I secured a big deal for the company and was promoted to manager. However, I overheard my boss' secretary gossiping in the pantry, saying that I was brainless and only got where I was by using my body.

I was so angry that I wanted to report it to the police.

Surprisingly, her husband stopped me and forced his wife to bow and apologize to me, begging for forgiveness.

Things got worse on the next day. Someone shared my inappropriate photos in the company group chat along with records of me supposedly checking into a hotel with a man.

My colleagues looked at me with contempt, as if they all knew what was happening but refused to speak up. Even my boss fired me, saying I had moral issues.

My husband immediately divorced me when he found out, took our daughter away, and left me with nothing.

Neighbors pointed fingers and whispered about me. I was so overwhelmed that I lost my senses and was killed by a car crash.

When I opened my eyes, I returned to the day I was promoted.

I secured a major deal just after a month since I joined the company, so I was promoted to regional manager, and even nominated as the employee of the month.

The constant praise from my colleagues made me feel a little uncomfortable, so I headed to the pantry to calm down.

"Anna Jones is amazing! She closed a million-dollar deal so quickly!"

"Yeah, I heard she's great at negotiating. I should learn from her."

I overheard my colleagues' compliments outside the pantry. Just as I was about to walk in and build rapport with them, I heard the voice of Lisa Morphy, the boss' secretary.

"Seriously? That stupid woman? What a joke! She's not capable of anything but climbing the ladder using her body!"

One of the female colleagues frowned and spoke up, "Stop making things up, Lisa. Why are you doing this to her?"

Lisa snapped back angrily, "What do you mean by making it up? I saw her checking into a hotel with some man. Actually, there were several men going into the same room! Only brainless people would look up to a woman like her! Everyone in the secretary's office knows she sleeps her way to success."

My hand froze on the door handle, and the cup in my hand fell to the ground with a loud clatter.

"Sorry, I hope I didn't drop that on your foot," I quickly apologized to a colleague beside me.

"It's fine. Are you okay, though?"

"Lisa thinks she can say whatever she wants just because she's the boss' secretary! I think you should call the police right away," said a colleague who stepped in to offer me advice.

Her support made my eyes well up with tears.

In my past life, I thought she was a bad woman who used me against Lisa and ruined my career, but I was wrong. It caused my family to fall apart and my tragic death on the street as I did not defend myself.

A voice suddenly came from behind and yelled, "Wait! Don't call the police!"

It was Henry Ramsay, Lisa's husband. As a son-in-law of the Morphy family, he was doing quite well at the company. He was promoted as the procurement manager at a young age.

"I apologize on behalf of my wife, Anna. She must've misunderstood. I'll talk to her tonight and make sure she clears your name with the colleagues. Will that be okay?" Henry said sincerely.

In my past life, that apology and clarification had never come. Instead, Lisa thought I was seducing her husband behind her back, and she spread even nastier rumors about me. The gossip became so widespread that everyone knew about it.

I might have been fooled by his act if I had not overheard his whisper.

"I told you guys, Anna's desperate."

I glanced coldly at Henry and stormed into the pantry without hesitation.

Lisa, who had been badmouthing me, jumped in surprise.

"Are you saying that I checked into a hotel with several men? Is that true?" I asked her directly.

She froze for a moment and frowned. "What?"

I pulled out my phone and played the recording of everything she had just said in the pantry. The audio rang out loud and clear.

"Where exactly did you see me check into a hotel with someone? What time? How many men specifically? I don't seem to recall any of that. Are you sure you are telling the truth?"

Lisa looked embarrassed, but when she caught Henry giving her subtle signals, she straightened up and replied slowly, "My apologies. I was just worried that some of our younger colleagues might follow your bad example, so I could not help but reveal your little secret."

"For real? Did I do anything like that? I can't seem to recall anything… I must've been kidnapped! Come with me to the police station as a witness, Lisa. I'm going to report this!"

As soon as I said that, the colleagues who had been quietly watching suddenly lit up with interest. Some even leaned behind their computers, secretly recording the scene.

The air grew tense.

Lisa started to panic and quickly apologized, "I was just joking, Ms. Jones. Please don't take it personally. You should focus on your work and your sales instead."

She even pretended to slap herself and wailed, "I'll apologize. Can you let this go?"

Her husband, Henry, chimed in to smooth things over. "Yes, Ms. Jones. Lisa just likes to gossip for fun. She didn't mean anything by it. Please don't take it seriously."

I laughed sarcastically on the inside. Everyone had taken those nasty rumours about me seriously.

There was no way I could sweep the harm I suffered under the rug by just saying it was nothing more than gossip.

I pulled out the photo I had ripped off the wall of fame, which someone literally wrote dirty words on.

Lisa looked guilty as she avoided my gaze.

"Lisa, you must be telling the truth! Everyone knows I was drugged and did something I don't know! Be my witness and bring the criminal to justice! Otherwise, the other ladies in the company might get harmed too!"

"It's my fault, Ms. Jones. I spread those rumors without thinking. You're always busy, right? Don't be bothered by such small issues," Lisa replied.

Henry quickly added, "Ms. Jones, I'll find out who wrote that and give them a good lesson. Let's just drop this today so we can all focus on our work."

"No way!" I sneered.

Lisa frowned. "What else do you want?"

"The damage has been done. They might do something more ridiculous in the future, like insulting me in front of me or resorting to violence! You don't want me distracted from bringing in money for the company, do you? Apologize to me in front of everyone and compensate me for the emotional harm you caused."

Lisa scowled as soon as I spoke.

"Anna Jones! You're really pushing it now, aren't you? I've been putting up with you because you're the top performing salesperson. Don't you ever pressure me by the boss, or I'll expose your nasty stories!"

Henry sneered, "Lisa apologized. If you keep pushing, I'd start to think you're targeting my wife on purpose."

The two of them teamed up as if I, the victim, was the one in the wrong.

I pretended to be furious and grabbed Lisa's arm. "Clear my name, or else, I'll take your words as a fact that I messed around with those men. Tell me the details or I'll sue you for defamation!"

Lisa completely lost her temper.

"I checked the front desk records myself! You and the boss went on that business trip last Friday, and you returned to the Crownford Hotel in the afternoon. Several big clients went to your room that day. You know best how you got all the sales. Don't act all innocent now!"

She looked at me with a smug expression of disdain. However, she was not aware that Henry's expression grew darker as she spoke.

Lisa grew even more pleased as I kept silent.

"You brought it on yourself!" she exclaimed.

I never went on a business trip with the boss in my past life. Instead, it was Henry who accompanied the boss, claiming he needed to procure something.

Coincidentally, my ID card, which I kept on my desk, disappeared at the same time. I tried to explain that I had taken sick leave and gone home that day, but no one believed me.

An anonymous user spread edited indecent photos of me. I wanted to report it to the police, but the boss called me before I could.

"You've damaged the company's reputation with your private life. You have to go," he said sternly.

I argued that it was all baseless rumors and insisted someone was targeting me, but he dismissed my plea.

"Rumors don't just appear out of thin air. It doesn't matter if I believe in you. Everyone else doesn't. Just move on and find a new job."

Despite his attempts to make me leave quietly, I insisted on filing a police report. During the investigation, he prevented the police from gathering useful statements from my colleagues.

I did not file a formal leave request or have any witnesses to verify my whereabouts, and with the hotel records under my name, I had no way to prove my innocence.

My husband, who initially stood by me, believed the rumors after the police visited. He immediately filed for divorce, demanding that I leave with nothing.

He drove me out of the house.

As I wandered the streets, I recalled the neighbors' whispers in the morning. I was distracted and heartbroken and eventually got hit by a truck.

When I opened my eyes again, it was that morning, back to the moment I saw Henry signing for a parcel of plus-size women's clothing.

Something clicked in my mind.

As I saw Henry's nervous reaction as Lisa revealed the exact time and place, the truth dawned on me—it was him who did all that.

I was about to expose him when Henry quickly grabbed Lisa's arm to pull her away.

"Stop talking nonsense, Lisa! Don't you see how upset Ms. Jones is? Everyone knows she's the top performing salesperson because of her hard work!"

"Henry! Am I your wife, or is it Anna?" Lisa snapped, shaking off his hand.

She glared at me angrily and continued berating Henry.

"You've been working so hard for the past five years, and yet you've never been recognized as an outstanding employee. Meanwhile, she gets promotions and raises! I'll fight for you even if I lose my job!"

The surrounding colleagues murmured in agreement, their eyes filled with disdain.

"She's right! This isn't fair!"

"Exactly. Anna should be fired!"

"I don't want to work in the same company as someone like her!"

Lisa smirked, emboldened by the support and continued, "Anna, I suggest you pack up and leave before things get worse."

In my past life, those colleagues had smashed my computer and signed a petition that led to my dismissal.

I clenched my fists, suppressed my anger, and sneered, "Show me the proof, or you're just simply defaming me!"

Lisa's face twisted in frustration. "I—I was in a hurry and didn't record it, but I saw your ID and the hotel check-in records! You can't deny the fact! It is what it is. Get back to work, everyone. Stop wasting time on trash like her."

The whispers from the crowd grew louder, convinced of the gossip.

In front of everyone, I grabbed Lisa by her hair and yelled, "How did you see it if no one else did? Let's report it to the police right now! Otherwise, you're defaming me!"

"Let go of me, you crazy woman! I'm not going anywhere!" Lisa shrieked.

Suddenly, the pantry's door swung open.

"Who called the police?" a voice asked.