Chapter 1Insult Me, Lose Your Job

We were in a conference room at our vendor's office when the guy handling our account leaned back, looked me up and down, and suddenly dropped this gem:

"Karen, you look seriously intense. Like a straight-up witch."

"And why don't you wear makeup? It makes you look ancient."

I cut him a look. "Did my company pay your agency just so you could insult me?"

He immediately laughed it off, waving his hand dismissively. "Chill, I was just joking! You can't take a joke? You actually look decent."

My face remained a mask of pure ice. "Did we pay you to rate my appearance, either?"

Then, right there in front of the entire room, I pulled out my phone and dialed his boss.

"Mr. Reynolds? This is Karen Collins from Lumina Group. We need to talk."

The room went dead silent. The nervous tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.

Even Rick, who had been grinning a second ago, went pale. Panic flashed in his eyes. "Whoa, Karen, come on. It was just a joke. No need to blow this out of proportion."

I raised a single finger to my lips, signaling him to shut his mouth.

Joshua Reynolds' voice came through the speaker. "Ms. Collins! What can I do for you? Please, fire away."

"Mr. Reynolds, your account manager, Rick Briggs, has repeatedly subjected me to unprofessional verbal attacks during today's meeting. He has made derogatory remarks about my appearance and personal character, which is a direct and severe breach of Section 5.2 of our Behavior Guidelines in Exhibit C of our contract."

"Lumina Group is immediately initiating the breach of contract protocol. I expect a written explanation and a comprehensive remediation plan from Aurelia Media within twenty-four hours."

"Furthermore, I demand a formal, public apology from Rick Briggs in front of the entire project team."

The room collectively gasped.

Rick's face turned a violent shade of crimson. "You're making things up! You're blowing this way out of context! I never..."

I didn't let him finish. "I am speaking to your direct superior to resolve a contract issue. Why are you interrupting? Where is your discipline? Is this the kind of training Aurelia Media provides its staff?"

Joshua, hearing the icy authority in my voice, realized his multi-million dollar contract was on the line. He scrambled to placate me, promising a satisfactory resolution if I just gave him a little time to investigate.

I gave a curt nod and hung up.

Within three minutes, the vendor's team cleared out of the conference room like rats fleeing a sinking ship.

Since my team had been dragged into this mess, I ordered a round of high-end afternoon tea and pastries to let everyone decompress.

Penny, our junior designer, practically bounced over to my chair, her eyes shining with pure worship. "Karen, you are literally my hero! That was the most badass thing I've ever seen a boss do!"

"You have no idea how much Rick has been getting on my nerves. He does zero actual work, but he loves making sleazy comments to the female staff under the guise of 'joking.' And if anyone gets upset, he plays the victim, saying 'Oh, it's just a joke!' He's a total creep."

"Last week, he told me I should dye my hair because black makes me look depressing. Like, mind your own business, asshole!"

"And he did the same to Hannah. He told her she has thick thighs and should only wear long skirts to hide them because pants look hideous on her. Disgusting pig."

My brows drew together. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner? We are the paying clients here. Since when do we pay vendors to harass our team?"

Penny bit her lip. "We just didn't want to cause a scene. You know how it is, sometimes it feels easier to just bite your tongue and get through the day."

I shook my head. "We don't go looking for trouble, but we sure as hell don't run from it. If someone pushes you, you push back."

The rest of the women on my team nodded fiercely, eager to testify about Rick's constant workplace harassment.

Half an hour later, my phone rang. It was Joshua.

I pressed the speaker button. Joshua's voice boomed through, entirely too casual and dismissive:

"Hey, Karen. I just looked into the whole situation, and honestly, it seems like a big misunderstanding."

"Young Rick is still green, you know? He speaks before he thinks, but he didn't mean anything by it."

"As a senior director, surely you wouldn't want to ruin a kid's career over a silly slip of the tongue, right?"

"Our companies have partnered on so many successful launches. We shouldn't let a minor hiccup sour a great relationship."

"But don't worry, I gave him a stern talking-to. I guarantee it won't happen again!"