He Gave My Bonus To Intern, I Revenged

Chapter 3

I was a bit surprised.

Although I knew Amy was working as a headhunter now, I hadn't expected her to have the direct contact information for a managing director at Vanguard Holdings.

I set down my luggage and gave Amy a tight hug.

"Thank you so much, Amy. You're a lifesaver."

Amy patted my back, her eyes full of warmth and amusement.

"Oh, stop being so polite with me. Vanguard is a top-tier firm in our industry, and their salary and benefits package blows Apex completely out of the water. Besides, they've recently been expanding into the exact niche you specialize in, so it's the perfect place for you to flex your skills."

Seeing the absolute confidence radiating from her, a wave of comfort washed over me.

"When is the interview?"

"Tomorrow morning at ten o'clock. The office is over on Broadway. Your interviewer will be their HR Director, Ms. Lewis."

I nodded.

I had initially assumed the interview with Vanguard would take quite a bit of time, but to my surprise, it wrapped up in just half an hour.

Before I left, Ms. Lewis looked at me with sincere appreciation.

"Ms. Taylor, your professional capabilities and your resilience under pressure are exactly what we need here. A formal offer will be sent to you tomorrow. I am very much looking forward to the day we start working together."

I smiled, nodded, and thanked her warmly.

After grabbing a bite to eat, Amy accompanied me to look at some apartments, and I officially moved into my new place.

That evening, after getting everything organized, I lay in bed scrolling through my phone and caught a new social media update from Chloe.

Thank you for making my dream come true.

The caption was paired with a photo of her wearing a ring.

That exact ring was the one Brett and I had seen while shopping together last week, the one I had pointed out as a potential wedding ring.

At the time, Brett had looked incredibly strained and hesitant.

I couldn't help but let out a self-deprecating laugh.

So Brett hadn't been stressed about the price tag of the ring after all. He had just been stressed about the idea of buying it for me.

Initially, I had felt a bit of heartache at the thought of spending a massive chunk of change on a ring. Fortunately, I had cut my losses just in time, and my cash could rest safely and peacefully right inside my own wallet.

I flicked my finger across the screen and blocked Chloe without hesitation.

Right on cue, a notification from Margie popped up.

I reviewed the files Margie had forwarded to me and sent her a quick message of thanks.

Staying up late to compile and organize the documents, I sent everything directly to the department director and the corporate ethics and compliance board before the night was over.

'Brett Evans, every single cent that belongs to me is going to be spat right back out.'

The next morning, I arrived at the office right on time.

The moment Chloe spotted me, she couldn't wait to march over, using exaggerated gestures to ensure there was no way I could miss the ring on her finger.

"Lily, look! Isn't this ring beautiful?" Chloe cooed. "You mentioned before that you had a boyfriend. What's the matter? Has he still not planned on proposing to you yet?"

I lowered my gaze, sweeping my eyes over the ring on her hand, and curled my lips into a sharp smile.

"It's beautiful. After all, it was bought with someone else's hard-earned money, so how could it not look good?"

The smug satisfaction on Chloe's face instantly froze solid. It was as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her in public. Her flushed cheeks drained until they turned completely white.

She instinctively clenched her fingers into a fist, forcing herself to maintain her composure.

"Lily, how can you say something like that? This—"

I cut her off, lifting my eyes to meet hers with cold, detached amusement dancing in my gaze.

"We both know exactly whose hand that ring was originally supposed to be on. But it doesn't matter. Since you love picking up someone else's leftovers so much, I can't even be bothered to waste my breath arguing with you."

Several nearby colleagues had already turned around out of curiosity, whispering softly among themselves.

Chloe completely lost her grip on the situation. Her eyes rimmed with red, and she immediately tried to deploy her usual routine of playing the victim.

"I didn't... Lily, are you still blaming me? But the decision regarding the commission was entirely Brett's idea, I—"

"Don't flatter yourself. I am not in the mood to stand here and watch you perform. Since you love that ring so much, make sure you wear it well. I don't give a damn about it anyway.

"In fact, I should really thank you for taking out the trash for me."

Leaving Chloe standing there with a thoroughly miserable expression, I offered her a genuinely radiant smile and patted her reassuringly on the shoulder.