Chapter 1
My name is Katherine Ochoa. I was twenty-three years old and had just graduated from an average college.
It was not an elite school, and it came with no prestige. After sending out dozens of resumes, I finally landed an internship offer at Averon Group.
Averon Group specialized in smart home solutions, with a market value in the billions, and was one of the top players locally.
To be honest, luck had played a big part in me getting in.
But my brother had told me, "Don't tell anyone who I am. Earn your place here on your own merit, and if you can't cut it, come home."
My brother was Ralph Ochoa, the CEO of Averon Group.
I was his biological younger sister.
Yet barely anyone in the entire company knew that.
On the morning of my first day at work, I deliberately picked out a low-key outfit. I wore a white T-shirt, jeans, and canvas sneakers.
The only thing that wasn't low-key was my handbag.
It was a Hermes Birkin in elephant gray with gold hardware, a birthday gift my mom had given me the year before.
My mom always said, "A girl should carry herself with confidence wherever she goes."
I thought about it and decided to bring it anyway. Not to show off, just because it felt right.
*****
At eight-fifty in the morning, I stood at the base of the Averon Group Tower and took a deep breath.
My desk was in the farthest corner of the Business Development Department on the 24th floor.
The elevator doors opened. I stepped inside and pressed the button for the 24th floor.
There was another woman in the elevator, in her early thirties. She wore a custom-tailored dress and carried a Chanel handbag.
She had her hair styled in loose waves. Her perfume was so strong it almost made me sneeze.
She glanced at me, her eyes sweeping over my body before landing on the handbag in my hand.
Her expression shifted.
It was a subtle change, like a cat spotting another cat intruding on its territory.
"New here?" she asked, her voice laced with condescending scrutiny.
"Yeah, it's my first day. Business Development," I said.
"Which team are you on?" she asked.
"I'm not in a team yet. HR told me to check in with Ms. Weber, the manager, when I got here," I replied.
The corner of her mouth twitched slightly, in what looked like a smile or perhaps a look of confirmation.
"I'm Bethany Weber," she said.
I was caught off guard for a second, then quickly said, "Nice to meet you, Ms. Weber. I'm Katherine Ochoa. I look forward to working with you."
Bethany didn't respond and glanced at my handbag again.
"Nice bag you got there," she said. Her tone was neither clearly complimentary nor obviously probing.
"Thanks, it was a gift from my mom," I replied.
Bethany didn't say anything else.
The elevator stopped at the twenty-fourth floor. The doors opened, and Bethany clicked her heels as she walked ahead, with me trailing behind.
The Business Development Department was quite large, with an open-plan office space and around forty employees.
Bethany led me to an empty desk. "This is your spot."
The desk was shoved up against the wall in the far corner, right next to the printer and the supply cabinet. There was a layer of dust on top.
"Thanks, Ms. Weber," I said.
Bethany turned to leave but suddenly paused and glanced back at me.
"Oh, and just so you know, interns aren't allowed to carry luxury items. Keep that bag out of sight. You don't want people gossiping, right?" she said.
I froze. "Is that really a rule? I didn't see it in the employee handbook—"
"If I say it's a rule, then it's a rule," she interrupted me. "Or are you saying you know the company rules better than I do?"
Bethany's voice wasn't loud, but some coworkers nearby looked up, their eyes flicking between us.
I didn't argue. I shoved my handbag into the drawer under my desk.
Bethany walked away, her heels clicking against the floor like she was staking her claim.
A girl with short hair leaned over and whispered, "Don't let it get to you. She's always like that with newbies."
"Thanks. I'm Katherine Ochoa," I said.
"I'm Elena Andrews. I've been here six months," she said. She glanced around and lowered her voice even more. "Is that bag really a Hermès?"
"Yeah," I replied.
Elena's expression got complicated, as if she wanted to say something but held back.
"What's up?" I asked.
"Nothing," she said, shaking her head quickly. "Just be careful around her. Sh-She hates it when anyone has something better than her."
I didn't really get what she meant.
But I'd find out soon enough.
At ten in the morning, the department had its weekly meeting.
Bethany sat at the head of the conference table, talking confidently into a laser pointer as she went through the presentation slides.
I sat in the back row, diligently taking notes.
Suddenly, Bethany stopped and looked right at me.