Chapter 2

2、

When I first started this job, I was naive enough to use my private number for work. Maya had roasted me for it.

I eventually got a separate work phone, and that's how everyone contacted me.

Why would Chloe suddenly add my private account to a group about 'collections'?

I hadn't opened any savings accounts with them.

I thought maybe Chloe had forgotten which number was which and added the wrong one.

I was about to message her privately when she uploaded a document to the group.

The file contained a meticulous record of every single dinner we had ever had. It listed the dates, the grocery costs, and every single Venmo transfer.

I was stunned. Over the last three years, they had come to my house over forty times.

Some were for holidays, others for promotions. Everyone always seemed so happy, always promising to host the next one.

I had always felt that our office was like a little family.

Then, Chloe started sending voice notes.

"According to state law, operating a food service business without a license is a crime."

"Since the total value of her transactions is over ten thousand, the fine is twenty times the revenue. We're going to use that to demand a settlement from Elena."

The sheer malice and smugness in her voice made my mind go blank.

The sixty-second voice notes kept popping up one after another.

"We're not just getting our grocery money back. Each of us is going to walk away with tens of thousands of dollars."

"Think about it. A thousand bucks in a savings account for three years earns pennies in interest. But leaving it with Elena? We just hit the jackpot."

"You guys better thank me. If I hadn't suggested those extra payments, we wouldn't have hit the ten-thousand-dollar mark."

She even started coaching them on how to bully me into paying.

She spammed the chat with screenshots of health and safety regulations.

"Study these. Don't mess up when it's time to confront her. We even overpaid her yesterday just to make sure we cleared the ten-thousand threshold."

I scrolled to the bottom of her spreadsheet. The total amount they had sent me over three years was exactly ten thousand and one dollars.

That number was a calculated sting, a needle driven straight into my heart.

"Don't worry. She's legally liable for this. A twenty-fold settlement is just the starting point. If we take this to the Health Department, her house will be condemned."

"She has no choice but to pay us."

The group chat exploded. These were people who were hugging me and thanking me just hours ago.

"Finally! I was getting sick of paying twenty bucks for a meal. I can get a decent burger for fifteen."

"Chloe, you're a genius. Your accounting skills are actually good for something!"

"Elena is so devious. Charging us so much for the last dinner? She was clearly trying to rip us off. She's going to regret it!"

I couldn't believe it. These people I thought were my friends were monsters behind my back.

What was even more sickening was that they had been planning this from the very beginning. A three-year long con.

They were literally bragging about who had attended the most dinners, calculating their 'profit.'

Watching them celebrate, my blood turned to ice. My heart was breaking.

They were the ones who begged to come over. They were the ones who insisted on splitting the costs.

I never cut corners. I always bought the freshest, healthiest ingredients I could find.

At a restaurant, a spread like mine would cost a fortune. I usually only asked for about twenty dollars per person.

I never even charged them for my labor.

Then they got greedy, demanding more expensive dishes, and I tried my best to accommodate them.

A coworker who always hitched a ride to my house finally spoke up.

"Chloe, are you sure she'll pay twenty times the amount? That's like two hundred thousand dollars."

Chloe replied instantly with a voice note, sounding incredibly confident.

"Trust me, I've prepared everything."

She posted screenshots of every single Venmo transaction.

"We just have to insist that she was running a business for profit. This was her 'revenue' from selling us meals."

"Plus, remember how I told you to always put 'Catering Services' in the payment memo?"

"She can't deny it. Even if she takes us to court, we have the paper trail."

I remembered then. Every time they sent me money, they would put a little note about 'catering' or 'food service.'

I thought they were just being organized so I wouldn't lose track of who paid.

I never realized it was a trap.

The chat went quiet for a second before someone tentatively asked.

"Chloe, isn't this a bit much? Maybe just ask for a few times the amount. Two hundred thousand is a lot. We used to be friends."

Chloe snapped at them immediately.

"Who am I doing this for? I'm doing this for all of us!"

"You were all on board when I first brought it up."

"Don't try to play the saint now. If anyone chickens out, you're dead to me!"

After that, no one dared to object.

The truth of the last three years was laid bare, mocking my stupidity.