Chapter 1

At the company welcome reception, I accidentally brushed my elbow against Melissa Summers, my boss's secretary.

She splashed her red wine right in my face, in full view of everyone.

The red wine dripped down my hair, and the whole place went dead silent.

My colleagues started urging me to apologize, whispering, "She's Mr. Langley's mistress. You really can't afford to mess with her."

At that, I laughed and slapped Melissa across the face.

*****

The slap echoed, crisp and loud, like glass shattering in a silent room. Time froze for a few seconds.

Melissa Summers clutched her face, her eyes bulging in disbelief. A few strands of her perfectly styled hair fell loose, and a bright red handprint bloomed across her cheek.

The empty wine glass dropped from her hand and smashed on the floor, scattering shards everywhere.

Someone screamed. Then, the whole office exploded into chaos.

"Is she crazy? Did she slap Ms. Summers?"

"Security? Somebody call security."

"That newbie is toast. She's definitely getting fired."

Mia from the human resources department looked as pale as a sheet and rushed over, grabbing my drenched sleeve. Her voice shook as she whispered, "Victoria, you need to run. Melissa's not going to let you off the hook."

I paid her no mind, grabbed a napkin from the table, and started wiping the wine off my face, taking my sweet time.

Finally, Melissa snapped out of it.

She spun around, clutching her face, her eyes burning with pure hatred as she glared at me. Her chest was heaving so hard that it looked like her flimsy blouse might rip.

"Did you really slap me?" Melissa screeched, her voice sharp and shrill. "Do you even know who I am?"

I leaned down slightly and spoke in a voice only the two of us could hear. "I don't care who you are. This is for you."

Melissa was shaking with rage, about to start yelling.

"Why is everyone crowding around?" A deep, authoritative middle-aged man's voice boomed.

The crowd parted, clearing a path.

Lucas Carter, the project director, walked over, his face dark. He was in his forties and had been with the company for more than ten years, a true company veteran.

At this moment, his gaze swept over the messy ground, my soaking wet hair and dress, and finally rested on Melissa's swollen, red face, his brows furrowing tightly.

"What happened here?" Lucas's voice was cold and stern.

Melissa instantly switched gears, all that rage and venom wiped clean.

She teared up on cue, eyes going red in a heartbeat, and stumbled toward Lucas, but he coolly stepped aside.

Melissa put on a show, tears streaming down as she pointed at the mark on her cheek. "That new girl, Victoria Quinn, bumped into me on purpose and slapped me in front of everyone.

"I said a couple of things to her, and she went nuts on me."

Honestly, with her messed-up hair and that red handprint, she could've won the Best Actress for playing the victim.

Her minions jumped in right away, backing her up.

"Yeah, Lucas, we all saw everything. Victoria started it."

"Poor Ms. Summers."

"Victoria is so arrogant. She needs to be taught a lesson."

Lucas turned to me, giving me a hard look. "Victoria, care to explain yourself?"

Everyone was all ears.

They were waiting to watch me squirm, to get caught in my lies and be thrown out without mercy.

I met his gaze, totally calm. "First, she threw wine at me. Second, I slapped her because she had it coming."

"And what for?" Lucas asked.

"She insulted me." I paused, giving Melissa a cold stare. "She said some really awful things. I don't even want to repeat it."

Melissa's crying hitched for a second, then she shrieked even louder. "You're making stuff up. Lucas, she's lying."

Lucas stood there in silence for a few seconds. Then he said, "Victoria, follow me to my office right now."

He turned on his heel and strode off, making it clear there was no room for debate.

People started whispering all around.

"She's toast. Lucas's handling this himself."

"She's definitely getting fired. No way she's getting out of this."

"Man, first day on the job and she's already in deep trouble."

Melissa wiped away her tears, giving me a look that was all smug triumph and bitter hatred.

She silently mouthed, "You're finished."

I didn't bother with her.

I followed Lucas through the crowd, leaving the wrecked conference room behind.