To help the company prepare for its IPO, I worked overtime for a full month—sometimes until two or three in the morning, sometimes not going home at all—securing partnerships worth hundreds of millions.

On payday, my boyfriend’s childhood sweetheart walked over and handed me my payslip.

It showed negative 15,000 dollars.

I frowned. “Is this a mistake? How could I owe the company money when I just started?”

Lei smirked. “Lucinda, you’ve been practically living here—keeping the lights and air conditioning on, drinking the company’s mineral water. Someone has to cover the rent, utilities, and the nanny and security guard’s salaries. This is prime real estate. Honestly, 15,000 dollars a month is a bargain.”

I bit back my retort. The contract was more important. I signed it and walked away.

That afternoon, I returned to find a resignation letter sitting on my desk.

I confronted my boyfriend. Samuel Grant only frowned. “Well… isn’t that what you were doing? Taking advantage of the company?”

I turned on my heel and called a rival firm.

“I have a billion-dollar project that could take your company public. Interested?”

——

There was a chuckle on the other end. “Is this April Fools’?”

“I’m serious. If you don’t want it, I’ll give it to someone else.”

Silence. Then Francis Alden’s tone changed. “You’re not joking? What are your terms?”

“Are you still hiring? I just got fired.”

“What?” Francis sounded stunned. “Isn’t Samuel your boyfriend? Is he out of his mind?”

“I worked a month of overtime and they say I owe 15,000 dollars for using the air conditioner and drinking water. I couldn’t pay, so they fired me.”

Francis sighed. “Samuel just fired the company’s Rainmaker. Lucinda, you’re welcome anytime. Report straight to the VP’s office when you come in.”

“I’ll take two weeks off first,” I said.

After I hung up, I began packing my things.

—

A month later, Samuel stormed into my office, face dark. He eyed my cleared desk. “Leaving early? Can you stop throwing my name around as my girlfriend to ignore company rules?”

I laughed, pulling out my resignation letter. “Samuel, do you have Alzheimer’s? You already fired me. And don’t forget—triple severance, or I’ll see you in labor arbitration.”

He slammed the desk. “You know that’s not what I wanted! You disobeyed Lorelei and made her cry. Just apologize and pay the company back.”

I rolled my eyes, picked up my water cup, and splashed it on his face.

“Are you insane? You let Lorelei—who barely graduated elementary school—run the finance department, and now she gives me a payslip saying I owe the company 15,000 dollars after killing myself with overtime. Tell me, Samuel—does that sound remotely sane to you?”

I called the nanny directly, booked a nearby hotel, and stayed there for two days.

When I returned, I changed out everything in the house until it no longer felt filthy.

While packing my things, I noticed several pieces of jewelry missing from my closet. Worse—my mother’s sky-blue jade bracelet was gone. It was the only thing she’d left me, worth over a million dollars, but priceless to me.

Panic shot through me. I tore through every drawer, every box, every corner of the house. Nothing.

I called the nanny—both of them swore they hadn’t seen it.

Then my gaze fell on the teddy bear sitting on my nightstand, facing my wardrobe and jewelry cabinet. I remembered—it had surveillance cameras in its eyes. I’d bought it a week ago for the living room, but since I’d been at the office the whole time, it had stayed by my bed.

I connected my phone to the feed and pulled up the footage.

Sure enough—three days ago, Samuel had brought Lorelei to my house. The moment she was alone, she opened my jewelry cabinet, took my mother’s bracelet, and slipped several other valuable pieces into her bag.

My hands curled into fists so tight my nails dug into my palms.

I stormed straight to the office.

When Samuel saw me, he smirked like I’d come to grovel. “Well, if it isn’t Miss Lucinda Shaw. What brings you back? Our little company’s temple can’t possibly house a deity like you.”

I didn’t answer.

“Since you’re here,” he continued, “you’ll follow the rules from now on. No more making trouble.” He tossed a pile of contracts onto the desk. “Sign all of these within three days.”

I glanced at them and laughed outright. They were all high-profile projects from listed companies—impossible for a small firm like his to secure in three days. I remembered how I’d once stayed up all night, pumped full of coffee, to meet his every ridiculous demand. Now, it all just felt pathetic.

Then Lorelei emerged from his office. I walked straight to her.

“Where are my things? Hand them over.”

She gave me a wide-eyed, innocent look. “Lucinda, what are you talking about?”

Samuel’s brow furrowed. “Lucinda, what’s wrong with you? So what if something of yours ends up with Lorelei?”

I checked my watch. “Not going to hand them over? Then we’ll take this to the police station.”

Right on cue, several officers walked in.

“Ms. Lorelei, you’ve been reported for stealing valuables. Please come with us.”

Her face drained of color.

Samuel quickly stepped in. “Officer, you’ve made a mistake. Lorelei would never steal.”

The lead officer held up his phone and pressed play—footage from my bedroom camera.

“Ms. Lorelei, the evidence is clear. You stole items worth millions. That’s a criminal offense.”

Lorelei’s voice went shrill. “I didn’t steal! She owed the company 15,000 dollars and refused to pay, so I just took some of her things as collateral!”

My lips curled into a cold smile.

The police ignored her excuses and escorted her out.

An hour later, they returned my mother’s bracelet—in shattered pieces.

My vision went red. Rage clawed at my chest, and all I wanted in that moment was to tear Lorelei apart with my bare hands.

Lorelei twirled a strand of hair and said casually,

“Lucinda, your bracelet’s worth maybe twenty or thirty thousand at best. Tell you what—how about I write off the hundred thousand you owe the company, and we call it even?”

Samuel shot me an impatient look.

“Lucinda, let’s just end it here. Lorelei’s being generous. I’ll waive your debt, so stop making trouble.”

My fists clenched so hard they ached. I shot to my feet and kicked Samuel.

A nearby officer stepped in immediately, holding me back, but I couldn’t stop myself from roaring,

“Samuel, you knew this bracelet was the only thing my mother left me, and you let Lorelei take it—destroy it! Is this how you honor the promise I made at my mother’s bedside?”

Samuel’s gaze went icy.

“It’s a dead woman’s belonging. Lorelei’s already doing you a favor not to think it’s bad luck. So what if it broke? I’ll pay you whatever it’s worth.”

I was trembling—not from fear, but from rage. I turned to the police and stated, voice hard as steel,

“I will pursue this to the very end. No withdrawals. No settlements.”

—

Back home, I sat staring at the shattered jade in my hands until the tears came, hot and unrelenting.

When I’d cried myself empty, I picked up my phone.

“Francis, I’ll report to your company tomorrow.”

He sounded surprised, ready to ask questions, but I hung up.

—

The next day, I walked into his office with a stack of contracts.

“These are Samuel’s corporate partners. The CEOs are longtime friends of mine—I spoke to them yesterday. Just have your project department sign them.”

Francis’s eyes widened.

“Lucinda… with this many projects, you’ll bleed Samuel’s company dry. What’s your plan?”

I met his gaze evenly.

“You want Samuel gone, right? Then take them.”

He didn’t hesitate. “What’s there to be afraid of?”

“Good,” I continued. “Samuel’s competing with you for this year’s IPO. In two weeks, the Westhaven bidding project will be critical. I’ll need full cooperation from your project team until then.”

“No problem. Whatever you need, just say it.”

I let the silence stretch before adding,

“One more thing—your company offers free air conditioning for overtime, right?”

Francis blinked, then burst out laughing.

“Free? Not only free—I’ll give you a raise.”

I nodded. “That’ll do.”

—

Two weeks later, at the bidding conference, Samuel spotted me sitting beside Francis and shot to his feet.

“Lucinda, you actually betrayed me for Francis?”

Lorelei’s voice dripped with mockery.

“Lucinda, how could you do something so cruel to Brother Samuel?”

I smiled coldly.

“One more word, and I’ll release the footage of you two in my bedroom.”

Samuel froze, then forced a sneer.

“You’ll regret this. I’m determined to win today’s project.”

I ignored him. Moments later, the results were announced.

“The Westhaven project goes to Grant Corporation for $85.61 million.”

Francis’s expression darkened, and my eyes went wide. Samuel’s bid had beaten ours by only $1,500—clear proof that the base price had been leaked.

Lorelei’s lips curled into a smug smile.

“Thanks for the help, Lucinda.”

Around us, whispers rose. Everyone now believed I was the leak.

The rest of the Alden family erupted.

“I knew this woman was trouble from the start! President Alden, call the police and have her arrested!”

Francis’s gaze found mine.

“Lucinda… did you do this?”

I shook my head. Before I could speak, a police officer walked in.

Francis immediately stepped in front of me, his voice cold as ice.

“Who called the police?”

I stepped out from behind him, meeting Samuel’s and Lorelei’s eyes with a smile.

“I did. I’m reporting Samuel for tax evasion—and for stealing Alden Corporation’s trade secrets.”