$50 for My Villa? I Made Her Regret

The new intern cornered me in the pantry without warning. "Jenna, I heard you own a beachfront villa in Sanyara," Sylvie Tinsley said. "Could you lend it to me and my fiancé for a little honeymoon trip? We're coworkers, aren't we? I'll pay you fifty dollars a day for the room. That's a pretty good deal, right?" That villa was not some spare apartment by the sea. It was a top-tier beachfront mansion with its own private beach and infinity pool. On luxury travel platforms, it was usually rented to wealthy vacationers, with a private butler included. The nightly rate started at twenty thousand dollars. And Sylvie Tinsley thought fifty dollars would get her a fully serviced stay. I kept my tone polite. "Sorry, the house is currently rented out. The contract hasn't ended yet, so I can't clear those dates." The smile vanished from Sylvie's face the second I refused. She slammed her bubble tea onto the counter and spoke with open sarcasm. "Jenna, that's not very nice of you. People really do get stingier the richer they are. I guess the saying is true. It's just a small favor between coworkers. What is wrong with helping each other? You have no empathy at all." The nearby coworkers immediately looked over, their expressions full of meaning. My fingers tightened around my cup. The final evaluation for the department director position was next week, and I could not afford any trouble this close to the promotion. I swallowed my anger, turned around, and walked out. But before the sound of my heels had even faded, Sylvie had already sent a department-wide invitation to the company group chat. More than four hundred employees saw it at once. Sylvie Tinsley: Guess what! My fiancé just bought a hundred-million-dollar beachfront villa in Sanyara, and we're throwing a luxury getaway party there over Thanksgiving weekend. Want in? DM me. Spots are first come, first served! She attached nine interior photos of the villa. They were pictures I had casually posted on i********: three months ago while I was on vacation. Sylvie had stolen my photos. She had also blurred out the hundred-million-dollar yacht docked at the private marina. Sylvie Tinsley: Haha, my fiancé says there will be a mysterious surprise waiting! The company group chat blew up instantly. A: Holy crap! Sylvie, are you about to marry into the billionaire class? A hundred-million-dollar villa? B: Sylvie, do you need a plus-one? I can hype you up all weekend. C: Now that is what winning at life looks like. We're still working ourselves to death, and she's already throwing a luxury villa party by the beach. Manager Heath Warren chimed in almost immediately and sent Sylvie an e-gift card worth eight hundred dollars right there in the group chat. Heath Warren: Sylvie, you were born for the good life. When you make it big, don't forget the rest of us. Sylvie accepted the e-gift card within seconds, then sent a shy-face emoji. The next second, she tagged me directly in the group. Sylvie Tinsley: @ Jenna Linden, why don't you come too, Jenna? It might be good for you to see how the other half lives. We wouldn't want anyone saying I left out a senior colleague. I let out a cold laugh, took a screenshot, and opened a private chat with Sylvie. Jenna Linden: Sylvie, delete the photos you stole from my account and set the record straight in the group chat. You have five minutes. Otherwise, you'll regret it. Instead of replying, Sylvie took a screenshot of our private conversation and dropped it into the main group chat. Then she sent three crying-face emojis in a row. Sylvie Tinsley: Jenna, I know you're jealous because I have a rich fiancé. I know you're bitter because you can't afford a villa yourself. Sylvie Tinsley: But how can you lie so shamelessly and claim my fiancé's house is yours? You're picking on the new girl way too much! The group chat blew up again. A: Jenna, that is way out of line. You're a longtime employee here, and now you're picking on an intern? Seriously? B: Exactly. Broke and bitter. She saw someone else flexing a mansion and suddenly decided it belonged to her. How embarrassing. C: Manager Warren, someone who creates this much drama in the team needs to face consequences. I was about to post a digital copy of the deed in the group chat when my desk phone suddenly rang. Heath's voice was cold and impatient. "Jenna, get in here. Now." When I pushed open his office door, Heath grabbed my promotion application off his desk and threw it at my feet.