Watching her coworkers turn on Tracey one by one, Virginia drew herself up, riding the momentum.
"President Fox, we may be a private bank pulling in two hundred and thirty million a year in deposits alone, but we can't afford someone bleeding us dry like Tracey has."
"Instead of keeping a parasite on staff, why not cut her loose and bring me on full-time?"
"Six thousand a month—I can develop business, maintain clients, do everything out in the open. And I won't be stealing while I'm at it."
"Don't talk nonsense! Tracey and I aren't like that. She's actually—"
"Enough!"
Greg stepped forward to explain, but Nelson cut him off before he could finish.
He'd been silent this entire time. Now he looked at me and let out a quiet sigh.
"Tracey, hand off whatever you're working on."
He was telling me to go.
I smiled and stood up without a word.
Honestly, none of this surprised me.
He'd sat there the whole time Virginia was smearing my name and hadn't said a single thing to stop her.
What was that, if not approval?
"Fine. I'll get my things."
At the doorway, my coworkers parted for me like I was contagious.
I didn't have much to pack.
Virginia was right about one thing: most days I just sat in my office drinking coffee and scrolling my phone.
What she didn't know was that Nelson had begged me to come work here in the first place.
I rinsed my coffee mug, packed the espresso machine into a cardboard box, unplugged my charging cable from the desk, and dropped it into my bag.
That was everything.
Virginia didn't bother knocking. She strolled right into my office like she owned it.
The look on her face—pure petty triumph.
"Nobody ever teach you to knock before walking into someone's office?"
I was taping up the box. Didn't even look up.
Virginia sneered. "You don't get to lecture me. The bank just swept you out the door—what exactly do you have to be proud of?"
"This office is mine now!"
She dropped into my chair, and her eyes lit up.
"Wow, you really did help yourself. This chair's nicer than the one in President Fox's office. Looks like hand-stitched leather."
That actually reminded me. I'd bought that chair with my own money.
"Get up."
"Make me. You skimmed enough cash—be grateful the president didn't send you straight to jail. And now you want to walk off with the furniture too?"
I stared straight into her smug, clueless face and let my voice go cold.
"I paid for that chair myself."
When she didn't move, I closed my hand around her wrist and pressed down, keeping my expression perfectly still.
That startled her enough to stand, eyes wide.
Her mouth, though, kept going.
"Paid for it with money you stole from the bank! I've never met a woman as shameless as you!"
I'd lost count of how many times she'd called me a thief today. Even my patience had a limit, and she'd found it.
"Stealing?"
"Virginia, you were told on your very first day as an intern that there were no open positions. No path to a full-time offer."
"You threw dirt on me and tried to force me out just so you could stay. Tell me—who's greedier?"
I grabbed my things and brushed past her shoulder toward the door.
A hand caught my collar from behind and yanked me back.
She blocked my path.
"Leave the money and then you can take your junk and get out!"
I looked her dead in the eyes.
"The gift card is in President Fox's office. I didn't take it."
Virginia let out a cold laugh.
"I'm not talking about that one card. Every gift card, every gift you've taken since the day you set foot in this bank—you're giving back all of it. Every last cent."
