Chapter 2

"My money is mine. Team retreat expenses go through the company's finance department on the official account. If you want to be generous with someone else's wallet, you need their consent first."

I typed back, voice cold.

"You have three minutes to post a correction in the group chat. If you don't, I'm filing a report with corporate HR for workplace coercion."

The message had barely sent when the sharp click of heels cut across the office floor.

Sandra came storming over to my desk, face set hard under a full face of makeup.

Slap.

She threw a thick stack of papers — the retreat sign-up list — directly onto my keyboard.

The sound made heads turn all around the office.

"Stella Lin, who do you think you are?"

Sandra crossed her arms and looked down at me, her voice slicing through the air.

"Threatening me with corporate HR? You think that actually scares me? There are a hundred and twenty people on that list. They've all made plans."

"I'll say it once. If you don't put up that money, you fail your performance review tomorrow. Pack your things and get out."

A few of her usual sycophants — the ones who always trailed behind her in the hallways — piped up from the sidelines.

"Seriously, if you weren't going to pay, you shouldn't have let people get excited."

"She strung everyone along and now she's backing out? That's just bad character."

"No team spirit whatsoever. People like that are just a liability."

I sat there and didn't even look up.

I reached over and picked up the stack of papers she'd thrown on my keyboard. I turned it over in my hands once.

"Sandra, with sales instincts like yours, you really missed your calling at a flea market."

"You—!" Sandra's face went white-hot with rage. She jabbed a finger with bright red nails directly at my face.

"I'll say this one more time."

I stood up. I grabbed the stack of papers and tore it in half, then dropped the pieces into the trash can at my feet.

"I'm not paying. And I'm genuinely curious — exactly how much authority does a department manager have to fire someone without going through HR?"

Sandra was shaking. She stared at me with something close to hatred.

"Fine. Stella Lin. You want to play it that way?"

"You'll regret this."

She spun on her heel and clicked furiously back to her office.

The rest of the team watched her go, then turned and gave me the kind of look people reserve for someone walking toward a cliff.

"Young people these days. So impulsive."

"She just made an enemy of Sandra. Her life here is going to be miserable."

I ignored all of it and went back to work.

I thought that was the end of it.

I underestimated how far Sandra was willing to go.

At three o'clock that afternoon, the company was in full preparation mode for the next day's global product launch.

Sandra walked to the center of the office and announced loudly, "The event materials just arrived. They're down in the basement storage on level three."

She turned and looked directly at me. Her eyes were cold.

"Stella. Go bring all hundred boxes of promotional packets and gift sets up to the rooftop conference center."

I stopped typing and looked at her.

"I'm a strategy intern. Moving materials is logistics department work."

Sandra let out a short, contemptuous laugh. Her voice went up several notches.

"Cross-department support is standard when we're short-staffed. What, you can't handle a little hard work and still expect to get paid?"

"The elevator is restricted today. Use the fire stairs. If it's not done before you clock out, I'm marking you absent for the day."

The office went quiet. Not a single person spoke up.

I looked at the satisfied expression on Sandra's face and let the corner of my mouth curl.

"Fine. I'll do it."