Andrea Reeves, the new hire in finance, is all looks and no brains.

On payday, she mistypes my wages in the payroll system, sending only one cent to my account. Because of that, my payment fails when I try to buy Mom's life-saving medication, and she dies full of regret.

Before I can confront Andrea, she bursts into tears, smudging her mascara and makeup.

"Ms. Walton, I'm so sorry. I accidentally sent your pay to the janitor you fired. The one who's a single mom. Can't you just think of her as your other mom?"

Norman Halt, the finance director—and my husband—immediately shields her behind him. "Don't blame Andrea. If you didn't have enough money saved up, why are you pretending to be the dutiful daughter now?"

I nearly faint from crying so hard.

Wracked with guilt, Andrea shows up at the funeral with an entire marching band in tow. The mourning hall turns festive and lively, leaving my family and friends stunned.

I lose it and yell at her to leave, but she looks completely hurt. "It's already so tragic that she dies from an illness. I just want to give her a joyful send-off!"

Furious, the asthma I've managed for years flares so abruptly that my hands shake as I take out my inhaler.

She slaps it away and screams, "How could you use such illegal substances? That's against the law!"

Blue-lipped and gasping, I crumple to the ground.

In my final moments, I hear Andrea's tearful voice. "This is all my fault. I'm an idiot… I didn't realize it's just medicine…"

Norman covers for her. "It's not your fault. Spread the word that Ms. Walton died of grief over her mother's passing."

That night, my body is cremated. My death goes silent and unnoticed.

When I open my eyes again, it's payday all over again.

There was one minute left before Mom's lifesaving medication went out of stock.

With no time to think, I switched the payment card on my account and clicked on the purchase button. A soft ping confirmed the payment.

Mom's life was saved.

With tears welling up in my eyes, I scanned the room and tried to comprehend that I'd truly been reborn.

As I took a deep breath, a surge of anger and sorrow washed over me. The despicable Andrea Reeves and Norman Halt killed me once, and I'll make them pay for it.

A moment later, Andrea stepped into the office and stood before me. She lowered her head timidly. "I'm so sorry, Ms. Walton. I was clumsy and accidentally sent your pay to Margaret.

"She's a single mom. If you take the money back, she’ll be devastated. Please don't try to get the money back, okay?"

She innocently clung to my sleeve and tugged pleadingly. But I let out a short, mocking laugh and shoved her away.

"Let's get something straight. Margaret Vance and I are both victims here. You're the one who should take responsibility. Fix this right now, or I'll report this to upper management."

Last month, I had closed a major deal and earned a commission of at least 100 thousand dollars.

Colors drained from Andrea's face. When I pulled out my phone, she immediately lunged forward and tried to snatch it.

"You already make so much each month, Ms. Walton. Can't you just be generous for once?"

I had earned every dollar of my salary by working myself to the bone, just so I could keep Mom alive. The thought of it made my blood boil with hatred for Andrea.

Without hesitation, I shoved her away. I barely used any force, but she let out a dramatic scream.

"Andrea! What happened?" Norman rushed into the room.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Halt. I'm so clumsy that I upset Ms. Walton." Andrea sobbed.

Norman's expression turned icy. His glare locked on me. "Are you proud of bullying a young woman, Heather Walton? Are you really that desperate for money? It's just 100 thousand dollars. Fine! I'll give it to you!"

When my phone chimed with a notification from the bank, my heart felt as if it was being clenched tightly.

When Mom was rushed into the ER and urgently needed money for her treatment, Norman insisted we split the bills until we married. Now, he didn't even bat an eye before wiring money to cover Andrea's mistake.

"You have your money now," he said. "And since you scared Andrea, apologize."

My head snapped up in disbelief. "What did you just say?"

His tone hardened. "You pushed her. Shouldn't you apologize?"

Andrea tugged on his sleeve and muttered, "It's fine, Mr. Halt. I was clumsy, so I don't hold grudges even if I get bullied."

To our surprise, Norman stepped forward, gripped the back of my neck, and forced my head down. Rage burned through me at the humiliation.

Summoning the strength I didn't know I had in me, I broke free and slapped him hard. "Do you want to lose your position as the finance director, Norman?"

Before he could respond, Andrea threw her arms around him and screamed, "Ms. Walton slapped Mr. Halt! Someone help!"

I sneered. "Yes, I slapped him. Go ahead and call the cops. Since you two treat payroll like a joke, they can settle this for us."

Andrea's screams came to an abrupt halt, and she looked away, guilt in her eyes.

Perhaps my expression was terrifyingly stern because Norman lowered his voice and hissed, "You know that Andrea's always been a bit slow. Mistakes happen, so let's not disrupt the other employees and talk about this later."

He wasn't like this when he forced me to apologize earlier.

I watched Andrea shrink behind Norman and smiled. "Right, but the company doesn't pay idiots or ungrateful traitors who steal from their own team."

The moment the words left my mouth, Norman's face flushed an ugly red. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

For a second, he looked embarrassed before quickly slipping into his usual superior tone. "Heather, I recall you have the next quarter's partnership negotiation with Vantage Corporation coming up. And it's supposed to be discussed over dinner.

"You should give rookies like Andrea more chances to learn. That's how you can train them to avoid mistakes."

I raised an eyebrow and replied, "Sure, but let me make this clear—you're responsible for whatever happens."

He seemed delighted to see me agree so readily, while Andrea practically bounced into his arms in excitement.

"Thank you for trusting me, Mr. Halt. Good thing I don't work under Ms. Walton, or I'd never get a chance to grow."

"Don't mind her," he said. "I see real potential in you, Andrea, so go ahead and handle it as you see fit."

Andrea's snide comments could barely affect me. I gave a cold laugh and shut the door in their faces.

Vantage Corporation was currently the company's largest channel partner. If the partnership fell through, our entire core business would take the hit.

I decided to grant Norman his wish since he had so much faith in Andrea's capabilities. Without me around, I was looking forward to seeing who would clean up the mess she left behind.

However, I'd clearly underestimated her level of incompetence. Andrea had booked the meeting at an incredibly remote farmhouse deep in the mountains. It was inaccessible by any vehicles.

Under the scorching 104-degree Fahrenheit sun, a group of middle-aged executives from Vantage Corporation climbed uphill. The trek nearly took their lives.

Meanwhile, Andrea held a mini fan in her hand. Totally clueless, she spun around, pointed at Frank Townsend—one of the executives—and chirped, "Looks like you've got three spare tires around your waist, mister. You should work out.

"But don't thank me; thank Ms. Walton. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have picked such a great spot."

Frank's expression darkened completely. He remained silent for the rest of the climb.

Dinner was an eye-opening experience for me.

For a business negotiation, Andrea hadn't prepared a single bottle of wine. She had stocked the table with orange juice, sparkling drinks, craft soda… There wasn't even any proper food.

Everyone sat in awkward silence. Even Norman lost his patience and angrily hissed, "What are you doing, Andrea? This is a business meeting, not a picnic!"

Her eyes instantly welled up with tears. She lowered her head and looked at me accusingly. "This is Ms. Walton's deal. She didn't teach me anything, so how would I know what to do?"

Everything suddenly clicked.

Andrea wasn't genuinely slow-witted. She was simply jealous of the high bonus I'd earned last month and wanted to pin the blame on me.

I kept my head down and ate quietly. I had no intention to step in.

Moments later, Frank slammed his fork on the table and glared at me. "Ms. Walton, if it wasn't out of respect for you, Vantage Corporation would've chosen a better partner this quarter."

Before I could respond, Norman shot to his feet, sweating profusely in panic. "Please don't get upset, Mr. Townsend. This is all—"

"Is what?" Frank snapped. "We've known Ms. Walton for years. Your company was never this ridiculous!"

With that, Frank led Vantage Corporation down the mountain without looking back. Norman was left frozen in place.

"I cost you the deal, Ms. Walton," Andrea said, sniffling beside him. "You won't blame me, will you?"

"Shut up!" Norman barked at her, finally losing his temper.

She cried even harder.

…

All three of us were summoned into the office. A senior executive, Robin Tanner, waited inside with a grim expression.

Of course, Norman immediately threw me under the bus. "You knew Andrea had no experience, yet you just watched her mess things up. Did you do that on purpose, Heather?"

"I made it clear that you're responsible for whatever happens, Mr. Halt," I replied evenly. "You insisted on giving the rookie the chance to learn, and I did exactly that. Aren't you satisfied with the result of her growth?"

Norman's lips trembled with anger. "You're twisting the truth!"

Robin's gaze shifted between us before the blame landed perfectly on me. "You're the sales manager, Heather. I'm disappointed that you watched a client walk out without stepping in. Your bonus for this quarter is canceled. Reflect on what you've done!"

Again, I was always the one held accountable, regardless of the truth. Andrea's mistakes were overlooked, and Norman's poor judgment was just a minor slip. Meanwhile, my pay kept shrinking, even though I'd been delivering better results for years.

My heart sank. Whatever hope I'd held for this company finally died.

I said nothing and simply nodded. "I understand, Mr. Tanner."

When I stepped out of the office, I took a deep breath and made a call. "Hello, this is Heather Walton. I'd like to talk when you have time."

I stopped paying attention to anyone else.

Words spread that Andrea kept messing up one task after another. It earned her the company-wide nickname "Pretty Airhead".

I went about my work as usual until I noticed that last month's reimbursements still hadn't been processed. With the money I'd set aside for Mom's hospital bills almost gone, I went to Andrea.

In front of all our colleagues, she blinked innocently at me and confusedly asked, "Ms. Walton, are you sure you gave me those receipts? Or are you trying to use reimbursement to pad your paycheck? That's not allowed. Even if you're a manager, I can't bend the rules, alright?"

My expression hardened. With one swift kick, I sent Andrea's office chair flying.

After what'd happened in my previous life, did she really think I'd fall for the same trick twice?

She screamed and fell to the floor. The trash bin beneath her desk tipped over, spilling shredded receipts everywhere.

I grabbed a handful and read them out loud, "Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Lloyd, Mr. Welch… So this is where all your receipts ended up. No wonder last month's reimbursements never arrived."

The office erupted in shock. With money involved, no one was letting this slide.

Easton Lloyd's expression darkened. "If she can't even handle basic accounting, what is the point of keeping her?"

Andrea stayed on the floor, wiping her tears. She was too afraid to speak. In the end, Norman had to reimburse the entire department out of his own pocket just to calm everyone down.

Shortly after, Andrea mistakenly sent the company's financial report to every supplier I worked with. With our numbers exposed, they immediately demanded a full price increase.

The whole company was thrown into chaos, scrambling to deal with the fallout.

"Norman!" Robin roared, furious. The entire office could hear him. "If Andrea screws up again, you're both fired!"

After Norman emerged, looking utterly defeated, he automatically turned to me to fix the problem. "Find new suppliers, Heather. Prices have to be lower than what we have now."

The entitlement in his voice left me feeling utterly ridiculous. I'd drunk until my stomach lining bled to negotiate those prices. Andrea's jealousy wrecked the company's operations, so why was I the one expected to clean up the mess?

I gave a cold snort and pulled out the divorce papers. "If you want me to clean this up, sign these papers first."

Norman froze in shock. A flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes before he gritted his teeth, picked up a pen, and signed his name.

The sound of the pen scratching across the paper was painfully sharp.

I'd braced myself to feel sad, but whatever love I had for him had died with me in my previous life.

For once, I left work early and made plans with friends to celebrate. Strangely, Andrea, who usually left exactly on time, knocked on my office door.

"Yes?"

"What's your phone number, Ms. Walton? Let's exchange contacts so we can communicate better for work," she said, smiling sweetly. However, I caught a hint of cold calculation in her eyes.

I pretended not to notice. "Just send me a message through the company system for work matters."

"You said it yourself, Ms. Walton."

She sounded oddly excited, but I just nodded and left.

That night, I returned home slightly tipsy when police sirens suddenly blared outside my building. Before I could react, a group of officers surrounded me and escorted me back to the office.

Only after we arrived did I learn what'd happened.

Without prior approval, Andrea had wired several million dollars to an unverified account in the middle of the night.

Robin nearly had a heart attack after learning about it and called the police immediately.

When I was led in, Andrea pointed at me and burst into tears. "Ms. Walton told me that it was the new supplier's account and wanted me to process the payment right away. She even sent me a message through the company's internal system.

"I may be clumsy and slow, but I wouldn't dare wire such a huge sum on my own."

A police officer turned to me with a serious expression. "Ms. Walton, our internal logs show that you verified the recipient's account details for Andrea and urged her to send the payment."

My expression fell, but when I noticed the smug, triumphant looks on Norman and Andrea's faces, I suddenly smiled.

Calmly, I announced in a clear, steady voice, "That message was sent at 11:00 pm last night, but…"

I paused, looking straight at Norman. "I submitted my resignation yesterday afternoon and have since exited all the company's internal group chats and work platforms.

"So tell me… Who exactly sent that message?"