Leah opened the file her secretary handed her, and her face went cold in an instant.
An ordinary contract. Penelope had typed an extra zero into the figure, and the mistake was enormous.
"Robin, I never let Penelope into the company. How did she get her hands on a company contract?"
Robin looked like he'd finally found somewhere to let it all out. "She told everyone she was your best friend, that she was interning here to surprise you!"
"I was going to report it to you, but your boyfriend, Supervisor Delgado, said you'd been busy lately and told me not to bother you!"
"The contract's due this week. The client says we've already signed, so that's why I came straight to you!"
Penelope stared at me with reddened eyes, her voice thick with hurt.
"Leah, I only wanted to help you. I never thought I'd make such a mess of it."
Help me. As if. She'd wanted to get familiar with the company she thought was about to be hers, to try out a little of that power.
I rubbed my furrowed brow and kept my voice level.
"It's fine. It can be handled."
That was what I always said to her.
Penelope's eyes lit up at once, brimming with smugness.
Then, a beat later, they froze.
"It's a contract you got wrong yourself. There are cameras all over the company, and witnesses too. Legal will be holding you accountable."
Penelope went blank.
She was used to me cleaning up after her.
Even Sylvester nearly dropped the act. "Isn't she your best friend? Can you really bring yourself to face her in court?"
"The company isn't mine alone. Why didn't she check carefully when she printed that contract? Was she fine with the elders tearing into me over it?"
I turned to Penelope, my expression grave.
"Now, please leave my home and get ready for court."
【This isn't right, is it? The villainess looked after the heroine right up until her own death! She even told the male lead herself to make sure the heroine never wanted for anything!】
【This villainess is so vicious! The heroine and the male lead had a whole slow-burn thing going at the company, and one move from her splits them up!】
In the original story I was kept in the dark the whole way through, and every bit of my suffering came courtesy of these two.
Now that I knew, there was no way I'd walk the same path again.
Sylvester had gone quiet.
Penelope drifted toward the door one slow step at a time, as if waiting for me to call her back.
I didn't.
Because of this whole mess, I set aside the confrontation I'd planned and dealt with the company first.
Sylvester saw me working through the night, and instead of any sympathy he kept making excuses for Penelope.
"She's from the countryside. You know how her family favors sons over daughters. Making her pay back that much money would practically kill her, wouldn't it?"
"I know you're angry, but you two are good friends after all. Can't you put yourself in her shoes?"
I looked up, my eyes cold.
"If you feel that sorry for her, why not just pay the money back for her yourself?"
Sylvester gave an awkward little laugh.
"I don't feel sorry for her. I only feel sorry that you're losing a good friend!"
I ignored him and worked straight through until the early hours.
I only slept three hours.
At nine, I washed up quickly and went to the office.
A large crowd had gathered there.
Penelope stood in the middle of it, her hair a mess, looking utterly wretched.
Her parents were hitting her and cursing at her.
The moment she saw me, she scrambled up and knocked her forehead hard against the floor several times.
"Leah, I was wrong, please let me off!"
"I don't want to go back and marry a ninety-year-old man!"
Click, click. I spotted the reporters in the crowd.
So this was the pity act.
All it took was for me to refuse, and word of my cold, heartless nature would spread.
The original story's heroine, all right. A fine little scheme.
Sylvester spoke up right on cue.
"Leah, I don't like her much either!"
"But you're both women. Surely you can understand her!"
They all thought they had me cornered, victory glinting in their eyes.
I smiled and nodded, and helped Penelope to her feet.
"All right. I forgive you!"
At once, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
I turned and looked at Sylvester with contempt.
"But someone still has to answer for the losses. Sylvester, I made you a supervisor, and you failed to do your job and check the work!"
"We're breaking up, and you'll be the one to take responsibility for this."
