As soon as the words left her mouth, everyone burst into laughter.

The drunken male intern slapped my shoulder excitedly.

“You’re a true gentleman, Mr. Stone! A thousand gold pieces for a smile from the beauty!”

“Everyone, go wild! Pick the most expensive items! The manager is picking up the tab!”

My rage boiled over.

Without a word, I watched the group laugh wildly as they left, silently settling the bill.

“Issue invoices for all expenses. Print itemized receipts stamped with the hotel’s official seal.”

The waiter looked taken aback by my request.

However, he complied nonetheless.

The vacation ended early.

Back at the office, my first course of action was to tag every team-building participant in the company-wide group chat.

[Following internal review, this Baline trip cannot be considered legitimate team building. All incurred expenses must be covered by the employees themselves.

[The company advanced $700,000. After splitting the costs, each person owes $100,000. Please remit the funds to the company’s finance account before the end of the workday.

[The detailed expense list has been uploaded to the group album. Please verify.]

The group instantly erupted.

The interns, who had been basking in the glow of their dream trip and feeling like they had scored a huge bargain, were suddenly jolted back to reality.

[Mr. Stone, why do you need to take it this far?

[You’re not exactly strapped for cash. It’s just money that is going to be spent anyway. What’s wrong with sharing a little with us?]

Lilith was stirring up trouble in the group again.

This time, I did not let her get away with it. I fired back immediately.

[Are you a professional beggar? Why should I spend money on someone I don’t even know?

[This is a workplace, not a charity gala. I have no obligation to support anyone.

[You can stubbornly refuse to pay, but when the time comes, the legal department will start a case to recover it.]

Lilith was speechless.

She promptly posted a tearful status update.

[That nitpicky jerk can go to hell! He failed to sleep with me, and now, he’s demanding a refund? That’s $100,000. He’s got some nerve to demand that much!]

Her teammates silently liked the post.

As I surveyed the flood of vulgar comments, I sneered coldly.

I felt they should brace themselves for the storm.

The entire intern team went on strike.

Influenced by Lilith, they believed that there was safety in numbers.

If they forced me to compromise, none of them would have to pay the huge sum.

At the morning meeting on Monday, I waited for three hours.

After sending countless meeting reminders, I finally managed to gather everyone.

Lilith was the last to arrive.

She crossed her legs and applied makeup throughout with her earbuds in. She was utterly dismissive of my presence.

“Lilith, why hasn’t the merger case I assigned you last week been submitted?”

She clicked her tongue, jabbing her leg against the table.

“Mr. Stone, I have depression. I can’t handle stress.

“My condition was stable until yesterday. Something awful happened. I couldn’t sleep, let alone work.

“The capable should shoulder more. You’re talented. Handling a little bit of extra work is no big deal.”

“Exactly! We Gen Zers entered the workforce to be treated like royalty, not to slave ourselves to death for capitalists!

“You’re just a mere manager, yet you think you’re so important? Fire us all if you dare!”

Countless scornful glances landed on me.

I laughed bitterly.

These people surely did not think that I was begging them to come to work, did they?

I turned my gaze to another intern and said calmly, “Jack Smith, where’s your analysis report? You haven’t done it either?”

The guy I called out pouted defiantly. He unlocked his phone and began to binge-watch short videos.

“Mr. Stone, just give it up. Ms. Woods made it clear. We won’t resume work until you hand over the money and kneel to apologize.”

After surveying the room, I saw that they were determined to defy me.

I gave up pressing the issue. Instead, I retrieved the conference room surveillance footage and sent it to HR.

[Interns engaged in passive resistance, arriving late and leaving early, severely violating organizational discipline.

[Multiple warnings proved ineffective. I demand the dismissal of certain interns to serve as a deterrent.]

The morning meeting ended in dead silence.

With work piling up, I stayed late at the office for several days.

I also deducted all performance bonuses for the interns that month.

They despised me. They banded together and rallied around Lilith, calling her their savior.

When I was leaving work at dawn, I passed the stairwell.

I heard a familiar voice.

“Lucian Stone is a jerk. You should’ve seen the way he looked at me, all lecherous, like he wanted to devour me whole!

“I was willing to tolerate him just because he’s rich, but who knew he’d be so cheap? He wants me to pay the entire $100,000!

“Choosing Baline for the team-building retreat was just so he could go on a honeymoon with me! When his demands for intimacy failed, he tried to push me to the edge. Why doesn’t he just die?!”

With tears in her eyes, Lilith played the victim and aired her grievances on a livestream.

I remained calm and stared at her for a long moment.

Then, I spoke up.

“Lilith, spreading rumors can land you in jail. Guess what? I have video evidence.”

She froze. Guilt flashed in her eyes before she straightened her back.

“What did I falsely accuse you of? Isn’t that just who you are?”

She declared with righteous indignation, “No woman would risk her reputation for this. If I expose your backroom deals, your hard-earned career is finished!”

“Is that so?” I sneered. “Slander away. I have ways to clear my name. But what about you? The finance department has emailed multiple times demanding payment. Can you even repay that $100,000?”

The words hit home.

Lilith trembled with rage, and her face turned ashen.

Suddenly, she raised her phone, zoomed in with the camera, and filmed my face.

“Girls, look at this! The boomer is shamelessly using his power to blackmail me into being his mistress!

“I resisted fiercely and refused to give in. Now, he’s firing me and ruining my reputation!”

The livestream exploded with traffic as countless viewers flooded in, unleashing a torrent of abuse at me with their keyboards.

[Don’t worry, Lilith! I’m going to take him down right now!]

[Stay away from her, you creep!]

[What company let this disgrace happen? A man of such low character has no place in leadership!]

As the comments flooded the screen, I did not hide. I looked straight into the camera and smiled.

“We know in our hearts what’s right and wrong. I did nothing wrong.

“Bring on your dirty tricks. I hope you can keep talking tough when we meet in court.”

Lilith’s face flushed crimson, but I ignored her. I grabbed my phone and turned to leave.

“The evidence is in your email. I’m suing Lilith for defamation and spreading rumors. No mediation.”

My lawyer took the order and quickly drafted the complaint.

The next morning, the department remained thick with tension.

Interns shot me sideways glances, covering their mouths to stifle giggles as they whispered.

As I stepped into the elevator, several people deliberately shoved my shoulders, nearly sending me tumbling headfirst.

Just as my frustration boiled over, my phone buzzed.

A transfer of $100,000 had arrived.

The sender was Jack Smith.

[Sorry, Mr. Stone. I know I was wrong.

[I never meant to humiliate you, nor did I want to lose my job. Lilith forced me into it. She has powerful connections, and I dared not cross her.]

After a long silence, I returned half the money to him.

[I’ll take it as your school fee. Forget the rest. Let things take their course.]

Lilith proved far more vicious than I had imagined.

In the dead of night, I was jolted awake by the vice president’s call.

“Lucian, you’re trending! Lilith made a hundred-page presentation accusing you of misconduct. If we don’t handle this, you’ll be blacklisted from the industry!”

Cold sweat soaked my back.

Before I could even click on the trending topic, an email arrived from our partner company.

[You and your company are embroiled in a scandalous affair. The public backlash is severe. We have no choice but to terminate the contract. Compensation will be borne by your office.]

This was a project I had spent five years developing. It was worth hundreds of millions in profits.

At the final hurdle, the opportunity vanished in an instant.

As I clicked through the posts, my heart sank deeper with each revelation. Rage surged through me like a tidal wave.

Lilith was a master manipulator of public opinion. A few stolen chat screenshots and photos were all it took to twist truth into lies, as she nailed me to the pillar of shame.

[Breaking news! Fortune 500 Marketing Manager Lucian Stone Lusts After Attractive Female Subordinate, Tries to Seduce the Younger Woman but Fails, Then Resorts to Blackmail!]

Lilith wept before the camera.

In her narrative, she portrayed herself as an innocent, naive college graduate.

As a freshie in the workplace, she claimed she received repeated verbal harassment from her superior, who used threats and inducements to coerce her into submission.

She selectively edited the chat logs, omitting crucial context.

I asked her where the documents were and told her to bring them to the office.

Then, I asked if she had booked the hotel yet. I needed to travel for work.

She pieced the screenshots together to make a full conversation.

[Booked the hotel yet?]

[No.]

[Come to the office now.]

With just a few words, I became a crazed monster who could not even keep his hands to himself at work.

The real smoking gun was the surveillance footage Lilith released.

Her worn stockings were found in my office.

“Lucian Stone forced me! He’s a pervert who gropes me every day!”

Lilith looked utterly wronged. She lied without a hint of shame.

“He said I looked good in form-fitting skirts and stockings. He forced me to wear revealing clothes. The slightest refusal earned me verbal abuse!”

Public outrage erupted instantly.

Tens of thousands of comments flooded the forums, all condemning me.

[That old geezer has lost his mind. Her brain’s gone haywire!]

[How did he even become a manager? This needs a thorough investigation!]

My blood ran cold.

At Lilith’s behest, my entire family background was exposed.

My mother was attacked while grocery shopping and remained unconscious in the hospital.

My father-in-law suffered a heart attack from the shock and called to rage at me.

“Lucian Stone, my daughter is my princess! She won’t tolerate this humiliation!

“If you’re cheating on her, prepare to lose your family and be stripped of everything!”

Struck dumb, I tried to explain. Then, I received messages from colleagues severing ties.

Even high school friends came asking if I had lost my integrity or if that female intern had truly seduced me.

I learned what it meant to be utterly defenseless.

When I stormed into the company, Lilith was already waiting.

Surrounded by the group of interns, she looked at me with haughty disdain.

“Thank me, Mr. Stone. This is the most glorious day of your life.”

She flashed a taunting smile with her arms crossed. She was perfectly composed.

“I’ll give you one last chance. Pay $700,000, hire a lawyer to drop the charges, resign in disgrace, post a public apology video admitting your repeated harassment of me, and compensate me $5,000,000 for emotional distress.

“Once you complete all of these requests, I’ll delete the post and reluctantly settle this peacefully with you.

“Fail to do so, and you’d better prepare to perish!”

Lilith burst into laughter.

I clenched my fists and uttered only one phrase.

“Get lost!”

The laughter abruptly ceased. I shut the office door while ignoring the furious shouts outside.

The evidence had been prepared long ago.

I had official invoices stamped with the company seal, surveillance footage of the interns violating labor laws, videos of Lilith spreading rumors during her livestreams, and recordings of her publicly blackmailing me.

“Police? I’m reporting this. Someone is orchestrating a cyberbullying campaign to try to ruin my reputation.”

After calling the police, Jack, who had been waiting patiently, slipped inside.

“Lilith embezzled company funds and accepted bribes. That Baline boutique hotel was under her father.”

I laid out the evidence my lawyer had uncovered before Jack.

Years ago, Lilith had already been exploiting her position to funnel customers to the hotel. Through inducing excessive spending, she earned hefty rebates.

“Embezzlement is a criminal offense. The company won’t cover for her. $700,000 isn’t a small sum. If we dig deep enough, you’ll go to jail too. Jail time or getting your internship converted to full-time? It’s your choice.”

Jack’s face went pale, and his muscles twitched.

He gasped and opened an encrypted video.

“I secretly recorded this. I meant to keep it as a keepsake.”

Lilith’s sickly-sweet voice echoed through the screen.

“Folks, don’t hold back. Go for the priciest options!

“I upgraded your hotel rooms. Since you’re traveling abroad, you deserve the presidential suite!

“Going over budget? No big deal. Lucian has us covered. He wants me, so he should cough up more money, right?

“Men are all the same. The more you push them, the more obedient they get. He’s such a fake prude. It’s just a deeper level of communication, so what’s there to run from?”

The recording ended, and I smirked.

Lilith’s time was finally up!