Chapter 2

Over the next week, things didn't blow over the way I hoped.

In fact, they got worse.

On Monday morning, as soon as I sat down at my desk, Victoria walked out of her office. She was holding a stack of files, her usual polished, sweet smile plastered on her face.

"Chloe, come here for a second."

I followed her and stood in front of her desk.

She pushed the files toward me.

"This is the proposal for next month's team-building retreat. Redo it today. The previous draft was too sloppy."

I flipped through it, my brows furrowing.

This proposal wasn't mine. It belonged to Lucy, another colleague in the admin department.

And it had already been finalized and signed off by Victoria herself last Friday.

"Victoria, this is Lucy's project—"

"Lucy took a sick day today. You're filling in." She didn't even look up from her phone, her voice airy. "Don't keep trying to pass the buck. Young people should work more. It's good experience."

I opened my mouth but ultimately said nothing, carrying the files back to my desk.

Tuesday.

"Chloe, audit all the expense reports for March. Hand them to me before noon."

Wednesday.

"Chloe, set up the client reception this afternoon. Coffee, mineral water, projector—make sure nothing is missing."

Thursday.

"Chloe, there's an issue with this month's attendance sheet. Recalculate it."

By Friday, my desk was buried under a mountain of paperwork. Aside from my own administrative tasks, Lucy's work, slacker Marcus's tasks, and even some of the approval summaries that Victoria was supposed to do herself had all been dumped on me.

And every single handoff started with the exact same line:

"Chloe, handle this."

I rubbed my temples in front of the computer screen. My coffee had already gone cold.

Zoey poked her head over from the next cubicle, handing me a chocolate bar. Her expression was grim.

"Have you noticed? Victoria is totally targeting you lately."

"Yeah."

"You didn't play along with her during the dinner, and she probably felt humiliated."

Zoey lowered her voice. "She is incredibly petty. She targeted Lauren from marketing a while ago, making her life a living hell for three months until Lauren finally resigned."

I unwrapped the chocolate and took a bite. The sweet taste melted in my mouth, but my mood didn't improve.

"I'll just deal with it," I said.

"You're dealing with way too much." Zoey looked at me, hesitating before turning back.

At three in the afternoon, my email pinged.

I opened it. It was a weekly wrap-up email Victoria had sent to the entire department.

One paragraph read:

Some team members have been showing a sloppy work ethic this week. Multiple tasks were delayed, affecting the department's overall efficiency.

I hope everyone corrects their attitude. Do not bring your personal relationship drama into the office. Work is work, and dating is dating. People who can't prioritize don't belong in the Administration Department.

Though she didn't name me, everyone in the department knew exactly who she was talking about.

The reference to "dating" was too obvious.

Within ten minutes of the email being sent, the WhatsApp group chat came alive.

"Victoria is absolutely right. Work should always come first."

"Totally agree."

"Well said, Victoria."

Zoey sent me a Snapchat: Ignore them. A bunch of brown-nosers.

I stared at the echoing replies on the screen. My hand gripped the mouse so hard my knuckles turned white.

It wasn't out of hurt.

It was because of how absurd it was.

This entire week, I had stayed until eight or nine every night, delivering every single task she threw at me on time.

And my reward was a passive-aggressive public call-out.

My phone buzzed.

It was a text from Aiden: Come home early today. I bought those organic cherries you love.

I stared at the message for a long time, suddenly feeling a burning sensation in my eyes.

I replied with two words: Will do.