“You hitting her—that’s way over the line. Right now, you’re going to apologize to Sadie and pay her a ten-thousand-dollar emotional damages fee. Then we’ll call it settled.”

I couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief and stared straight at him.

“Sir… you’re seriously telling me to apologize and pay her?”

Cody’s face darkened, and Meg quickly tugged on my sleeve.

She quietly persuaded me, “Phoebe, don’t push it. Sadie is Mr. Modine’s daughter; you can’t mess with her. And Sir Cody is counting on her to secure the deal with their company this time.”

I let out a scoffing laugh.

“So just because she says her dad is Wesley Modine, you guys believe her? Did she even bring any proof when she joined?”

Meg pulled out her phone and opened Sadie’s social media.

“Totally legit. Mr. Modine himself personally brought her in on her first day.”

I looked at the picture and nearly dropped my jaw. There was my upright, sharp-dressed man standing in front of a luxury car—and next to him… was actually Sadie.

Sadie even added a caption.

[Thanks Dad for taking time out of his busy schedule to see me off for my internship. Promise, I won’t let you down.]

I immediately called my uncle—only to hear the cold, mechanical sound of a disconnected phone.

Seeing me refuse to apologize, Sadie gave me a wicked look.

“Phoebe, don’t regret this. I’ll make sure you pay for it!”

The next day, she made good on her words.

At the awards ceremony, the top sales award and the 70,000-dollar bonus that should’ve been mine… went to her.

The slides still showed my name in the acceptance speech; it hadn’t even been updated.

This was blatant robbery, and my chest burned with rage.

I immediately demanded an explanation.

“What’s the criteria for determining top sales? My projects this month totaled over one hundred million in revenue, generating tens of millions for the company, and I outperformed the second-place by five million in profit. Sadie didn’t even make a single order. So, may I ask all the leaders here… Why is the top sales award going to her?”

The room fell completely silent.

The finance director and sales VP exchanged glances, neither daring to speak.

Sadie looked at me arrogantly.

“Of course, your projects weren’t exactly… clean. The company can’t condone such lowly behavior.

“Right now, we’re just stripping you of the award. But if you keep using shady tactics to ruin the company’s reputation, you’ll be fired next.”

I was shaking with anger, my eyes scanning every leader on the stage. Those who had once praised my skills and potential now avoided my gaze, heads down in submission.

I looked at the top executive, Cody.

“Sir… is this really your decision, too?”

Being called out publicly clearly annoyed him; he frowned impatiently.

“Phoebe, the company has its considerations. Don’t let a small thing ruin the awards ceremony. You need to see the bigger picture.”

“The bigger picture?” My eyes burned red, and my voice shook.

“So the bigger picture means I work non-stop all year, stay until midnight every day, pour myself into projects—and all those achievements go to someone else?

“Because of some baseless rumor from her, all my hard work gets erased, and you all remain indifferent?

“Let me ask you. Where’s the fairness? Where’s justice? Don’t you feel any guilt treating someone who’s made huge contributions to this company like this?”

Cody was left speechless. Sadie, however, showed no shame, tilting her chin up at me.

“Fairness?” She sneered. “Phoebe, don’t be so naive. In this world, whoever has the power… that’s where fairness lives.”

“You want justice? Then go find yourself a rich dad to fight for you. Too bad—you don’t have one.”

She didn’t bother hiding the contempt on her face as she said coldly, “But I do. I’m the daughter of Wesley Modine, CEO of CipherLux Innovations. With that identity alone, I can crush you so hard you’ll never get back up!”

I stared at her, genuinely wondering where she got that kind of confidence.

I even started doubting my own uncle for a second; could he really have fathered some secret love child behind the family’s back?

I suddenly asked, “I heard Mr. Modine has a niece he treats like his own daughter. Tell me, Miss Sales-Champion Modine, have you met her?”

Sadie’s face froze for a split second before she shot me a disdainful glance.

“That’s my cousin, of course, I’ve seen her. But she’s been living overseas for years. Hardly ever comes back. Even I barely see her. Someone like you—a low-class nobody—don’t even dream about it.”

I let out a short laugh. “Is that so? If the Sales Champion isn’t ‘low-class,’ then why did she steal someone else’s title and bonus? Don’t tell me… you’re the fake heiress?”

“Bitch!” Her face went completely dark as she glared daggers at me. “Phoebe! Don’t push your luck. Your title was revoked because you didn’t deserve it. I earned mine with real skill!”

“Skill?” I took a step closer, staring straight at her.

“You mean the ‘skill’ of playing games at your desk every day? The ‘skill’ of taking two-hour lunch breaks and clocking out exactly at five?

“Or maybe the ‘skill’ of spending an entire day typing only the words ‘Project Plan’ into an empty PowerPoint?”

I wasn’t speaking fast, but every word hit hard enough to make her flinch.

She opened her mouth but nothing came out. Then she shot a desperate look toward Cody.

His face showed that classic can’t-believe-how-useless-you-are expression. Then he turned to me, his voice dropping low.

“Phoebe! Watch your mouth. This is a company, not a fish market. You don’t get to yell and scream here.

“And don’t think that just because you brought in a few projects in the past you can do whatever you want. Survival of the fittest. If someone better replaces you, accept it. Don’t make a scene!”

Everyone turned to look at me, all waiting to watch me embarrass myself over that 70,000 dollars bonus.

Seventy thousand?

I wouldn’t even care if it were five million.

What I wanted wasn’t money. I wanted fairness.

I didn’t explode. I didn’t argue. I just let out a cold, sarcastic laugh.

“Fine. I accept it. A sales champion should indeed belong to someone more ‘competent.’”

The moment I sat back down at my desk, HR sent out two notifications.

[Employee Phoebe Tuffield used company funds for extravagant meals, severely violating company regulations. Effective immediately, Ms. Tuffield is removed from the Sales Manager position and suspended for reflection.

[Intern Sadie Modie bravely defended the company’s interests and has shown outstanding performance during her internship, creating huge profit for the company. Effective immediately, she is promoted to full-time and appointed as the new Sales Manager, taking over all of Ms. Tuffield’s projects.]

Right after that, Cody tagged me in the group chat.

[@Phoebe—wasteful and undisciplined. This month’s bonus will be deducted. Handwrite a 10,000‑word reflection and post it here for everyone to learn from.]

Humiliating.

They stripped me of the sales title, took my bonus, turned me into the company’s cautionary tale, and put me on display like a sacrificial lamb—using my “failure” to boost their authority.

The group chat instantly went silent. Even the entire office felt frozen.

People were sneaking glances at me—some sympathetic, some angry on my behalf, some just enjoying the drama.

The message stayed pinned at the top, unmoving, like they were all waiting for me to lower myself in shame and admit fault.

Then Cody tagged me again.

[@Phoebe. Didn’t you see it?]

I still didn’t respond.

The man must have gone insane; he kept tagging me over and over.

Then Meg sent me a private message.

[Phoebe, stop being stubborn. Just give in a little. Your work is more important.]

I looked at Meg and forced a smile, the kind that squeezes tears out of your eyes.

My stiff fingers tapped on my phone as I typed back, my hands shaking.

[Got it, sir. I’ll remember this lesson. I swear I’ll never order a five-dollar dish again and “waste company resources.” Next company dinner, I’ll just drink water and not touch a single dish.]

A message that looked like an apology dropped into the group chat like water into a pot of hot oil.

On the surface, it sounded obedient, but underneath, it was loud and clear: an employee completely disappointed in her company.

Right after sending it, I logged out of every company system.

Then I seriously “reflected on my misconduct,” just like they wanted.

Cody, who loved saying “if you’re not in that position, don’t try to do that work,” shoved me to a desk next to the restroom.

Every day, I had to endure coworkers walking past—some looking down on me, others pitying me.

Meanwhile, Sadie smugly took over my workstation and started bossing the whole department around.

But my role? Not so easy to fill.

Every project had been handled personally by me—from design to production. I knew every detail.

But Sadie? She didn’t know a single thing. After just a few days, more than a dozen clients filed complaints, demanding that I take over again, or else they’d cancel their contracts.

The company was about to take a huge financial hit.

Finally, Cody couldn’t stomach it anymore. He lowered himself and walked to my sad little desk.

“Phoebe, these projects were originally yours. There are some technical issues now. Go coordinate and get the clients satisfied.”

I lazily looked up at him, acting confused.

“Sir, did you come to the wrong person? I’m still suspended, remember?”

He paused for a second, his voice going stiff.

“Even if you’re suspended, you still have to work. It’s company policy. You’re responsible for your own projects.”

I spread my hands.

“But I already logged out of everything. I can’t access any of the files.”

His expression froze, his eyes filled with suppressed anger.

“Suspension isn’t termination! Why’d you log out? Re‑apply for access right now.”

I calmly looked at him.

“You’re the one who said ‘if you’re not in the position, don’t do the job.’ I’m just following orders, sir.”

His face twitched, but he held his temper.

“Fine. Your suspension is lifted. Contact the clients immediately and make sure they don’t pull out.”

I smiled.

“Sir, shouldn’t you be asking your top sales performer for help? I’m just a girl who ‘uses her looks’ to get results, remember? I don’t have that kind of skill.”

His face turned the color of liver—dark, angry, ugly.

“Phoebe, coworkers joke around. You actually took that seriously?”

I kept smiling, but the smile had shards of ice in it.

“So when my Sales Champion title was revoked and I lost a 70,000‑dollars bonus—that was a joke, too?

“And me ordering a five-dollar dish being labeled as ‘extravagant waste’—also a joke?”

Each word hit him like a slap.

His face went red, then white, then a sickly bluish-purple.

He stayed silent. I knew he was wrestling with himself. Admitting he’d messed up just didn’t fit a big boss like him.

Just then, Sadie came running over, excited.

“Sir! CipherLux Innovations agreed to invest!”

Cody instantly lit up, smiling like he’d already won.

“Great! Ah, Sadie, you’re the company’s lucky star! With their company backing us, clients will be begging to cooperate!”

Then he shot me a vicious glare.

“Ms. Tuffield, you’re fired. Go process your termination right now.”

I nodded calmly.

“Sure. I’ll need the company to pay the required compensation.”

He exploded.

“Compensation? After the damage you caused? Just wait—our legal department will sue you!”

Sadie shot me a hateful look.

“Bitch, I’ll make sure the whole industry blacklists you.”