Chapter 5

The next morning, my cubicle had been cleared out.

I stood there, staring at it for a long time.

Emma came out of the breakroom. Seeing me, her face turned pale.

"Chloe, I didn't do this."

I asked, "Who touched my things?"

She stammered, "Everyone was just worried that the media might come and take photos. They didn't want people saying the company doesn't care about pregnant employees, so they packed up the... controversial items first."

Controversial items.

My mug. My pens. The small plant on my desk.

Everything of mine had become "controversial."

Tyler walked out of a meeting room and said coldly, "Chloe, are you really going to make a fuss about this now? Bella is literally sobbing in her hospital bed right now."

I turned to him. "So that gives you the right to go through my stuff?"

"I didn't touch your stuff!"

"Then who did?"

He went quiet.

I took my things out of the cardboard box, piece by piece, and put them back where they belonged.

At 10:00 AM, a company-wide email was sent out.

Subject: "Mandatory Training on Pregnancy Protection and Workplace Ethics."

It was scheduled for 2:00 PM in the main auditorium.

Attendance was mandatory for all staff.

I stared at the email, my finger resting on the mouse.

In my past life, the company had also put me on public trial in the main auditorium.

They called it "corporate values alignment."

But it was actually a public execution.

At 1:55 PM, I walked into the auditorium.

A sign with my name on it was taped to the center seat of the very front row.

It was a custom-made defendant's box just for me.

Whispers erupted behind me.

"She actually showed up."

"Bella is in the hospital, and she's walking around like nothing happened."

"How thick-skinned can you get?"

"If I were her, I would have resigned already."

I sat down, started my phone's voice recorder, and synced the file to my cloud storage.

On the stage, Miranda stood in a sharp black suit.

The giant screen behind her read: "Caring for Pregnant Employees, Upholding Workplace Standards."

She picked up the microphone, her voice filled with heavy solemnity.

"Recently, a regrettable incident involving an employee's health occurred at our office."

"According to our preliminary findings, certain management staff showed unprofessional communication, unreasonable task allocation, and a severe lack of empathy toward a pregnant colleague."

She didn't say "allegedly."

She didn't say "pending investigation."

Her gaze fell directly on me.

"The company has decided to suspend Chloe Miller from her role as project lead."

"Her nomination for the European relocation is revoked."

"Her annual stock options are frozen."

"We will proceed with the termination of her employment contract in accordance with the final investigation results."

A collective gasp echoed through the auditorium.

Someone whispered, "Termination makes sense."

"They didn't fire her immediately. The company is being pretty merciful."

Miranda continued, "At the same time, the company hopes Chloe Miller will reflect on her actions, issue a formal apology to Bella and her family, and take full responsibility."

As she finished speaking, Marcus helped Bella stand up from her seat.

They walked slowly toward the stage.

"Miranda, may I say a few words?" Bella asked.

Miranda nodded.

Bella faced the audience, tears streaming down her face.

"I don't want to ruin Chloe."

"She is highly capable, and I've always looked up to her."

"Maybe the project stress was just too high, which is why she said those things to me and gave me those tasks."

She covered her lower belly, her body trembling with sobs.

"But my baby is gone."

"If she is willing to sincerely apologize to my lost child, I will not pursue this further."

She stood on the stage like a saintly victim.

And I had already been nailed to the cross of guilt.

Before the applause could even die down, I stood up.

Miranda's face darkened instantly. "Chloe, this is not an open Q&A session."

I pulled out my phone. "Then I'll dial 911 and let the police listen to this."

Her expression changed.

The head of the Legal department in the front row quickly stood up, walked over to Miranda, and whispered a few words in her ear.

Miranda stared at me, her eyes like daggers.

I met her gaze.

A few seconds later, she said coldly, "You have five minutes."

I plugged my phone into the projector system.

The folder name flashed onto the giant screen:

"The Saintly Victim's Playbook."

I clicked open.

First to appear on the screen was a contact list with notes.

The first line read: "Sugar Daddy Charles."

Underneath it, there were seven more names.

Bella's face drained of all color instantly. The tissue in her hand slipped and fell to the stage floor.