Chapter 1

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

The intern I'd been mentoring for three months was complaining loudly.

"She's just a soulless old witch, like a robot with a glitchy brain."

I was about to push the door open and shut her down, but then someone else chimed in with a laugh.

"The paperwork is incomplete."

"These receipts don't meet the guidelines."

"The VP didn't sign this, so I can't process the payment."

"We've all memorized her little corporate-android catchphrases!"

After they finally left, I walked back to my desk in silence.

The intern slammed a thick stack of expense reports in front of me.

"Don't use your little rules as an excuse to block everyone's reimbursements again."

I glanced at the forged invoices, but for once, I didn't call her out.

Instead, I gave her a thin smile.

"I have a migraine. I can't really see the text clearly."

1

"What?"

The intern, Brianna, froze for a second before her voice turned shrill.

"Are you doing this on purpose?"

"If you don't want to sign off, just say it! You're clearly making things hard for everyone. Stop faking a headache!"

I took a deep breath, refusing to waste my energy on a petty argument.

In the past, I would have patiently explained things to her.

Reimbursement receipts must be legal and valid.

As the gatekeepers in accounting, we carry the legal responsibility.

She had snapped at me several times before, looking completely defiant.

"The rules are fixed, but people are flexible. Why can't you just read the room, Cynthia?"

Despite her attitude, I had remained professional and tried to teach her how to audit properly.

But now, thinking about what she said in the bathroom, my heart felt cold.

Since she didn't appreciate the help, I had nothing left to say.

I picked up my thermos and turned to leave.

Brianna frowned and grabbed my arm to stop me.

"Where are you going? Do you feel guilty?"

When I didn't immediately respond, she raised her voice even louder.

"Do you have any idea how much everyone dislikes you? You think I'm the only one?"

"You're always blocking people's money. What, does the company let you keep the change?"

I stared at her, find the whole situation absurd.

Just last week, I had written a glowing recommendation for her full-time conversion.

I didn't expect her to tear off her mask before the application was even approved.

I pulled my hand back from her grip and spoke calmly.

"Brianna, let's get this straight. The company has specific procedures and systems. I just follow the rules."

"Rules?" Brianna laughed coldly.

"Are you even a real person? All you talk about are regulations, repeating the same lines over and over."

She huffed, her tone turning bossy.

"I don't care. You're approving everyone's reports today."

"The others are too polite to say anything, so I'll take the lead. Cynthia Miller, fix your shitty attitude! Stop acting like an NPC!"

As soon as she said that, the colleagues watching the scene broke into giggles.

"Go Brianna! So brave!"

"Finally, someone is putting Cynthia in her place."

Seeing the support, Brianna's face lit up with blatant smugness.

"See how much everyone hates you now?"

"You should learn from me. Be more considerate of your coworkers instead of making them jump through hoops!"

I almost laughed out loud.

The first page of the stack on my desk was a fake invoice.

It was labeled as "business travel expenses," but the amount was $100,000.

I wondered if this colleague had traveled around the moon in a private jet.

I set that one aside and flipped to the next page.

It was a screenshot of a $50,000 Venmo transfer.

The memo simply said, "For my gorgeous wife."

Brianna chimed in from the side.

"That's from Mr. Grant in Sales. He even color-printed it. So thoughtful, right?"

I didn't argue. I just looked at the next one.

The entire page was covered in QR codes with a handwritten note.

"The old ladies in accounting can scan these and generate the invoices themselves."

I put the stack down and looked at Brianna.

I swallowed the truth about how we were a legitimate company preparing for an IPO and none of this was reimbursable.

I smiled slightly.

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

"Since you're so considerate of our colleagues, why don't you approve them yourself?"