They Thought AI Could Replace Me, Then I Took Everything

Chapter 2

The conference room door had barely clicked shut when a notification appeared in the company group chat.

HR: Personnel Update. Effective immediately, Laura Lynn was reassigned to Sales Supervisor. Tracy Taylor was promoted to Sales Director. Please complete the transition as soon as possible.

They sure moved fast. They couldn't wait to force me out.

As I passed the rows of cubicles, I caught the hushed chatter around me.

"Tracy's amazing! She took down the director in just two months!"

"This is like one of those workplace revenge stories."

"Laura can't run the show anymore. She won't be around for much longer."

"The fewer bloated executives there are, the better life will be for the rest of us."

A knot tightened in my chest as my eyes swept across every face.

Henry Hill from the Technology Department had borrowed my luxury car more than once to impress his girlfriend. Now he kept looking everywhere except at me.

Elizabeth Young, who always greeted me with a smile and called me her good luck charm, instantly lowered her voice and fixed her eyes on her monitor when our gazes met.

Fiona Wilson, whose child's school admission I had personally helped secure, quickly lifted her phone to her ear and acted like she was in the middle of a call.

I couldn't understand why they were treating me like this. I had always helped them without asking for anything in return. What I never saw coming was that they were all fair-weather friends with no gratitude at all. Whatever sympathy I still had for them vanished in an instant.

Bang! I slammed my office door shut. A second later, it swung open again.

"Laura," Tracy stood at the entrance with a smug grin, stressing my name on purpose. "How's your packing coming along? Tony wants me moved into this office before the end of the day. The VIPs will be here soon, so everyone needs to settle into their new roles as quickly as possible."

Good for her. I couldn't wait to watch you slam straight into a brick wall and lose that contract.

"Sure. I'll move my things in a bit."

She obviously hadn't expected me to agree so easily. After a brief pause, she strolled inside and inspected the office as though it already belonged to her.

"This office is in such a perfect spot. Great sunlight and such an open view. Oh, do you know where your new office is?" She turned and flashed me a sweet smile. "That unused storage room at the end of the hallway. It's full of junk and pretty dusty, but the good news is that it's only about 20 square feet, so cleaning it won't take long. Everyone's busy preparing for the VIPs, so nobody can help you. You don't mind, do you?"

Smack! I finally lost my patience and brought my hand down hard on the desk.

She had crossed the line!