Claim It—If You Dare

The company was preparing to host a major client from Qamaria. So, I pulled three straight all-nighters to put together a flawless reception plan. Unfortunately, I made a critical mistake in the middle of all that work. I completely forgot about the Qamarians' restrictions regarding the consumption of pork. By the time I realized my blunder, the menu featuring roast suckling pig had already been submitted to the catering department and could no longer be recalled. I slumped at my desk, my back drenched in cold sweat. If the client took offense, not only would the $300 million contract fall through, but I'd likely also be blacklisted by the entire industry. Just as I despaired and opened my computer to write my resignation letter, my boyfriend's childhood sweetheart suddenly came running over in tears. "Evelyn, I could overlook you stealing my bonuses and clients, but I've finally gotten a chance to secure a full-time position. Why would you steal my reception plan and claim it as your own?" Even my boyfriend jumped in to support her. "It's a good thing I caught it in time and changed the name to Claire's. You'd be fired if Ms. Bennett found out about this." I immediately donned the pitiful expression of someone being slandered, unable to defend herself. In truth, I was thrilled. After all, they were referring to a 300-million-dollar contract. Since the harpy loved stealing others' credit so badly, she could take the fall for it, too. Chapter 1 Taking the Credit The moment my fingers touched the keyboard, I heard someone sobbing loudly behind me. "Evelyn, I could overlook you stealing my bonuses and clients, but I've finally gotten a chance to secure a full-time position. Why would you steal my reception plan and claim it as your own? "Please, don't take this from me, too. I'll give you all my future sales once I get hired full-time, okay?" When I remained silent, Claire Sutton's waterworks started once more. She wasn't loud, but she was far from quiet. Honestly, she was just loud enough that everyone in the office could hear her. And they all knew one thing—this reception plan was tied to a $300 million contract. When the chair, Eleanor Bennett, had held the meeting, she had made it abundantly clear that whoever secured the major client from Qamaria would not only receive a promotion and a raise, but also a share of the company's stock. My proposal had been selected because management trusted me and because of the years of experience I had under my belt. I had slaved over the plan for three days and nights. My boyfriend, Damian Blackwood, had seen me working on it, yet he stepped forward and wrapped an arm around Claire's waist. Then, he shamelessly accused me of wrongdoing. "Evelyn, you might be my girlfriend, but I have to do the right thing for my conscience's sake. "The reception plan you submitted was obviously Claire's work. It's bad enough that you refuse to mentor a newcomer despite the fact that you're her senior, but it's another thing for you to plagiarize her proposal and claim it as your own." I nearly let out a bark of disbelieving laughter. Hadn't I done enough for Claire already? I never would have agreed to hire an intern from a third-rate college if he hadn't threatened to end our relationship. Later, I even went out of my way to help her. Heck, I even handed over several of my own clients just to pad up her resume, yet she either botched the job or upset the client so badly that they canceled their orders. I became her free nanny because I had to clean up the mess she made. On the contrary, Damian always protected Claire like an overindulgent parent instead of appreciating my efforts. "Claire's still an intern. Can't you be a bit more understanding? Plus, she's my childhood friend." Childhood friend? I finally saw the light. Those two adulterous snakes had probably been rolling around in bed together long ago. I was about to deliver a snarky retort of my own when Damian slammed a document onto my desk. "It's a good thing I caught it in time and changed the name to Claire's. You'd be fired if Ms. Bennett found out about this." I lowered my eyes and looked at the document. 'Reception Plan Confirmation Form.' 'Project Planner: Claire Sutton.' 'Project Executor: Damian Blackwood.' Both of their signatures were already on it. Now, all they needed was my signature. Chapter 2 Signing Away the Bomb Perhaps Damian was worried that I wouldn't take the fall quietly, so he actually tried to threaten me. "If you don't sign it, then we're through. After all, love means nothing when it comes to doing what's right." Claire wiped away her tears, her voice softening. "Evelyn, you know my family's struggling. I still have three younger siblings to support. This chance to become a full-time employee really means everything to me." The rest of the office was won over by her pitiful, tear-streaked performance. Everyone began pointing fingers at me. Meanwhile, a trace of triumph flashed through Claire and Damian's eyes. They thought my proposal would be their ticket to success. However, only I knew the truth. There was a ticking time bomb wrapped inside that proposal. The mistake had been unintentional, but it was fatal. I had included a roast suckling pig dish on the menu for the client from Qamaria. Anyone in international business knew that people from Amirah did not eat pork because of their religious beliefs. To them, pork was considered unclean and strictly forbidden. So, it was an enormous insult to include it on the menu, much less serve it. If the company pushes through with this taboo-filled menu, not only would we lose the 300-million-dollar contract, but we would likely also be blacklisted throughout the industry. I didn't even want to imagine what fate the person responsible for it would have to suffer. So, the truth was this. They didn't steal my credit. Oh, no. They just took a 300-million-dollar disaster off my hands. I nearly smiled out of sheer relief. After all, there was now no longer any need for me to pen my resignation letter. I had to fight my facial muscles from betraying my glee as I picked up a pen and signed my name with a flourish. "Since everyone insists the proposal belongs to Claire, then there's nothing I can say to defend myself." Claire immediately snatched the confirmation form from me. She was so excited that she nearly stumbled in her haste. Damian quickly wrapped an arm around her to steady her. Now that they had pulled off their scheme, the two didn't even bother to hide their relationship from me. They even erased my name from every document less than 10 minutes after I signed those papers. And so, Claire was officially listed as the project's planner inside the company's system. Then, she posted a message in the company group chat. "I want to thank the company for believing in me. I'll use this reception banquet to prove myself!" There was even a selfie of her holding the confirmation form attached to it. She was smiling sweetly at the camera. She came looking for me not long after doing her victory run. As she stood in front of my desk, she began in a gentle yet condescending tone, saying, "Even though the proposal is mine, the company still needs an official explanation, Evelyn. Otherwise, people might think I'm bullying you." Damian and someone from HR were standing right behind her. The HR representative handed me a document titled "Internal Notice." It stated that one Evelyn Hart was being transferred out of the marketing department for plagiarizing a colleague's work. It also stated that I am to report to the food service department effective immediately. In addition, I am also required to deliver a formal apology at the company-wide meeting. A public apology? I knew what they were doing. They wanted me to stand in front of everyone and personally admit that I had stolen Claire's proposal. I looked at Damian. He was standing beside Claire, and the coward couldn't even look me in the eye. Perhaps my piercing glare needled him into action as he wrapped himself in self-righteous fury. "Evelyn, you made a mistake, so you should own up to it. Claire didn't want to make a big deal out of this, but there are rules in the company for a reason. So, you should apologize and hand over your director position to Claire as compensation." Their smug expressions were enough to turn my stomach. I nearly bristled at the offense. However, my anger was doused by the sheer excitement bubbling inside me whenever I thought about what would happen when that ticking time bomb exploded. Besides, I needed to let the entire company know that Claire was the one who devised the proposal destined to destroy a 300-million-dollar contract. I couldn't pass this golden opportunity up. So, I lowered my head and pretended to be devastated before begrudgingly agreeing to their decision. Claire certainly knew how to put on a show. Over a hundred employees in the company attended the meeting, forming a sea of people before me. I stood on the stage holding my prepared statement. Claire stood in the front row, the corners of her lips quirking slightly in victory. I read aloud, "I, Evelyn Hart, hereby acknowledge that I plagiarized Claire Sutton's reception proposal, causing negative consequences for the company. I sincerely apologize. "All ideas and planning for the reception of the Qamarian client belong solely to Claire Sutton and have nothing to do with me. I will accept my reassignment and have no objections to the company's decision." Whispers immediately spread through the crowd. "Evelyn actually did something like that? I never would've guessed." "This is a 300-million-dollar contract we're talking about. Who wouldn't want credit for it?" I bowed deeply as my statement came to a close. Claire took the lead in applauding. The scattered clapping that followed was halfhearted at best. I stepped down from the stage. As I passed Claire, she put on a concerned expression and said, "Evelyn, you handled yourself very well today. Once the contract is signed, I'll put in a good word with Ms. Bennett for you. Maybe I can even get you transferred to an easier position in the janitorial department." Chapter 3 The Grand Finale Oh, how kind of Clare. Due to her generous offer, I decided to let her enjoy her sweet dream a little longer. The food station was on the basement level. There were no desks and no computers, just a row of stainless-steel racks and stacks of white plates. My assigned task was simple—serve food. As it happened, I was one of the servers for today's luncheon. Claire made a special trip downstairs to the food station just to check the menu. She even posed for a photo with the greasy roast suckling pig and posted it on social media. The caption read, "Everything is ready. Now, we're just waiting for our honored guest." Damian commented underneath, "You're the best." I sneered, took a screenshot, and saved it to my photo album. … The client arrived at 11 a.m. sharp. Applause and music drifted down from the banquet hall upstairs. Claire had hired a live band for 80,000. Damian gave a speech onstage. His voice filtered through the floor to the basement, muffled and indistinct. I crouched by the serving window, waiting for instructions. The servers had to serve the cold appetizers at 11:30 a.m. Then, the hot plates had to be on the tables by 11:45 a.m. The kitchen was a whirlwind of activity. The head chef stood by the menu, checking off each course one by one: appetizers, soup, seafood, entrees, starches, and desserts. Every item received a check mark before they were wheeled out of the kitchen. "What about the roast suckling pig?" the head chef asked. My heart fluttered in anticipation. "It's here!" Claire's assistant hurried over. "Ms. Sutton specifically instructed us that this dish has to be served last. It's the grand finale." The grand finale? Did she seriously just place a bomb for the final act? How positively exciting! In that case, I definitely had to watch this finale unfold. The atmosphere in the banquet hall was at its peak at noon. I heard Damian taking credit on Claire's behalf. "Today's luncheon was entirely organized by Claire. She knew you'd traveled a long way to get here, so she spent days researching a menu tailored to your tastes. "Everything you've had so far was just to whet your appetite. The main course coming up is the highlight of today's luncheon. You have to make sure you try plenty of it." As soon as he finished speaking, the head chef shouted, "Roast suckling pig, serve it now!" The time bomb was finally about to explode. I eagerly lifted the platter covered with a red cloth and slowly pushed the banquet hall doors open. Every eye in the room fell on the dish in my hands. Claire sat beside the client, still bragging about how much time she'd spent researching the menu. However, her lips tugged into a frown when she turned and saw that I was the one serving the dish. A flicker of anxiety flashed across her face. Damian's expression darkened immediately. As I set the roast suckling pig on the table, he tugged at my sleeve and whispered a warning, "I'll make sure no company in this industry ever hires you again if you dare steal Claire's thunder." This time, the bubble of gleeful giggles escaped my lips. They were already standing at the edge of a cliff. Yet, these dunderheaded trolls still thought they could threaten me. God, what great times to live in. My reaction must have irritated them because both of them shot me angry looks. The clients from Qamaria caught the rich aroma of the roast suckling pig and eagerly asked, "What Azurian delicacy is this? It smells incredible." Under everyone's watchful gaze, Claire dramatically pulled away the cloth covering the pig and proudly declared, "Mr. Ashar, I specially researched your personal tastes before preparing this dish for you. It represents my deepest blessings and best wishes. "To guarantee maximum freshness, I even had the pig slaughtered the same day. It's absolutely delicious." She didn't notice that Darius Ashar's face had turned deathly pale. She still had a smile on her face as she blithely picked up a piece of pork with her utensil and held it toward his mouth. "Mr. Ashar, allow me to personally feed you the first bite as a sign of my respect for you."