The Cost of Her Incompetence

1
The new accountant was a clumsy airhead. On payday, she transferred only one cent to me, causing my mother’s medication payment to fail. My mother died.
Before I could confront her, she was already sobbing. “I’m sorry! I sent your salary to that janitor you fired!”
Her husband, the CFO, shielded her. “Not her fault. You should’ve had emergency funds.”
Overcome with grief, I nearly fainted.
At the funeral, Scarlett hired a loud lion dance troupe. I screamed at her to leave. She cried, “I just wanted it to be lively!”
I had an asthma attack and reached for my inhaler. She slapped it away, yelling, “That’s illegal!”
As I collapsed, I heard her whimper, “I didn’t know it was medicine…”
My husband covered for her. “Alana Vance died of grief.”
That night, I was cremated unnoticed.
When I opened my eyes, I was back on payday.
…
There was only one minute left before the online sale for my mom's medication ended.
No time to think. I frantically switched the payment card linked to my account.
Ding. Payment successful.
My mother was safe.
Tears welled in my eyes. I looked around, my heart pounding. It was real. I was back.
I took a deep breath, a storm of fury and sorrow crashing over me. Scarlett and Michael, that wretched pair who had cost me my life. I would make them pay.
Just then, a figure stumbled into my office. Scarlett stood before me, bowing timidly.
"Ms. Vance, I'm so sorry! I'm so clumsy, I sent your salary to Mrs. Gable!"
"She's a single mom. Life must be so hard for her after you fired her. Please, can't we just let her keep it?" she pleaded, her eyes wide and innocent as she tugged on my sleeve.
I let out a sharp, humorless laugh and shoved her hand away. "Let's get one thing straight. Mrs. Gable and I are both victims here."
"The person responsible for this mess is you. You'd better fix it, and fix it fast. Otherwise, I'm reporting this to upper management."
I had just closed a huge deal last month. My commission was at least a hundred thousand dollars.
Scarlett's face went white. She saw me pull out my phone and lunged for it. "Ms. Vance, you earn so much! Can't you just consider it charity?"
My salary was the money I worked myself to the bone for, money to save my mother's life. The thought made my teeth ache with hatred for this woman. I pushed her away without hesitation.
I didn't use much force, but she let out a piercing scream.
"Scarlett? What's wrong?"
Michael, my husband, burst into the room.
"Mr. Hayes, I'm so sorry! I'm so stupid, I made Ms. Vance angry!" Scarlett sobbed into his chest.
His eyes, when they turned to me, were chips of ice. "Alana! Does bullying a young girl make you feel powerful?"
"Are you that desperate for money? It's just a hundred grand. I'll transfer it to you, alright?"
A notification chimed, confirming the transfer, but my heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vise. When my mother had been rushed to the ER, I had begged him for help with the medical bills. He'd lectured me about keeping our finances separate before marriage. Now, to clean up Scarlett's mess, he didn't even blink.
"There's your money. But you scared Scarlett. Apologize to her."
My head snapped up. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "What did you say?"
Michael's tone grew colder. "You pushed her. You should apologize."
Scarlett tugged at his sleeve. "Michael, it's fine. I'm just a clumsy person. I don't hold grudges, even when I'm bullied."
But Michael took a step forward, his hand clamping onto the back of my neck, forcing my head down.
The humiliation ignited a firestorm of rage, burning away all reason. I don't know where the strength came from, but I broke free and slapped him, hard, across the face.
"Michael Hayes, are you trying to get fired from your position as CFO?"
Before he could answer, Scarlett shrieked, clutching at him. "She hit him! Help! Ms. Vance is assaulting someone!"
I gave a cold smile. "That's right, I hit him. Go on, call the police."
"You two treat company funds like a joke. Let's have the police sort this out."
Scarlett's wailing stopped abruptly. She avoided my gaze, looking guilty.
Perhaps my expression was truly terrifying, because Michael's voice softened. "Alana, you know Scarlett has always been a bit... slow. Mistakes happen."
"Let's not make a scene in front of the other employees. We can discuss this at home."
That wasn't the tune he was singing when he was trying to force me to apologize. I looked at Scarlett cowering behind him and forced a smile. "Really? But this company doesn't employ idiots. Nor does it employ traitors who sell us out."
At my words, Michael's face flushed a deep, angry red. "What are you talking about!"
He looked flustered for a moment, then puffed out his chest, putting on his executive air. "Alana, if I recall, you have a meeting with Orion Group next week to discuss the next quarter's partnership."
"You should give newcomers like Scarlett more opportunities to learn. Then maybe these mistakes wouldn't happen."
I raised an eyebrow. "Fine by me. But just so we're clear, whatever happens is on you."
He looked pleased that I'd agreed so readily. Scarlett practically jumped into his arms with excitement. "Thank you for trusting me, Mr. Hayes! It's a good thing I'm not on Ms. Vance's team, otherwise, how would I ever grow?"
"Don't mind her," Michael soothed. "Scarlett, I can see you have great potential. Go for it."
Scarlett's pathetic attempt at a veiled insult was utterly worthless to me. I just smirked and showed them the door.
Orion Group was our biggest client. Losing them would cripple our core business. Since Michael had so much faith in Scarlett's abilities, I was happy to let him have his way. This time, without me to clean up her mess, let's see who had the skills to salvage the disaster she was sure to create.
But I had clearly underestimated the depths of human stupidity.
Scarlett had chosen a remote, rustic farmhouse for the meeting. The place was so high up in the mountains that not even a golf cart could make the final ascent. The Orion executives, all middle-aged men, nearly had heart attacks climbing the trail in the hundred-degree heat.
Scarlett, meanwhile, skipped along with a portable fan clipped to her shirt. Utterly oblivious, she turned and pointed at the lead executive, chirping, "Mister, you've got three spare tires around your belly! You should exercise more!"
"But don't thank me, thank Ms. Vance! If she hadn't invited me, I never would have picked such a wonderful place!"
The executive's face was a thundercloud. He didn't say another word for the rest of the climb.
At dinner, I was treated to another masterclass in incompetence. For a business meeting, Scarlett hadn't ordered a single bottle of wine. Orange juice, coconut milk, Coke... There wasn't even a single impressive main course.
The table sat in stunned silence. Even Michael couldn't take it anymore. He hissed at her, "Scarlett, what the hell is this? This is a business negotiation, not a tea party!"
Her eyes immediately filled with tears. She looked at me, her voice thick with blame. "This was Ms. Vance's account. She didn't teach me what to do. How was I supposed to know?"
And there it was. There was no real idiot here. Scarlett had seen my huge commission last month and wanted to sabotage me, then pin the blame on me.
I just kept my head down and ate, offering no help whatsoever.
A moment later, the lead executive from Orion slammed his chopsticks down. His face was livid as he met my gaze. "Ms. Vance, if it weren't for our long-standing relationship, Orion would be taking its business elsewhere this quarter."
Before I could respond, Michael was on his feet, sweating profusely. "Mr. Sterling, please don't be angry! This is all just a..."
"A what? Ms. Vance and I have been working together for years! Your company has never been this absurd!"
With that, Mr. Sterling and his team turned and stormed back down the mountain, leaving Michael standing there, frozen.
Scarlett was still sniffling. "Ms. Vance, now you won't get your deal. Are you going to be mad at me?"
"Shut up!" Michael finally roared at her.
Scarlett's tears started flowing in earnest.
The second we got back to the office, we were all summoned to the CEO's office. The boss looked furious.
Michael was the first to speak, twisting the narrative. "You knew Scarlett was inexperienced, yet you just sat there and watched her mess everything up? Alana, did you do this on purpose?"
I spoke calmly. "I said I would not be responsible for the consequences. Mr. Hayes, you were the one who said we should give young people a chance to grow. I gave her the chance. Are you not satisfied with the results of her growth?"
My words left him sputtering with rage. "You're just twisting my words!"
The CEO's gaze flickered between me and Michael. In the end, the hammer fell on me.
"Alana, you're the head of the sales department! To just watch a client walk away like that... I'm very disappointed in you."
"Your entire quarterly bonus is revoked. I want you to take some time and reflect on this."
It was always like this. No matter what the truth was, I was always the one who had to bear the consequences. Scarlett's stupidity was forgivable. Michael's poor judgment was a minor misstep. But me? The better my performance, the lower my pay seemed to get.
My heart sank. The last flicker of hope I had for this place was extinguished.
I said nothing, just nodded. "Understood, sir."
I walked out of the office, took a deep breath, and made a phone call. "Hello, this is Alana Vance. I'm available to talk whenever you are."
I stopped paying attention to the office drama. I heard Scarlett's "clumsy beauty" reputation was now company-wide, thanks to a string of blunders.
I went about my work as usual, until I noticed last month's expense reimbursements hadn't been processed. The money I had prepaid at the hospital for my mom's care was running low. I went to find Scarlett.
In front of the entire office, she blinked her big, innocent eyes at me. "Ms. Vance, are you sure you gave me your receipts? Or are you just trying to use 'reimbursement' as an excuse to get more money?"
"That's not allowed, you know. Even for a manager, Scarlett can't bend the rules~"
My face hardened. I kicked her chair out from under her.
Did she really think I'd fall for the same trick twice?
She screamed as she tumbled to the floor.
The fall revealed the shredder bin under her desk, overflowing with chopped-up receipts.
I picked up a handful and read them aloud. "Mr. Peterson, Ms. Liu, Mr. Chen... so this is where your receipts went! No wonder no one got their money back last month!"
A shocked murmur went through the office. When it came to money, no one was going to let it slide.
Ms. Liu's face darkened. "What's the point of having an accountant who doesn't know the first thing about accounting?!"
Scarlett fell silent, just sat on the floor and cried.
In the end, Michael had to pay everyone out of his own pocket to smooth things over.
Next, Scarlett "accidentally" sent the company's confidential financial statements to every single one of my suppliers. With our bottom line exposed, they all immediately demanded a price hike. The entire company was thrown into chaos.
"Michael! If Scarlett screws up one more time, you can both pack your bags and get out!" The CEO's enraged roar was audible even through the closed door.
Michael emerged, looking defeated. He automatically turned to me to fix his problem. "Alana, find new suppliers. And the prices have to be lower than what we were paying before."
I looked at his entitled expression and found the situation utterly absurd. I had gotten us those prices by drinking until I had a bleeding ulcer. Scarlett's jealousy had ruined the company's supply chain, and I was expected to clean up the mess?
I gave a cold laugh and pulled out the divorce papers. "You want me to clean up your mess? Fine. Sign this."
Michael stared at the papers, stunned. A flicker of conflict crossed his face, but then he gritted his teeth, snatched the pen, and signed his name. The scratch of the nib on the paper was unnaturally loud in the quiet office.
I thought I would feel a pang of sadness. But my love for Michael had died in my last life.
For once, I left work early to celebrate with friends. Scarlett, who usually bolted out the door the second the clock hit five, knocked on my office door.
"What is it?"
"Ms. Vance, what's your number? We should exchange contact info, to make it easier to communicate about work."
She was smiling, but I saw a cold glint in her eyes. I pretended not to notice. "For work matters, just use the internal messaging system."
"Ms. Vance, you said it yourself!" she chirped, looking oddly excited. I just nodded and left.
That night, I stumbled home, pleasantly buzzed. The wail of sirens filled the air outside my building. Before I knew what was happening, I was surrounded by police officers, telling me I needed to come with them to the office.
It was only when I arrived that I found out what had happened.
Late at night, Scarlett had initiated an unauthorized wire transfer of several million dollars to an unknown account. The CEO had nearly had a heart attack when he found out and had immediately called the police.
When Scarlett saw me being escorted in, she pointed a shaking finger at me and screamed, "Ms. Vance! You were the one who told me that was the new supplier's account! You told me to process it as soon as possible! You sent me an internal message!"
"I may be a little stupid, but I would never dare to transfer such a huge amount of money on my own!"
The lead officer's face was grim. "Ms. Vance, the internal logs show that you authenticated the account information for Ms. Scarlett and urged her to make the payment."
My expression changed. I met the smug, triumphant looks on Michael and Scarlett's faces and suddenly, I started to laugh.
My voice was calm, clear, and steady. "The message was sent at 11 PM last night. However..."
I paused, my eyes sweeping over Michael's face.
"As of yesterday afternoon, I had already officially submitted my resignation and had been removed from all internal company groups and platforms."
"So, my question is, who exactly sent that message?"

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