Chapter 2

Richard had indeed claimed over the phone that he was wiring me six thousand dollars for the client hosting.

Yet the actual transfer notification was only for six bucks.

It was his favorite psychological trick.

Phone calls left no paper trail.

If I didn't bring it up, he'd pretend he never noticed. If I did, he’d claim accounting procedures were lagging and pressure me into fronting the cash.

Then came the guilt-tripping lecture:

"Young people shouldn't be so short-sighted about petty cash. Think about the bigger picture! Look at Kevin—he never nickel-and-dimes the company, and that's why he gets promoted."

"If you're going to pinch pennies over a routine advance, how can I trust you with major responsibilities?"

Marcus leaned in, squinted at my phone screen, and looked up at my boss. "Richard... the transfer is indeed just six dollars."

A flash of pure embarrassment washed over Richard’s face. He coughed awkwardly. "Ah, I've been so swamped today, I must have mistyped the amount. I'll have accounting wire it right over."

He threw me a resentful glare. "Why didn't you just tell me instead of making a scene?"

Grudgingly, he pulled out his phone and transferred eight hundred dollars to me via PayPal, his tone icy and curt:

"There. The money's sent. Now hurry up and get everything rebooked. Don't waste our guests' valuable time."

Before I could open my mouth, Kevin cut in loudly, "Boss, you shouldn't have sent her a dime!"

Kevin cast a venomous smirk at me and raised his voice for the whole room to hear. "Who knows how much she’s skimmed off client events over the years?!"

"Even if you made a typo on the transfer, couldn't she have just put it on her card first?"

"She intentionally brought everyone to this dump just to embarrass the company, all because she couldn't pocket an advance this time!"

Richard feigned annoyance and shot Kevin a stern look. "Stop spouting nonsense in front of our clients."

It looked like a reprimand, but it deliberately framed Kevin's accusation as undeniable truth.

My fingers hovered over my phone for a second. Then, without hesitation, I hit *Refund*.

"Since that's how you see it," I said coolly, "I just refunded the money. Feel free to handle the reservations yourself, Richard. Wouldn't want anyone accusing me of taking kickbacks again."

Richard’s smug expression froze instantly.

He knew better than anyone that accommodating this executive team with top-tier suites and a banquet would cost at least eight thousand dollars tonight.

Richard was a classic penny-pincher.

He preyed on the rough job market, knowing entry-level employees were terrified of getting fired.

Every time an important client visited, he’d bully the quiet, hardworking staffers into paying out of pocket. To outsiders, it looked like we were enjoying luxury perks and five-star meals on the company dime. In reality, every single cent came out of our own empty pockets, while Richard submitted the receipts to corporate and pocketed the reimbursement himself.

In the past, I put up with it because I desperately needed job stability.

Not anymore.

Kevin rolled his eyes, scoffing loudly. "Oh, playing the martyr now?"

"You want to refund money? Don't stop at eight hundred bucks! If you're so innocent, why don't you cough up every single cent you've embezzled over the years?!"

### 小说标题

The Six-Dollar VIP Dinner: Exposing My Boss's Scam### 全文翻译

"And since our partners are all sitting right here, let's put all the cards on the table and see how much kickback money you've actually pocketed!"

Hearing this, Richard’s face changed instantly.

He grabbed Kevin's arm. "We're in the middle of corporate negotiations! What kind of nonsense is this? We'll deal with this back at the office."

"No, we deal with it now!" Kevin jerked his arm free with force.

His eyes flared with raw resentment. "Don't think I'm blind, Richard! You deliberately hand all the VIP accounts to Chloe just so she can inflate the expense reports!"

"We’re in the same department! Why does she get handed every single massive account on a silver platter?"

"We are hashing this out in front of the partners tonight! Whatever illicit cut she's been skimming over the years, she needs to split it with the rest of the team!"

Watching Kevin’s furious expression, it hit me.

He wasn't standing up for company ethics or defending corporate interests.

He was simply green with envy, believing Richard had been feeding me lucrative perks and kickbacks behind closed doors.

He was throwing a tantrum in public just to blackmail his way into a cut of the non-existent pie.

Marcus, the lead client executive, joined in with an amused, pointed smirk. "Richard, you always boast about treating your team with total equity. Favoritism like this doesn't look very professional."

"Kevin, I get where you're coming from. Workplace fairness matters."

The rest of the client team leaned back, clearly entertained by the drama.

None of them actually cared about justice; they just loved watching their vendor’s internal dysfunction implode right before their eyes.

Richard’s face drained of color.