My name is Julia Cooper. My employee Layla Johnson accused me in a livestream of refusing to approve her marriage leave. She said, “The low marriage and birth rates in our country are caused by vicious capitalists like you!” “You won’t even approve my marriage leave. What am I in your eyes? You don’t see me as a person at all.” “I really regret believing you back then. You said you wanted to start an all-women company and create a female-friendly workplace. And now? Your true colors as a vicious capitalist have finally been revealed!” As soon as the video was posted, it instantly went viral. Countless young people empathized with her. They all started cursing me online, and some even found my home address and sent me razor blades. As the boss, I went live directly to confront her head-on. I said, “Sorry, I can’t approve Layla’s marriage leave. “She can resign and go for labor arbitration, or she can sue me in court, but I just won’t approve her marriage leave.” The livestream went viral that day. Many supporters of Layla claimed to be lawyers and expressed their willingness to help her sue me for free. Layla showed a hesitant expression. “I just wanted to take marriage leave, never thought about resigning, let alone actually suing Julia.” As soon as she said this, the comments section went completely out of control. [Oh my god! Look at what she’s been pushed to!] [She’s still speaking up for Julia.] [Julia, you’re a demon, you’re mentally controlling your employees!] [Who’s a lawyer? Quick, sue her! This woman must pay the price!] [She’s definitely jealous of her employee! She can’t get married and doesn’t want others to either!] In an instant, I became a “cold-hearted, oppressive, vicious female capitalist.” My assistant Lily Moore and a few female colleagues couldn’t stand it and quietly defended me off-camera. “It’s not like that!” “Layla actually…” “Ms. Cooper is nothing like what everyone says.” Their voices were soft but clearly picked up by the microphone. The livestream viewers instantly got angry. [Did everyone hear that? She’s threatening other employees!] [Those girls are still speaking up for Julia.] [Oh my god, this company is so scary, and the other employees are so awful.] [Those women have all been brainwashed by Julia! They’re blindly defending her!] [Is this some kind of cult company?] My phone vibrated wildly on the table, Alex Fowler’s name flashing on the screen. That’s my investor. I ignored it. I quietly stared at the insults on the screen. They called me “inhumane,” “crazy,” “psychopath.” In the end, I personally ended the livestream in front of millions of viewers. The screen went black. This livestream ended in my complete defeat. Layla gained everyone’s sympathy online. And I became the “jealous boss, a manipulative and vicious capitalist controlling the entire company.” The next day, as soon as I entered the company, the operations director rushed into my office, pale-faced. She said, “Ms. Cooper, something’s wrong!” “All our company’s products have been removed from all platforms. “The platforms stated that our company’s values have serious issues. “All our partners have unilaterally sent termination letters.” The company is in a shutdown crisis. As soon as she finished speaking, the office door was kicked open. Alex rushed in, eyes bloodshot. He slammed his phone onto my desk. He pointed at my nose and roared, “Julia, you dared to hang up on me yesterday?” “Are you out of your mind?” “For an intern, are you going to ruin the whole company?” Before I could speak, Vice President Violet Wood stepped in front of him. She said, “Mr. Fowler, please calm down.” “Ms. Cooper is the most upright person. If she did this, she must have her reasons.” Alex sneered, “Violet, have you been brainwashed by her too?” “What benefits did she give you? Why are you all defending her?” Violet did not answer. She took out her phone, logged into her real-name social media account in front of him, and posted an update. [I swear on my character, Ms. Cooper is the best boss. She is absolutely not the kind of person described online.] Immediately, Lily, who spoke in the livestream yesterday, along with several female employees from the tech and marketing departments, commented on the post with their real names. [Our company has the best atmosphere in the industry, and Ms. Cooper would never bully us.] [Ms. Cooper is very kind to each of us.] [We support Ms. Cooper!] This post, along with all the comments, quickly sparked heated discussions.
In less than ten minutes, Layla posted a new video. She shared screenshots of Violet’s post and all the employees’ comments. She was crying so hard in the video that she could barely breathe, trembling all over. “I’m so scared. They’re all bullying me!” “Ms. Cooper controls the entire company. All the female employees have been brainwashed by her.” “They’re all forced to defend her!” “This company is terrifying. They’re ganging up to bully me!” “Group bullying” instantly topped the trending search list. A wave of online harassment against all our employees began. Violet’s home address was posted online. Her child’s photo was maliciously edited into a memorial picture and spread wildly across major social platforms. Every call Lily received was filled with insults and death threats. All the employees who supported me were cyberbullied. Their accounts were flooded with abusive messages. Netizens called them “accomplices” and “brainwashed idiots!” and even cursed them and their families. The day Violet came to me, her eyes were swollen, her expression dazed, and she could barely stand. She deleted that post in front of me, crying. She said, “Julia, I’m sorry. “My child is only three… These netizens are so vicious! “My husband wants to divorce me because of this…” She handed in her resignation letter. Next was Lily. Then it was the employees from the tech and marketing departments who supported me online. The constant harassment and threats broke them mentally, leading them to resign one after another. But Layla became a hero for “standing up against workplace bullying.” My company was labeled as “manipulative and bullying towards subordinates.” A week later, all the employees resigned, leaving only me. I sat alone in the completely empty office. The computer screen showed an interview video of Layla and her fiancé Martin Nielsen. Martin wrapped his arm around her shoulder, promising to protect her for a lifetime on camera. Meanwhile, my phone was filled with thousands of vicious messages cursing me and my family. My ID number, home address, and personal phone number were all exposed. Someone kept splashing paint at my doorstep. On my door, someone had written in thick black marker: “Vicious old woman, go die!” The property management cleaned it three times a day, but it still couldn’t be cleared completely. My mom called me. As soon as the call connected, she yelled, “Julia! Are you crazy?” “Look at how people online are cursing you!” “Do you still want to save your company’s reputation? Go apologize to that girl right now!” My dad shouted from the side, “Just because no one wants to marry you, you’ve gone crazy!” “You’re jealous that the girl could get married so quickly, aren’t you?” “You’ve completely embarrassed your mom and me!” I listened in silence and hung up the phone. The phone had just gone quiet for two seconds when Layla’s livestream started again. She livestreamed the entire wedding preparation process—trying on dresses, choosing a diamond ring, decorating the wedding room. But every time she livestreamed, she would “accidentally” mention me. She said, “I’m really grateful to my former boss. It was her oppression that made me see who truly loves me.” “Why must women make things hard for each other? I hope she can figure things out someday.” Netizens all praised her for being kind. Alex convened an emergency board meeting. After the meeting, he called to inform me, “Julia, you now have two choices. “First, hold a press conference immediately, publicly apologize to Layla, approve her leave, and compensate for emotional distress. “Second, all shareholders will join forces to dilute your shares and force you out. “Your choice.” I calmly replied, “I refuse to apologize.” There was silence on the other end for a few seconds, followed by an angry roar. “You’re insane!” He slammed down the phone. The next day, the industry completely blacklisted me. All business forums removed my name. I went from “Female Entrepreneur of the Year” to “Industry Disgrace.” No one dared to mention my name again. And Layla posted her wedding e-invitation on Instagram. She didn’t block me. She even specifically invited a few former colleagues who had left, including Violet and Lily. She did it on purpose to make me see. In the evening, my best friend also came to persuade me to apologize. She looked at my door and said worriedly, “Julia, you can’t fight public opinion.” “For a newcomer, ruining your ten years of hard work isn’t worth it!” “Just apologize to that girl, and this will be over!” “Why are you so stubborn?” I didn’t explain. I just stared at the door covered in insults, feeling nothing inside. Then, I opened my phone’s notes and quietly jotted down Layla’s wedding date and the hotel location from the invitation.
The board issued a public statement: [In light of Julia Cooper’s egregious personal misconduct, which has caused irreparable damage to the company’s brand, the board has unanimously decided to remove her from her position effective immediately and freeze all her shares.] I was fired from the company I built with my own hands. The news broke, and the entire internet erupted with excitement and outrage. On the same day, Layla’s grand wedding took place. She started a live stream of the entire event, quickly surpassing ten million viewers. She wore an expensive custom wedding dress, with flawless makeup and a radiant smile. She was enjoying her moment in the spotlight. During the live stream, a viewer brought me up again. [What happened to that vicious boss? Is she dead?] Layla immediately covered her mouth and sighed with feigned tolerance, “Oh, everyone, let’s not mention her. Today is my wedding.” “Honestly, I do feel sorry for her. She has nothing now.” She looked into the camera, her eyes brimming with undisguised pride and provocation. She said, “If she really thinks I forged documents or deceived the company in any way, she can totally hire a lawyer and sue me.” She then burst into laughter. “I’ll be waiting for her lawyer’s letter.” After that, everyone in the livestream started mocking me. [Where does she have the money to hire a lawyer now?] [Let her sue! Let’s see if she can win!] [Layla, just ignore that lunatic.] My phone rang again. It was a call from my mom. Her voice trembled as she pleaded, “Julia, I’m begging you, your dad has a heart problem and is already hospitalized.” “Stop being so stubborn. We’re old and really can’t handle this kind of social pressure.” I hung up the phone. Violet, who was dragged into this because of me, also messaged me to persuade me. [I give up.] [I can’t fight them, I’m just an ordinary person.] [You should give up too.] I silently watched the live stream. Just as Layla and Martin were about to exchange rings, I turned off the live stream. At the wedding venue, the music was reaching its climax. The host loudly announced, “Now, the groom may kiss the bride!” The whole crowd cheered. At that moment, the banquet hall doors were suddenly flung open. The loud noise drowned out the music. All the guests, along with millions of livestream viewers, turned their cameras toward the door. The smile on Layla’s face froze instantly. When she saw it was me, her face turned deathly pale. She pointed at me and let out a piercing scream. “Security! “Security! Get this crazy woman out of here! “She’s here to cause trouble!” The security guards rushed over in a panic. I didn’t stop walking. Ignoring her screams and the shocked gazes around me, I walked straight onto the stage. The host stared at me in shock, forgetting to speak. Martin stood in front of Layla and shouted angrily, “What are you doing here? Get out!” I took the microphone from the host. I smiled slightly, my gaze falling on Layla’s face. My voice wasn’t loud, but it spread through the venue and the livestream via the speakers. I said, “Don’t be afraid, Layla. I’m here to give you a gift.” I turned to the livestream camera, to all the guests. I held up the USB drive in my hand and said, “Weren’t you going to sue me? I’m here to give you the evidence.” I walked to the wedding control console at the side of the stage. Before the staff could react, I plugged the USB drive into the computer. A crystal-clear document appeared on the screen. It was Layla’s employment certificate from my company. The live stream comments completely froze at that moment. I picked up the laser pointer and aimed at the most crucial date. Her start date was the day before she took marriage leave. The wedding venue instantly fell into dead silence. Then, the whole place erupted!
I looked straight at Layla, my tone calm. “She hasn’t been officially confirmed yet today.” “I want to clarify one thing, what I rejected was an unreasonable marriage leave request. “What I rejected was an unreasonable request from an employee who just joined two days ago, still in the probation period, demanding full employee benefits and attempting to use public opinion as pressure.” I spoke every word clearly and loudly. The scene fell silent for several seconds. Immediately, the screen behind me switched to the live broadcast. The comments flooded in so fast that it was almost impossible to read the words. [Did I just hear that? Layla has only been on the job for two days?] [She just started and already wants marriage leave? That’s outrageous!] [Isn’t it common sense that probationary employees don’t get company benefits? Is Layla crazy?] [I thought it was ruthless capitalists exploiting employees, but it turns out it’s the employee maliciously slandering the company.] [This isn’t defending rights, it’s a farce!] The public opinion has completely reversed. Layla’s face instantly turned pale. She clutched the wedding dress, her body starting to tremble. She stammered in defense, “I don’t know. I didn’t see clearly! I know nothing.” Her eyes were red as she tried to guilt-trip me. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? You did it on purpose! You want to ruin me!” I calmly asked, “Do you really not know?” I took out an attendance sheet. “This is the sign-in record for the new employee orientation on October 18th. In the bottom right corner is Layla’s signature.” I then took out another stack of printed materials. “These are the training materials from that day. I specifically folded one page.” I held it up to the camera, with the section about leave benefits highlighted in fluorescent marker. I said, “The leave policy in the training materials is very clear.” “Layla not only received the materials but also signed to confirm she had read and understood all the terms.” “Layla, are you telling me now that you didn’t know about this rule?” Layla had no way to argue anymore. She opened her mouth but couldn’t make a sound, with tears still on her face, looking both ridiculous and pitiful. “You…” she mumbled. “Enough!” A furious roar exploded in my ear. The speaker was Martin, standing next to Layla. His face was grim, and his chest heaved violently. He suddenly turned to look at Layla, his eyes bloodshot, filled with shock, shame, and a hint of bewildered betrayal. Suppressing his anger, he questioned in a low voice, “You’ve only been at work for two days?” “Didn’t you say you were already a supervisor?” “How much are you hiding from me?” Layla trembled all over. She quickly said, “Martin, let me explain, it’s not like that, it’s her…” “Shut up!” Martin interrupted her. The guests below were already in an uproar. Their whispers turned into loud discussions. “Looks like she not only faked the marriage leave but also deceived her fiancé.” “She’s really shameless, turning her own wedding into this.” “She just joined two days ago and already cheated company benefits. Who gave her the nerve?” “Martin is so pitiful, being deceived by Layla for so long.” The atmosphere was unbearably awkward. Everyone’s gaze at Layla shifted from sympathy to disdain and confusion. Her sobs caught in her throat, leaving only whimpers. I stood quietly aside, waiting for her next move. The wedding background music had stopped, leaving only the suffocating silence.
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