Chapter 3

The next day, the company practically exploded.

The corporate Snapchat group, which had over eight hundred employees, was flooded with photos and text early in the morning.

The angles of the photos were extremely malicious.

One showed me pushing open the hotel room door, making it look like I was eagerly entering on my own.

Another was a snapshot of me stepping aside inside the room, but from that angle, it looked like Marcus was holding me from behind while I playfully resisted.

The last one showed me standing at the door, smiling at the camera.

The caption was even more toxic:

“CONFIRMED! Chloe from Marketing caught meeting her boss at a hotel room. She’ll do anything to get promoted!”

It was a total bombshell.

The group chat instantly turned into a public trial.

"Oh my god! Is this real? She actually did that?"

"I knew her sales were too good to be true. Now we know her little secret."

"Disgusting! She’s an embarrassment to the company!"

"Marcus too... how could he fall for someone like her? He’s old enough to know better."

When I walked into the office, the entire floor fell dead silent.

Every single eye was pinned on me like needles.

Tiffany sat at her desk. Seeing me walk in, she immediately looked down, but her shoulders were shaking.

She was laughing with triumph.

But I walked to my desk, opened my laptop, and started working as if nothing had happened.

As if the person they were gossiping about wasn't me at all.

In the afternoon, it was the company's quarterly gala.

The main conference room was packed.

Every department head, executive, and even several big bosses from headquarters were present.

Marcus sat in the front row, his face pale, walking with a slightly awkward limp.

When it was time for the marketing department's review, he was the first to walk up to the stage.

Instead of presenting the sales deck, he cleared his throat and spoke into the microphone with a deeply sorrowful look.

"Before I start my report, I want to make a public apology."

The crowd murmured.

"I admit, as a department head, I failed to resist temptation. I made a mistake that any man might make."

He bowed deeply.

"I was foolish..."

He looked up, his eyes drifting toward my direction.

"But I also want to use this opportunity to warn some of our younger colleagues."

"It's good to have ambition."

"But taking shortcuts and actively seducing your boss for a promotion... we cannot tolerate this kind of toxic behavior in our company!"

He spoke with such righteousness, making himself look like the innocent victim who had been preyed upon.

The crowd buzzed like a disturbed beehive.

Everyone’s eyes shot toward me once again.

This time, besides disgust, there was a sense of "I knew it."

In a split second, I became the villain—the wicked woman who sold her body for a promotion and then turned on her boss.

The host, caught off guard by the drama, stuttered into the mic.

"O-Okay... Thank you, Marcus, for your sincere reflection. Now... let’s welcome Chloe to the stage for her quarterly performance report."

I stood up.

Under the gaze of hundreds of people, I walked up to the stage, step by step.

I didn't look at anyone.

When I reached the podium, I didn't open the presentation slides like everyone else.

Instead, I took out my phone and a USB cable.

Under the puzzled looks of the crowd, I leaned down and connected my phone to the projector.

Once it was done, I stood up and looked straight at Marcus in the front row.

The righteous look on his face hadn't even faded yet, but a flicker of panic crossed his eyes.

I picked up the microphone and brought it to my lips.

"Marcus, your acting is pathetic."