Undercover Boss's Takeover

"Who are you calling a dog?" Vinny snapped, his face twisted with humiliation and rage as he shoved me hard.

I couldn't dodge in time. I stumbled, my lower back slamming into the edge of a desk. Pain shot through me, so sharp I couldn't straighten up.

"Damn bitch! Don't push your luck! You think you can just leave? Not anymore.

"Pay up for the equipment you damaged earlier. That testing machine we used for last week's demo—the screen's scratched. You must've done it."

Vinny pointed at a dust-covered old computer in the corner. "Depreciation plus repair costs. Five thousand."

That computer was scrap—salvaged from the junk storeroom. I'd been using it to prop up a monitor.

"That machine was already decommissioned. It came from the scrap room."

"Cut the crap!" Tasha chimed in. "It was at your workstation, so you're responsible. Either you pay up, or we call the police right now and report you for damaging company property. If you don't pay, you can forget about passing any background check when you job hunt in the future."

These were the colleagues I'd once treated with my whole heart.

For five thousand, they'd thrown away every shred of dignity.

"I don't have a cent. Call the police if you want."

I hugged the cardboard box to my chest and headed for the door.

Tasha shot Vinny a look. He suddenly lunged forward and knocked the box out of my arms.

Documents, my water bottle, and a small figurine scattered across the floor.

And there—my external hard drive.

"What's this?" Vinny shouted. "Well, well, Chloe. So you dared to secretly copy company confidential data!"

Tasha pointed at the hard drive on the floor. "A commercial spy like you is a disgrace to the entire industry! We even treated you like a sister. Who knew you were this dishonest?"

The onlookers began to whisper and point.

"Wow, you'd never guess—she looks so proper, but she steals."

"I heard she was already shady back in her old department."

"So she doesn't just steal men, she steals company secrets too!"

"How did someone like her get in here?"

Seeing the crowd turn, the three of them grew even bolder.

"What's going on here?" A potbellied middle-aged man walked over.

"Mr. Jackman!" Tasha hurried up to the manager in a sugary voice and retold the story, embellishing every detail.

"How dare you commit crimes right under my nose? Chloe, you really have a death wish!"

Patricia leaned in, malice dripping from her tone. "Mr. Jackman, even if we've recovered the hard drive, what if she already transmitted the data? For safety's sake, shouldn't we destroy it?"

Mr. Jackman nodded. "Good point. We can't risk any leaks."

As he spoke, Tasha lifted my hard drive and smashed it hard against the floor.

The casing shattered, pieces flying everywhere.

My heart sank straight to the bottom. Inside were critical data I hadn't yet uploaded to the cloud.

These idiots had no idea what they'd just destroyed.

"You'll pay for this," I said, my voice cold as ice.

Mr. Jackman snorted. "Pay? You should be worrying about yourself. Security. Drag her out. Don't let her dirty our premises."

Two security guards stepped forward, roughly reaching for my arms.

I shook them off. "Don't touch me."

Patricia raised her phone and started snapping photos nonstop, chanting as she did.

"Everyone, take a good look—this is what happens to a corporate spy! Anyone who hires her in the future will be inviting disaster! Get out! Leave now, or I'll have security throw you out!"

Tasha, Patricia, and Vinny all flipped me off, exaggerating the shape of their mouths as they silently mouthed, Go—get—lost.

I smiled.

If they wanted to push things this far, then they had no one to blame when I showed no mercy.

"Fine. I'm leaving."

I picked up my bag and walked out without looking back.

I just hoped that this time tomorrow, they'd still be smiling so brightly.