Scarlett had chosen a remote , rustic farmhouse for the meeting . The place was so high up in the mountains that not even a golf cart could make the final ascent . The Orion executives , all middle - aged men , nearly had heart attacks climbing the trail in the hun- dred - degree heat . Scarlett , meanwhile , skipped along with a portable fan clipped to her shirt . Utterly oblivious , she turned and pointed at the lead executive , chirping , " Mister , you've got three spare tires around your belly ! You should exercise more ! " " But don't thank me , thank Ms. Vance ! If she hadn't invited me , I never would have picked such a wonderful place ! " The executive's face was a thundercloud . He didn't say another word for the rest of the climb . At dinner, I was treated to another masterclass in incompetence . For a business meeting , Scarlett hadn't ordered a single bottle of wine . Orange juice , coconut milk , Coke ... There wasn't even a single impressive main course . E The table sat in stunned silence . Even Michael couldn't take it anymore . He hissed at her , " Scarlett , what the hell is this ? This is a business negotiation , not a tea party ! " Her eyes immediately filled with tears . She looked at me , her voice thick with blame . " This was Ms. Vance's account . She didn't teach me what to do . How was I supposed to know ? " And there it was . There was no real idiot here . Scarlett had seen my huge commission last month and wanted to sabotage me , then pin the blame on me . I just kept my head down and ate , offering no help whatsoever . A moment later , the lead executive from Orion slammed his chopsticks down . His face was livid as he met my gaze . " Ms. Vance , if it weren't for our long - standing relationship , Orion would be taking its business elsewhere this quarter . " Before I could respond , Michael was on his feet , sweating profusely . " Mr. Sterling , please don't be angry ! This is all just a ... " " A what ? Ms. Vance and I have been working together for years ! Your company has never been this absurd ! " With that , Mr. Sterling and his team turned and stormed back down the mountain , leaving Michael standing there , frozen . Scarlett was still sniffling . " Ms. Vance , now you won't get your deal . Are you going to be mad at me ? " " Shut up ! " Michael finally roared at her . Scarlett's tears started flowing in earnest . The second we got back to the office , we were all summoned to the CEO's office . The boss looked furious . Michael was the first to speak , twisting the narrative . " You knew Scarlett was inexperienced , yet you just sat there and watched her mess everything up ? Alana , did you do this on purpose ? " I spoke calmly . " I said I would not be responsible for the consequences . Mr. Hayes , you were the one who said we should give young people a chance to grow . I gave her the chance . Are you not satisfied with the results of her growth ? " My words left him sputtering with rage . " You're just twisting my words ! " The CEO's gaze flickered between me and Michael . In the end , the hammer fell on me , " Alana , you're the head of the sales department ! To just watch a client walk away like that ... I'm very disappointed in you . " " Your entire quarterly bonus is revoked . I want you to take some time and reflect on this ." It was always like this . No matter what the truth was , I was always the one who had to bear the consequences . Scarlett's stupidity L 16:12 Chapter 1 was forgivable . Michael's poor judgment was a minor misstep . But me ? The better my performance , the lower my pay seemed get . My heart sank . The last flicker of hope I had for this place was extinguished . I said nothing , just nodded . " Understood , sir . " I walked out of the office , took a deep breath , and made a phone call . " Hello , this is Alana Vance . I'm available to talk whenever you are . " I stopped paying attention to the office drama . I heard Scarlett's " clumsy beauty " reputation was now company - wide , thanks to a string of blunders . I went about my work as usual , until I noticed last month's expense reimbursements hadn't been processed . The money I had pre- paid at the hospital for my mom's care was running low . I went to find Scarlett . In front of the entire office , she blinked her big , innocent eyes at me . " Ms. Vance , are you sure you gave me your receipts ? Or are you just trying to use ' reimbursement ' as an excuse to get more money ? " " That's not allowed , you know . Even for a manager , Scarlett can't bend the rules ~ " My face hardened . I kicked her chair out from under her . Did she really think I'd fall for the same trick twice ? She screamed as she tumbled to the floor . The fall revealed the shredder bin under her desk , overflowing with chopped - up receipts . I picked up a handful and read them aloud . " Mr. Peterson , Ms. Liu , Mr. Chen ... so this is where your receipts went ! No wonder no one got their money back last month ! " A shocked murmur went through the office . When it came to money , no one was going to let it slide . Ms. Liu's face darkened . " What's the point of having an accountant who doesn't know the first thing about accounting ?! " Scarlett fell silent , just sat on the floor and cried . In the end , Michael had to pay everyone out of his own pocket to smooth things over . Next , Scarlett " accidentally " sent the company's confidential financial statements to every single one of my suppliers . With our bottom line exposed , they all immediately demanded a price hike . The entire company was thrown into chaos . " Michael ! If Scarlett screws up one more time , you can both pack your bags and get out ! " The CEO's enraged roar was audible even through the closed door . Michael emerged , looking defeated . He automatically turned to me to fix his problem . " Alana , find new suppliers . And the prices have to be lower than what we were paying before . " I looked at his entitled expression and found the situation utterly absurd . I had gotten us those prices by drinking until I had a blee- ding ulcer . Scarlett's jealousy had ruined the company's supply chain , and I was expected to clean up the mess ? I gave a cold laugh and pulled out the divorce papers . " You want me to clean up your mess ? Fine . Sign this . " Michael stared at the papers , stunned . A flicker of conflict crossed his face , but then he gritted his teeth , snatched the pen , and signed his name . The scratch of the nib on the paper was unnaturally loud in the quiet office . I thought I would feel a pang of sadness . But my love for Michael had died in my last life . For once , I left work early to celebrate with friends . Scarlett , who usually bolted out the door the second the clock hit five , knocked Chapter 1 on my office door . " What is it ? " " Ms. Vance , what's your number ? We should exchange contact info , to make it easier to communicate about work . " TS.12 TA She was smiling , but I saw a cold glint in her eyes . I pretended not to notice . " For work matters , just use the internal messaging system . " " Ms. Vance , you said it yourself ! " she chirped , looking oddly excited . I just nodded and left . That night , I stumbled home , pleasantly buzzed . The wail of sirens filled the air outside my building . Before I knew what was happ- ening . I was surrounded by police officers , telling me I needed to come with them to the office . It was only when I arrived that I found out what had happened . Late at night , Scarlett had initiated an unauthorized wire transfer of several million dollars to an unknown account . The CEO had nearly had a heart attack when he found out and had immediately called the police . When Scarlett saw me being escorted in , she pointed a shaking finger at me and screamed , " Ms. Vance ! You were the one who told me that was the new supplier's account ! You told me to process it as soon as possible ! You sent me an internal message ! " " I may be a little stupid , but I would never dare to transfer such a huge amount of money on my own ! " The lead officer's face was grim . " Ms. Vance , the internal logs show that you authenticated the account information for Ms. Scarle- tt and urged her to make the payment . " My expression changed . I met the smug , triumphant looks on Michael and Scarlett's faces and suddenly , I started to laugh . My voice was calm , clear , and steady . " The message was sent at 11 PM last night . However ... " I paused , my eyes sweeping over Michael's face . " As of yesterday afternoon , I had already officially submitted my resignation and had been removed from all internal company gro- ups and platforms . " " So , my question is , who exactly sent that message ? " Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!