My mom, Eleanor, showed up still in her cleaner’s uniform after a front-line rotation. My boyfriend, Derek, took one look and lost it. “Anya, You told me your mom was a high-powered executive. So what’s with the janitor getup?” I was about to explain, but Mom grabbed my hand. “There is dignity in all honest work, Derek.” Derek rolled his eyes and dumped me. The next day, he gave my promotion to the new intern, Chloe. When I cornered him in his office, he sneered. “Fairness? I dated you because I thought your family had connections. Now I find out your mom mops floors? You think you still belong here?” “I’ll report you for this.”I warned. He tossed the intern’s resume onto my desk. “Report me? Her father is the Chairman. I suggest you quit.” I froze. My mom founded this company. A new Chairman. A sister I never knew. How? Seeing me frozen, Derek mistook it for fear. His tone softened to a mockery of sympathy. “Anya, you need to accept your station. Some are born with silver spoons. Others, like you, in the mud. If you want to blame someone, blame the family you were born into.” He leaned forward. “I’m willing to let your…outburst slide. But you owe me a lesson.” A hotel key card slid across the desk between us. “I have a dinner with Mr. Harrison tonight. You will attend. And you will personally ensure he gets back to his room.” My blood ran cold. Everyone knew Mr. Harrison’s reputation as a lecherous creep who treated business dinners as a prelude. Taking him to his hotel wasn’t a courtesy. It was a delivery. Derek was making me part of the deal. I scoffed, snatching the key card. His smile started to form, then I slapped him across the face with it. Smack! Surprise flashed in his eyes, then burned into pure rage. “Anya, you dare refuse my generosity?” I crossed my arms, my voice glacial. “Who’s truly shameless here?” “Derek, asking me to ‘escort’ Harrison? We both know what that means. Don’t make me say the ugly part out loud.” He was about to speak when the office door swung open. Chloe, dressed in a frilly Lolita outfit, skipped in, one hand clutching a bag of greasy fries, the other a bubble tea. As her team lead, I’d told her repeatedly that costumes weren’t work attire. Derek had always overruled me. Now I understood. He wasn’t just humoring her. He was currying favor with who he thought was the CEO’s darling daughter. “Derek, I got us the most amazing-” Chloe’s cooing cut off as she spotted me. Her eyes narrowed into slits. “Anya, you bitch, what are you doing in Derek’s office?” “Tell me, are you secretly trying to seduce my boyfriend behind my back?”
Her voice was piercing, and busy colleagues craned their necks to look, whispering amongst themselves. This was the twentieth time today I’d been gawked at like a monkey in a zoo. Ever since she and Derek suddenly declared themselves a couple this morning, Chloe had been like a radar, constantly tracking me. When I felt cold and changed into a red jacket, she shrieked in anger: “Anya, have you no shame? You know Derek loves red, so you wear red? You’re trying to get his attention, aren’t you? How pathetic can you be?!” I just called her “nuts” and kept working. When I got up to use the restroom, she suddenly blocked my way. “I won’t let you go! Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. You only went because Derek just went to the restroom!” “I’m telling you, he said he’ll never get back with you, he loves me! Going there won’t change a thing!” I really had to go, so I pushed her aside, but she still followed me, chattering incessantly. “My man already warned you off, and you still went to the restroom to hook up with him? Do you know what home-wreckers like you would face in the old days? Public shaming, humiliation!” I locked the door and took a quick pee, but her mouth still didn’t stop. “Just give up, Anya. A man as amazing as Derek will only ever be mine. Your mom’s a cleaner, you’re trash, you…” I couldn’t stand her craziness anymore and decided to text my mom, asking when my junior-level internship would end so I could be transferred. She appeared out of nowhere, snatched my phone, and read my message aloud. Seeing that I’d saved my mom’s contact as “CEO,” she clutched her stomach and burst into mocking laughter. “Your cleaning lady mom, and you saved her as ‘CEO’ in your phone? That’s hilarious!” “Anya, remember this: you and your mom are trash. You belong in a dumpster, wasting space, wasting air. You should just die, die soon…” I slapped her across the face. My team members also spoke up for me. “Chloe, your mouth is spewing pure sewage! Did you forget to eat, or is your breath always this foul?” “Yeah, it’s like a garlic bomb went off, so gross…” Seeing everyone on my side, she reluctantly returned my phone. After two hours of blessed quiet, her “affliction” apparently returned. I didn’t want to stoop to her level; she seemed like someone with serious mental issues. But her incessant badgering was too much. I held up three fingers and swore to the heavens. “Chloe, relax, nobody’s trying to steal that loser from you. No, let me be clearer: I wouldn’t take him even if he came with a bow on top.” “But if you slander me again, I’m calling the police.” I thought she’d back off, but instead, she snarled and threw her bubble tea at me. The sticky, sweet drink splattered all over me. The culprit, however, screamed like the victim. “Anya, you bitch, who are you trying to fool?” “You say you don’t want to hook up with Derek, then tell me, where did that hotel key card on the table come from?”
At her words, colleagues outside the office widened their eyes. A chorus of whispers erupted. “No way! iIs Anya really that desperate? Trying to keep him with her body?” “Playing the victim after causing the scene. No wonder Chloe snapped.” “I heard he dumped her because her mom’s a cleaner. Chloe’s the CEO’s daughter! Anya’s just swinging from the corporate ladder to the… other kind.” A few voices rose in my defense, but they were swallowed by the tide of speculation. If I didn’t clear this up today, my reputation would be ruined. But before I defended myself, I had to get revenge for that bubble tea! I grabbed a cup from the table and splashed it over Chloe. She looked like a drowned rat, her makeup smeared and running, like some kind of ghost. Derek, who had been watching the whole spectacle, played the knight in shining armor, grabbing her and glaring at me to defend her. “Anya, that’s enough! You’re harassing a colleague, disrupting the office, and insubordinate.” “Apologize to Chloe, or clear your desk!” Seeing him abuse his petty power like this, I was filled with regret. Two months ago, the Director of Sales position had opened up. It was a bloodbath. Derek hadn’t even made the GM’s shortlist. I was the one who vouched for him. It took a week of pleading with my mother just to get Derek in the door. The condition was simple: his team’s performance had to double within three months of his promotion, or he was out. I agreed without hesitation. With my client portfolio and connections, hitting his target would be easy. Just yesterday, I’d closed a fifty-million-dollar deal with a personal contact. I was about to hand him that victory and then he saw my mother in her cleaner’s uniform. His whole demeanor shifted. He dumped me on the spot. The next day, he stole my promotion and handed it to Chloe, the intern I couldn’t stand. So much for the deal. Let him pack his bags and get out. He’s earned his failure. A faint, humorless laugh escaped me. I met his gaze. “Is that your final decision?” Derek’s ego couldn’t tolerate being questioned. His temper ignited. “You heard me. Apologize or get out.” Since the day I joined, I’d been desperate to prove I was more than just the founder’s daughter. Dating him only doubled the pressure. I’d poured everything into propping him up. The truth was, I was exhausted. And suddenly, profoundly done. “Fine. Tell HR to prepare my paperwork.” Ignoring him, I walked out of the office. Back at my desk, my friend Grace gave me a thumbs-up. “Whoa, girl, you’re fearless! That was so satisfying to watch.” But soon, her face clouded with worry. “It was satisfying, but with the economy being so tough, jobs are hard to find. Aren’t you being too impulsive? Will you regret this later?” I smiled meaningfully. “Don’t worry, I’m not the one who’ll be regretting anything.” After changing into clean clothes in the restroom, I bumped into Chloe. She smirked with schadenfreude. “Serves you right for being so prideful and ticking off Derek. HR is already in the office, you know. Even if you regret it now, you can’t stay.” I couldn’t be bothered to engage her, but she followed me. “Hey, actually, staying might not be impossible. If you begged me on your knees, maybe I’d be nice enough to ask my CEO dad to let you stay. How does that sound?” I had no respect for this clown, but her repeatedly impersonating me crossed a line. Now she’d see what I was truly capable of. I stepped closer, staring her down. “Chloe, are you really the CEO’s daughter?”
Her pupils dilated, a flicker of panic in her eyes before she quickly regained her composure. “Of course! If I’m not the CEO’s daughter, then are you?” She jingled a set of car keys. “See this? It’s a Porsche 911 key. My dad just gave it to me for my birthday!” I initially thought it was a fake, but then I saw the “XY” engraving on the key and my eyes widened. Wasn’t this the 25th birthday gift Mom gave me last month? She said it was custom-made, one of a kind in the world. I’d sent it to the dealership for repairs a few days ago. How did it end up in her hands? I grabbed her arm, my gaze icy, ready to kill. “Tell me, who gave you this key?!” “If you don’t tell me the truth, I’m calling the police right now!” Chloe, stung by my piercing stare, grew even more flustered and couldn’t meet my eyes. Just then, a crowd of people came into the restroom. She pushed me, snatched the car keys back, and ran off. Watching her retreating back, I immediately called Mr. Davies, our butler. The phone connected, and several jarring music notes blared. I instinctively frowned and moved the phone away from my ear. When I put it back, the music had been replaced by Mr. Davies’s hurried breathing. “Miss Anya, I’m just helping the gardener tidy up the grounds. What can I do for you?” Something felt off, but I couldn’t quite place it. “Is the car I sent for repairs ready? I need to use it.” He paused, stammering, “It’s… it’s fixed. When would you like to use it? I’ll bring it over.” I told him a time and hung up. But it still felt wrong. My mom likes quiet; there would be no music at the villa. And Mr. Davies was always so composed; this was the first time he’d ever stammered. After thinking it over, I texted a friend at the dealership to ask about my car. He sounded surprised: “Your car was repaired three days ago! Your butler picked it up.” “Though, he did have a young girl with him at the time.” I clicked on the surveillance footage he sent me. Seeing the familiar Lolita outfit, I confirmed it was Chloe. So, what exactly was the relationship between Mr. Davies and Chloe? I instructed Assistant Miller, my mom’s special assistant, to investigate, then absentmindedly returned to my desk. Just as I sat down, a document was slammed onto my table. I looked up, meeting Ms. Jenkins’s disdainful gaze. “Sign it quickly, and get out.” I opened the contract and laughed in disbelief at the clauses. “I confirm that during my employment, I disclosed company core secrets and engaged in irregular project operations, and voluntarily waive all unpaid wages, year-end bonuses, and non-compete compensation.” “I agree that I will not join any competitor in the same industry within three years of my departure. If I violate this, I will pay the company 5 million dollars in liquidated damages.” “I voluntarily assume all economic losses caused to the company by my irregular conduct, totaling 800,000 dollars, to be settled in full on the day of my departure.” … Even an idiot could tell Derek had HR deliberately screw me over. Did he think I had no connections and would just swallow this bitter pill? Why should I? These sycophantic, spineless leeches really needed to be dealt with. I opened the contract, taking photos of each page and sending them to my mom. “Mom, your daughter is about to be fired. Look at these ridiculous, one-sided clauses from HR. Don’t you think the company needs a serious overhaul?” No sooner had I sent the message than my desk was violently slammed. Derek glared at me impatiently. “Anya, stop stalling. It’s useless. Just sign the contract and get out!” I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair, calm and composed. “Are you sure you want me to sign? I’m afraid you’ll regret it later, you know?” Derek scoffed, his tone even more contemptuous. “Regret?” “If I ever regret this, I swear to God, I’ll go on live and eat shit!” I was intrigued. I pulled out my phone, started recording, and prompted him to say it again. He took my actions as a challenge, shrugging indifferently and repeating himself. Finally, he didn’t forget to humiliate me. “I’ll just wait and see if you come begging me first, or if I’ll regret it first!” It would definitely be him regretting it first. A message from my mom lit up my phone just then. She was taking me out tomorrow for a formal introduction and a “branch office reorganization.” In other words, Derek was going to be eating his words on live television tomorrow. And I meant that almost literally. With that pleasant thought, I signed the termination papers with a flourish. The moment the contract was in his hands, Derek’s bravado returned. He beckoned over a few colleagues who’d never liked me. “Watch her like a hawk while she packs. If she so much as touches a company pen, call security.” They nodded, forming a loose circle around me like vultures. I didn’t have much to take, just a few family photos. As I reached for the last one, a hand shot out and snatched it from my grasp. It was Mr. Peterson, the GM. He was staring at the photo, his face pale. “How do you have photos with the Chairwoman? Who are you to her?”
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