Stealing Colleague: My Reply Is $10.1B
A month later, I closed a twenty-million-dollar deal and pocketed a one-million-dollar commission.
My boss called me his good luck charm.
My colleague seethed with resentment.
From that day on, my money began to vanish, piece by piece, without a trace.
My colleague clapped me on the shoulder, her voice dripping with schadenfreude. "A good luck charm? You can't even hold onto your own money. More like a dead fish, I'd say."
I smiled.
Stealing a little cash from me was so unimaginative.
If she loved getting something for nothing so much, then fine. I'd give her what she wanted. I'd send 10.1 billion her way.
After all, I really am a good luck charm. A black koi, the kind that bites back.
1
In the conference room, my boss, Mr. Reed, was beaming from ear to ear.
"Emma is truly our company's lucky charm," he declared. "No matter how tough the client, she gets the deal done."
I accepted the compliment with a smile.
Just as the applause died down, my colleague, Kelly, let out a "tsk" soundnot too loud, but just loud enough for everyone to hear.
"I have to hand it to Emma, she's really something else," Kelly said, her voice deceptively sweet. "I slaved away on that account for six months and got nowhere. She swoops in, and it's a done deal."
She paused, letting her words hang in the air. "There are some skills we just can't learn, I guess. Young people these days really need to take care of their bodies."
It sounded like a compliment, but every word was a poisoned dart.
Mr. Reed's brow furrowed. "Kelly, if you have something to say, say it. Don't play these passive-aggressive games."
"Oh, I wouldn't dare have an opinion," she said, blinking innocently. "I'm just curious what special methods Emma used. Maybe she could teach us? After all, some of us old-fashioned types only know how to do the actual work."
I met her malicious gaze and smiled calmly.
"Kelly, the Apex deal closing actually had nothing to do with your work. In fact, I never even looked at the files you left."
Her face stiffened.
"I happened to run into the mother of Apex's CEO, Mr. Evans," I continued. "I recommended a holistic specialist who cured her chronic migraines. Mr. Evans was so grateful he called Mr. Reed himself to sign the contract. I never even spoke to him directly. If you'd like to 'learn,' I can give you the specialist's contact info right now."
Kellys expression flickered, and she forced a dry laugh.
A murmur of understanding went through the room.
"Wow, Mr. Reed was right. Emma really is a lucky charm. That's some incredible luck."
"No wonder Kelly didn't get any of the bonus."
Company policy was clear: when a deal closed, the commission was split among those who contributed. Kellys bitterness wasn't about the deal; it was about the fact that she didn't see a single dime.
"Do you know why you didn't get a bonus, Kelly?" Mr. Reed cut in, his voice cold. "Because you drove the client away."
"You took your nephew to an amusement park, cut in line, and pushed over Mr. Evans's daughter. Then you showed up at their house disguised as a delivery driver and dropped to your knees to apologize, nearly giving his elderly mother a heart attack. Mr. Evans blocked my number because of you. Why don't you mention that little mess?"
Colleagues started whispering, casting contemptuous glances her way.
Kelly's face went pale, then she buried her face in her hands and started sobbing. "You're all ganging up on me! My family was going through a crisis back then, my depression was acting up... I didn't mean for any of it to happen!"
She wept as if she were the world's greatest victim.
I just waved a dismissive hand, too tired to care. A colleague like her wasn't worth my energy.
The contract was mine. The commission was mine. That's all that mattered.
On Friday, after Kelly returned from a few days off, I offered to treat the entire office to dinner to celebrate.
Kelly acted as if nothing had happened, linking her arm through mine affectionately.
"Emma, I was out of line before. I owe you a proper toast tonight."
Later, after everyone had eaten their fill, I went to the counter to pay.
Card declined.
I tried paying with my phone. Insufficient funds.
I stared in disbelief and quickly opened my banking app. The balance read: 0-000.
That was impossible. Just before dinner, Id bought over a dozen coffees for my colleagues. In the time it took to eat a meal, a hundred thousand dollars had vanished from my account without a single notification.
I had to call my best friend to bail me out.
When I returned to the table, my colleagues were looking at me with strange expressions.
Kellys voice rang out with false concern. "Emma, if you're short on cash, you should've just said so! We're all colleagues, we could have just split the bill. No need to pretend you can afford it when you can't."
Her announcement drew the attention of half the restaurant. My face burned with humiliation. "The bill is paid," I explained, my voice tight. "I think my account was just compromised."
"Compromised?" Sarah from accounting immediately perked up. "You need to call your bank, right now!"
The bank's fraud department confirmed that a 0-000,000 transfer had been made half an hour ago. But the recipient's account information was completely blank. The funds were untraceable.
From the side, Kellys cool voice drifted over. "Even a lucky charm's luck runs out sometimes, huh?"
I ignored her jab and headed straight for the police station.
2
After I filed the report, the officer gently told me the money was likely wired overseas. The chances of getting it back were slim to none.
I walked out of the precinct simmering with rage.
Thankfully, payday was Monday. The few hundred dollars I had in cash would have to last me the weekend.
I got a new bank account set up first thing and went to work, eagerly awaiting my direct deposit.
My phone buzzed. My salary plus the commissiona total of 0-0.2 millionhad arrived.
I immediately transferred $20,000 to my friend to pay her back. Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, Mr. Reed called me into a meeting.
When I came out, I saw over a dozen missed calls from my mom.
My grandfather had suffered a bad fall and was in a coma. He needed emergency surgery, but my mom was short $30,000 for the deposit, and her card was at its daily limit.
I rushed to transfer the money, only to be met with the same chilling notification: "Insufficient Funds."
I checked my account. Once again, all that was left was 0-000.
My knuckles turned white as I gripped my phone.
This was beyond a prank. This was a declaration of war.
Swallowing my fury, I went to Mr. Reed and asked for an advance.
He shot up from his chair. "The 0-0.2 million that just came in it's gone too?"
Thankfully, he was a good man. He wired me $30,000 on the spot. "Go, take care of your grandfather. I'll drive you to the police station myself afterward."
My colleagues gathered around to offer sympathy, but Kelly just smirked and patted my shoulder. "A lucky charm? You can't even hold onto your own money. More like a dead fish, I'd say."
I snapped my head up to retort, but stopped cold. I could see it clearly now. Floating above her head were two dark, swirling clouds shaped like koi fish.
It was the mark. Anyone who stole from a Black Koi was branded with it.
So, it was her. She had stolen my money. The light in the restaurant must have been too dim for me to notice it before.
All my anger evaporated, replaced by an icy calm.
I looked at her, my voice level. "A thief should know when to stop. When you push things too far, you're the one who ends up paying the price."
"Who are you calling a thief?" she shrieked, instantly defensive. "So now you're making baseless accusations just because I said a few words? Ever heard of free speech?"
"You know exactly what you've done," I said. "Give the money back now, and I can pretend this never happened."
Kelly's face twitched, then twisted into a sneer. "You suspect me? Then go to the police with your proof. Otherwise, I can sue you for slander."
She leaned in, her voice dripping with venom. "You're just getting what you deserve. Stealing my client brought you bad karma. Why else would money keep disappearing from your account?"
"You're not a lucky charm; you're a jinx. Now you don't even have the money to save your grandfather. I almost feel sorry for him."
"Kelly!" Mr. Reed's voice boomed. "That's enough!"
"What? I'm not wrong," she shot back, raising an eyebrow defiantly.
"So you do believe in karma, then," I said, looking at her with something like pity. "Good. Then just wait. You'll get to spend the rest of your life proving it's real."
She spat on the floor. "Save your empty threats!"
I didn't bother responding. I calmly followed Mr. Reed out the door and back to the police station.
The same officer from the other night, Detective Miles, was on duty.
"Emma? You're back already?"
Mr. Reed explained grimly, "Her paycheck, all 0-0.2 million of it, just vanished."
The detective's shock mirrored the bank teller's. Once again, my money had been transferred to a ghost account, its destination a complete mystery.
"We understand how you feel," Detective Miles said, his expression sympathetic. "But the chance of recovery... it's extremely low."
I just nodded calmly.
People lost millions to scams like this all the time. What was my little million-plus in the grand scheme of things?
Besides, this wasn't some ordinary scam.
If Kelly was bold enough to do this, she wasn't going to just give the money back.
Mr. Reed hesitated. "Emma, maybe we should pay you in cash from now on?"
"No, that's not necessary," I said, my gaze fixed on the window. My voice was firm. "I won't keep losing money. And I won't change my life because of someone else's crime."
If she loved getting something for nothing this much, then fine. I'd give her a gift so large it would choke her.
After all, a Black Koi doesn't just attract wealth. It delivers retribution.
3
I was ready to fight back.
Kelly, you wouldn't listen to reason. So now, you'll learn your lesson the hard way.
On my way home, I stopped at a convenience store and spent $30 on a Powerball ticket.
That night, as the numbers were drawn, I matched them one by one on the screen. Just as I expected. I'd won the jackpot: 0-025 million.
The next morning, I went straight to the lottery commission headquarters and walked out with a check for 0-000 million after taxes.
I angled my phone just right, snapped a picture of myself holding the giant check, and posted it to my social media with a simple caption: A lucky charm is a lucky charm.
I set the privacy so only Kelly could see it.
On my way to the bank, I called my colleague Lily, who sat right next to Kelly.
"Lily, could you do me a favor and send the product specs to Mr. Kim at Synergy? I have to run an errand at the bank, I'll be back a little later."
Before Lily could even answer, I heard Kelly's sneering voice in the background. "Going to the bank again, Emma? Don't tell me you lost more money. Please don't come back crying to the boss for another advance. It's just embarrassing at this point."
I ignored her and repeated my instructions to Lily.
Lily mumbled a hurried "okay" and hung up.
I put my phone away and smiled.
Kelly was watching my every move, just as I'd planned. She was addicted to her social media feed; she'd see my post within the half-hour.
The bait was in the water. Now, I just had to wait for the greedy fish to bite.
Before walking into the bank, I checked my feed again.
A new post had popped up. It was from Kelly.
She'd posted a picture of a fish washed up on a beach. The caption: A fish out of water is just a fish out of water. Heh.
I couldn't help but laugh.
Humming a little tune, I walked into the bank. The manager, Mr. Davison, and the tellers all looked at me with a mixture of pity and concern.
I just smiled and waved the check. "Here to make a deposit. Looks like I'll need you to open another new account for me."
The account was opened in minutes. This time, I was smarter. I didn't even set up online access.
Mr. Davison ushered me into his private office, eagerly pitching various investment products.
I pretended to listen, making idle chit-chat.
I was stalling for time, waiting for my big fish to take the bait.
An hour later, my phone pinged with a text alert. The 0-000 million had been deposited.
I suppressed a thrill of excitement and handed my phone to Mr. Davison. "Could you take a look? This text is real, right?"
He grinned even wider than I was. "Absolutely! I've been monitoring it myself. It's the real deal!"
"Great," I said, taking the phone back. "In that case, could you help me set up online banking now? I think I'd like to invest fifty million."
With his guidance, I downloaded the bank's mobile app and carefully entered a new password several times.
The little loading circle started to spin.
I propped my chin on my hand, my eyes glued to the screen.
Come on, Kelly, I thought. What's it going to be? Are you going to back off, or are you going to get greedier?
"Don't be nervous," Mr. Davison said with a chuckle, mistaking my intensity for excitement. "Alright, let's count down. This is the moment your life changes."
He had no idea. The life-changing moment I was waiting for wasn't mine.
"Five!"
"Four!"
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
The screen refreshed.
I held my breath, staring.
Account Balance: $0.00.
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