Chapter 2

To be honest, standing at the door of the finance department, looking at our expense reports rejected for the third time, the three of us were completely stunned.

Before the trip, Vivian had practically sworn she would process them the second we got back.

Yet Kevin's was approved instantly.

Meanwhile, the three of us—the actual sales reps who had spent a grueling week on the road bringing in business—kept getting rejected.

Can someone translate what "as soon as possible" means in her dictionary?

Seeing the irritation on our faces, Vivian clapped her hands. "You three are the backbone of our sales team. Making you visit the finance department a few more times is just to help you get familiar with company procedures. That way, you won't make mistakes in the future!"

Mike was the first to lose his patience. He frowned.

"Vivian, we just got back. If there's something wrong with our reports, can you at least tell us what it is?"

"Besides, why did Kevin get fully reimbursed for a five-star hotel, while our budget motel rooms were flagged as 'over budget'?"

Right then, Kevin let out a soft chuckle. "Mike, aren't you just playing dumb?"

"Vivian always goes by the book. Your sales team submits way too many receipts. Of course she has to audit them carefully."

"You guys turn in more expense reports every month than the rest of the company combined. The company has to watch its budget, right?"

The moment Kevin said that, the three of us understood.

Vivian and Kevin simply thought we were spending too much.

But every single expense was strictly within the company's policy.

We were on business trips, meeting clients. Every penny had a receipt. Everything was totally legit.

Besides, yeah, our expenses were high, but the revenue we brought in was ten times higher!

But when I pointed this out, Kevin just smiled condescendingly.

"Sarah, that's not fair."

"Vivian is doing this for the company's best interest. How can you say she's targeting you?"

Realizing it was useless to argue with Kevin, Lisa turned directly to Vivian.

"Vivian, you need to give us an explanation. The three of us bust our asses bringing in clients. Is this really how the company treats us?"

Lisa's voice cracked slightly with frustration.

After all, she was a veteran employee who had been here since the company's second year.

Before Vivian could even reply, Joey from accounting poked his head out. "Lisa, your sales department's monthly expenses are literally worth six months of our salaries. What's wrong with waiting a couple of days?"

Liam, another accountant, chimed in. "Exactly. Vivian works overtime every day to review your files, and you're still complaining?"

Someone muttered from the corner, "Well, they're top sales reps. Of course they look down on us lowly accountants."

Hearing them blindly kiss up to Vivian made my blood boil.

I raised my voice. "Let's keep things separate. Your expenses get approved instantly, don't they?"

"Vivian, we travel for company business. Are you saying we should pay for work trips out of our own pockets?"

Right during this tense standoff, Mike pulled out his phone and flashed a screenshot.

"Vivian, you say we exceeded the budget. Then how do you explain this?"

On the screen was Kevin's Instagram story from last weekend.

It showed a luxury oceanfront room at a five-star hotel with the caption, "Giving myself a weekend getaway," geo-tagged in Miami.

"$588 a night, approved instantly. We stayed at a $149 budget motel, and our requests were rejected three times. Is this your definition of 'by the book'?"

Kevin's face turned pale. He lunged to grab the phone. "Why are you stalking my Instagram?!"

"If you're brave enough to post it, don't cry when people see it!" Mike sneered.

Vivian's expression darkened. She snatched the phone, glanced at it, froze for a second, and then slapped it face down on the desk. "Kevin was meeting an important client. The policy is different for that."

But her voice was noticeably quieter, and she avoided our eyes.

"What important client? His caption literally says 'weekend getaway'!" Lisa added, twisting the knife.

The surrounding colleagues began to whisper. Kevin's face turned beet red. He pointed at Lisa. "Y-You're targeting me!"

Vivian slammed her hand on the desk. "Enough! If you three have a problem with company policy, you can pack your bags and leave! Stop making a scene here!"

She took a deep breath, softening her tone slightly. "Alright, stop wasting my time."

Vivian waved her hand dismissively. "Kevin, grab last quarter's reports. We're having a meeting downstairs. As for you three, leave the files here. I'll look at them when I have time."

She walked to the door, then turned back to add, "Oh, and book economy class for your next trip. The company is cutting costs."

With that, she left with the other accountants.

Leaving the three of us stranded right outside her office door!

But the very second Vivian walked away, all three of us pulled out our phones.