On the first day of my position as the branch manager of the branch company, I tell my assistant, Derek Mahoney, to not follow me around, seeing as I want to scope out the actual situation at the company in advance.

After entering an elevator, I notice that a male colleague has his hands full because of a box he's carrying, so I help him jab the button of the floor he wants to visit.

Before I can even retract my arm, the female colleague next to me is quick to slap my hand off the panel.

"Where do you think you're touching? Are you trying to get cozy with him just because he's a guy?"

The male colleague is stunned, to say the least. He quickly spoke to her in a lowered tone, "Are you nuts, honey? That lady was just lending me a helping hand!"

The woman merely pinches the colleague furiously before hoisting me by the collar.

"Lending you a helping hand, huh? She's already rubbing up on you and trying to help you out in every way possible even though I'm around. Does that mean she'll start seducing you outright if I'm not here?"

I frown at the woman's logic and try to be reasonable with her.

"Ma'am, please show me some respect. I'm the new—"

"You're new?" The woman cuts me off with a scoff. "How dare you seduce my husband on your first day here! You really think I don't exist at all, huh?"

Seeing as the elevator has reached my floor, I don't want to waste my time on the crazy woman any longer, so I try to leave.

Mistaking my reaction for one of guilt, the woman quickly grabs my collar and yell, "Now you're trying to leave after stirring shit up, hmm? A minx like you isn't permitted to stay in the company! You must get fired immediately!"

"Everyone, come look! Stop what you're doing and come see this!"

The woman dragged me all the way from the elevator entrance to the large open office area.

She raised her voice, ensuring every head in the room turned. "This new employee is a homewrecker! She actually had the nerve to throw herself at my husband in the elevator—right in front of me!"

Over 100 employees dropped what they were doing and poked their heads out to see what was going on.

The woman's husband stood beside her, his face red with anxiety, and quietly tried to explain, "Honey, it really wasn't like that. She was just helping me—"

"Shut your mouth!" The woman backhanded her husband and pinched him again.

The man hissed in pain and promptly kept his mouth shut, too scared to say anything else.

The colleagues around me began pointing, their whispers sharpening into contempt as they leaned in for the thrill of a good show.

"Isn't that Carmen Woodward? That new staff member must be blind. Of all the people to mess with, she had to pick Carmen."

"Exactly. Everyone knows Carmen runs this place. That woman looks like a vixen. She probably really did something shameless."

"Doesn't she know getting that close to Patrick Griffin is just asking for trouble? Serves her right for getting busted."

Vicious chatter buzzed around me from all sides.

So, this woman was the infamous Carmen.

I took a deep breath and looked coldly at Carmen.

"Are you done making a scene? Let go of me."

"Let go of you? A vixen like you has no business in this company! If I don't teach you a lesson on behalf of your parents today, you'll suffer much worse out in the real world."

Carmen raised her hand, ready to strike me across the face.

Just as I was about to lose my temper and fight back, a commanding roar erupted from the far end of the office.

"What's with all this racket during office hours? Did I say you could all stop working?"

The crowd parted, and a middle-aged man with a beer belly strutted over with his hands clasped behind his back.

The moment Carmen saw him, she immediately released my collar and sashayed over to him coyly.

"Mr. Farrell, you're finally here!" Carmen jabbed her finger at my face and ranted, "She just joined the company and is already trying to take shortcuts! I caught her red-handed in the elevator trying to seduce Patrick.

"You need to fire her immediately, before a shameless slut like her corrupts the company culture."

Bruce Farrell narrowed his eyes and looked me up and down.

His gaze lingered sickeningly, sliding from my face down to my legs with undisguised lechery.

"She's easy on the eyes, I'll give her that," Bruce said with a snort, his face twisted in contempt. "Too bad her mind isn't on work. Miss, if you want to climb the ladder, you'd better realize where you are. This branch doesn't have room for damaged goods like you."

I was so exasperated by the phrase "damaged goods" that I actually let out a short, dry laugh.

I took a moment to smooth my rumpled collar before standing tall, meeting Bruce's gaze with a cold, level stare.

"I take it you're the assistant manager, Bruce Farrell? For a company executive, hurling insults without a shred of evidence is a bold move. I'd suggest you show a little more respect."

Bruce froze for a moment, apparently having never encountered a newcomer who dared to talk back to him like that.

Carmen, even more so, latched onto it as if she'd caught some damning piece of evidence.

"Mr. Farrell, see how she's not even fazed? That right there proves she's pulled this kind of stunt before," she shrieked. "She's probably been coasting along using her slutty little tricks.

"And today of all days is the new chief executive's first day on the job. I hear she runs a tight ship, so we absolutely cannot let her catch a lowlife like this in the company!"

At that, Bruce's expression turned ice-cold, and he snapped, "Then let's not waste any more words. You're fired."

"Bruce, terminating an employee requires a process," I replied flatly. "Today is my first day reporting for duty, and I have committed no disciplinary violations. So, on what grounds are you dismissing me?"

"On what grounds?" Bruce sneered. "Seducing a colleague, breaking up a family, seriously violating Article 3 of the company's employee handbook, and creating a hostile work environment. Are those grounds enough?

"Miss, I can see you've never experienced the hardships of the real world. Around here, I'm the one who decides who stays and who goes. And I'm telling you, you're fired. So, get out now!"

I looked him straight in the eye and said emphatically, "Is that so? But I'm not someone you can just dismiss on a whim, for I am the branch manager sent by headquarters to take over this branch. My name is Rene Norton."

Bruce froze for a moment, a flicker of hesitation passing through his eyes.

But Carmen immediately jumped out, jabbing her finger at me and shrieking, "You even have the nerve to impersonate the new branch manager? Everyone working here knows the new branch manager is arriving today!

"What, you read a couple of girlboss revenge novels and now you think you can come swaggering into real life acting all high and mighty?"

She shot Bruce a simpering look and said, "Mr. Farrell, don't fall for her bluff. Nowadays, women of her age are sneaky like that. They read a couple of clapback stories online and think they can pass themselves off as executives.

"If she really were the branch manager sent from headquarters, why didn't Mr. Mahoney come with her? I'm telling you, she's just stalling for time because she knows she's been caught."

The surrounding colleagues chimed in one after another.

"Yeah, she didn't even think this lie through. Would the new branch manager dress so shabbily and take the regular elevator?"

"Young people nowadays are just plain crazy. They'll say anything just to avoid getting fired."

Carmen grew more smug as she spoke, her voice getting even louder.

"And besides, so what if the new branch manager really does show up today? Mr. Farrell here is the chairman's nephew. This branch is basically his domain—even the new branch manager will have to answer to him!"

These words were spoken with outrageous arrogance, yet not a single one of the over 100 employees present dared to speak up in rebuttal.

Instead, everyone turned to Bruce with deference and fawning reverence.

Bruce, thoroughly puffed up by Carmen's flatter, was brimming with smug satisfaction.

He walked up to me, looking down from his lofty height.

"Miss, are you listening? Don't think those 'workplace tyranny' tricks you found on the internet actually work in the real world. As someone with a bit more experience, I'm going to do you a favor and teach you a lesson today–strictly out of the goodness of my heart."

Bruce pulled out his phone and sneered. "I'm calling Mr. Mahoney right now. If the facts don't match your story, not only will you be kicked out of the company, but I'll also call the police and report you for fraud."

He dialed the number in front of everyone and deliberately put the call on speaker. His tone instantly shifted to one of excessive politeness.

"Hello, Mr. Mahoney. This is Bruce Farrell, the branch's assistant manager. May I know where you are now?"

Derek Mahoney's slightly anxious voice came through from the other end.

"Mr. Farrell, I'm on my way. There's a bit of traffic."

Bruce immediately seized the opportunity to report the situation as if claiming credit.

"Oh, Mr. Mahoney, you won't believe what's happened. Some con artist showed up here today. She's been causing a scene and has had the audacity to impersonate the new branch manager. I've got her detained right now."

Derek's tone changed instantly. "What did you say? I'll be there right away! Before I arrive, no one is to do anything rash!"

The call ended with a sharp click.

Bruce put away his phone and looked at me scornfully.

"You hear that? The new branch manager is due any second. A fraud like you actually thinks you can pull this off?"

I took one look at his smug, self-satisfied expression and let out a cold laugh.

"You don't believe me, do you? Fine, I'll show you some proof."

I pulled the official transfer document from my bag and snapped it down onto the desk beside me.

"You say you're the chairman's nephew?" I locked eyes with him, my tone icy. "Well, isn't that a coincidence—I'm the chairman's daughter. So, how is it that I never knew my father, Francis Norton, had a relative as pathetic as you hiding away as a branch assistant manager?"

Confronted with the official transfer document I had thrown down, Bruce froze for a second. His beady little eyes locked onto the red corporate seal, and his whole expression shifted.

"Cut the crap!"

Bruce lunged for the document, snatching it off the desk. Without a second glance, he ripped it in two and hurled the scraps directly into my face.

"You seriously think you can waltz in here pretending to be the new branch manager with some cheap fake you printed at a corner shop?" Bruce jabbed a finger in my face, howling with derision.

"Take a good look in the mirror, sweetheart. Mr. Norton's daughter wouldn't be caught dead in a 200-dollar knockoff. What, you think I was born yesterday?"

Seeing this, Carmen immediately seized the moment to incite the entire workforce.

"Everyone heard that, right? This woman isn't just a shameless slut—she's also a lunatic. Forging an official corporate seal can land your ass in prison!"

She turned around and yanked Patrick out from where he was hiding behind the crowd. Then, she shoved him forcefully to the front.

"Patrick, tell Mr. Farrell and everyone exactly what happened in that elevator. Was it she who came on to you first?"

Patrick stumbled from the shove. When his eyes met mine, he noticeably flinched.

"I…" Patrick opened his mouth, cold sweat breaking out across his forehead.

Bruce chimed in menacingly from the side, "Patrick, just tell the truth. The company's got your back. If anyone tries to threaten you, I, as assistant manager, will be the first to put a stop to it."

Patrick shut his eyes and steeled himself.

"That's right! It was her! We were alone in the elevator and she threw herself all over me. S-She even grabbed my hand. I tried to push her away, but she wouldn't let go!"

"You're lying!" I barked sharply.

"You heard him!" With Patrick's "testimony", Carmen went completely berserk. "Why waste words on a gold-digging tramp like this?

"She's probably some fly-by-night company's sales rep, and the moment she saw how honest Patrick is, she tried to use those dirty tricks to reel in business. She's nothing but a shameless filthy whore!"

Before she even finished speaking, Carmen lunged and slapped me hard across the face.

The blow was brutal. My head whipped to the side; a high-pitched ring filled my ears as I tasted blood at the corner of my mouth.

"Get her! Rip her clothes off! Let's see how she seduces men then!" Carmen shrieked, rallying several of her close cronies who usually sided with her. They swarmed toward me, shoving and tearing at my clothes and hair in a frenzy.

A sharp pain shot through my scalp, but I wasn't about to take it lying down.

I planted my feet and snapped down hard on the wrist Carmen was using to yank my hair. At the same time, I raised my right leg and delivered a brutal kick straight to her stomach.

Carmen let out a miserable shriek, reeling backward from the kick before sprawling onto the floor.

At the sight of this, Bruce flew into a rage.

He pointed at me and barked at the entire staff, "What are you all standing around for? This woman isn't just a fraud—she's a corporate spy. She came here to steal company secrets. Where's security? Hold her down now!"