Wrong Accusation in Dad’s Company

On Friday, I went to my dad's company to wait for him to get off work. I found an empty workstation and started playing games.

The CEO's secretary stormed over and yelled at me: You've got some nerve playing games! Because of your negligence, the company missed a client email and lost twenty million dollars!

"So, how are you going to pay for this?"

I shook my head, confused.

"I think you've got the wrong person. I'm not an employee here. I'm waiting for my dad to get off work."

She sneered repeatedly and slapped me across the face.

"Still pretending? Call the police! I suspect she's a corporate spy sent by our competitors!"

Tears welling up, I pulled out my phone watch and sent a message.

"Dad, your secretary hit me."

Dad must have been in a meetinghe didn't reply.

Secretary Eliot put her hands on her hips and snorted coldly:

"Look at all those designer brands you're wearing. Did you get them all by selling out the company?"

"Confess! How many deals have you sabotaged?"

She shoved me hard, and I fell heavily to the ground.

Mom taught me to be strong. I bit my lip and didn't cry.

"I didn't do anything. Why did you push me? Pushing people is bad."

Eliot shrieked and grabbed a handful of my hair.

"So rude!"

It hurt so much. I struggled desperately.

"Let go! You're hurting me! I'm going to tell my dad to fire you!"

Eliot mocked me brazenly: "Who does your dad think he is? Fire me? I'll have HR fire you right now, and you'll still have to pay the company twenty million in damages!"

She dragged me all the way to the HR department without giving me a chance to explain.

More and more employees gathered to watch.

Someone couldn't bear it and advised Eliot to stop.

She raised her voice to announce: "Don't be fooled by her pitiful act!

Because of her negligence, the company lost a twenty-million-dollar deal. Everyone's year-end bonus will be affected. I'm seeking justice for all of us!"

Everyone's expression changed.

Sympathy turned to disgust. No one spoke up for me anymore.

I kept calling out: "Dad, save me."

Eliot sneered contemptuously: "Is he your real dad, or one of those sugar daddies?"

"Shameless! With that seductive face of yours, entry-level employees only make five thousand a month base salary.

That Balenciaga you're wearingdid your sugar daddy buy it for you? And you dare to flaunt that Van Cleef & Arpels in public!"

Eliot yanked hard, and the necklace my mom gave me for my twelfth birthday broke.

"You evil woman! Don't touch the gift my mom gave me!"

I struggled hard, and my hand hit Eliot's calf.

She kicked me twice viciously and picked up the broken necklace, stuffing it in her pocket.

"Say another word and I'll tear your mouth apart!"

I trembled all over.

When we reached the HR office, Eliot knocked on the door obsequiously.

"Molina, I brought over the culprit who lost the company's deal."

HR manager Molina glanced at me impatiently.

"Where's your ID badge? Which department? What's your name?"

I shouted urgently: "I'm only thirteen years old! I'm not an employee here!"

Molina looked me over suspiciously.

"Eliot, what's going on here?"

Eliot immediately pulled me up. "Molina, she's lying to you! Look how tall she is, taller than me even, and wearing all those designer brands. How could she possibly be only thirteen?"

She leaned over and whispered in Molina's ear.

Molina immediately slammed the table. "You're the one who lost the Merritt Group order! And offended Mr. Merritt?"

Merritt Group? That's my uncle's company! The Mr. Merritt she mentioned is my cousin Kevin Merritt.

But I hadn't seen him since last month's family gathering.

I waved my hands frantically.

"I didn't! I don't know anything about any order! I'm just here waiting for my dad to get off work!"

"This woman is such a good actress! Her parents probably aren't any better. Like parents, like child!"

Eliot raised her chin, her face full of disdain.

I got angry and rushed over to push Eliot.

"Don't you dare talk about my mom and dad!"

Eliot and I wrestled together. Molina pulled us apart and glared at me sternly.

That look was like she wanted to devour me. I shrank back.

Eliot tugged at her arm coquettishly: "Fire her already! Keeping someone like this in the company will only tempt Mr. Robertson!"

Robertson! She's talking about my dad?

I loudly protested: "I would never tempt Mr. Robertson, because Mr. Robertson is my dad!"

Both Molina and Eliot froze.

Eliot leaned in to examine me, then suddenly giggled.

"Are you insane? Everyone knows Mr. Robertson is a golden bachelor in his thirties.

If you're going to lie, at least make it believable. He's not even married. How could he have a child? Even if he did, it couldn't be someone as old as you."

"Besides, you look nothing like Mr. Robertson. If you said you were his family's housekeeper, I'd believe that."

I retorted indignantly: "I don't look like Dad, but I look like Mom.

And Dad doesn't go public because of Mom's profession..."

Slap!

I don't know which sentence upset Eliot, but she slapped me again.

"If you keep slandering Mr. Robertson's reputation, I'll beat you to death!"

I covered my face and sobbed.

Molina pulled Eliot back.

She turned and scolded me with disgust: "Stop crying. You're not a child. Take responsibility for your mistakes! What's your name? Which department?"

I hung my head sadly.

"Molina's asking you a question! Playing deaf, are you?" Eliot came over and reached into my pockets. "Where's your ID badge?"

I was at a loss. "I don't have an ID badge."

Molina's frown deepened.

"No ID badge? Are you a contract employee? But wait, contractors have badges too..."

Eliot yanked at my pocket until she tore a big hole, finally feeling something hard.

"Found it! Bitch, you said you didn't have a badge!"

She pulled it outit was a student ID card.

It clearly read: "Grade 7, Class 8, Colleen Robertson."

Eliot threw the student ID card right in my face.

"No work badge, so you're using your sister's student ID to slip through! Molina, according to company policy, how much is the fine for this?"

Molina cleared her throat.

"Five hundred dollar donation, treat it as buying bubble tea for the whole office."

Eliot held out her hand to me. "Pay up, right now!"

I looked down at my pocket, cleaner than my face. "But I don't have any cash..."

"Then use your phone! Double for digital payment, one thousand!"

Why was she bullying me like this? I was both angry and upset.

To teach me about financial management, Mom had taken all my New Year's money to invest it, and Dad worried that giving me too much money wouldn't be safe.

So during the school term, my weekly allowance was only a thousand. She was demanding my entire week's allowance with one sentence.

I didn't want to give it, but she was so fierce, like the cackling old witch from cartoons.

"Pay up! If you don't, I'll..." Eliot raised her hand. I backed away.

I pulled out my phone watch. Molina held up her payment QR code.

She smiled mockingly: "What brand of new sports watch is this? Spending money like waterno wonder you have to sell out the company for cash."

I was about to protest that I hadn't.

Eliot threw out a disciplinary confirmation form.

"Sign it and get lost."

I couldn't understand the content, but Mom taught me never to sign papers randomly.

I silently backed away, refusing without words.

Eliot twisted my arm hard. "Sign it! And sign that IOU too!"

She was so rough! Why did she keep hitting people!

Molina flipped open the signature page and handed me a pen.

"Making you pay only one-tenth of the damagestwo million is already the company showing you mercy."

I shook my head like a rattle drum.

Molina pursed her lips in disgust.

"Who hired this person? Why can't she understand human speech? If you don't sign, just wait for the court summons!"

"Molina, why waste words on her?" Eliot grabbed my hand, pressed it on an ink pad, and quickly stamped fingerprints on the contract. "There, done!"

A complaint suddenly sounded from outside the door.

"Molina, I asked you to hire me an assistant. Why hasn't it been arranged yet?"

That person looked so familiar.

Wasn't this Uncle Johnson who'd delivered documents to our house?

Our eyes met, and he blurted out: "Miss Colleen, what are you doing here?"