Chapter 2

Same old story.

My family has money, so I'm obligated to step aside.

I'm capable, so I'm obligated to clean up everyone else's mess.

I glanced down at my phone.

9:17 AM.

The investors were walking in at 9:30.

I placed my phone back on the table.

"Fine."

Everyone turned to look at me.

Tyler let out a visible sigh of relief.

"You have a backup?"

I said.

"Yes."

Paige's head snapped up.

There was no relief in her eyes.

Only pure, unadulterated panic.

I pretended not to notice.

Marcus barked immediately.

"Then what are you waiting for?"

"Copy it over right now!"

I didn't move an inch.

"Marcus, I can pull it out."

"But before I do, I want one thing made crystal clear."

"If this cloud drive was wiped intentionally, who takes the fall?"

Marcus's expression soured.

"Is holding people accountable really productive right now?"

"Of course it is."

I held his gaze.

"Ten minutes ago, when it was just my deck missing, you were all lining up to tell me to swallow it."

"Now that the whole team's work is gone, suddenly holding people accountable isn't 'productive'?"

The conference room went dead silent.

Paige began to sob quietly.

"Chloe, I know you don't like me."

"But the project comes first. Can't you just save the pitch first?"

"After the investors leave, you can chew me out all you want."

Tyler backed her up immediately.

"Paige is right."

"Stop bringing your personal baggage into work."

A slow smile spread across my face.

"Personal baggage?"

"Fine, let's talk purely business."

"I uploaded my final deck yesterday at 6:00 PM."

"Once uploaded, only the shared drive administrator can move or delete files."

"Who was the administrator?"

Every pair of eyes in the room shifted to Paige.

Her shoulders trembled.

"It was me."

"But I swear I didn't delete anything!"

"I barely even know how to use the admin portal."

I nodded coolly.

"Then we'll wait for IT to pull the audit logs."

Marcus slammed his hand on the table.

"Chloe!"

"The investors are walking down the hall!"

"Are you really going to gamble the entire team's future over a petty grudge?"

I looked at his hand on the table.

Then I looked him dead in the eye.

"Marcus."

"Before you say another word, you'd better remember something."

"Ten minutes ago, when you expected me to solo-scramble a whole new deck in thirty minutes, none of you gave a damn about my future."

This hadn't started today.

Two months ago, Paige joined the team as an intern.

She wore a faded white button-down and carried a battered canvas tote.

When HR introduced her, she stood by the doorway, her voice squeaking like a frightened mouse.

"Hi, everyone, I'm Paige."

"Please go easy on me."

A few guys on the team melted right on the spot.

"Aw, don't be nervous."

"Relax, our team culture is super chill."

Tyler was sitting diagonally across from me.

He looked up, glanced at Paige, and casually cleared the empty desk next to him.

"You can sit here."

"If you don't know how to do something, just ask me."

Paige flashed him a look of overwhelming gratitude.

"Thank you so much, Tyler."

I was reviewing a contract at the time, and my hands paused for half a second.

Tyler and I had broken up less than three months prior.

His reason was that I was "too dominant."

He had said:

"Chloe, you always know exactly what you want."

"Being with you is exhausting."

I hadn't begged him to stay.

All I said was:

"Then don't exhaust yourself."

Later, I figured out what his so-called "exhaustion" really meant.

He just preferred someone who looked up at him in awe.

And Paige was an Olympic champion at playing the damsel in distress.

When the printer jammed, she would flutter over in a panic.

"Tyler, am I totally stupid?"

When she messed up an expense report, her eyes would brim with tears.

"I've never used a corporate tool this complex before."

When she mispronounced a VIP client's name, she'd bow her head repeatedly.

"I'm so sorry. I've had terrible public speaking anxiety since I was a kid."

Every single time, Tyler swooped in to save the day.

"It's fine. I'll walk you through it."

"Guys, stop laughing at her."

"Everyone starts out like this."

I never laughed.

I only gave direct feedback.

"Mispronouncing a client's name once is a slip-up. Three times is unprofessional."

"Incorrect expense amounts screw up the entire finance closing cycle."

"Printing materials isn't a college club project. Don't keep clients waiting."

Every time I spoke, Paige reacted like I had slapped her across the face.

Her eyes would instantly turn red.

"Chloe, I know you think I'm dumb."

"I'll try harder."

And Tyler would scowl at me.

"Do you really have to be so blunt?"

I'd look back at him.

"What do you want me to say?"

"'Good job, sweetie, it's totally fine to mess up'?"

His face would sour.

"You know that's not what I mean."

Paige would whisper beside him, playing the martyr.

"Tyler, please don't fight with Chloe because of me."

"It's my fault for not being good enough. It's totally fine that she doesn't like me."

Such clever phrasing.

It sounded like an apology, but it painted a massive target on my back.

Gradually, whispers circulated around the department.

Chloe bullies the new girl.

Chloe is jealous that her ex is helping someone else.

Chloe comes from a wealthy family and is just working for fun, so she doesn't care about ordinary people trying to earn a living.

I overheard it once myself.

In the break room, Rachel was whispering:

"Her dad runs a massive construction firm, right?"

"She can afford to lose. We can't."

Another male colleague agreed:

"No wonder she talks so bold."

"If I had that kind of money, I'd talk back to the bosses every day too."