Chapter 3

I went to the Chief Financial Officer's office, but the CFO wasn't there.

A colleague whispered to me, "Chloe said your expense was highly suspicious. She took the CFO directly to the General Manager’s office to report you."

I turned on my heel and walked straight to the GM's office.

The door was slightly ajar. Chloe’s whiny, victimized voice drifted out:

"Mr. Sterling, I didn't mean to go over your head, but I really couldn't watch this happen.

"That new manager, Sera, demanded seventy-five thousand dollars for a client dinner the moment she arrived. She claims it's for Mr. Harrison from Grandview. But I've seen him at the expo last month—he was staring at the booth models like a total creep. Sera is so beautiful. If we approve this money and rumors start spreading, it will ruin our company's reputation..."

Mr. Sterling hesitated. "But Grandview is our long-term partner. Client entertainment is standard..."

"We can partner with them in healthier ways!" Chloe’s voice rose. "Like sending them some eco-friendly company merchandise, or having a Zoom meeting. Why does it have to involve fancy dinners and drinks? I believe our corporate culture should be clean. We shouldn't tolerate this toxic drinking culture."

"And..." she lowered her voice, "I heard Sera doesn't even hold a real title back at HQ. She's probably just some executive’s spoiled princess sent here to collect achievements. We don't need to play along with her dirty games."

After Chloe left, I walked into the GM's office.

"Mr. Sterling, the dinner tonight is already booked. Grandview's team has confirmed their attendance. If we cancel this..." I paused, "the thirty-million-dollar deal will be dead."

Mr. Sterling was silent for a few seconds. Finally, he sighed. "Fine. I will personally override the block and sign the budget."

I nodded and took the newly signed form.

As I walked out, I heard him mumble, "Kids these days..."

I immediately got to work—confirming the menu, the wine, the seating chart, and the gifts.

Most of the $75,000 budget went to the venue and high-end catering. A portion of it was reserved for customized gifts for the Grandview executive team: samples of our brand-new smart office equipment.

By 3:00 PM, everything was set.

By 4:00 PM, Mr. Harrison's assistant called to confirm the final details.

By 5:00 PM, I changed into my backup dark-gray business suit and touched up my makeup.

By 6:00 PM, I arrived at the hotel banquet hall.

By 6:30 PM, the Grandview team was supposed to arrive.

But the hall was empty, save for our own staff.

At 6:45 PM, I called Mr. Harrison's number.

It went straight to voicemail.

At 7:00 PM, Mr. Sterling walked in, his face absolutely livid. "I just got off the phone with Mr. Harrison. He’s not coming."

"Why?"

Mr. Sterling glared at me.

"He said he heard our company thinks he has 'moral issues' and isn't fit to sit at a dinner table. He also said he’s apparently too ugly to breathe the same air as our beautiful female manager."

I gripped my phone tightly.

"Who leaked that?"

"Who do you think?" Mr. Sterling rubbed his temples. "Chloe didn't just come to me this afternoon. She posted a massive call-to-action in the company-wide Snapchat group. She urged all female employees to 'reject toxic workplace dinner culture' by refusing to eat with clients. Someone screenshotted it and sent it to Grandview. Now it’s reached Mr. Harrison."

I opened Snapchat. Sure enough, there were several deleted messages in the main company group.

But the screenshots had already gone viral.

Right next to Chloe’s cute profile picture was a block of text:

*“Girls, if we don’t respect ourselves, who will? Starting today, say NO to any dinners or drinks under the guise of work! If a client refuses to partner with us just because we won’t eat with them, then we don't need their dirty money anyway!”*

Below her post, several female colleagues had left heart emojis.

Someone even tagged me in the comments: *“Agreed! Manager Sera should lead by example!”*

I honestly felt like these people had mush for brains.

This was a thirty-million-dollar corporate contract, not a thirty-dollar Uber Eats order.