I've just left the washroom when Vanessa Shallow, who has just returned from her maternity leave, covers her mouth as she laughs at me.

"Wow, you really are quick when it comes to bathroom breaks, huh? No wonder your sales performance is increasing by leaps and bounds! I suppose it's all thanks to your ability to take off your pants very quickly!"

Vanessa acts as though she's joking as she starts making faces at the male colleagues around us.

"Right, I forgot how prideful young ladies are nowadays! They can't seem to accept such truths when spoken in such a blunt manner!"

The colleagues burst out laughing in a lecherous way afterward. Their perverted gazes keep clinging to my legs the whole time.

As I stare at Vanessa's slightly bloated face, my gaze grows cold.

It seems that she's so anxious to get her position as the project leader back that she's willing to shed even her sense of shame and propriety.

I take a step forward and speak up. "I'm not as skilled as you are when it comes to such things, Vanessa. After all, not everyone is capable of making Mr. Studdard visit their home every midnight during their maternity leave."

As soon as my words fall, the previously rowdy office goes deathly silent.

Just then, the glass door of the office swung open.

My manager, Miguel Studdard, lumbered in with his big belly jutting out in front of him. He caught every word I'd just said.

His expression instantly fell, and a flicker of panic crossed his eyes.

Vanessa Shallow, who'd been sharp-tongued and sarcastic just moments earlier, shifted her expression instantly.

With reddened eyes, she rushed over to Miguel's side, pointed at me, and complained, "Mr. Studdard, you have to stand up for me! I know Macy is jealous that I came back after my maternity leave and is worried I'll steal her spotlight, but how could she spread such disgusting rumors about us?

"I just had a baby! If my reputation is ruined, how am I supposed to go on living?"

Miguel, already feeling guilty, immediately seized the chance to give himself a way out when he saw Vanessa crying. His face darkened as he pointed straight at me.

"Macy Monroe!" he roared. "Vanessa is a long-time employee here and your senior! How can you spread lies about your colleague just because you're jealous? Apologize to her right now!"

I stared at the adulterous pair coldly.

The truth was, I'd known about their dirty little affair for a while now.

Last month, I worked overtime to push a project forward. When I went down to the underground parking garage to get my car, I happened to come across Miguel's car parked in a blind spot away from the surveillance cameras, shaking noticeably.

The window was half lowered, and the soft moans coming from inside belonged to none other than Vanessa, who was supposed to be on "maternity leave".

One of the biggest taboos in the workplace was accidentally finding out about a superior's dirty secrets, so I just pretended I hadn't seen or heard anything and quietly walked away.

But what I never expected was that, while I minded my own business, Vanessa would dare publicly smear me in return.

I was just about to say something when someone pressed a hand on my shoulder.

It was Todd Westman, my colleague and boyfriend of six months.

I let out a small breath of relief when I saw him, thinking he had come to stand up for me. But the next second, he raised his voice and snapped, "You've gone too far, Macy! Even if you don't want to hand over the project, how can you slander Vanessa and Mr. Studdard? Hurry up and apologize!"

I stared at him in disbelief.

Back then, he said office relationships looked bad and insisted we keep our relationship a secret. Later, I discovered that he often used his "single" status to flirt with female colleagues from other departments.

I tolerated it, telling myself he was just networking.

But now, just to impress Miguel and get ahead, he couldn't wait to trample all over me.

I let out a short, humorless laugh. "Todd Westman, what right do you have to lecture me?"

His eyes darted around for a second before he raised his voice even louder. "I'm just saying this as a colleague who knows right from wrong! You should know what's good for you, Macy!"

Looking at his hypocritical, revolting expression, I couldn't even be bothered to argue. I picked up the iced coffee on my desk and, without hesitation, splashed it straight in his face.

"Are you insane, Macy Monroe?" he roared, wiping his face.

Seeing that I not only refused to back down but even dared to throw a drink at him in front of everyone, Miguel completely lost it.

"You've got some nerve, Macy Monroe! Our department has no use for an employee like you who defies her superior and attacks her colleagues! Effective immediately, you're suspended from all duties! The Gilla Group project you're working on will be handed over to Vanessa!"

Hiding behind Miguel, Vanessa shot me a smug, taunting smile.

"Sure," I said, curling my lips slightly. "Let's hope Vanessa can actually handle a multimillion-dollar project."

Once I was suspended, my situation in the office only got worse.

Workplace culture had always been about sucking up to the powerful and trampling on the weak.

Those male colleagues who had laughed along with Vanessa became even more brazen, piling on relentlessly.

"Hey, Macy, take this report and shred it."

"Macy, go downstairs and pick up my package for me. Oh, and bring me back a coffee too—one sugar, no ice."

I used to be the department's top sales performer. Now, I'd been reduced to everyone's errand runner.

These people had always been jealous of me and had finally found an outlet.

Without a word, I took the trash and documents they handed me.

If I wanted to bring them down, the best thing to do was to let them run wild first.

During the lunch break, Todd snuck into the supply room to find me, looking guilty.

"Babe, are you still mad at me?" he asked, reaching out to grab my hand, but I pulled away in disgust.

He sighed. "You're just too stubborn. Vanessa has Mr. Studdard backing her, and Mr. Studdard has the VP. I'm sure you understand what that means, right?

"When I publicly told you off yesterday, it was to protect you. If I joined you in talking back to Mr. Studdard, how would either of us survive in the company? Just swallow your pride for now. Once things calm down, I'll put in a good word for you—"

"Are you done?" I cut him off, rolling my eyes.

"Todd Westman, you trampled all over your own girlfriend to suck up to management. You did something so shameless, and you still have the nerve to show up in front of me?

"Do you really think I don't know about you flirting with the other female colleagues? I couldn't be bothered to deal with it before, but if you keep causing trouble, I can't guarantee what might come out of my mouth next."

His expression stiffened. "Why are you so stubborn? I'm doing this for your own good! You think your pride is actually worth something?

"I never should've pursued you in the first place! You're always acting all high and mighty, and you don't have a single feminine bone in you. Do you really think you're some kind of catch?"

With that, he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

I stared at the closed door and let out a cold scoff.

Having grown up surrounded by power and ambition, I'd seen plenty of people approach me with ulterior motives.

Back then, I'd agreed to date Todd because I liked how he didn't care about a person's family background or status and just quietly treated people well.

I'd even started to develop genuine feelings for him.

Who knew he would turn out to be such a great actor, fooling even me? Still, it wasn't too late to cut my losses now.

A moment later, I pulled out my phone and sent a text.

After putting it away, I stepped out of the supply room and just so happened to run straight into Vanessa, dressed to the nines. She was wearing a Chanel couture outfit that clearly didn't match her salary, holding the project proposal I'd stayed up several nights to complete.

Today was the day to meet the Gilla Group client.

When she saw me, she stopped, waved the proposal in front of my face, and smiled smugly.

"Just finished refilling the water, Macy? Thanks for working so hard. But working hard alone won't get you far in the workplace. You young people need to know how to navigate relationships and play the game.

"Gilla Group's Mr. Kapowsky is notoriously difficult. You would've just hit a wall if you went. This kind of thing needs to be handled by someone experienced like me."

I looked at her, at that smug, self-satisfied expression, and the corners of my lips curled into a meaningful smile.

"You're right, Vanessa. Navigating relationships is important. I hope your people skills will be enough to answer Gilla Group's questions regarding the core data."

Her expression flickered for a split second, but she quickly regained her arrogance.

"That's not something an errand runner like you needs to worry about. I've got the proposal right here, so why wouldn't I be able to answer the questions? You just stay here and keep fetching water for me."

A few days later, a notification from Miguel popped up in the department group chat. He had tagged everyone.

"We're celebrating Vanessa's success in securing the Gilla Group project at the VIP room at the Grand Lyre Hotel tonight at 8:00 pm. Attendance is mandatory—no exceptions!"

The chat was instantly flooded with flattery and bootlicking messages.

Todd was especially ingratiating. "Mr. Studdard is the wisest, and Vanessa is the most amazing! I'm definitely raising a toast to Vanessa tonight!"

Seeing the screen flooded with celebratory messages, I coldly locked my phone.

Before getting off work, Miguel stopped by my desk and tapped on it.

"Macy, make sure you come to the celebration dinner tonight. Young people should learn from their outstanding seniors. Stop keeping to yourself all the time."

I looked up and nodded obediently. "Of course, Mr. Studdard. I'll be there on time."

…

That evening, Miguel sat at the head of the table in a VIP room at the Grand Lyre Hotel. He was glowing with pride, while Vanessa sat right next to him, looking every bit like the star of the night.

I was seated near the serving entrance and was basically invisible.

After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere in the room turned vulgar. A few male colleagues who loved telling dirty jokes started running their mouths again under the influence of alcohol.

"Vanessa's got serious charm. She even managed to crack a tough nut like Gilla Group!"

"Exactly. The kind of allure Vanessa has? That's nothing some bookish little girl can compete with. If you ask me, talking business in the conference room is nowhere near as effective as talking at the dinner table, right, Vanessa?"

Vanessa didn't get angry. In fact, she even looked extremely pleased. She shot them a playful glare and said, "Oh, stop it. You guys are terrible. I secured the deal with my own abilities."

Just then, Todd walked up to me with a glass brimming with hard liquor. He slammed the glass down in front of me and said loudly, "Macy, Vanessa accomplished something huge today. Don't you think you should at least raise a toast to her and apologize for crossing her before?"

The room instantly fell silent, and everyone's eyes focused on me, filled with amusement and anticipation for a good show.

Miguel leaned back in his chair as he picked his teeth.

"Todd's right," he chimed in, his tone passive-aggressive. "Down that glass, and I'll forget about you spreading rumors before. You'll still be able to assist Vanessa in the department."

Vanessa looked down her nose at me.

"Macy, if you don't drink it, you're disrespecting both Mr. Studdard and me. And if that's the case, you probably won't be able to stay at this company for much longer."

Seeing that I didn't move, Todd shoved the glass toward my mouth. "Macy, don't be ungrateful! Hurry up and drink this, then apologize!"

I shoved him hard. With his flimsy build, he stumbled backward.

Looking at his stormy expression, I slowly stood up.

"Vanessa, are you sure you actually secured the deal?"

Her face grew dark. "What are you saying? Macy Monroe, stop being bitter just because you couldn't do it! Mr. Kapowsky from Gilla Group personally met with me today, and the contract is already in its final stages!"

"Is that so?" I sneered and glanced at my watch. "8:30 pm. Right on schedule."

As soon as the words left my lips, the private room door swung open.