A few days later, a notification from Miguel popped up in the department group chat. He had tagged everyone.
"We're celebrating Vanessa's success in securing the Gilla Group project at the VIP room at the Grand Lyre Hotel tonight at 8:00 pm. Attendance is mandatory—no exceptions!"
The chat was instantly flooded with flattery and bootlicking messages.
Todd was especially ingratiating. "Mr. Studdard is the wisest, and Vanessa is the most amazing! I'm definitely raising a toast to Vanessa tonight!"
Seeing the screen flooded with celebratory messages, I coldly locked my phone.
Before getting off work, Miguel stopped by my desk and tapped on it.
"Macy, make sure you come to the celebration dinner tonight. Young people should learn from their outstanding seniors. Stop keeping to yourself all the time."
I looked up and nodded obediently. "Of course, Mr. Studdard. I'll be there on time."
…
That evening, Miguel sat at the head of the table in a VIP room at the Grand Lyre Hotel. He was glowing with pride, while Vanessa sat right next to him, looking every bit like the star of the night.
I was seated near the serving entrance and was basically invisible.
After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere in the room turned vulgar. A few male colleagues who loved telling dirty jokes started running their mouths again under the influence of alcohol.
"Vanessa's got serious charm. She even managed to crack a tough nut like Gilla Group!"
"Exactly. The kind of allure Vanessa has? That's nothing some bookish little girl can compete with. If you ask me, talking business in the conference room is nowhere near as effective as talking at the dinner table, right, Vanessa?"
Vanessa didn't get angry. In fact, she even looked extremely pleased. She shot them a playful glare and said, "Oh, stop it. You guys are terrible. I secured the deal with my own abilities."
Just then, Todd walked up to me with a glass brimming with hard liquor. He slammed the glass down in front of me and said loudly, "Macy, Vanessa accomplished something huge today. Don't you think you should at least raise a toast to her and apologize for crossing her before?"
The room instantly fell silent, and everyone's eyes focused on me, filled with amusement and anticipation for a good show.
Miguel leaned back in his chair as he picked his teeth.
"Todd's right," he chimed in, his tone passive-aggressive. "Down that glass, and I'll forget about you spreading rumors before. You'll still be able to assist Vanessa in the department."
Vanessa looked down her nose at me.
"Macy, if you don't drink it, you're disrespecting both Mr. Studdard and me. And if that's the case, you probably won't be able to stay at this company for much longer."
Seeing that I didn't move, Todd shoved the glass toward my mouth. "Macy, don't be ungrateful! Hurry up and drink this, then apologize!"
I shoved him hard. With his flimsy build, he stumbled backward.
Looking at his stormy expression, I slowly stood up.
"Vanessa, are you sure you actually secured the deal?"
Her face grew dark. "What are you saying? Macy Monroe, stop being bitter just because you couldn't do it! Mr. Kapowsky from Gilla Group personally met with me today, and the contract is already in its final stages!"
"Is that so?" I sneered and glanced at my watch. "8:30 pm. Right on schedule."
As soon as the words left my lips, the private room door swung open.
