As Daniel stared at the surveillance video, scrubbing the timeline back and forth, his brows knitted into a knot.

"How strange. There's nobody."

My heart, which had been in my throat, eased up a little.

"Eloise." A voice crackling with static reached my ear. "It's me, the security camera! I'm the sharpest eye in the whole company. The moment you snuck in, I turned myself off. I didn't open my eyes again until you came out, so don't worry."

My nose stung with emotion.

While Daniel was still muttering to himself, I asked quietly in my mind, "Why are you all helping me? Daniel was the one who bought you, after all."

A chorus of complaints erupted all at once.

The security camera spoke first. "If I'd relied on him, I would've rotted in a warehouse ages ago! The company only started getting better because of you. And he still expects me, a single camera, to have a 360-degree view with no blind spots. He works me to death every day. What a stingy pervert!"

"I'm the real victim here!" the mouse whined sharply. "He molests me all day long and makes me look at gross stuff. I'm just a baby—my eyes are melting."

The office chair creaked, practically sobbing. "I've got it even worse—200 pounds of him squashing me every day. And sometimes he brings some woman over and they both… Ugh, it's so gross I can't even finish my sentence. Eloise, can you please wipe me off after work?"

I almost laughed out loud, but quickly held it in and hurriedly agreed, "No problem."

Talking to office items for the first time actually felt pretty nice.

"Eloise." Daniel's voice pulled me back to reality. He walked over, rubbing his hands together.

"How is the prospectus coming along? Let me take a look."

I felt a pang in my chest. The documents were all ready. But handing them over would have been like giving away everything I'd poured my heart into. Wouldn't that just let him ride my work to an IPO, then turn around and throw me in prison?

When he saw me hesitating, his expression darkened a little.

"It's been three days, and you're still not finished? The company may not have high expectations for you, but since you're drawing a high salary, you ought to actually get some real work done."

At this, I felt like I was about to blow my top.

I could've been relaxing at home over New Year's. Why the heck would I be stuck working overtime here if not to help him go public?

But instead of gratitude, he was reprimanding me.

In the past, I might have felt guilty. Now, all I felt was revulsion.

Upon noticing my face had fallen, Daniel flashed a phony smile and tried to smooth things over.

"Oh, come on, I know you have a lucky streak. Even though you always find a way out of trouble, we still need a solid plan. Double the safety net, double the peace of mind, right?"

I swallowed my anger and said, "It's done. I've already emailed you the prospectus."

He immediately turned and went to his computer, clicking print without even glancing at them.

The printer made a strange noise, and the paper that came out was covered in gibberish.

"It's my turn!" the printer crowed in my mind. "No way I'm letting him steal your hard work, Eloise!"

I pretended to frown in confusion. "Daniel, it looks like the printer's broken, and it's too late to get anyone in to fix it. How about we print the documents live at the board meeting tomorrow?"

He eyed me suspiciously but ultimately nodded. "That works too. You should head home early then. Don't let me down tomorrow."

Once he left, I immediately pulled out my phone and created a group chat.

The names on there were the very first ones marked for "streamlining" that I saw on Daniel's computer. They were all veteran employees who'd worked tirelessly alongside him since the company's founding.

I warned them that Daniel was planning to fire them once they were no longer useful.

The group chat instantly exploded.

"Eloise, all this overtime is messing with your brain. Go home and get some sleep."

"I've been working for Daniel for years—he said I'm like a brother to him. There's no way he'd stab me in the back."

"That's impossible! He promised me just the other day that he'd give me shares after the company went public."

Clearly, Daniel had been putting on an act far too well.

I didn't argue further.

But the next day, the second they entered the conference room, they all stopped dead in their tracks.

Every seat around the round table was filled with unfamiliar faces. Those of us who'd been with the company for years were seated in chairs lined up outside the main conference table.

Neal Chapman, the CFO, was the first to crack. He stood up and said, "Daniel, as the CFO, don't I even get a seat at the main table? Since when do I not get a say at board meetings?"

Daniel waved him off, signaling him to be patient. Then, he walked over and sat down in the head chair.

The moment his backside touched the seat, the chair collapsed with a crack, and he fell flat on his face.

The other colleagues quickly helped him up and swapped in a sturdier chair.

"Alright, stop your fussing. It's just a little hiccup, nothing to worry about! Eloise, pull out the prospectus and print ten copies for the new board members."

I pressed my lips together and connected my computer to the printer.

Ten copies came out, but they were all gibberish.

The expressions on the new board members' faces were a sight to behold.

"Eloise, are you doing this on purpose? Where are the documents?" Daniel demanded.

"Daniel, the files look fine on my computer. I don't know why they come out garbled."

"Print it from my computer instead!" he said through gritted teeth.

Then, he stood up and accidentally knocked over the mug beside him, spilling coffee all over the computer.

The screen went black. It was completely dead.

"Use the projector!" he roared.

But the moment the projector turned on, his expression changed dramatically. He clutched his stomach and let out a few awkward, muffled groans.

"S-Sorry! I'm going to have to pause the meeting for a moment. I'll be right back."

He was gone for three hours.

When he returned, his face was ashen. He was in so much pain that he lay slumped over the table and didn't pay attention to the meeting at all.

The new board members, on the other hand, nodded frequently with all the seriousness in the world.

Only I could hear the ceiling light whisper to me, "They could nod all they want. But three of them are playing games, two are listening to music with headphones, and one is secretly checking stocks!"

I rambled through my presentations.

Daniel barely managed to prop himself up and said weakly, "Now then, I'd like to announce the personnel changes following the company's public listing. For the company's better development, certain long-time employees will need to have their positions optimized.

"Neal, you're being transferred to logistics. Joseph Hooper, you're being reassigned to the janitorial team. Our newly recruited top talent will be stepping into your old management roles."

All hell broke loose in the conference room.

"Daniel, I've been working for you for over a decade, and you're putting me in charge of cleaning toilets?"

"Even if you're going to burn the bridge, you don't do it like this!"

"Security? I'm going from technical supervisor to running the security team?"

Clutching his stomach, Daniel said in a weak but ruthless voice, "You're not seeing the big picture. The company's facing bigger challenges now that we're going public, and your skills and credentials just aren't cutting it anymore.

"I hired this new team at a premium for the company's own good. You're not being fired, but reassigned. So, you're still getting paid. What, you think cleaning the toilets is beneath you? You think security isn't important? You're all still contributing to the company!"

I chuckled and said mockingly, "I'm afraid that once the new team gets us through the transition, we'll be completely pushed out."

"Eloise! Quit trying to pit us against each other! I've been meaning to call you out for ages! You show up late every day, do nothing useful, and just coast on a fat paycheck.

"For old times' sake, I found spots for everyone else. But you? You're fired the moment we go public. The company appreciates everything you've done, but we've got no use for you going forward," Daniel barked.

Even though I'd mentally prepared for this, watching him discard me like trash still stung.

However, the other veteran employees couldn't take it. Their outcries nearly lifted the roof off the room.

Daniel shouted toward the doorway, "Anyone else who speaks up can get the hell out with Eloise!"

At this, any last bit of sympathy I had left vanished entirely.

With only three days to go before the company went public, I certainly hadn't been twiddling my thumbs.

Dominic and his team had spent two days going over the evidence with me, scrutinizing every last detail to make sure there were no loose ends.

I burst into the nearest lottery shop and blew through all my savings, even maxing out my credit cards. In return, I walked out with several thick stacks of lottery tickets.

The first ticket I scratched was a winner. The second doubled it. The third hit the jackpot. The prize money snowballed wildly from there.

In less than half a day, my account balance had grown a dizzying string of extra zeroes.

After leaving the lottery shop, I tore through every last bit of paperwork at lightning speed. Within hours, I became the largest investor in Prima Star Tech, with a 60% stake.

When I realized there was still one day until the listing, I went and spruced myself up a bit. I bought a few professional outfits, got a spa treatment, and went home to enjoy a wonderful, restful night of sleep.

But no sooner had dawn broken than I was jolted awake by urgent knocking at my door.

Two police officers stood outside, their expressions grave.

"Ms. Eloise Holt, the head of your company has filed a report accusing you of stealing trade secrets and taking large kickbacks on projects. Please come with us to give a statement."

I nodded and gave them a preliminary statement.

They said further investigation was needed and told me to keep my phone on in case I was summoned again at any time.

After seeing the officers off, I immediately took a cab to the company.

The conference room had been transformed into a makeshift courtroom.

Spread out in front of Daniel was a pile of so-called evidence—screenshots of chat logs, transfer records, and even several witness statements stamped with fingerprints.

What chilled me even more was that among the witnesses standing behind him were two colleagues whose names had been on that very "streamline" list.

They avoided my gaze, unable to look me in the eye.

Daniel spoke up in a tone full of feigned anguish. "Eloise, I never thought you'd do something like this! But the evidence is solid, and plenty of your colleagues can vouch that you openly bragged about taking kickbacks over drinks and even treated everyone with the money.

"The company is going public tomorrow, and the new investor is about to arrive for an inspection. So, I'd rather not let this get too messy."

He slid a document toward me. "For old times' sake, if you return the five million dollars you illegally earned to the company and sign this non-compete agreement, I won't pursue legal action against you."

I just stared at the agreement on the table, finding it utterly absurd.

Five million dollars? It seemed he couldn't fill the funding gap before the listing and wanted to bleed me dry one last time, then kick me out.

"I have never taken a single cent in kickbacks. If you want to sue me, go ahead. The law will clear my name. I will never admit to something I didn't do, let alone pay for it."

"So, you'd rather take the hard way out, huh? Who do you think you are? You really think you're hot stuff just because you lucked your way into a job?"

Daniel slammed the table so hard that the coffee mug beside him jumped.

"You will sign this agreement whether you like it or not!" Then, he barked toward the door. "Security, hold her down and make her sign it!"

A flicker of hesitation crossed the security guard's face, but one sharp look from Daniel was enough. He came over and firmly seized my arm.

I was pinned in place, unable to move.

He then grabbed my right hand and forced it down toward the agreement.

Just then, Daniel's secretary, Wendy Kramer, burst through the door in a panic. "Daniel, someone downstairs said Ms. Holt has already come up!"

"Ms. Holt? Who—"

Then, it hit him. He looked up with utter disbelief, then immediately told the security guard to let me go.

I slowly stood up and straightened my cuffs.

"Daniel, I'm the major investor you've been waiting for. From today onward, not only am I your former employee, but I'm also the new owner of this company."