"Layla, I'm sooo jealous you get to travel! Unlike me, stuck working overtime at the office all through the long weekend!"

"Mr. Henson promised me quadruple pay, though!"

I read Sybilla's comment underneath my post and smiled. I didn't bother replying.

She was showing off her quadruple overtime pay. And so what?

I couldn't have cared less.

Besides, once that machine broke down, no amount of overtime pay would cover what she'd owe.

I was about to put my phone down and get some sleep.

My plan was to head out to the resort first thing in the morning.

Then my phone rang.

It was a headhunter.

They told me a major firm had been watching me for a while.

The moment they saw my resignation post, they reached out.

And the salary they offered was the kind you don't say no to.

The headhunter mentioned that the company was based in the exact city I was traveling to. If I was willing, they wanted me to come in for an interview.

I agreed without hesitation.

After I hung up, I let out a long breath.

Sure enough, the moment I cut Victor and Sybilla out of my life, good things started happening.

This time around, I was a whole lot luckier than before.

What I didn't expect was a call from Victor that same evening.

"Layla, you left the company with a few expenses still unsettled. Finance tells me you owe us five hundred dollars."

I listened to his voice on the other end and laughed in disbelief.

"Mr. Henson, did you forget?"

"That five hundred dollars was money I used to buy materials. I gave you the receipt at the time!"

I still remembered. It had happened last week. I'd been in a rush to purchase materials, so I withdrew the funds from accounting.

But by the time I finished repairing the instrument, the accounting department had already closed for the day.

Victor happened to walk by, so I handed the receipt to him.

On the other end of the line, his voice turned cold. "Have you forgotten the company's rules and regulations?"

"You gave the receipt to me? What kind of procedure is that?"

"Besides, I lost it."

He said it without a shred of guilt, as if it were the most reasonable thing in the world.

I kept my tone flat. "Mr. Henson, since the receipt is gone, that five hundred is on me."

"I'll transfer it to you right now. Will that settle it?"

My voice was cool, detached.

But Victor's response was ice. "That was a mistake you made on the job."