It was the company dinner, and everyone got to order a dish.
When it was my turn, Sadie, the new intern, suddenly snatched the menu right out of my hand.
“The dishes are enough. No more ordering.”
I ignored her and turned to the waiter. “I’ll have one Mac and cheese.”
But Sadie slammed the menu straight into my face, glaring at me.
“When I say you can’t order, you can’t order! Who do you think you are?”
The edge of the hard menu scratched my cheek, stinging like hell. My temper shot straight up.
I grabbed the menu and smacked it right back into her face. She immediately shrieked.
“Do you fucking know who I am? My dad is Wesley Modine—the biggest client our company has!
“Even the CEO has to treat me with respect. You dare lay a hand on me? Believe it or not, I can get your sales-title revoked and make the whole industry blacklist you!”
I just froze, honestly confused.
Wesley Modine is my biological uncle.
He was forty years old.
Single since birth.
Since when did he have a daughter this grown?
——
Seeing me stunned and not talking back, Sadie puffed up even more.
“What, scared now? A gold-digger like you who only relies on her face to get sales—letting you join the dinner is already polluting the air. You think you deserve to order food?”
Relying on my looks?
I wake up before dawn to do proposals, spend eight hours a day eating dust at construction sites, and I’m so tanned my own mom barely recognizes me. But this bitch thinks I rely on my face?
I pushed my chair back and stood up, staring her down.
“Hey, watch your mouth. I earn my performance by working my ass off. Everyone here can see it clearly. You’re in no position to insult me.
“This is a company dinner, not something you’re personally paying for. If I ‘don’t qualify’ to order, then you definitely don’t. No wonder I smelled something nasty when I walked in—it was your mouth spraying shit everywhere.”
A few coworkers tried to hide their laughter. They’d had enough of her attitude long ago.
She’d only been an intern for a month, yet she treated everyone like her servants.
When the new employee Meg Wheeler refused to fetch her coffee, Sadie poured a full cup over her head. It was so hot it blistered her scalp.
She didn’t apologize; she threatened her instead.
“If you dare make me apologize, I’ll get you fired!”
The company ended up covering the medical bill.
I’d wanted to stand up for her back then, but my colleagues stopped me.
I had wondered why everyone was angry but didn’t dare speak.
Now, I finally understood—everyone was intimidated by this “daughter of Wesley Modine.”
Sadie’s face turned bright red. She jabbed a finger right at my nose.
“Bitch! Stop trying to act tough! Without my dad, this company would’ve gone bankrupt already. I’m telling you—at this dinner, I call the shots. If I say you can’t order, then you can’t!
“What kind of bullshit are you that you dare act arrogant at me? If you order even one dish, I’ll make sure you’re fired tomorrow!”
The waiter overheard her and looked at me nervously.
“Ma’am… should I still place the order?”
“Yes.”
I said it without hesitation.
I just couldn’t believe this nonsense. I brought in projects worth tens of millions for the company, and now I can’t even order a dish?
“What’s with all the yelling?”
The CEO, Cody Godlock, walked in with a dark expression.
“A company dinner isn’t a place for you to scream at each other. What happened?”
Before anyone else could speak, Sadie rushed forward with a pitiful face and twisted the whole story her way.
I didn’t even get the chance to explain before Cody’s cold gaze landed on me.
“Phoebe, you’ve been here for a year now. You should know our principle of frugality.
“Sadie only said that for the good of the company. Will skipping one dish really kill you?”
