Chapter 2

During the summer break of my sophomore year, I found a part-time job at a coffee shop below that office building.

Soon enough, I met Mr. Stern, my father's former superior. He was in his forties, well-dressed, and smug with his newfound success.

I caught his attention by upgrading his coffee to a large size. He had originally intended to take it to go but ended up staying to drink it in the cafe. Watching me busily working, he came over to place another order.

I smiled and said, "Your stomach isn't good, so it's not advisable to drink too much iced coffee. How about switching to a hot drink?" He agreed readily and asked how I knew about his stomach issues.

I explained that I had seen him holding his stomach when he came to buy coffee last week. I guessed that he probably didn't have time for breakfast, rushing to work in the morning.

Mr. Stern's eyes lit up slightly. When he looked at me again, his gaze held a deeper meaning.

As he took the milk tea, he casually touched the back of my hand.

I didn't shy away, only pretending to be embarrassed as I averted my eyes.

Three days later, with Mr. Stern's help, I entered Tiansheng Company, where my father used to work, as an intern.

I heard that he personally delivered my documents to the general manager's office to open the back door for me.

Tiansheng Company's successful acquisition couldn't have happened without the "hard work and cooperation" of Tiansheng's old finance team. But in the end, while others got promoted, only my honest father became the scapegoat, forced to resign and even had to pay compensation.

Mr. Stern was now flying high, often talking about how "people should cherish their reputation and integrity."

Huh, just wait until I strip you of your feathers.

As an intern in the general affairs department, I quickly memorized the HR system password. But when I logged in, I couldn't find any of my father's past records.

I was told that due to a system upgrade, some data had been lost.

Coincidentally, during the office move, two boxes of financial records were accidentally damaged. And of course, it was my dad's portion.

How incredibly convenient.

Interns usually do odd jobs, and my "naive and cute" persona quickly won everyone's favor.

Especially Mr. Stern's.

He was clearly getting ahead of himself, thinking his "mature man" image had attracted an innocent young girl. Yet he was reluctant to invest too much, buying me a bunch of fake bags and clothes as gifts.

On the day of the company's summary meeting, I changed into the uniform cheongsam for receptionists and applied light makeup. Mr. Stern's eyes lit up when he saw me.

During the departmental reports, Mr. Stern came out for a drink of water. I deliberately waited for him on his way back.

As he approached, I looked at him innocently. There was no one around, and behind me was the general manager's office. Not a soul would come by.

Sure enough, the moment I touched his palm with my finger, he couldn't resist and pushed me into the general manager's office.

I only slightly hooked my arms around his neck, and his body immediately reacted.

He pushed me to sit on the sofa, grinning as he placed his hand on my knee. I remained motionless, and his hand slowly moved.

"You little minx," he cursed, but with a smile on his face. His hand trembled as he reached for my zipper, which was already loose and suddenly broke completely.

At that moment, I burst into tears.

Mr. Stern was dumbfounded. I looked at him with a cold smile but cried even louder.

Finally, male colleagues burst in, draping a jacket over me, while a female colleague slapped Mr. Stern across the face.

Curses, angry shouts, and sounds of scuffling completely drowned out the stunned Mr. Stern's attempts to explain.

I just cried, not needing to say anything.

Everyone was on my side.

As Mr. Stern left in disgrace, I threw the fake bags and clothes with tags still on them that he had given me at him.

Utterly humiliated, he reached out to hit me but was dragged away by security.

I lowered my head and cried as the HR girl gently comforted me.

"What a scumbag. Always talking about cherishing one's reputation and integrity, and then he does something like this. Disgusting. He'll definitely be disciplined for this."

Disciplined? That's not enough.

Just then, the assistant said the general manager wanted to see me. This general manager was Adrian Evans, the new boss from the acquiring company, the one my dad had begged that day.

Heh, I'm coming right away.