Chapter 5

I suddenly burst out laughing.

I looked directly at Sarah.

"You're right, Sarah. A girl's reputation is very important."

"So you better remember this: if someone throws dirt on you in the future without a single shred of actual proof, and demands a hundred thousand dollars while trying to get you fired, don't you dare complain. Just shut up and hand over your bank account. After all, as long as they cry louder than you, they must be the victim, right?"

Marcus's face turned pitch black. He turned to Ashley. "Go get HR. Right now."

Ashley nodded quickly and ran out of the room.

The office fell into a tense silence, save for Mia's soft whimpering.

Dylan was still patting her back, whispering, "It's okay, baby. The boss is on our side now."

A few minutes later, Brooke from HR walked in.

She held a black folder. She looked at Marcus, then at me, her face expressionless.

"Chloe, in light of the severe incident that occurred today, which has seriously damaged the company's reputation and work environment, the management has decided to terminate your contract."

"This is your termination agreement. Review it. If you have no questions, sign it and pack your things."

She slid the folder onto my desk. The bold letters TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT stared back at me.

Mia slowly raised her head from Dylan's chest. Tears were still on her face, but the corner of her mouth twitched upward.

It was a smirk of victory. She thought she had won.

I picked up the folder, flipped through the pages, closed it, and set it down.

"Hold on."

Everyone blinked in confusion.

The smirk on Mia's face froze.

I looked at Brooke, then at Marcus. My voice was deadly quiet.

"I'll sign it. But before I do, I want Mia to answer a few simple questions in front of everyone."

Mia's face paled slightly.

"She claimed that during lunch hour, I met her in the hallway, gave her a snack, and she took a bite and realized it had chili in it."

"Fine. Mia, tell me: What exactly did I give you? Where did I give it to you? What time was it? What did the packaging look like?"

"From the moment I walked into this building today, did anyone see me pull you aside?"

I laid out the questions rapidly. The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Mia's lips trembled. Dylan opened his mouth to bark, but I cut him off. "Shut up. Let Mia speak."

"If she can't answer these basic questions, nobody is making me sign this paper today."

Mia's face flushed from pale to an ugly gray. Her fingers clutched Dylan's shirt, trembling.

Under the collective gaze of the entire office, Mia stammered.

"I... I don't remember clearly... It was... was it a pastry? Or... or... some kind of snack... You just handed it to me, you didn't say what it was..."

Her voice got smaller and smaller.

"Maybe... maybe it was near the stairwell? Or the restroom...? My stomach was hurting so bad... I can't remember the details..."

Dylan nudged her arm hard, visibly panicking. She quickly added, "But it was definitely you! I... I ate it and felt the spice... Why would I lie about that...?"

Looking at her pathetic attempt to fabricate a story, I cut her off. "Since you can't seem to remember, let me help refresh your memory."

I unlocked my phone and tapped a play button.

As the audio started playing, the entire room gasped in shock.