Chapter 5

On Friday morning, I laid the printed report on Victoria's desk.

She took it and flipped through it, her expression unchanged.

"Leave it here. I'll take a look."

I turned to leave. Just as I reached the door, she called out, "Chloe."

"Yes?"

"Your data analysis is quite detailed, but the formatting and layout need adjustments. Also, the conclusion is too brief. Rewrite it."

She handed the report back, her eyes scanning my face with intense scrutiny.

"Send the final version to my email by 4:00 PM."

I took the report and flipped to the last few pages.

The formatting followed the company's standard template perfectly. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the layout.

As for the conclusion, it spanned two and a half pages of detailed analysis and recommendations.

She was just making me redo it.

Pure, baseless busywork.

"Okay, Victoria," I heard myself say. My voice was eerily calm.

Back at my desk, I opened the document and mechanically adjusted the line spacing and font sizes.

Zoey whispered from the side, "She's doing this on purpose."

"I know."

"Then why are you—"

"To keep her happy," I said without looking up. "It's only a couple of hours anyway."

Zoey opened her mouth but sighed, saying nothing.

At 3:50 PM, I sent the revised report to Victoria's inbox.

At 3:55 PM, she replied with a single line.

Received. Thanks.

I stared at the word "Thanks."

It felt laughable.

However, what truly broke me wasn't this report.

On Monday morning, four days before the layoff list was due, Victoria sent a message to the department WhatsApp group.

@All, regarding the Q2 performance optimization, after careful evaluation, the Admin Department's recommended layoff name is:

Chloe Sterling. If there are any objections, please submit them to the department manager by Wednesday.

I stared at my name on the screen. The air around me seemed to freeze.