Rising Above Scandal

I secured a big deal for the company and was promoted to manager. However, I overheard my boss' secretary gossiping in the pantry, saying that I was brainless and only got where I was by using my body.

I was so angry that I wanted to report it to the police.

Surprisingly, her husband stopped me and forced his wife to bow and apologize to me, begging for forgiveness.

Things got worse on the next day. Someone shared my inappropriate photos in the company group chat along with records of me supposedly checking into a hotel with a man.

My colleagues looked at me with contempt, as if they all knew what was happening but refused to speak up. Even my boss fired me, saying I had moral issues.

My husband immediately divorced me when he found out, took our daughter away, and left me with nothing.

Neighbors pointed fingers and whispered about me. I was so overwhelmed that I lost my senses and was killed by a car crash.

When I opened my eyes, I returned to the day I was promoted.

I secured a major deal just after a month since I joined the company, so I was promoted to regional manager, and even nominated as the employee of the month.

The constant praise from my colleagues made me feel a little uncomfortable, so I headed to the pantry to calm down.

"Anna Jones is amazing! She closed a million-dollar deal so quickly!"

"Yeah, I heard she's great at negotiating. I should learn from her."

I overheard my colleagues' compliments outside the pantry. Just as I was about to walk in and build rapport with them, I heard the voice of Lisa Morphy, the boss' secretary.

"Seriously? That stupid woman? What a joke! She's not capable of anything but climbing the ladder using her body!"

One of the female colleagues frowned and spoke up, "Stop making things up, Lisa. Why are you doing this to her?"

Lisa snapped back angrily, "What do you mean by making it up? I saw her checking into a hotel with some man. Actually, there were several men going into the same room! Only brainless people would look up to a woman like her! Everyone in the secretary's office knows she sleeps her way to success."

My hand froze on the door handle, and the cup in my hand fell to the ground with a loud clatter.

"Sorry, I hope I didn't drop that on your foot," I quickly apologized to a colleague beside me.

"It's fine. Are you okay, though?"

"Lisa thinks she can say whatever she wants just because she's the boss' secretary! I think you should call the police right away," said a colleague who stepped in to offer me advice.

Her support made my eyes well up with tears.

In my past life, I thought she was a bad woman who used me against Lisa and ruined my career, but I was wrong. It caused my family to fall apart and my tragic death on the street as I did not defend myself.

A voice suddenly came from behind and yelled, "Wait! Don't call the police!"

It was Henry Ramsay, Lisa's husband. As a son-in-law of the Morphy family, he was doing quite well at the company. He was promoted as the procurement manager at a young age.

"I apologize on behalf of my wife, Anna. She must've misunderstood. I'll talk to her tonight and make sure she clears your name with the colleagues. Will that be okay?" Henry said sincerely.

In my past life, that apology and clarification had never come. Instead, Lisa thought I was seducing her husband behind her back, and she spread even nastier rumors about me. The gossip became so widespread that everyone knew about it.

I might have been fooled by his act if I had not overheard his whisper.

"I told you guys, Anna's desperate."

I glanced coldly at Henry and stormed into the pantry without hesitation.

Lisa, who had been badmouthing me, jumped in surprise.

"Are you saying that I checked into a hotel with several men? Is that true?" I asked her directly.

She froze for a moment and frowned. "What?"

I pulled out my phone and played the recording of everything she had just said in the pantry. The audio rang out loud and clear.

"Where exactly did you see me check into a hotel with someone? What time? How many men specifically? I don't seem to recall any of that. Are you sure you are telling the truth?"

Lisa looked embarrassed, but when she caught Henry giving her subtle signals, she straightened up and replied slowly, "My apologies. I was just worried that some of our younger colleagues might follow your bad example, so I could not help but reveal your little secret."