Chapter 2

I frowned, taking a step closer to Jenny.

She slumped to the floor, looking up at me.

I looked at her, my voice flat.

"Jenny, are you saying your mother ate a peanut-containing cake from my gift box and is now unwell?"

Jenny's sobs abruptly stopped. She looked at me, confused.

Brenda and the others were still in the dark, and they started to protest again.

"Ms. Reed, what are you doing?! Are you threatening her?"

"Let's talk this out. Why are you getting so close?"

I straightened up, ignoring their shouts, and calmly looked at Jenny.

"Did you call 911? Your mother needs emergency medical attention right now, not for you to be crying here."

Jenny seemed reminded, fumbling for her phone in her pocket, but her hands were shaking so much she couldn't even unlock it.

Mike quickly snatched the phone and dialed 911.

Jenny was helped up by her colleagues, stumbling as she rushed home.

Before leaving, she shot me another look, pure venom, as if she wanted to tear me apart.

Less than two hours after she left, my phone started buzzing wildly.

I opened TikTok, and "Evil Boss Poisons Mother" was the top trending topic.

Clicking on the first live stream video, I saw Kevin standing downstairs from our company.

"Ruthless Company, Snake-Hearted Boss, Poisonous Cake Murder, Inexcusable!"

Jenny was wailing on the ground, surrounded by a dozen relatives.

The spectacle was even more dramatic than in my past life.

The number of live stream viewers still topped a hundred thousand.

4

"Damn! Another food safety issue! They have to investigate thoroughly!"

"I think I've seen this boss before. She's a pretty young woman. How could her heart be so cruel?"

"What's her company called? Where's the address? We have to go after her!"

In the live stream footage, Brenda and Mike were talking to the camera,

exaggerating everything that had just happened.

"Jenny usually works the hardest, and she's such a good person. I can't believe something like this happened to her."

"Our boss, Audrey Reed, she suddenly wanted to fire all of us today. I think she had a guilty conscience and was trying to escape!"

"Exactly! She bought cheap, uncertified cakes that killed someone, and she wants to run away without paying compensation!"

"Right! Jenny is usually so filial. She kindly brought company perks home, and now her own mother is gone. It's too tragic!"

A ripple of uproar spread through the crowd.

"She's fleeing from justice!"

"Drag her out! Make her go to jail!"

"She doesn't deserve to live!"

I watched the farce calmly from upstairs.

My phone rang. It was my mother, her voice tearful:

"Audrey, is what they're saying online true? Come home quickly. Don't stay out there. A lot of people are saying they're coming for you..."

"Don't worry, Mom. They won't have time to look for me soon."

I hung up and dialed another number.

"You can start."

Kevin, with a large group of people, stormed straight up the stairs.

The moment Kevin saw me, he lunged, but was intercepted by the police who had arrived just in time.

"Audrey Reed! You murderer! My mother's dead! She died after eating your cake! It had peanuts!"

Jenny was behind him, crying uncontrollably.

"You'll pay for my mother's life! Two million dollars! Not a penny less!"

I looked at them and suddenly smiled.

I took a USB drive from my bag and dangled it in front of everyone.

Then I looked at Jenny and asked, word by word: "You said the cake I sent had peanuts?"

Jenny insisted.

"That's right! It was you! You killed my mother!"

I nodded and continued.

"But the custom holiday dessert boxes I ordered came in vanilla, chocolate, and berry flavors. To prevent any accidents, I specifically instructed the manufacturer not to include any nut ingredients, and every batch had a quality inspection report."

"So tell me, how did your mother eat peanuts and suffer an allergic reaction?"

Jenny froze, but quickly she asserted again.

"My mother died after eating your gift box! Don't try to fob me off with some fake report!"

"A lousy report could be faked anywhere!"

"If you weren't guilty, why would you suddenly fire all your employees? I think you're trying to flee from justice!"

At that, everyone nodded in agreement.

The lead police officer also frowned.

I didn't care, looking up at Jenny and smiling.

"Jenny, you really won't admit it until faced with undeniable proof. Then take a look at this."