Chapter 2After My Boss Smear My Reputation, I Got Her Fired

Before I could voice my amusement, Director Collins had already dragged me into the employee cafeteria.

He spent the next ten minutes nervously lecturing me about keeping my head down and surviving corporate politics, while I pushed my salad around my plate, entirely devoid of an appetite.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed violently against the table. The company's massive group chat was blowing up, notifications rolling in like a slot machine.

I unlocked the screen. The most recent messages were photos and voice notes sent by Valerie.

She had gone into my cubicle the second I left.

The photos were entirely of my private belongings hidden in my desk drawers. A pair of spare pantyhose I had meant to take home to wash, a pair of emergency stilettos I kept under my desk, my favorite lipstick, and a bottle of expensive perfume.

Right below the photos was a voice note. I pressed play, and Valerie's sickly sweet, theatrical voice poured out of my speaker.

"Attention everyone! From now on, our department is officially cracking down on toxic workplace culture! We will absolutely not tolerate anyone selling their bodies or playing into the male gaze! Things like lipstick, perfume, and sheer pantyhose are hereby banned from this office!"

"Now, I just confiscated some filthy contraband from a certain coworker's desk. In the spirit of recycling, I am hosting a little auction right here in the chat!"

"Does anyone want to bid on our resident 'Project Goddess's' personal items? Highest bidder takes all!"

My stomach violently turned over. Pure disgust hit me so hard I thought I was going to throw up my lunch.

To make it infinitely worse, a few of the creepier guys from the IT and sales departments were actually responding in the chat, dropping dollar amounts and bidding on my things.

I cursed under my breath, shoved my chair back, and sprinted all the way back to the department floor.

When I reached my desk, the scene waiting for me made my blood boil over.

Valerie hadn't just raided my drawers. She was currently sitting in my chair, swiping aggressively through my personal, password-protected laptop.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?!" I lunged forward and slammed the laptop shut, nearly catching her fingers in the keyboard. "That is my personal computer! You have absolutely no right to touch it!"

Valerie jumped, startled by my sudden appearance, but immediately recovered, tilting her chin up with sickening entitlement.

"What am I doing? A routine inspection! You bring this device into my office, so I have every right to make sure you aren't stealing company secrets. Or, you know, maybe you were trading insider info with that client earlier today? After all, with women like you... well, who knows what you are capable of?"

I was trembling with rage. My knuckles turned white as I gripped the edge of my laptop, opening my mouth to rip her to shreds.

Before I could speak, a guy from accounting with thick glasses and a sleazy smile sidled up to the desk.

"Hey, Valerie, I just sent the Venmo. I am here for the pantyhose."

Valerie gave him a knowing smirk, pulled my sheer tights out of my drawer, and handed them right over to him.

"You look like such a quiet guy, who knew you were into this kind of trash? Take them. Just make sure the payment clears."

"Valerie Harrington!" I screamed, my voice echoing through the open floor plan. "You have no right to sell my property! I am not selling anything!"

"No right? I have every right! This pathetic, male-gaze garbage does not belong in my office! I am purifying our workplace environment!"

The audacity was blinding. I fired back, making sure my voice carried. "Basic grooming and professional attire are standard corporate etiquette! Because I wear a fitted dress and want to look nice, suddenly I am catering to men? By your insane logic, should I be wearing thermal sweatpants under a skirt just to prove I am a decent woman?!"

My voice was loud enough to draw a crowd. The coworkers who had been quietly watching the drama unfold started whispering among themselves.

A few people couldn't suppress a snicker, clearly realizing just how unhinged Valerie's crusade was actually becoming.

Her face burned under the shifting attention. Her eyes darkened with absolute malice.

"Are you psychotic, Audrey?! Watch your mouth, or I promise I will make sure you never work in this industry again!"

I was done entertaining her delusions.

"Move. I have actual work to do." I kept my face like stone, reaching out to pack away my laptop.