No Reimbursement for You

Celia pointed at me, and her hand shook violently. She was so angry that she could not get a single word out.

The meeting room went dead silent.

Zack looked like he was about to have a heart attack in front of the entire staff, but he could only grit his teeth and accept the receipts that fully complied with company policy before forcing the words out one by one through his teeth, "Reimburse her."

Celia leaned in close to me and hissed, "Just you wait!"

After the meeting, I noticed coworkers who used to be friendly with me had started to keep their distance.

Alicia texted me in secret: [The few coworkers who hung out with you all had their reimbursements blocked by Celia. She kept dropping hints about staying away from the wrong crowd and not picking up bad habits from them.]

I could feel anger boiling inside of me. Coming after me was one thing, but she was punishing everyone around me, too?

Meanwhile, an important potential client came to visit, and he specifically asked to see the 'sales lead who closed the five-hundred-thousand-dollar deal'. Zack personally ordered that I attend the lunch reception.

I knew it was a trap, but I still had to go.

Sure enough, when I pushed open the door into the private room, Zack and the client weren't the only ones there. Celia was there too, chatting warmly with him.

When she saw me, something cold flashed in her eyes.

Celia smiled at the client. "That five-hundred-thousand-dollar deal was not easy to close. I heard that Richard enjoyed drinking with Lisa, someone who was willing to cut loose. You have really sacrificed a lot for the company, haha."

She was openly implying that I signed the deal through improper means.

The atmosphere instantly turned awkward. The client, Mr. Sanders' expression shifted as well.

I took a slow breath and forced my anger down, keeping my smile polite. "You must be joking. The things that Richard values are our company's capabilities and proposals."

Celia gave Mr. Sanders a meaningful smile. "If you have any special requests, you can just tell Lisa. She's both sensible and driven and will find a way to meet your needs!"

My whole body trembled with anger. She was treating me like something to be traded.

Mr. Sanders looked unbearably awkward and could only let out a dry laugh.

I could not take it anymore and said, "Celia, you are publicly damaging my reputation with zero evidence. According to the law, that is enough for them to get you for defamation."

Celia's face darkened. "Who are you trying to scare?!"

Zack, who had been acting invisible the whole time, lowered his voice and snapped at her. "Celia, what are you saying? Apologize to Lisa already."

So, when he needed me to close deals, the tone he used was soft and respectful, but when he needed to protect his sister-in-law, I was just another worker.

I let out a laugh and pulled out my phone, ready to record the following exchange between us.

Just then, Richard called. It was about the deal, and he said two details still needed confirmation.

I used the call as my excuse and walked out of the luncheon.

As the top sales representative, recruiters had been trying to poach me for a long time. I had always turned them down out of loyalty to the company.

But now, I needed to think seriously about what came next.

When I met Richard, we reviewed the terms quickly and cleanly. Everything went smoothly.

Richard closed the folder, satisfied. "Just wait for a delivery for you tomorrow."

I checked the time, and it was already after seven. I then said, "Everyone stayed late because of me. Let me treat you all to dinner as a small celebration."

Richard was in a great mood tonight and agreed right away.

With a teasing tone, he asked, "Hey Lisa, some rumors are floating around about you not getting reimbursed for that dinner you treated us to at Peak Restaurant. Does your company think my deal was not worth that meal?"

He laughed, clearly treating it as gossip.

It was like a knife in my chest, yet I smiled. "You're on top of things, that's for sure. Guess bad news travels faster than good news."

Suddenly, Richard's expression turned serious. "You're wasted at that company. Have you ever thought about coming to work for me?"