Chapter 2

I had been pulling all-nighters for a week straight, trying to finish the proposal for that top-tier project.

My eyes were so dark, and I was chugging coffee like it was water.

At Monday's team meeting, I was practically buzzing with anticipation, ready to present my work.

But then Vanessa pulled up the slides, and right at the top, it read: [Planning/Vanessa Warren.]

My name wasn't even there, not even a comma.

My head was buzzing. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

Vanessa was up there, beaming with confidence, presenting my ideas as if she'd come up with them herself.

She said, "I locked myself away for days to come up with this plan. The core concept is..."

That was my idea.

Even those data charts, every single one, I'd painstakingly checked myself.

Kevin was sitting there, nodding nonstop, and was the first to start clapping.

He said, "Great job, Ms. Warren. This idea is genius. This is exactly the kind of person our company needs; someone who can really stand on their own and deliver."

Then he turned and shot a look of pure contempt at me, sitting in the corner.

He said, "Unlike some interns who just waste time all day and haven't produced a single thing since they got here."

Everyone in the room jumped in to back him up.

Someone said, "Vanessa is seriously impressive."

Someone else said, "If Charlotte put in even half the effort Vanessa does, she'd be set."

I shot up from my seat, the chair screeching against the floor.

I said, "That proposal is mine."

The room went dead silent.

Vanessa's face changed in an instant, then she acted all hurt and disappointed.

She said, "Charlotte, I get that you're trying to get ahead, but you can't just blatantly lie. I wrote every single word myself. How could you take credit for your seniors' hard work?"

I snorted, asking, "Plagiarism?"

I let out a bitter laugh, pulled out my USB drive, and plugged it into the computer.

I said, "Check the file info. It shows when it was created and who made it. This original file was set up by me a week ago, and the author is Charlotte Linley. Care to explain that?"

I was about to pull up the file info for everyone to see.

Vanessa suddenly shrieked, dashed over, yanked out the USB drive, and hurled it to the ground.

She shouted, "You snooped on my computer. You must've stolen everything from my computer and put it on that USB."

She spun around to Kevin, putting on a show of tears.

She said, "Mr. Drew, people like her need to be fired. She's not even official yet, and she's already stealing from us. What's she going to do if we let her stay?"

Honestly, she deserved an Oscar for that performance.

Kevin slammed his hand on the table, pointed right at my face, and shouted.

He said, "Charlotte. You've let me down. Shameless, lying through your teeth.

"I'm going to make sure you get blacklisted from this industry."

Everyone was looking at me like I was a rat scurrying across the street, as if I were something disgusting they couldn't wait to get rid of.

That suffocating sense of being totally cut off, like the whole world was out to get me, hit me all at once.

I stared at the USB drive on the floor, clutching onto it in my mind like it was my lifeline.

Only three days left.

I couldn't afford to get fired, not now, not with that bet hanging over my head.

If I did, my dad wouldn't let me hear the end of it for screwing up something so basic.

I bit down on my lip until I tasted blood, the sharp tang spreading in my mouth.

"I'm sorry," I said, barely above a whisper.

Those three words scraped out between clenched teeth, each one burning with humiliation.

Kevin let out a cold laugh, leaning back in his chair and bouncing his leg.

He said, "You think just saying sorry is gonna cut it? Write a five-thousand-word apology letter and read it to everyone in the company.

"Once you're done, you're scrubbing every bathroom on this floor. You're not clocking out until they're sparkling."

I stood in the middle of the conference room, holding my apology letter.

All those mocking stares felt like needles pricking at my skin.

I read out those words I didn't mean, like some circus act, confessing to things I never did.

Vanessa sat off to the side, doing her nails and smirking, like she was watching a comedy show.

Once everyone had cleared out after work.

I was stuck in the bathroom, scrubbing the toilets like my life depended on it.

Every swipe felt like I was wiping the smug grins right off Kevin and Vanessa's faces.

My phone buzzed.

It was a text from my dad. He sent: [If you can't take it anymore, just come home. I'll cover the penalty, no need to put yourself through all that.]

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, a complete wreck.

My eyes were rimmed with red, fighting back tears.

I replied: [I'm not backing down.]