Part 2The Road to Success

I thought that would be the end of it.

But the next morning, as soon as I walked into the office, all eyes were on me. The second I looked up, everyone immediately averted their gaze. My gut told me something was up.

Sure enough, the moment I sat down, the Slack channel started blowing up my notifications.

It was Chloe again, spamming the chat.

*【@Sarah, you said you’re not getting a kickback, but I found a Groupon for your family’s restaurant. The party menu is $19.99 a person.】*

*【I thought Mr. Harrison said the budget was $300 a head?】*

*【Still want to say you’re not skimming off the top?】*

*【If you don’t want us to report you, you should probably just refund us the difference. Kthxbye!】*

She ended it with a cutesy, tongue-out emoji.

Combined with the weird vibe in the office, I finally understood. And I was trapped.

On paper, the budget was $300 per person. But Mr. Harrison had quietly told me to keep it under $50. The company was struggling, and this whole retreat was a dog-and-pony show for a major potential client. If we landed this contract, the bonuses and raises would come. We had to look impressive without actually spending any money.

If the deal fell through, it would be my head on the chopping block. If it succeeded, all the credit would go to the sales team. It was a thankless, impossible task, which is why it always fell to me.

I was caught between my boss’s orders and my coworkers’ suspicions. I spent a long time at my desk, trying to figure out a way out of this mess.

Finally, I decided the only option was to talk to Chloe in private and tell her the truth.