All I did was grab an extra bottle of water after getting back from a field assignment.

That was enough for the new finance manager to call me out in front of the entire office.

“Claire, do you have any shame? You bring in nothing every month, live off base salary, and still think you can take advantage of the company?

“Transfer ten thousand into the team penalty pool. That’s your fine.”

I looked at her for a moment, then said calmly,

“Who do you think you are? If anyone’s going to fine me, Adrian can say it to my face.”

What she didn’t know—I wasn’t only the company’s top dealmaker, but also Adrian’s wife.

Eight years. A secret marriage no one knew about.

Was he really going to take her side instead of standing up for me?

The answer came fast.

“Claire, just do what Rebecca says. It’s not a big deal. Don’t be petty.”

I let out a quiet laugh.

Then I looked him straight in the eye.

“Adrian, if you think I’m petty…

“I’ll request a full AI payroll audit.

“Let’s see who really owes whom.”

Adrian Cole was already losing patience.

“Claire Bennett, are you done yet? Is this really worth making such a scene over? Just pay the penalty, and I’ll transfer it back to you later. Happy now?”

He glanced at Rebecca Shaw, his tone softening.

“She’s new. If you embarrass her on her first day, how is she supposed to manage the team?”

I looked at him.

So her dignity mattered.

Mine didn’t.

Rebecca smirked at me.

“Didn’t you hear Mr. Cole, Claire?”

She tapped the payroll report in her hand.

“I’ve reviewed your records. Top performer? That’s a joke. The AI payroll system is completely objective. If you’re only getting the minimum base salary every month, that means you’re not contributing anything meaningful.”

She crossed her arms, her voice turning sharp.

“People like you sit around doing nothing while collecting a paycheck. Honestly, you should’ve been fired a long time ago. Mr. Cole kept you out of kindness. A ten-thousand-dollar penalty is already generous.”

I looked at Adrian, holding onto the last bit of hope.

“Adrian… is that what you think too?

“If you have anything to say, say it now.”

If he had defended me, even a little, I would’ve let it go.

Like I always did.

But Adrian avoided my eyes.

Then he spoke.

“Enough. Rebecca is just stating facts. This is settled. Stop making things worse.”

Rebecca immediately slipped her arm through his.

“Adrian, I knew you wouldn’t forget those years we had in college.

“I booked dinner tonight. Let’s go together.”

Adrian nodded without hesitation.

As if he’d already forgotten what day it was.

My birthday.

Then I noticed the bracelet on Rebecca’s wrist.

He had ordered it two weeks ago.

I thought it was for me.

Turns out, I was wrong.

The anger surged up, but my voice stayed calm.

“Adrian, you know exactly why my base salary is only three thousand a month.

“She’s your college classmate. Then what am I?”

His expression changed instantly. He thought I was about to expose everything.

“Claire, watch what you say.”

His tone dropped.

“Don’t forget our agreement. If you want to talk, we’ll do it after work.”

I let out a short laugh.

“There’s nothing left to talk about.”

I looked straight at him.

“I’m requesting a full AI payroll audit. Let’s see if what I’ve done for this company matches what I’ve been paid.”

Adrian’s face darkened.

Rebecca laughed openly.

“Claire, where do you get the confidence to challenge him? With that innocent act of yours, who knows how much you’ve been taking from the company behind everyone’s back.”

She glanced around.

“All those missing office snacks? Supplies? I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve been taking them home.”

She tightened her grip on Adrian’s arm.

“Let her do it. I’d love to see how this ends.”

Adrian stared at me for a moment, then gave a cold smile.

“Fine. Let’s run the audit.”

Every year, I brought in millions in contracts for the company.

And every month, I chose to take the lowest base salary.

Because I believed what belonged to Adrian belonged to me too.

As long as the company was doing well, that was enough.

I never expected that decision to be used against me.

Fine.

If they wanted numbers, I’d give them numbers.

The audit would take two days.

During those two days, I stopped working completely.

Every order I was handling stayed on hold. When I got bored, I played games. When I was tired, I just leaned back and rested.

Rebecca couldn’t stand it.

She slammed her hand on my desk.

“Claire Bennett, do you have zero work ethic? This is an office, not your living room.”

I looked up at her, annoyed.

“You’re in finance. Why are you acting like you run the company? Anyone watching would think you’re the CEO.”

Someone nearby laughed.

Rebecca’s face turned dark.

“You still haven’t paid the penalty from earlier. Pay it now.”

When I didn’t respond, her tone got sharper.

“What, you can’t afford it?

“With your salary, even if you saved for two years without spending a cent, you still wouldn’t have enough.”

She tilted her head.

“That’s fine. We’ll just deduct it from your future pay.”

I looked at her, then picked up my phone.

“Fine.”

I transferred ten thousand dollars into the team penalty pool.

For a moment, no one touched it.

Then I sent another message.

“Go ahead.”

Only then did people start claiming it.

The chat immediately filled up.

“Thanks, Claire!”

“You’re amazing!”

“Appreciate it!”

Rebecca walked off, clearly furious.

A few minutes later, she came back and threw a T-shirt onto my desk.

“Put this on. You’ll wear it for the rest of the month.”

I looked down.

Printed across it in bold letters were the words:

COMPANY LIABILITY

Rebecca raised her voice deliberately.

“From now on, whoever ranks last in monthly performance wears this shirt. Some people stay at the bottom every month and still feel no shame. If you’re dead weight, you should be treated like it.”

No one spoke.

Rebecca clearly took that as approval.

“Claire. Put it on.”

Everyone in the office knew most of the company’s deals came from me.

No one had ever dared treat me like this before.

She really didn’t know what she was doing.

I picked up the shirt.

For a second, she thought I was going to comply.

Then I threw it straight at her face.

“Rebecca Shaw, are you trying to harass me at work? Because I can report that.”

She panicked slightly and pulled the shirt off.

“Don’t twist things. This is a performance policy. What does that have to do with harassment?”

She straightened up again.

“You’d better put it on. When Mr. Cole gets here, you’ll regret it.”

Right on cue, Adrian walked over.

To my surprise, he nodded approvingly.

“This kind of system motivates people. It’s good for the company.”

Then he looked at me.

“Claire, you’ll wear it. Starting today.”

I almost laughed.

These two really deserved each other.

I met his eyes.

“And if I don’t?”

Adrian frowned.

“I’m your boss. You follow my orders. Otherwise, I can fire you at any time.”

Just then, my phone buzzed.

The audit results were in.

I picked it up, a faint smile forming.

“No need for you to fire me. Once the audit result comes out...”

I froze.

Something was wrong.

Rebecca leaned over, saw the result, and burst out laughing.

Then she read it out loud.

“Claire Bennett owes the company one million dollars in performance value. At this rate, she’ll need to work for free for twenty-seven years to pay it off.”

She laughed harder.

“Claire, I’ve never seen anyone humiliate themselves this badly.”

Then her expression turned cold.

“From now on, you’re also in charge of cleaning. Come in two hours early every day. I want everything spotless, especially the bathrooms.

“And all errands, printing, and office chores are yours too. At least you’ll finally be useful.”

She looked at me with open contempt.

“This is exactly what you’re worth, Claire.”