After I secured a billion-dollar partnership for Horizon Ventures, the sales department celebrated with an afternoon tea spread where everyone got to choose their own order.

When it was my turn, the new hire, Jessica Osborne, suddenly cut in. "Chicken sandwiches for the rest of them. No need to order anything else."

I ignored her and calmly told the admin clerk, "I’ll have a slice of chocolate cake."

The next second, Jessica slammed the menu right across my face and glared at me furiously.

"I said no, so you don’t get to order. Who do you think you are? A princess?"

The hard menu left a stinging red mark across my face, and a surge of anger flared up inside me. Without hesitating, I grabbed the menu and hurled it right back at her face.

Jessica immediately shrieked and roared at me, "Do you have any idea who I am?! My dad is Royce Osborne, the biggest client this company has! Even our CEO, Emily Hopkins, treats me with respect. How dare you lay a hand on me? Believe it or not, I can get your $600,000 bonus canceled and have you blacklisted from this entire industry!"

I froze.

Royce Osborne's my maternal uncle.

He’s forty, famously single, and has never been married.

When exactly did he have such a grown-up daughter?

Seeing me go silent, Jessica Osborne only became more arrogant.

"Intimidated yet?" she sneered. "It's bad enough that we have to share the same air as women like you, who rely on looks to hit their sales targets. Do you honestly believe you're entitled to afternoon tea?"

I almost laughed from sheer disbelief.

Sleep around to hit their sales targets?

I’d spent months surviving on little sleep, running proposals until dawn, then standing on construction sites for eight straight hours under the blazing sun. I’d gotten so tanned that my own father barely recognized me at one point.

And this woman thought I achieved my targets because of my body?

I pushed my chair back and stood up slowly, meeting her eyes head-on.

"Jessica, watch your mouth. I earned my success with actual work. Everyone in this company knows what I bring to the table. You don’t get to run your mouth about things you know nothing about.

"And the afternoon tea isn't just for you. If I’m not qualified to order, neither are you." I gave her a cold smile. "Though honestly, the second you walked in, the whole room started smelling like garbage. Turns out it was just the crap coming out of your mouth."

A few colleagues immediately lowered their heads, trying to hide their laughter.

Everyone in the department had been sick of Jessica for weeks. During her probation, she’d treated the entire office like her servant.

A new hire named Amelia Klein once refused to fetch her coffee. Jessica had dumped an entire cup of scalding coffee over her head without hesitation. As a result, Amelia’s scalp had blistered from the burn.

Not only had Jessica refused to apologize, but she’d even threatened her afterward. "If you dare ask me for an apology, I’ll make sure you’re out of this company by tomorrow."

In the end, the company had quietly reimbursed Amelia’s medical bills to smooth things over.

Back then, I’d wanted to step in, but my colleagues had stopped me.

At the time, I couldn’t understand why everyone was so afraid to stand up to her. Now I finally got it. They’d all been intimidated by her claim of being Royce Osborne’s daughter.

Jessica’s face went bright red with rage. She jabbed a finger at me and shouted, "Everly, quit acting tough in front of me! Without my dad’s support, this company would go bankrupt overnight!

"I’m telling you right now. I call the shots for today’s tea. If I say you can’t order, then you don’t get to!

"Who the hell do you think you are? You really think you can challenge me? Go on, place your order. I’ll have you fired by tomorrow."

The admin clerk who was caught in the crossfire looked at me with a wary expression. "So… do you still want the chocolate cake?"

"Yes," I answered without hesitation.

I refused to believe this nonsense. I’d brought Horizon Ventures tens of millions in revenue from a single project, and now I supposedly wasn’t qualified to order a slice of cake?

"What’s with all the yelling?"

The door suddenly opened.

Emily Hopkins walked in with a dark expression. "Afternoon tea was meant for everyone to relax, not start a fight. What happened here?"

Before anyone could utter a word, Jessica played the victim and began spinning a distorted account of what had transpired.

I barely had time to open my mouth before Emily’s cold gaze landed on me.

"Everly, you’ve been with Horizon Ventures for over a year. Don’t you understand the importance of cutting unnecessary expenses? Jessica was thinking about the company’s budget. Is dessert really so important that you can’t live without it?"

"You were the one who struck first. That’s even more unacceptable," Emily said coldly. "Apologize to Jessica right now and transfer $10,000 to her as compensation for emotional distress, and we’ll consider this matter settled."

I almost laughed from sheer disbelief. I looked at her directly. "Ms. Hopkins, are you seriously asking me to apologize and pay her?"

Emily’s expression darkened uncertainly.

Beside me, Amelia quickly tugged at my sleeve. She lowered her voice nervously. "Everly, back down. Jessica is Royce Osborne’s daughter. You can’t afford to offend her. Ms. Hopkins is counting on her to secure the Zenith Consortium partnership."

I let out a short, mocking scoff. "She claims Royce Osborne is her father, and everyone just takes her word for it? What, did she show a birth certificate at HR?"

Amelia hurriedly pulled out her phone and opened Jessica’s social media page. "See for yourself. Mr. Osborne personally dropped her off at work on her first day."

I glanced at the photo on the screen and nearly dropped the phone.

Standing beside my handsome uncle in front of a luxury car was Jessica.

The caption read: "Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to drop me off on my first day, Dad! I won’t let you down."

I immediately called my uncle, but all I got was the automated message saying his phone was powered off.

Watching my continued defiance, Jessica’s face twisted into a look of cruel triumph. "You'll be sorry, Everly. I'll make sure you pay for this."

Her threat materialized the following day at the company awards. The Top Performer title, along with the $600,000 bonus I had earned, was abruptly handed to Jessica.

The swap was so rushed that they hadn't even finished updating the presentation. My name was still visible right under her photo.

It was outright theft.

Rage surged through my chest as I stood up immediately.

"On what basis was the Top Performer selected?" My voice rang through the silent venue. "This month alone, the projects I handled generated over a billion in total sales and brought in tens of millions in profit for the company and outperformed second place by over five million in profit margin alone.

"Jessica hasn’t closed a single deal since joining us. So I’d really like to ask management, what exactly gives you the right to hand my title to her?"

The entire room fell silent.

The Finance Director and Sales Director exchanged uneasy looks, neither daring to speak.

Jessica looked at me arrogantly. "Because your projects came from unethical means, obviously. Horizon Ventures won’t reward someone with such a lack of integrity."

She crossed her arms leisurely. "Right now, we’re only stripping you of your Top Performer title. But if you continue using disgusting methods that damage Horizon Ventures’ reputation, then what’s waiting for you next is termination."

I was shaking with anger. I scanned the row of executives; these same people had once lauded my professionalism and skill, yet now they bowed their heads, refusing to meet my gaze.

Turning my attention to Emily, I asked directly, "Ms. Hopkins, do you stand behind this decision?"

The public confrontation clearly galled her. She frowned impatiently. "Everly, Horizon Ventures must weigh various factors. You shouldn't disrupt the ceremony over such a triviality. You need to think about the bigger picture."

"The bigger picture?" My eyes burned red as my voice trembled. "The bigger picture is me working every single day of the year without a break? Staying in the office until midnight? Killing myself to secure these projects, only for my achievements to become someone else’s credit overnight?

"Someone spreads baseless rumors about me, wipes out all of my accomplishments with a few words, and Horizon Ventures just stands there pretending not to see it?"

I stared at her. "So tell me, where’s the fairness? Where’s the justice in this? You’re treating an employee who made enormous contributions to this company as if she were nothing. Don’t any of you feel a shred of shame?"

Emily was left speechless by my questions.

Nevertheless, Jessica showed no guilt whatsoever. She lifted her chin smugly and looked at me like I was naive.

"Fairness?" She laughed dismissively. "Everly, don’t be childish. In this world, fairness belongs to whoever has power. You want justice? Then go find yourself a rich father to back you up."

Her smirk grew. "Too bad you don’t have one."

Jessica didn’t bother hiding the contempt on her face.

"As for me? I’m the daughter of Royce Osborne, president of Zenith Consortium. That identity alone is enough to crush you so completely you’ll never recover."

I stared at her, genuinely baffled by where all this confidence was coming from. At this point, I was honestly starting to wonder whether my uncle had secretly fathered an illegitimate daughter behind the family’s back.

I interjected, "I heard Mr. Osborne has a niece he absolutely adores. Practically treats her like his own daughter. As our prestigious new Top Performer, I assume you've crossed paths with her?"

Jessica’s expression froze for half a second. Then she rolled her eyes dismissively.

"That’s my cousin, obviously. Of course, I’ve met her. But she lives overseas most of the time and rarely comes back. Even I don’t see her often." She looked me up and down mockingly. "A nobody like you would certainly never get the opportunity."

I let out a cold laugh. "Really? Then if you’re so classy, why are you stealing someone else’s accolade and bonus?"

I tilted my head slightly. "Or what? Are you simply a fraud posing as an heiress?"

"You—" Jessica’s face turned red with fury. "Everly, don’t push your luck! Your Top Performer title was revoked because you weren’t worthy of it. Mine was earned through genuine merit!"

"Merit?" I stepped toward her slowly, my gaze fixed on hers. "Do you mean the merit of gaming on the clock? Or perhaps those indulgent two-hour lunches and making sure you're out the door by five sharp?

"Maybe the merit to stare at a computer all day and produce a presentation with nothing but the word ‘Proposal’ typed on it?"

My voice wasn’t loud, but the weight of my words was enough to strip away her dignity in front of everyone.

Speechless and fumbling for a comeback, Jessica instinctively turned a desperate gaze toward Emily, silently pleading for intervention.

A flash of irritation crossed Emily’s face, like she was frustrated Jessica had embarrassed herself this badly. Then Emily looked at me sternly. "Everly! Watch your tone. This is a professional setting, not a circus. You don’t get to scream and cause a ruckus here.

"Don’t think landing a few successful projects gives you the right to act however you want. Strong performers replace weak ones all the time. You need to accept that someone more capable has surpassed you instead of throwing a tantrum."

Every eye in the venue turned toward me. They were all waiting to watch me make a fool of myself over a $600,000 bonus.

$600,000?

Even eight million wouldn’t matter to me. What I wanted was fairness.

Rather than erupting or engaging in an argument, I merely offered a smile, one with a cold, mocking edge.

"Fine. I accept it." I glanced at Jessica. "The Top Performer title should belong to the more capable person after all."

The second I returned to my desk, two company-wide HR announcements were sent out.

"Due to serious violations of company policy involving the abuse of corporate funds for excessive personal spending, Everly Pearce is hereby removed from her role as Sales Manager. Her suspension is effective immediately, pending a full review.

"Conversely, junior staff member Jessica Osborne has shown remarkable dedication to safeguarding company interests throughout her probation, providing significant value to Horizon Ventures. Effective immediately, she has been promoted to a permanent position and appointed as the new Sales Manager, assuming responsibility for all projects formerly managed by Everly Pearce."

Within seconds, Emily’s mention popped up in the company group chat, tagging me directly.

"Everly Pearce has set a dismal example for this team by wasting company resources and ignoring protocol. Consequently, her monthly bonus is revoked. Additionally, she must post a written apology to this chat. Consider this a warning to everyone else."

I was livid with anger.

First, they stripped me of my Top Performer title. Then they took my bonus. After that, they publicly paraded me as a cautionary tale just to establish Jessica’s authority.

The office descended into a sudden, heavy silence, and even the frantic pinging of the group chat died away.

Eyes darted toward me from every corner of the room. I caught looks of genuine sympathy and flashes of indignation on my behalf, though some colleagues were clearly relishing the unfolding drama.

The unread messages sat there motionless, as if everyone was waiting for me to humiliate myself publicly and grovel for forgiveness.

A few seconds later, Emily tagged me again. "Did you not see the message?"

I still didn’t reply.

Meanwhile, the notifications kept coming nonstop, almost obsessively.

Amelia privately messaged me. "Everly, please stop being stubborn. Just apologize. Your job is on the line."

I managed a smile at her, but it only brought me to tears.

With stiff, trembling fingers, I tapped out my reply on the screen.

"Understood, Ms. Hopkins. I will firmly keep this lesson in mind. I promise I will never recklessly indulge in $10 on a slice of cake. The next time the company provides afternoon tea, I'll be sure to just stick to water".