Chapter 1

I stayed up for seventeen nights straight to finish that proposal. Then my boss stole the credit, and my best friend sold the data to our biggest competitor.

The entire office pointed their fingers at me, calling me a corporate spy. The company fired me on the spot, blacklisted me from the industry, and didn't even pay my overtime.

I was huddling under a bus stop in the pouring rain when a mechanical voice echoed in my head―

【Karma Countdown System successfully bound. First Target: Kevin Sterling. Retribution Countdown: 10 minutes.】

I leaned back against the cold glass. I wanted to see if this karma was actually going to hit.

1

The fluorescent lights in the conference room made my eyes ache.

I had worked seventeen days straight, surviving on three hours of sleep a night. For the final audit of the Hudson Group project, I handled everything.

The market analysis, competitor research, the framework, and the budget―all eighty-six pages of that deck were my blood and sweat.

Right now, my direct supervisor, Kevin Sterling, was standing in front of the screen. He was rambling to the CEO about "his" brilliant strategy.

The bastard didn't even change the color scheme I picked.

I gripped my pen until my knuckles turned white. It was fine. I was used to this.

I was used to covering for colleagues and writing proposals that never bore my name. I was used to smiling and saying "it was a team effort" while they robbed me blind.

But I wasn't prepared for what happened next.

"Sarah Quinn." Mr. Miller, the CEO, suddenly called my name. His face was a terrifying shade of purple.

The screen flickered to an email―a formal complaint from the Hudson Group. It said the proposal we submitted was identical to one they received yesterday from another source.

They claimed the leak originated from an account under my name.

The room exploded instantly.

"I knew Sarah was shady!" Megan Leigh was the first to jump up. "She's always acting like a loner. Who knows what she does in her spare time?"

"I saw her copying files last week," another guy chimed in. "I didn't think much of it then, but now it all makes sense."

"Unbelievable. We worked so hard on this, and she just sold us out to the competition?"

I looked at Megan's indignant face and almost laughed. She was the biggest slacker in the office.

The only thing she contributed in two weeks was changing one sentence in my draft and adding her signature. Now, she was the first one to throw a stone.

"I didn't do it," I said, my voice trembling as I stood up. "I built that deck from scratch. Every page has my edit history."

"If Hudson says the other version has my name on it, it means someone stole my files to sell them. I didn't sell a thing."

Kevin turned around. He looked at me with an expression I didn't recognize.

I had known him for three years. For the first time, I saw contempt and a weird sense of certainty in his eyes.

"Sarah, I really didn't want to bring this up," he sighed, acting disappointed. "Last Wednesday at 3:00 PM, you were at the Starbucks across the street for ninety minutes."

"You were sitting with someone from our top competitor. Did you really think no one would notice?"

My blood turned to ice.

I was at that Starbucks last Wednesday. But the person across from me wasn't a competitor. It was Willow Linden.

She was my best friend. She told me she was having a hard time at her new job.

She asked to see my proposal for "inspiration" because her firm was doing something similar.

I sent it to her.

She was Willow. We were roommates since freshman year. She used to save seats for me in the library and bring me takeout when I worked late.

I trusted her with my life.

The realization hit me like a physical blow. She wasn't just working at a competitor; she had used me to get a head start.

She had stolen my work from the very beginning.

"Kevin, you told me you never went to that Starbucks," I said, staring him down.

He flinched for a split second.

The sounds of the room started to fade. The hum of the AC, the whispers of my coworkers, and Mr. Miller's impatient tapping―it all became a blur.

A strange sense of clarity washed over me.

Kevin knew. He didn't just know―he was the accomplice. He probably got a cut of whatever Willow made.

Willow took the proposal and sold it. The competitor put my name on it to frame me. Kevin provided the "evidence" to finish the job.

It was a perfect trap.

"That's enough," Mr. Miller snapped. "Sarah, you leaked trade secrets. You're fired, effective immediately."

"Also," Kevin added, twisting the knife. "I've already contacted legal. Corporate espionage is a criminal offense. We'll be seeking damages."

"Enough."

I cut them all off.

"I'm leaving," I said coldly. "But I'll say it one last time. I built that proposal. I didn't sell anything. And all of you know the truth deep down."

Nobody would look me in the eye.

As I walked out with my box of belongings, I heard Megan laughing behind me.

"She really thought she was something special," she sneered.

"Good riddance. This company is better off without a snake like her."

"Hey Kevin, make sure her final paycheck gets docked for the lost project. She doesn't deserve a cent."

I didn't look back.

It was pouring when I stepped out of the building. I didn't have an umbrella, and I didn't care. The rain mixed with the tears I refused to shed.

Three years. I worked like a dog, took the blame for everyone, and played the fool. And I was rewarded with betrayal and a blacklist.

I huddled under the bus stop, soaked to the bone. My phone buzzed.

It was a late rent notice. My lease was up tomorrow.

I wanted to scream, but my throat felt tight. That was when the voice echoed in my skull.

It sounded like static over water―cold, mechanical, and genderless.

【Karma Countdown System―Successfully Bound.】

I snapped my head up. The street was empty. The rain was still falling.

Was I losing my mind?

【Host: Sarah Quinn. Function: All-dimensional tracking of good and evil. Precise execution of retribution. The wicked shall be punished; the righteous shall thrive.】

A translucent panel floated in front of my eyes.

It didn't glow like a phone screen. It felt like it was etched onto my retinas. At the top, it read:

【Multiple malicious acts detected. Countdown initiated.】

Beneath it was a familiar face―Kevin Sterling, with his greasy hair and fake smile.

A red timer was ticking down.

【Target: Kevin Sterling. Crimes: Workplace exploitation (136 counts), plagiarism (47 counts), malicious framing (3 layoffs caused). Retribution in: 10:00.】

Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven.

The numbers pulsed with a faint vibration. It felt like an ancient heartbeat.

I stared at the display, my heart racing.

Was this a hallucination? Or a miracle?

It didn't matter.

I stood up and wiped the wet hair from my face. I looked back at the skyscraper behind me. The 23rd floor was still lit up.

Kevin was probably in Miller's office right now, celebrating his promotion.

【Retribution Countdown: 05:23.】

A dark smile played on my lips.

"The system says ten minutes," I whispered to the rain.

"Five minutes left. Let's see if karma is real."