That Shareholder Girl

I pulled three all-nighters revising the Cultural and Creative Park cooperation proposal to its fifth version. The coffee stains on the keyboard had crusted over, and I'd picked at the edges of the mouse pad until the fabric frayed—all so that we could sign the contract smoothly with the client tomorrow. Just as the office door was suddenly pushed open, I was checking data on the computer. Viola Lincoln held my proposal booklet, nails scraping the pages with a sharp, grating sound. "Quincy Scott, are you out of your mind?" She threw the proposal booklet to the floor, and her high heels crushed the cover brutally, instantly crumpling the white pages into a mess. I was just about to stand up when she bent down, picked up the proposal booklet, and tore it with a single motion. The sound of tearing paper was especially sharp in the quiet office, and my heart ached with every rip. "You're just stubbornly obsessed with the proposal, like a workaholic! You make the boss think we need to work as hard as you do." She tore even harder, and the scraps scattered all over the floor, just like the blood and sweat I've poured into these last few days. I clenched my fists tightly, holding back my anger: "You should not others' hard work." "Which department are you from? How did HR even hire someone like you?" Before I could finish speaking, she suddenly raised her hand and slapped me across the face. A burning pain spread across my cheek. I was stunned for a moment, then heard her arrogant voice whispering in my ear. "How dare you talk back to me? Do you even know who I am?" She puffed out her chest, the platinum necklace around her neck glinting dazzlingly. "I'm Leo Luke's fiancee, the future boss's wife of this company!" Leo Luke? I was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. Isn't he the 'toy for fun' Yale Scott arranged for me when I was bored? Since when did he become the company boss and have a fiancee? I turned my head toward the surveillance camera in the corner and waved at the lens. Yale Scott watches the surveillance every day; if anything happens to me, he can get here within ten minutes. Viola Lincoln scoffed when she saw me watching the footage: "Don't waste your effort, that camera's been broken since last week." "Leo said the company is pushing for 'easy office work.' Workaholics like you should just be fired!" No sooner had she finished speaking than several colleagues gathered around. Madam Clark at the desk next to mine muttered quietly, "Yeah, last time she stayed late, the boss said our efficiency was low and docked the whole department's performance bonus." Lee by the window chipped in, "I heard she even snitched to the boss, saying we were slacking off." I looked at the scene before me and suddenly found it kind of funny. I stayed up all night working on the proposal to secure a ten-million order, so everyone in the company could get their year-end bonus. And now? They call me the 'workaholic who's targeting others.' I was about to explain when Viola Lincoln raised her hand again. This time I was ready and turned my head to dodge, but her nails still scratched my cheek, leaving a thin line of blood. She wiped her hands with disgust, as if she'd touched something filthy. "Leo hates selfish people like you most. Today, I'm cleaning house for him!" I touched the blood on my cheek, my eyes landing on the necklace around her neck. That necklace's design looked very familiar—it was the gift I gave Leo Luke on my birthday last year. Back then, he said he'd wear it for a lifetime. So how is it around Viola Lincoln's neck now? "What are you smiling at?" Viola Lincoln noticed my smirk and immediately snapped, "You're about to get fired, and you still have the nerve to smile?" I pulled the gold-embossed equity certificate from my bag, my fingertip tracing the words "Quincy Scott holds 67% of shares." "You're saying you want to fire me?" "But I'm the largest shareholder of this company. You're just an intern who's been here three days—on what grounds?" Viola Lincoln stared at the equity certificate, frozen for a moment, then burst out laughing hysterically.