Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English | NEW
Synopsis
Our company just landed a massive account, and management wanted to throw a grand celebration banquet. I managed to pull some strings and booked a five-star hotel at an exclusive insider rate of $1,888 per table.
Out of nowhere, the new intern, Piper, pulled out her phone and spoke up:
"Chloe, I just found a place on Yelp that only charges $888 per table, and it has an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet."
"We’re all teammates here. There's really no need to pocket kickbacks off your own coworkers."
The entire office went dead silent for a second before the whispers began.
"Wow, don’t be so greedy off your own teammates. Does she really need to skim cash off us?"
"Right? I never thought she was that kind of person."
Our manager, David, made the call right on the spot: "Chloe, what you did wasn't cool. Let’s hand the banquet arrangements over to Piper."
I didn’t say a single word. I simply turned around and sat back down at my desk.
If they were this desperate to cut corners, I could only wish them an unforgettable night.
I stared at my computer screen, my fingers clacking rapidly against the keyboard.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Piper standing right beside David's desk, her young face practically glowing with smug triumph.
She tapped through her phone, her voice pitched just loud enough for the entire open-plan office to hear.
"Mr. Miller, I've already locked it down. The owner said they’ll hold three private tables for us at $888 each. Everyone gets half a Boston lobster, plus unlimited fresh oysters and sashimi."
David smiled so wide his eyes crinkled into slits. "Piper, you really know how to get things done."
"It's just what I should do," Piper replied, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. "I’m just looking out for the company. Times have been tough recently, so we should save wherever we can."
She delivered that line beautifully, managing to step on my throat while taking the moral high ground.
The corner of my mouth twitched into a faint smirk. I didn’t look up.
Among the thirty-odd people in our department, Megan—who had always held a grudge against me—was already leaning in.
"Piper, do you have the link to that place? Let me see."
"Of course, Megan! I’ll drop it in the WhatsApp group right now."
My phone buzzed as the group notification popped up.
Piper had posted a long roll of menu screenshots. Bright red Boston lobsters, lavishly arranged sashimi platters—it definitely looked appetizing on a screen.
The team chat exploded instantly.
"This is an insane deal!"
"$1,888 at a hotel versus $888 for all-you-can-eat seafood? Only an idiot would pick the expensive one."
"It really pays to shop around."
"Honestly, Chloe was totally out of line this time."
I glanced at the screen and laid my phone face down.
Jenny, who sat across from me, stole a cautious look in my direction, looking like she wanted to say something.
When our eyes met, she quickly looked away and pretended to type.
Jenny was the only person in the department I was on decent terms with. We grabbed lunch together on weekdays and occasionally hung out on weekends.
Under these circumstances, though, she didn't dare speak up for me.
Anyone with eyes could see that Piper had arrived with an agenda.
The intern had only joined three months ago, allegedly as a distant relative of David’s.
Since day one, she had been energetic and overly sweet, flattering everyone she met. Within weeks, she had wrapped the whole department around her finger.
Meanwhile, there was me, Chloe. I had been at the company for three years, consistently ranking in the top three for sales performance, but I wasn't the mingling type.
I hated forced team-building, skipped after-work drinks, and never posted stupid memes in the team chats.
In my colleagues' eyes, I was cold and aloof.
So when Piper tossed out that $888 seafood package, virtually everyone turned on me without a second thought.
David walked over to my desk and dropped a reservation slip in front of me. "Chloe, go ahead and cancel that five-star hotel booking this afternoon and get the deposit back."
I didn’t touch it. "David, I put down a non-refundable $500 deposit three days ago to secure that rate. If we back out now, we’ll forfeit half of it."
"Then forfeit half. The company will cover the loss.""It’s not just about the money," I said, looking straight up at him. "I negotiated an insider corporate rate because their general manager is a personal friend. Canceling at the eleventh hour burns my bridge with them."
David's expression darkened. "So what? Are you saying the company should burn an extra three grand just to protect your personal favor?"
"That extra money pays for guaranteed hygiene, service, and safety. I inspected the venue in person," I paused, keeping my voice level. "As for the place Piper found, I’ve never heard of it, and nobody has vetted it."
Before I could finish, Piper appeared behind David, looking heartbroken.
"Chloe, are you looking down on the place I picked? I know it’s cheap, but it has over two thousand five-star reviews on Yelp."
"Two thousand reviews can be bought for cheap."
"You..." Piper’s eyes rimmed with tears. "I know you're my senior, and I shouldn't compete with you. But I really just wanted to help the team. If you feel offended, I'm sorry."
She actually gave a dramatic little bow.
Instantly, dirty looks flew at me from every corner of the room.
Megan was the first to snap. "Seriously, Chloe? She’s an intern trying to help out. Drop the superior attitude already."
"Yeah, Chloe, Piper was just trying to keep the company from overspending."
"Insider rate or not, the math doesn't lie. $1,888 versus $888 is a no-brainer."
I took a slow breath and closed my mouth.
There was zero point in arguing. Even if I won the argument, I’d lose the room.
If they wanted cheap, let them have cheap.
I just hoped they wouldn't regret it.
The banquet was set for Friday night.
By Friday afternoon, the office felt like a holiday party.
The women touched up their makeup, the men straightened their collars, and even David broke out a fresh suit.
Piper was the center of attention.
"Piper, where is this restaurant anyway? Is it far?"
"Not far at all! Just four subway stops, then a quick two-minute walk."
"Four stops?" Jenny frowned slightly. "Isn't that pretty far out on the outskirts?"
Piper smiled sweetly. "Jenny, think about it. If it were in the middle of downtown, how could anyone serve lobster for $888 a table? Out-of-the-way places give you better value."
"True."
"Plus, the owner promised to arrange a shuttle for us, so nobody needs to stress."
Hearing that, everyone looked even more thrilled.
As I packed up my bag to leave, Jenny jogged over. "Chloe, are you really not coming?"
"Nope."
"Are you sure you're not mad?"
"Nothing to be mad about." I slung my bag over my shoulder. "As long as they're happy."
Jenny hesitated, but finally held her tongue and turned to catch up with the crowd.
I stepped outside alone. The early summer breeze brushed against my face, warm and dry.
My phone buzzed in my hand. It was a text on WhatsApp from Natalie, my high school best friend: *Hey Chloe! Is that five-star hotel friend-rate still available? My parents' golden anniversary is next month.*
I typed back: *Yeah, it is. I'll book it for you.*
*You’re a lifesaver! I checked their reviews—they're top tier.*
I looked at the screen and smiled softly.
Natalie was one of the few friends I'd kept in touch with since high school. She knew I had real connections and trusted my judgment.
Unlike my coworkers, who would rather trust an intern's sketchy screenshots than my three years of hard-earned industry experience.
Whatever. Not my problem anymore.The Friday evening subway was packed. I squeezed into a quiet corner and absentmindedly scrolled through Instagram.
Megan had already posted a picture of an empty table on her Story: *Celebration banquet starting soon! $888 seafood feast—jealous yet?*
I tapped to enlarge the photo.
The silverware was misaligned, the tablecloth had noticeable yellow stains, and the napkins were the thinnest, cheapest paper available.
In the background, a drinks station displayed several dusty bottles of generic wine without recognizable labels.
Her post already had a dozen comments from our coworkers.
"Piper is a genius!"
"Unbeatable value!"
"Can’t wait for the lobster!"
I closed the app without liking or commenting.
Once home, I showered, dried my hair, and was about to order food on UberEats when my phone buzzed frantically.
It wasn't a call; the team Slack channel was blowing up.
Megan had posted a short clip showing the whole venue.
In reality, the place looked ten times worse than in the photo. The plastic chairs wobbled, the ceiling AC vent was actively dripping onto the tiled floor, and a huge puddle had formed in the walkway.
"We’re here! A bit out of the way, but hey, you can’t beat the price," Megan’s voice sounded noticeably forced in the video.
Then Piper's voice chimed in: "Take a seat, everyone! I already confirmed with the owner—all the seafood arrived today, guaranteed fresh!"
Someone shouted, "Where's the lobster? Bring out the lobster first!"
"Coming right up!" Piper replied.
A second later, she dropped another message: *Oh, by the way, drinks aren't included in the package. Order whatever you like, and we’ll expense it within the company allowance.*
The chat fell silent for a few beats.
Megan tried to smooth things over: *No big deal, we won't drink that much anyway.*
Then, another coworker posted a photo of the drink menu. Down at the bottom was a line of fine print: *Corkage fee: $50 per table.*
"Wait, what is this corkage fee?" someone asked, irritation creeping into their text.
Piper rushed to explain: *I talked to the manager. He said if we don't bring outside alcohol, there's no corkage fee. Let's just order from the restaurant—it’s super cheap!*
I watched the screen, feeling the corners of my lips curl upward.
Right on cue, another coworker exploded in the chat: *$10 for a domestic beer?! They’re two bucks at the grocery store!*
Piper went silent.
A few minutes later, Megan suddenly tagged me directly: *@Chloe, must feel pretty lonely eating takeout at home while we feast, huh? Bet you regret skipping out!*
Followed by a row of laughing emojis.
I didn’t bother replying.
I had barely put my phone down when it started ringing.
Jenny's name flashed on the screen.
I picked up.
"Hey. What's up?"
The background was loud and chaotic. Jenny kept her voice down: "Chloe... are you free to talk right now?"
"Yeah. What’s going on?"
"The... banquet kind of went south."
Chapters (3)
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Watch & Promotions
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