Chapter 2

The ones who'd been the most outspoken just moments ago suddenly glued themselves to their phones, pretending to be busy.

Lindsay gritted her teeth and leaned in close, whispering in my ear.

"Julia, what's the point of having good numbers? Mr. Cole likes obedient types like me. Someone like you, so hard-headed, will be out of here sooner or later," she sneered.

I flashed her a dazzling smile.

"Let's see who gets kicked out first," I shot back.

After work, I didn't stick around for unpaid overtime like I usually did.

Instead, I headed to a print shop near the office and made copies of all the project contracts, emails, and client praise letters from the past three years.

Ethan thought I was just a workhorse, that I couldn't live without this paycheck.

But he forgot, in this industry, hard skills are the only real currency.

When I got home, I logged into my industry forum account that had been gathering dust for ages.

I started drafting an in-depth post about optimizing cross-border supply chains.

This was the core project I'd managed for two years, but Lindsay had the audacity to spin it to Ethan as just a "team effort."

I was going to take back what's rightfully mine, bit by bit.

Late at night, a DM popped up in my inbox.

It was a message from a top-tier headhunting firm.

The message read: "Ms. Chase, we were really impressed by the case study you shared. Would you be interested in having a conversation?"

I replied: "Sure, but I need a bit of time to settle some old scores first."

Early the next morning, as soon as I walked into the office, Rita from HR called me over.

"Julia, we've received your complaint about the award nomination," Rita said, her voice cool and businesslike.

"But you need to understand, for internal department nominations, HR just handles the procedural review. The actual decision on who gets the award is made by your department head," she continued.

"So you're saying, as long as the process checks out, the company thinks it's normal if the best performer gets zero?" I looked at Rita, my tone so calm it was almost unsettling.

Rita sighed, speaking to me with genuine concern.

"The workplace isn't all about fighting for the top. You need to learn how to play the game and adapt to our company culture," she advised.

"What if I just can't fit in?" I asked, keeping my voice steady.

Rita snapped her folder shut, her eyes narrowing.

"Then maybe you don't belong here," she said, her tone cold and final.

As I walked out of the HR office, I almost ran right into Lindsay, who was on her way in, arms full of gift boxes, flashing a dazzling, ingratiating smile.

"Morning, Rita! This is a specialty from my hometown. I'll drop it off for you later," Lindsay chirped, sounding extra sweet.

"Rita, I heard your stomach's been acting up lately. This bird's nest is straight from Indonesia, super nourishing, perfect for you," she added.

Lindsay's voice was crisp and pleasant, like she was bringing life back into this dead office.

The cold look Rita had given me just moments ago instantly turned into a warm smile.

"Oh, you're such a sweetheart, always so attentive and remembering my little troubles," Rita said, her tone softening.

The two of them chatted like old friends as they passed each other, and Lindsay gave me a sly, challenging glance.

I went back to my desk and pulled up the project recap deck.

This was the plan I'd be pitching to a big client next week, my blood, sweat, and tears after pulling endless all-nighters for the past three months.

Lindsay walked over, notebook in hand, playing up the eager newbie routine.

"Julia, Mr. Cole said I'll be the one presenting next week. Can you explain the main points to me?" she asked, sounding all sweet and humble, but I could see right through it.

My hand paused on the mouse. 'Is she serious right now?'

"Wait, you're presenting?" I said, disbelief clear in my voice.

"Yeah," Lindsay replied, blinking her big, innocent eyes.

"Mr. Cole said you get too nervous in front of big clients and end up tongue-tied. I'm good at talking, so I can keep things lively," she said, acting all sweet and helpful.

"You wrote the proposal, so the credit still goes to our team, right? Julia, you're not going to hold back on teaching me, are you?" she added, her voice dripping with fake innocence.

Just then, Ethan stepped out of his office and caught the tail end of our conversation.

"Julia, that's final. Get the materials together and send them to Lindsay. Walk her through the process this afternoon," he said, not even bothering to look at me.

He headed straight for the break room, completely ignoring me.

I sat there, my head about to explode with anger.

Was this what they called teamwork?

I did all the hard work planting the tree, and now Lindsay just waltzes in to pick the fruit, and she expected me to hand her the ladder, too.

"Julia?" Lindsay called out.

She leaned in closer, her strong perfume giving me a headache.

"Are you upset? Should I tell Mr. Cole you should be the one presenting?" she said, pretending to be considerate.

Meanwhile, her hand was already reaching for my mouse.

I grabbed her hand, pressing down so hard she let out a sharp yelp.

"Hey, that hurts! Julia, what's your deal?" Lindsay squealed.

Everyone in the office turned to stare at us.

Ethan came storming over, coffee cup in hand, his face dark with anger.

"Julia! Are you out of your mind?" he snapped.

"Mr. Cole, from market research to modeling analysis, did Lindsay even lift a finger on this project?"

I stared right at Ethan, making sure every single word landed.

"If she's the one up there and the client grills her on the deep algorithms, you really think she'll have a clue?

"And if this whole thing blows up, who's taking the fall?"

Ethan scoffed and slammed his coffee cup hard onto the desk.