My colleague, Nora Lewis, suddenly leaned over at the company annual dinner.

“You managed to land such a tough project with Sanscape Group. Tell me, how many people did you sleep with to pull that off?

“I’ve heard for ages that you’ve got a great body and that you’re quite the player. You really live up to the rumors!”

Right after, she pretended to have misspoken and quickly covered her mouth.

The dinner table, which had been bustling just moments ago, fell silent.

Everyone exchanged meaningful glances before pricking up their ears in perfect unison. Then, they lowered their heads to play with their phones.

I looked at her calmly and asked in return, “Does closing a business deal require sleeping with someone? I’ve been working for so long, and I never knew that. You must be quite the expert, Ms. Lewis?”

Also, how come I’ve never heard that my dad’s company requires sleeping with someone to secure a project?

The banquet hall sparkled with festive lights at the end of the year. Crystal chandeliers cast a warm, golden glow that made the table full of delicacies look even more tempting.

The company’s annual dinner was in full swing. After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere grew even more lively.

I had just set down my glass when Mr. Watson, the marketing department’s director, walked over with a drink in hand and patted me on the shoulder.

“Maya Sweeney, you’ve really done the company a huge favor this year! So many companies were fighting tooth and nail to land that Sanscape Group project. Yet, you managed to crack that tough nut. You’re a force to be reckoned with!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than leaders from several other departments chimed in, “That’s right, Maya. I heard that the project had been pending for nearly half a year without a deal, but you pulled it off! You’re amazing!”

“The young ones like you really have that drive and know how to get things done. You’ll have to mentor the new hires next year.”

The barrage of praises made me feel a bit embarrassed, and my cheeks grew slightly warm.

Colleagues gathered around me, and their eyes brimmed with admiration.

“Maya, you’re amazing! You’re definitely going to be this year’s top salesperson!”

“Come on, share your secrets with us. How did you close that deal?”

“Exactly! Maya, how did you manage to land that project?”

Everyone chimed in, and their enthusiasm made it hard for me to ignore them.

I smiled and raised my hand. Just as I was about to share some insights, a slightly sharp voice suddenly rang out from behind me. “Maya, it’s amazing you managed to close such a tough deal with Sanscape Group.”

I turned around to see my colleague, Nora Lewis, walking slowly toward me with a glass of red wine in her hand.

She was a long-time employee at the company and Mr. Watson’s mistress. I never really had much to do with her.

Nevertheless, I gave her a polite smile and waved my hand.

“It was just luck. It wasn’t really that hard.”

Before I could continue, Nora slowly grinned. “I’ve heard that Sanscape Group is notoriously difficult to deal with, and their boss is especially hard to sway. Tell me, how many executives did you sleep with to land that project?”

The moment those words left her mouth, the previously lively atmosphere froze, and the laughter around us died.

The expressions of my colleagues all changed.

A few male colleagues even instinctively looked me up and down. Their stares made me feel incredibly uncomfortable.

After that, Nora suddenly covered her hand over her mouth and appeared as if she had misspoken.

“Oh, my! Did I say something wrong? Maya, please don’t take it to heart.”

I stood there dumbfounded for a few seconds before instinctively asking her, “Do you have to sleep with someone to close a business deal? I’ve been working for so long, and I never knew that. Are you well-versed in these ways, Nora?”

Nora immediately pretended to be hurt and apologized, “I’m sorry, Maya. I just spoke too hastily. I’m a straightforward person, and I say what’s on my mind. Please don’t be upset.”

However, with Nora having gone this far, everyone’s gaze toward me had changed.

“I never thought Maya was such a person.”

“Yeah, I even asked her how she landed that project. I could never pull off something like that.”

“No wonder she’s out on field assignments every day. Who knows where she goes?”

I was so angry that my face turned red. Just as I was about to say something, Mr. Watson stepped in. “Maya, I don’t care what tactics you used to land the project, but Nora is your team leader. The way you spoke to her earlier was extremely disrespectful. Apologize to her right now!”

My expression darkened.

“I’ve secured all my projects through fair means. If you don’t believe me, feel free to look into it. But there’s no way I’m apologizing to Nora!”

After that, I turned to look at Nora as I seethed with anger.

She had always used her position as manager to lord it over everyone in the office.

I never expected her to set her sights on me this time.

“Nora, you’d better think this through. Based on what you just said, I could easily sue you for defamation!”

To my surprise, Nora looked incredibly aggrieved upon hearing this.

“Maya, I really didn’t mean it. I just spoke offhandedly. How could you accuse me of spreading rumors?

“I was just trying to help you avoid going down the wrong path. I didn’t expect you to get so upset.”

I could not hold back any longer.

“Nora, I’ve done nothing to you. What good does it do you to slander me?”

Nora stammered, and she was unable to speak. The next second, tears streamed down her face.

“I’m just straightforward. I just say what’s on my mind. I didn’t think you...”

Mr. Watson immediately pulled her into his arms to comfort her.

“Maya, will you ever stop? If you never did anything wrong, why would Nora slander you instead of someone else?”

Our colleagues chimed in one after another, “Exactly! If you don’t want people to know, don’t do it in the first place!”

“Right! If you really didn’t do it, why would Nora pick on you for no reason?”

“I bet Maya really is hooking up with some high-ranking executive over at Sanscape Group!”

I scanned the room, and my gaze finally settled on Nora.

“Nora, you can sleep around all you want, but you can’t make stuff up! You keep saying I climbed the corporate ladder through backdoor deals. Do you have any proof? If you can’t produce evidence, I’m suing you for defamation right now!”

A flicker of panic crossed Nora’s eyes, but in the next second, she seemed to remember something.

She pulled a photo out of her album and sighed. “I didn’t want to bring this up. But since you mentioned it… Look, a colleague from the marketing department sent this to me and told me not to share it with anyone else!”

It was just a screenshot of an ordinary chat log. It did not even show the avatars of the people involved.

So, I naturally asked, “What’s wrong with this screenshot?

“Besides, there isn’t even a profile picture in this screenshot. You claim it’s a chat log between me and the head of Sanscape Group, but I could just as easily say it’s a chat log between you and Mr. Watson!”

I stared at Nora, and sure enough, I saw a flicker of guilt in her eyes.

However, she stubbornly refused to admit it.

She put on that aggrieved expression again. Her voice choked with emotion as she spoke. “Maya, even if you don’t want to admit it, you can’t slander me! You’re my subordinate. Why would I go out of my way to spread rumors about you?

“If I’d known, I wouldn’t have said anything. I was worried you’d go down the wrong path and that it would damage the company’s reputation. I never expected it to upset you and ruin everyone’s mood for the dinner... It’s all my fault. I’m just too clumsy with words.”

Nora spoke with such sincerity, but her colleagues acted as if there was irrefutable evidence. They all joined in to accuse me, “We have proof now. How do you plan to wriggle out of this?”

“No wonder the previous managers couldn’t handle this. They had to go to such lengths. I’ve really learned something new...”

“Ms. Lewis meant well. How could you blame her?”

“Maya, since Ms. Lewis has spoken up, just apologize. Then, this will all be over.”

“Ms. Lewis was only looking out for the company, yet you’re accusing her like this. It’s really unfair to her!”

Hearing these words that did not distinguish right from wrong, I was so furious that I was trembling all over.

I glared intently at Nora’s hypocritical expression.

“Nora, you keep claiming this is an internal message sent by a colleague in the marketing department. Well, do you dare pull up the full chat log? Do you dare reveal which colleague sent you the message? This screenshot is blurry. What proof does it offer? You deliberately took a snippet to mislead everyone. Aren’t you just trying to ruin my reputation?!”

I paused and swept my gaze over my colleagues who were blindly following the crowd.

“And you lot, you haven’t even seen the full evidence. Yet, you’re casually accusing someone based on a single blurry, doctored screenshot. You’re trying to dismiss all of my hard work based on one screenshot?!”

Mr. Watson’s expression was ashen as he stepped forward to stand in front of Nora. Pointing at me, he shouted angrily, “Maya, you’ve gone too far! Nora kindly warned you and even presented evidence. But instead of admitting your mistake, you’re here making a scene and slandering your colleague! Apologize to Nora right now, or else, this won’t end here!”

Hearing this, I could not help but let out a cold laugh.

“Based on a blurry screenshot with no context whatsoever, she dares to publicly slander me. She claimed I secured the project through underhanded means. You’re taking her side without even trying to figure out what really happened. Your bias is so obvious. Who doesn’t know you two are having an affair?”

“How dare you…? You’re spouting utter nonsense!”

Mr. Watson’s face turned red instantly. He pointed at me for a long moment as he stammered. He was unable to form a coherent sentence.

Our colleagues around us were all stunned. The chorus of voices that had just been backing him up fell silent in an instant.

After a long pause, he roared, “Maya, you’re slandering your superior! I see that you don’t plan on staying at this company anymore!”

Our colleagues exchanged glances and whispered to each other in hushed tones. No one dared to speak up again.

No one had expected that what started as a pleasant annual dinner would escalate to such a tense standoff.

I watched them with a cold smile, and my eyes did not show a trace of fear.

“You know deep down whether I’m slandering you or not.”

Right then, Nora stepped forward with teary eyes. She looked as though she had suffered a great injustice but was putting the greater good first.

“Mr. Watson… it’s okay. Don’t let me cause any trouble for the company, and don’t let this spoil everyone’s mood. I wish I hadn’t brought this up in the first place. It’s all my fault things have turned out this way... Maybe I should just resign, so I don’t cause any more trouble for the company.”

Her words undoubtedly gave Mr. Watson a way out. But they also put me in an even more awkward position.

His expression grew even more grim. His gaze toward me was filled with rage, and his tone was so firm it brooked no argument.

“Maya, Nora has gone this far for you, and you still don’t know your place?! Apologize to Nora and beg for forgiveness right now! Otherwise, I’ll report this to headquarters immediately and have you fired on the spot!”

“That’s right, Maya. It’s your fault to begin with. Ms. Lewis is willing to forgive you. What’s wrong with just relenting and admitting your mistake?”

“You did speak too harshly. Just apologize to Ms. Lewis, and we’ll put this behind us.”

My colleagues chimed in one after another. Their eyes were filled with impatience and reproach as if I were the one to blame.

I stared at them in disbelief.

“Nora spread slanderous rumors about me, but you want me to apologize to her and beg for forgiveness?”

Surrounded by the others, Nora lifted her gaze and shot me a sidelong glance. A barely perceptible smirk played at the corners of her mouth.

Yet, her voice remained soft and gentle as she tried to reason with me, “Maya, I know you didn’t mean it. Just say you’re sorry, and I’ll tell Mr. Watson right away that I won’t press the matter. We can still be good colleagues in the future, okay?”

Hearing this, everyone praised Nora for being reasonable and generous. They all pressured me to admit my mistake.

I looked at Nora’s hypocritical, phony expression and suddenly laughed.

“Apologize and beg for forgiveness? Why don’t I just call Mr. Zachry from Sanscape Group right now? Why don’t I have him come here personally to tell everyone how I, the daughter of Sanscape Group’s CEO, secured this project?”

Then, I took out my phone and called Fievel Zachry right in front of everyone.