Chapter 1

I was in the office bathroom stall when I heard them talking trash about me.

It was Zackary Miller, the intern I had been mentoring for three months.

"He is such a fossil, so stuck in his ways. He's like a robot with a glitchy brain," Zackary complained.

I was about to push the door open and shut him down, but then I heard the others laughing.

"Missing documentation."

"Receipts don't follow policy."

"Can't pay without the boss's signature."

"We've all memorized his NPC lines by now!"

I waited for them to leave before quietly walking back to my desk.

Zackary was already there, slamming a thick stack of reimbursement forms onto my desk.

"Don't you dare go on a power trip again and refuse to pay the team," he snapped.

I glanced at the forged invoices, but for the first time, I didn't call him out.

Instead, I gave him a small smile.

"My head hurts. I can't really see the words clearly."

1

"What?"

Zackary froze for a second, then his voice turned sharp.

"Are you doing this on purpose?"

"If you don't want to sign them, just say it. You're clearly just trying to make life hard for everyone. Stop faking a headache!"

I took a deep breath and didn't bother arguing with him.

If this were yesterday, I would have patiently explained the rules.

Reimbursement receipts must be legal and valid.

As accountants, we are the gatekeepers, and we carry the legal responsibility.

Many times, he had rolled his eyes and barked at me.

"The rules are dead, but people are alive, Calvin. Why don't you learn how to be flexible for once?"

Even so, I had tried to be professional and taught him how to audit those files dozens of times.

Now, thinking back to what he said in the bathroom, I felt a cold chill in my heart.

Since he didn't appreciate it, I had nothing left to say.

I grabbed my thermos and turned to leave.

Zackary frowned and grabbed my arm.

"Where are you going? Getting cold feet because you're guilty?"

When I didn't answer immediately, he raised his voice.

"Do you have any idea how much everyone hates you? You think I'm the only one who can't stand you?"

"You're always blocking everyone's payments. What's the matter? Are you pocketing the money you save the company?"

I blinked, stunned by how ridiculous he sounded.

Just last week, Zackary submitted his application to become a full-time employee, and I had written a glowing recommendation for him.

I didn't expect him to rip off his mask and attack me before the promotion was even approved.

I pulled my hand away from his grip, which was starting to hurt, and replied calmly.

"Zackary, let's be clear. The company has a specific process and system for expenses. I am simply following the rules."

"Rules?" Zackary let out a cold laugh.

"Are you even a real person? Every time you open your mouth, it's about the rules. You just repeat the same few sentences over and over."

He snorted, his tone becoming demanding.

"I don't care. You have to approve everyone's forms today."

"The others are too polite to say it to your face, so I'm taking the lead. Calvin Reed, fix your shitty attitude! Stop acting like a damn bot!"

As soon as he said that, the colleagues who had been watching in silence burst into snickers.

"Zack is so brave!"

"Finally, someone is putting Calvin in his place."

Seeing the support, Zackary looked incredibly smug.

"See how much people dislike you?"

"Try to learn from me. Have some empathy for your colleagues instead of making everyone cater to your whims!"

I almost laughed out of pure anger.

The first paper on the pile was a blatant fake.

The description said "Business trip taxi fees," but the total was ten thousand dollars.

I wondered if this colleague had taken a taxi around the entire country.

I moved that sheet aside and flipped through the others.

One was just a screenshot of a five-thousand-dollar Venmo transfer.

The recipient note said "For my sweet wife."

Zackary explained from the side.

"That's from Leo Grant, the Sales Director. He even color-printed it. How thoughtful."

I didn't argue. I just kept looking.

The next page was just a bunch of QR codes with a "helpful" note attached.

"You lazy bums in accounting can scan these and generate the invoices yourselves."

I put the stack down and looked at Zackary.

I swallowed the truth―the fact that we were an official company in the middle of an IPO process and none of this could be reimbursed.

I just smiled.

"My head really hurts. I need to go take some medicine."

"Since you care so much about your colleagues, why don't you approve them yourself?"