"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".

My apology message hit the company group chat like a grenade.

On the surface, it sounded polite, but it was obvious how disappointed I was in the company. After that, I revoked all my access permissions from the company systems and began my suspension period.

Emily moved me to a desk beside the restroom under the pretense that I should stay in my lane. I spent my days there, a spectacle for everyone passing by, subjected to a mix of mocking glares and pitying looks.

Meanwhile, Jessica proudly took over my old office seat and started bossing everyone around in the department.

However, my role was far more complex than she realized.

I had personally managed every project assigned to me from its inception to its conclusion, mastering every intricate detail of planning and execution.

Jessica, meanwhile, knew absolutely nothing.

Within days, over a dozen clients filed complaints demanding that their accounts be returned to my management. They threatened to scrap their contracts entirely, leaving Horizon Ventures on the brink of staggering financial penalties.

Emily finally panicked. For the first time in days, she came over to my desk.

"Everly, these projects were originally yours. There are some technical issues right now, so I need you to coordinate with the clients and smooth things over."

I looked up at her casually. "Ms. Hopkins, are you sure you’ve got the right person? I’m suspended."

She stiffened for a second before replying awkwardly, "Suspension doesn’t mean you stop working. Company policy is that whoever starts a project sees it through."

I spread my hands lightly. "That’s going to be difficult. I already removed all my system access."

Her expression changed instantly, her eyes blazing with anger. "You were suspended, not terminated. Why would you revoke your permissions? Submit a request to restore them immediately."

I looked at her calmly. "Weren’t those your words, Ms. Hopkins? 'Stay in your lane'. I’m just following your instructions."

Her face darkened in embarrassment, but she still forced herself to stay patient. "Fine. We’ll restore your position first. Just contact the clients and stop them from canceling their contracts."

I smiled faintly, tilting my head slightly. "Shouldn’t the more capable Top Performer handle this kind of thing? I’m just a woman who relies on her looks, remember? I don’t have that kind of ability."

Crimson flooded her face as she fought to hold back her anger. "Everly, that was just office banter. Are you really taking it this seriously?"

I kept smiling, but there wasn’t a trace of warmth left in it. "So, taking away my Top Performer title and $600,000 bonus was office banter, too? And calling a $10 slice of cake excessive spending was also just a joke?"

Every sentence landed squarely across her face. Her complexion shifted rapidly, flushing a deep crimson before draining to a deathly pale color.

Silence stretched between us as she remained speechless. For a person of Emily's stature, offering an apology to a mere employee was an alien concept.

Just then, Jessica came running over excitedly. "Ms. Hopkins! Zenith Consortium agreed to the investment!"

Emily’s eyes lit up instantly. "That’s great!"

She looked at Jessica like she’d personally saved the company. "Jessica, you really are Horizon Ventures’ lucky charm. With Zenith Consortium backing us, clients will be lining up to work with us."

Then she turned toward me and shot me a vicious glare. "Everly, you’re fired. Go process your exit paperwork immediately."

I nodded calmly. "Fine. Then I expect the company to compensate me according to labor regulations."

Emily exploded instantly. "Compensation? After the losses you caused this company?" she shouted furiously. "Just wait until we sue you!"

Jessica looked at me viciously from beside him. "Everly, I’ll make sure the entire industry blacklists you."

I merely smiled faintly. "Sure, I’ll wait."

I quietly packed up my things and walked out of the company I’d poured myself into for the past year. I hadn’t relied on connections or family influence to get where I was.

Everything Horizon Ventures had become today was built with my own hard work and merit.