Chapter 3
731 Words
The day before the final review, Chloe pulled me into a new team chat.
The group was called "Final Review Sprint".
She posted a selfie in the group. Behind her was the project wall I had spent 6 months building.
Chloe: [Final polish tonight. We land the eight-figure bid tomorrow.]
The replies immediately filled the screen.
A: [Chloe is amazing.]
B: [An elite-university graduate really is reliable.]
C: [Sienna can relax this time and enjoy the ride.]
I looked at the messages and didn't reply.
10 minutes later, Chloe tagged me in the group.
Chloe: [Sienna, organize the client's common questions into a one-page document for me. Don't make it too complicated. I'm afraid the reviewers won't understand your backwoods methods.]
I sent her the Q&A document I had prepared long ago.
She looked only at the title before replying with a frowning emoji.
Chloe: [Too wordy. No wonder you can only work behind the scenes.]
Victor followed right away.
Victor: [Chloe handles external presentation. Sienna handles document support. Everyone cooperates with Chloe.]
Zach Taylor from Engineering sent one sentence.
Zach: [But Sienna went through more than 10 rounds of requirement confirmation with the client. If the reviewers ask for details tomorrow...]
Chloe cut him off immediately.
Chloe: [I know the details. Don't talk about a high school graduate as if she's a lifeline.]
No one spoke in the group after that.
At 8 p.m., the company held the final dry-run presentation.
Chloe stood at the front in a white suit and spoke quickly.
Trying to show off her overseas-study background, she deliberately pronounced several technical terms with an affected foreign-sounding accent. In the end, she got the underlying logic of the core mechanism completely backward.
Frank coughed.
"Chloe, the algorithm flow logic is wrong. Don't explain it that way tomorrow."
Chloe's face flushed, and she immediately threw the blame at me.
"Sienna, why didn't your document label the technical terms clearly? You know I'm used to reading polished source materials."
Victor looked at me.
"You didn't even remind her of a detail like this. How are you doing your assistant work?"
I flipped the printed script to the corresponding page.
"I marked the derivation logic in the comments on the right."
Chloe looked down, and her face grew uglier.
Those handwritten comments were, in her eyes, glaringly unsophisticated.
The business manager quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
"The comments were too small. It's normal that Chloe didn't notice. Sienna, don't hide things like that in the future."
I closed the file.
"All right."
Seeing that I didn't argue, Chloe grew even bolder.
She handed everyone a printed project contribution statement to sign.
It stated that Chloe Whitman had coordinated and completed the core project proposal, while Sienna had only provided basic document organization.
Zach picked up the pen, then paused with it in midair.
"This isn't quite right, is it?"
Victor's voice turned cold.
"Anyone who doesn't sign won't go to the site tomorrow."
Zach lowered his head and signed.
The others signed one after another.
When it was my turn, Chloe handed me the pen.
"Sienna, you sign too. Don't make things hard for everyone."
I looked at the paper.
"I won't sign a false contribution statement."
The smile on Chloe's face finally disappeared.
"You really think you're someone important. Without the company's platform, what is that little work of yours worth?"
Victor announced on the spot, "Sienna won't sit at the presentation table tomorrow. She'll handle logistics only. You're responsible for the document bag, clicker, and coffee."
In the conference room, some people frowned. Others pretended not to hear.
Lily whispered, "Sienna, just bear with it. Don't lose your job over this."
I put the unsigned statement back on the table. At the same time, my phone buzzed.
A second message from my patent agent popped up.
Patent agent: [Ms. Wells, they pushed again today. They said the license key must be submitted for the final review. Without your personal confirmation, I won't release it.]
I turned my phone face down on the table.
Onstage, Chloe was practicing her final line.
"Our company owns a mature and stable Grade-A encryption algorithm that fully meets the bid requirements."
I folded the responsibility checklist she had signed and placed it into my bag.
My fingertips brushed against the worn leather notebook.
It felt cold and hard beneath my fingertips.
- Writer
