Chapter 7
Chloe's POV:
That evening, after putting Anna to bed, I walked into my father's study.
He sat at his desk, papers spread out in front of him. Under the lamplight, his face looked pale.
"Dad, I need to know the specifics about the company."
He waved his hand dismissively. "You just got back. Rest for a few days first."
I walked over and sat across from him. "Mom said the company's performance has been declining year after year. I need to know how serious it is."
My father stayed silent for a long time before finally pushing the documents toward me.
I opened them and read page by page.
After my father got sick, the company lost its backbone. Internal management was chaotic. The problems were severe.
I closed the file and made a decision. "Dad, let me do it."
"What?"
"Let me take over the company. I have connections in the design world. I've kept my network intact all these years. I can help."
My father frowned. "Chloe, I know you want to help, but running a company isn't as simple as you think—"
"Dad, give me a chance to prove it to you."
He sighed. "What do you plan to do?"
"Start from the bottom. I don't want people saying I got in through connections. I want to earn my place through my own skills."
My father nodded. He didn't object again.
Early the next morning, I left Anna with my mother and drove to Reed Group.
I parked and walked into the lobby. The receptionist stopped me. "Hello, may I ask who you're here to see?"
"I'm a new employee. Today's my first day."
I showed her my onboarding notice.
She glanced at it and politely directed me to HR.
The HR manager was a woman in her forties. She looked me over, slightly puzzled. "You're the new designer?"
"Yes."
"I saw your resume… You got married right after college and haven't worked for six years?"
"I've been working as an online designer for the past six years. I just didn't include it on my resume."
The manager didn't say anything more. She handed me my employee badge. "The design department is on the twelfth floor. Go check in."
I took the badge and rode the elevator up.
The design department was large, with quite a few people at their workstations.
When I walked in, a few colleagues glanced up, then quickly looked back down.
"Hi, everyone. I'm the new designer, Chloe Reed."
The entire department went silent. The surname Reed was too sensitive in this company.
But soon, a young woman stood up and walked over with a smile. "Hi, I'm Julia, the team lead. I'll show you to your desk."
She led me to a workstation in the corner and lowered her voice. "Don't take it personally. Everyone's just a little curious. You know…"
"It's fine. I'll prove myself through my work."
"Oh, so this is the new hire?"
I turned toward the voice. A woman with heavy makeup and a tight dress stood behind me, arms crossed.
"And you are?"
"Grace. Also from the design department."
She looked me up and down and smirked. "Pretty face. No wonder you got parachuted in here."
Her tone was dripping with sarcasm. The colleagues around us went quiet.
I looked at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Grace shrugged. "Nothing. It's just that our design department has always had strict hiring standards. So how did a housewife with no work experience for six years suddenly get dropped in here?"
I met her gaze. "How do you know I have no work experience?"
"Someone in HR is a friend of mine. We chatted."
"I was a housewife for six years, yes. But I also worked as an online designer for six years. I just didn't feel the need to put it on my resume."
Grace paused, then scoffed. "Online designer? Who's to say if that's even real? Anyone can call themselves a designer these days."
I looked at her calmly. "Would you like to see my portfolio?"
"Forget it." Grace waved her hand. "I'm just reminding everyone that the company's losing money right now. We can't afford dead weight. If certain people got in through connections, they should have some self-awareness."
She turned and walked away, hips swaying.
The colleagues exchanged glances. Julia coughed awkwardly. "Um… don't take it personally. That's just how Grace is. She doesn't have a filter."
"It's fine." I smiled and turned to organize my desk.
But I knew this was only the beginning.
By the afternoon, trouble found me.
I was in the break room getting water when I overheard voices inside.
"Did you hear? The new girl, Chloe—apparently she's the chairman's daughter."
"Really? Then why is she starting from the bottom?"
"Who knows? Maybe she's just trying to look good. But have you seen her face? I bet she got in through other connections."
"What kind of connections?"
"Think about it. The chairman's a man. If she's really his daughter, why haven't we ever heard of her before? I'm betting she's someone's mistress."
My hand froze around the water cup.
I stood outside the door and listened to the rest.
"And did you notice? She kind of looks like the chairman in his old photos…"
"So what? Looking alike doesn't prove she's his daughter. I heard the chairman had a daughter who cut ties with the family six years ago. If it's really her, why would he make her start from the bottom? She'd be sitting in an office already."
"True… So who is she, then?"
"Who cares? She definitely didn't get in on merit."
I pushed the door open.
The two women inside turned pale the moment they saw me.
"Finished talking?" I looked at them.
They exchanged awkward glances. One of them forced a laugh. "We were just chatting…"
"Just chatting?" I walked over and set my cup on the counter. "Chatting about whether I'm someone's mistress? Whether I got in through connections?"
Their faces went even paler.
I looked them in the eye. "What you just said could be considered slander. But I'll give you one chance. Apologize now, and we'll end this here."
The two women froze.
A few other colleagues had gathered at the door, whispering amongst themselves.
"I'm sorry…" one of them finally said, her voice barely audible. "We shouldn't have said those things."
"I'm sorry too," the other added quickly. "We were out of line."
I nodded. "Remember this lesson. If I hear it again, I won't be this nice."
I picked up my cup and walked out.
The break room behind me fell silent.
I knew I'd made a name for myself in the company now.
Back at my desk, Julia leaned over and whispered, "Did you really just confront Mia and Sophia in the break room?"
"They started it."
"Fair enough…" Julia shook her head. "But watch out. Grace is close with them. She's definitely going to come after you."
"I'm not afraid."
After work, I drove back to my parents' house.
Anna was already asleep. My mother sat waiting for me in the living room.
"How was your first day?"
"It was fine."
I went into the study and opened my laptop, logging into my email.
Then I noticed something. Several emails showed as read, but I was certain I hadn't opened them.
I checked the login history. There was an abnormal login. Someone had accessed my email.
I pulled out my phone and dialed a number.
The phone rang for a long time before someone picked up. A lazy male voice came through.
"Chloe? It's late. What's up?"
"Brady, I need your help with something."
Brady Scott was my senior from college. A computer whiz. Basically a hacker. We'd stayed in touch over the years, though we rarely met in person.
"What is it?"
"Someone hacked into my email. Can you find out who?"
I heard the sound of typing on the other end. A moment later, Brady spoke. "Got it. The IP address traces back to Miller Group's design department. Assistant Design Director. Name's Vivian. She used the company network. Easy to track."
Of course it was her.
"Thanks, Brady."
"Hold on." He stopped me. "You're just going to let this go? She hacked your email. She's up to something."
"I know," I said. "I'm not letting it go. But not yet."
"What do you mean?"
"If she hacked my email, she's trying to steal something. I'm going to let her. Let her think she's won. Then, when she tries to profit from what she stole, I'll expose her."
"You've really changed. The old you would've just taken the hit and kept quiet. Now… you're going to destroy her. I like this version of you. Need help? Just say the word."
"Thanks."
After hanging up, I sat at the desk, staring at the computer screen.
Vivian stole my design sketches to get into Miller Group. Now she's hacking my email. What's her endgame?
Does she want to steal more?
Or does she want to destroy me?
I picked up my phone and opened a chat I hadn't touched in a long time. Ethan's WhatsApp profile picture was still that family photo of the four of us. How ironic.
I set my phone down. A multimedia message came through from an unknown number. It was a photo—Vivian leaning on Ethan's shoulder, smiling sweetly.
Below the photo was a line of text:
[Chloe, I'll be moving into Maplewood Manor soon. Your son's about to have a new mommy.]
I stared at the message and laughed bitterly.
