, "You're new, so you don't know yet, but Sandra loves freeloading.

"Anything that's not hers is fair game, pens, headphones, phones, you name it."

They sighed and continued, "Once she gets her hands on something, it's as good as gone. This time, she took Laura's phone. Poor girl just graduated and saved up for months to buy that phone. She guarded it like her life depended on it, but Sandra still found a way to take it.

"I guess she has to save some money again to buy a new one."

Looking over at Laura's desk, I saw her sitting there, her head bowed, tears streaming down her face. Her eyes were swollen from crying.

Sandra, oblivious or uncaring, continued watching her show. But the sound of Laura's sniffles seemed to irritate her.

"What are you crying about? If you keep this up, I'll have the manager fire you!" she snapped.

Laura immediately fell silent, her face pale with fear.

I frowned, my frustration bubbling. "Is this what the work environment here is like?" I wondered.

I was about to say something when my phone buzzed. It was my dad calling. Stepping out to take the call, I returned a few minutes later to find Laura had already left the office.