Chapter 1

Ever since my coworkers discovered I was a wizard in the kitchen, our office dinners always ended up at my place.

Chloe, the girl from accounting, always volunteered to organize the Venmo requests for the groceries. Because of that, I never felt right saying no.

On the day I resigned, everyone gathered at my house for one last meal.

Chloe flashed a sweet, dimpled smile at me.

"Elena, your cooking is seriously to die for. We all decided to send you five hundred dollars each this time. Just a little token of our appreciation."

But the very next morning, a message from her popped up on my phone.

"Elena, running an unlicensed catering business is a felony. Your house is going to be seized, and since the total value of your sales has exceeded ten thousand dollars, you're looking at a fine twenty times that amount."

"Since we're former coworkers, we won't report you to the authorities just yet. Let's settle this privately."

"Just pay us that twenty-fold fine as compensation, and we'll call it even."

It was only then that I realized something chilling. As of yesterday, the total amount they had sent me for 'groceries' over the years was exactly ten thousand and one dollars.

1、

Chloe Henderson had only been in the office for five minutes before she started flaunting her brand-new designer bag.

The other coworkers swarmed her, their eyes filled with envy, gushing about how rich she must be.

This clearly fed Chloe's massive ego.

She giggled, covering her mouth with a manicured hand.

"Oh, stop it! You guys will be able to afford one soon enough too."

She set the bag carefully on her desk, then turned and grabbed my arm, acting all clingy.

"Elena, I heard you're leaving us. Can we have one last dinner party? I'm going to miss your cooking so much."

I told her it was fine. I asked everyone to put together a list of what they wanted to eat so I could prep in advance.

I planned to make a massive spread. Besides her favorite honey-glazed ribs, I'd do a crispy sea bass, slow-roasted pork belly, and several fresh seasonal greens.

These were all dishes they had raved about in the past.

It was a lot of work, but I figured it was the last time.

The moment I agreed, she gave me a tight squeeze.

"Elena, you're the best! With your skills, you could be a head chef at a Michelin-star restaurant!"

I forced a smile. I wasn't particularly comfortable with her being this physical, so I gently nudged her away.

My best friend, Maya, came to pick me up after work and saw the menu on my phone's notepad.

She knew about my history of cooking for these people and couldn't help but nag me.

"You're literally quitting. Why are you still humoring them?"

"You don't need the grocery money that badly. Making a feast like that is exhausting. What if something goes wrong? They'll just blame you."

Maya went on and on. She worked in the restaurant industry and had seen plenty of people try to scam businesses for a quick buck. She was worried I was being naive.

"Once you're officially done, come hang out at my place for a few days. You need to rest, not be their personal chef for free."

I told her it was just one last time. I wanted to end things on a good note with everyone.

I promised Maya this would be the final meal I ever cooked for them.

The next morning, Chloe scurried over to my cubicle.

"Elena! Elena! I talked to everyone about the dinner!"

Her voice wasn't loud, but it caught the attention of everyone nearby. They all chimed in, saying they couldn't wait for the weekend.

Chloe sent me a long, detailed list.

"I asked everyone what they were craving. You can just follow this list, so you don't have to stress about the menu!"

I scrolled down and saw Deluxe Seafood Bouillabaisse on there. My face nearly twitched.

"Chloe, some of these are incredibly time-consuming, and the ingredients aren't cheap..."

Before I could finish, Chloe pouted.

"Elena, are you worried we're going to be cheapskates?"

I instinctively shook my head.

Chloe looked at me with puppy-dog eyes.

"We won't get to eat your food ever again after you leave. We just wanted to try some fancy dishes for the finale."

"Don't worry. We'll split the bill just like always."

She kept pushing until I finally caved.

"Fine. But everyone needs to send me the money for the groceries upfront this time. I'll refund whatever is left over."

Chloe's lips curled slightly. She was still smiling, but her tone had a sharp edge to it.

"I thought we were closer than that, Elena. I guess the friendship was one-sided."

I frowned. Usually, a dinner only cost a couple hundred bucks total.

This menu was going to cost thousands. I wasn't stupid enough to front that kind of cash.

"Money is a bit tight right now," I said simply. "I don't have enough in my account to cover all this at once."

She acted like she suddenly understood and apologized.

"Sorry! My bad. I'll come over early on Saturday to help you out!"

That night, Chloe was hyperactive in the office group chat, asking about dietary restrictions.

She also told everyone to start sending the money over.

Watching the chat bubble with excitement, my unease started to fade.

On Saturday, Chloe showed up late, claiming she got held up. I didn't think much of it.

The dinner was a huge success. Everyone seemed to have a blast.

At the end of the night, I tried to calculate the change to give back to them.

They insisted I keep it. In fact, every single person sent an extra five hundred dollars to my bank account.

Chloe laughed and said it was a parting gift from the team.

I was actually moved by the gesture.

But that night, right after I finished cleaning the kitchen, I got a notification. Chloe had added my private number to a group titled "Payday Collection."