Chapter 1

I helped every kid in our studio get into the top-tier State College of Fine Arts. Yet, my boss had the audacity to dock every penny of my overtime pay―twenty-four days of non-stop work, gone.

When I confronted him in a rage, he flipped the script. He accused me of embezzling nearly twenty thousand dollars from the students' training funds.

"Poor people really are full of schemes while the rich stay virtuous! Just because you have disabled parents doesn't give you the right to steal!"

"You have two days to pay it back! Or I'll make sure you rot in a cell for a few days―and I'll pay your parents a little visit too!"

When a student called him, he just started screaming into the phone.

"No money! Your tuition went toward your supplies, you little brat! Sue me if you have the guts!"

Meanwhile, the woman in his arms, Jade Lee, was busy browsing and ordering several custom Chanel outfits.

Watching these two partners in crime, I gripped the Bar Association pin in my pocket.

A lawsuit? That's my literal specialty.

I'll make sure both of you end up behind bars.

1

"If it weren't for the fact that your street sketching skills are halfway decent, I wouldn't have hired you in the first place, you bitch!"

Greg Young barked, exhaling a thick cloud of pungent cigar smoke.

"Without me, you wouldn't even be a teacher. You'd still be hiding from the cops while selling sketches on a sidewalk! You need to show some damn gratitude!"

I looked at the greasy, bloated moron in front of me and let out a cold smile.

"And how exactly would you like me to show my gratitude, Greg?"

He had been waiting for that question. Greg's cold, cruel face instantly twisted into a grin that looked like a crumpled paper bag.

"I gave you a job without even checking your teaching credentials or your degree. Haven't I been good enough to you?"

"You won't admit you took that money, but it disappeared on your watch. Who else am I supposed to blame!"

"You have two choices. Either work for me for ten years and recruit five thousand new students to pay off the debt."

"Or," he said, his murky, yellowing eyes gleaming with a successful scheme, "I call the police, and you go to prison!"

Because our recent exam results were incredibly high, Greg had immediately hiked the prices. His seven-thousand-dollar fee was now the most expensive training in the city.

Five thousand students would bring in thirty-five million dollars.

The sheer absurdity of it made me want to laugh.

The office became deathly quiet.

Greg didn't rush me. A smug sense of confidence made him relax.

He propped his smelly feet up on the desk, the stench making my stomach turn.

Jade Lee was already losing her patience. She pulled away from Greg's chest and tapped the desk with her long, blood-red acrylic nails.

"Why are you wasting your breath on her? The reporters are coming for the interview tomorrow, and I don't even have a decent outfit. Let's go shopping already."

I was actually laughing from anger at this point.

Jade and I had taken the students out for their intensive training together.

I was the one waking up early to get the kids ready and refining every detail of their paintings. My hands were covered in cracks and sores from the cold, which is how those kids got such high scores.

Jade, on the other hand, did nothing but pout for selfies.

I never expected them to be this shameless. They were openly having an affair, stealing my hard work, and didn't feel a shred of guilt about it.

I knew for a fact Greg had a wife and two kids back in his hometown.

Outside the office, I could hear people whispering. People were casting looks of pity or disdain my way.

I suddenly felt like this place was rotten to the core.

But what about the kids?

"Think about it. You have no degree and no real skills. Where else are you going to go if you leave me? You'll be starving on the street!"

"It's settled! I'll give you six hundred dollars a month for living expenses. The rest of your salary goes toward your debt to the company!"

"Go on! What are you still standing there for? The sales goal for this month is twenty-five thousand. If you're a penny short, I'm adding it to your debt."

Looking at Greg's greedy face, I clenched my fists tight.

Just then, my phone lit up, pulling me out of my dark thoughts.

"Ms. Zhao, I got the top score in the state!! The school said they're giving me a scholarship. My parents finally agreed to let me go to college!"

"They even sent back the dowry to that guy they wanted me to marry!"

"There are other girls in our neighborhood who want to study art. Can you keep teaching them?"

Looking at the stream of cute emojis in the chat, my heart finally felt at peace.

I looked up to see Greg and Jade leaving. I could still hear their conversation from down the hall.

"We're going to be loaded. After one more big group, we're moving to Switzerland…"

I curled my lips into a smile. I turned off the voice recorder in my hand and sent a quick reply to my student.

Mr. Young, I'll make sure to show you plenty of gratitude this month.