Chapter 3

At exactly 3:10 PM, Mr. Miller stormed through the office doors, just like in my previous life.

Except this time, he was screaming into his phone, completely frantic.

The moment he stepped into the bullpen, he barked toward our department, "Joyce! What the hell is going on? Why hasn't the venue deposit for tonight’s gala been wired? The hotel just told me they're about to release our ballroom to another company!"

I popped my head up from my cubicle, wearing a look of helpless innocence.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Miller. My reimbursement hasn't cleared. I don't have the cash to front the deposit."

Miller turned purple with rage. "Didn't I tell you to get your paperwork processed first? What the hell is accounting doing?"

Just then, completely oblivious to the room's atmosphere, Vivian strutted out of the finance office, waving a stack of cash.

"Cutting the line pays off! Three thousand two hundred dollars in hand! My weekend is going to be amazing!"

The words barely left her mouth when she ran straight into Miller’s murderous glare. And Miller had heard every word.

"What is this? I explicitly ordered Joyce to be processed first so she could pay the venue deposit! Why the hell did you take her spot?"

Only then did Vivian realize that my priority status had nothing to do with Hayes bending the rules. Miller needed the company card cleared for a critical payment.

Her clever little stunt had just triggered Miller’s worst wrath.

"Mr. Miller, I—"

"Shut up! You needed your damn three grand so badly that you couldn't wait five minutes? Were you going to die without it?!"

"Do you have any idea what you just did? If we lose the venue tonight, where is the entire company supposed to celebrate? Are you going to pull a luxury ballroom out of your ass?!"

"Useless trash! What are you standing there for? Waiting for me to kick you out myself?!"

Every excuse Vivian had died in her throat.

I stood up, walking toward accounting. As I brushed past her shoulder, I leaned in and whispered in her ear.

"This is just the beginning. Watch your back."

Vivian’s eyes bulged as she bit her bottom lip until it nearly bled. She could only watch helplessly as I strode into the office.

I knew she was burning with pure hatred.

And that hatred would make her even more reckless when she tried to frame me tonight.

That was fine by me. The moment the company seal was stamped onto my paperwork, I had already finalized my counterplay.

At 5:20 PM, I arrived at the luxury hotel with the rest of the company.

The banquet hall was decked out in gold and crimson, with giant banners praising the workforce. It was obvious Miller had raked in massive profits this year, which explained the absurd ninety-nine-thousand-dollar grand prize.

The second I entered, I spotted Vivian and Hayes whispering in a shadowed corner.

They looked just as slimy as they did in my past life.

Back then, after shoving me into the pit, they stood at the edge, looking down at my body impaled on jagged rebar, delivering their self-righteous verdict.

"Joyce, you brought this on yourself. You always had to be number one."

"As long as you're here, I'll never get promoted, and you'll eventually replace my man."

"Look at how much everyone hates you. The losers you pitied? Every single one of them wanted you dead."

"You thought people actually appreciated your handouts? Treating us like stray dogs must have made you feel like a god, didn't it?"

The agonizing memory made my chest tighten, my eyes burning with unresolved fury.

Only then had I realized that my charity was perceived as an insult. They took my help while secretly treating me like their ultimate rival.

Noticing my icy stare, Vivian turned pale and quickly put distance between herself and Hayes.

Instead of sitting with the sales department, I took the seat Miller had reserved for me at the VIP table.

To my right stood a giant, spinning raffle board covered in red envelopes.

Third row, second envelope from the left. That was the ninety-nine-thousand-dollar prize that had destroyed my life.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw both Vivian and Hayes watching me closely.

As the company's top earner, I would be invited to draw first. Hayes had placed the winning envelope in that exact spot because he knew my subconscious habits.

To avoid their trap, all I had to do was pick a different envelope.

But I refused. What I earned with my own sweat, I would never surrender to thieves!