Chapter 1

The company parachuted in a new audit executive, and it turned out to be Karen, my boyfriend Chad's little childhood sweetheart.

She berated me in the morning meeting, saying I wasn't living up to my title and was just a placeholder. She even implied that I was deliberately making things difficult for my coworkers and acting disgracefully.

Turning around, she then tugged on my boyfriend's sleeve and whimpered:

"Is it because I'm too close to you that Sarah misunderstood me?"

Later, she took advantage of her connections to have the company lay me off.

With me out of the way as a stumbling block, Karen not only won in love but also went full steam ahead in the company.

Until the company laid off a large number of key personnel under her leadership, projects started failing one after another, and the company's stock price plummeted. Karen finally panicked. She urged her ex-boyfriend to contact me, asking me to come back and continue working, to be their scapegoat.

Meanwhile, I was sunbathing on the beach.

"I'm sorry, the sun is too strong in this resort area. I can barely hear what you're saying. I'll hang up now."

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1

At the morning meeting, the boss walked in accompanied by a woman dressed in a white office suit.

As I got a clear look at her face, an uneasy feeling began to stir within me.

Through the crowd, I glanced over at my boyfriend, Chad.

His face was flushed, his eyes fixed intently on the figure on stage, brimming with joy.

"Hello everyone, I'm the new Audit Director. My name is Karen."

Karen - Chad's childhood sweetheart, the boss's niece, fresh out of some no-name college in America.

When I started dating Chad, she had already left to study abroad, but Chad's wallet was still stuffed with several of her photos.

Even on Chad's desk at work, there was a framed picture of the two of them from back in the day.

And this Audit Director position? That was the very role I had been competing for six months ago. I had passed all the evaluations, and the boss had even pulled me aside for a chat, strongly implying the job was as good as mine, telling me to get ready to start next year.

Karen wore a sweet smile, but every word she spoke made my hands and feet tremble slightly.

"I've reviewed all of the company's previous audit reports. To be frank, I'm very dissatisfied with them."Some people are truly moochers, drawing such high salaries while being incredibly irresponsible!"

She glanced down at the papers in her hand, then continued:

"Especially Sarah. Last month she was constantly late and left early. Her KPIs didn't even meet the standard. Is she getting too comfortable?"

All my colleagues turned their heads, their gazes landing squarely on me.

"I don't know Sarah's salary, but her bonus last year was the highest in the whole company."

"I heard she was up for a promotion to Audit General Manager. How come she suddenly got passed over? Could it be that she's just collecting a paycheck without doing any work?"

"I've been fed up with her for a long time. She sets up all these rules and regulations, but doesn't follow any of them herself. She's always running off somewhere!"

I took a deep breath and looked towards Chad.

But he didn't notice my discomfort at all. His eyes seemed glued to Karen.

After the morning meeting, I went to the sales department to find Chad.

There I saw Karen sitting in Chad's chair, with Chad standing beside her, peeling an orange.

Chad is allergic to oranges and never touches that kind of fruit.

He even angrily threw away the orange-scented hand soap I bought.

He accused me of being inconsiderate, complaining that I knew he hated anything orange-related yet still bought it to annoy him.Yet now, for his little childhood sweetheart, he was willing to endure skin rashes and itching, insisting on doing it himself...

When Chad saw me, he instantly became awkward.

That face, once gentle and smiling, now twisted a bit.

"Sarah, why are you here?"

Seeing my gaze linger on his hands, he quickly pulled out a wet wipe and hastily wiped them.

"Karen just got back and said she wanted oranges from her hometown..."

"Doesn't she have her own hands? Did you suddenly get amnesia and forget you're allergic to oranges?"

I turned to look at Karen. She pouted, shrugging indifferently.

"Chad always peeled oranges for me like this!"

I was truly getting angry. My boyfriend was disregarding his own health to peel oranges for another woman, and she didn't even care...

Chad immediately stepped forward, shielding Karen behind him, warily staring at me as if I might do something to harm her.

"It's not a severe allergy. Why are you making such a fuss? Don't scare Karen.""Put your sour face away. So what if she pointed out your attendance issues in the morning meeting? Do you have to be so petty and come here specifically to give her a hard time?"

Me, giving her a hard time? Me, being petty?

I almost laughed from the anger.

"Everyone knows I'm late or leave early because I'm getting approvals from relevant departments! What, as the high and mighty Audit Director, shouldn't she have looked into the situation first?"

"Karen just joined the company, and it's such an important position. She needs to establish her authority at the beginning......"

I get it now. Karen is afraid her own authority isn't enough to keep the veteran employees in line, so she's making an example out of me!