Karma Has a System, and I Am the Glitch

For two consecutive months, my clients backed out at the very last second before signing. Instead, they all chose Chloe Bennett, the newly hired intern.

No matter how much sweat and tears I poured into a project, she always managed to snatch it from me right at the finish line.

Because of my failing KPIs, Marcus Kane, the Director of Sales, had already called me into his office twice.

My colleagues sneered whenever they saw me in the breakroom. "Oh look, Vivian got rejected by another client. What a surprise."

But Chloe had never even met my clients. Why on earth did they keep choosing her?

It wasn't until the night before the annual project bidding gala that I suddenly saw translucent words floating in the air before my eyes:

*[The female lead is the darling of destiny! This Exchange System is so satisfying!]*

*[Shes taking all of the supporting female lead's resources by exchanging their items. So what if the rival is a senior manager? Shes just a stepping stone for our girl Chloe!]*

I stared at the floating text for three seconds. Finally, I understood.

It wasn't that I lacked ability. Chloe had a cheat system.

So, I quietly swapped the luxury gift I had prepared for my client with a bag of fresh dog poop.

I prepared two gift boxes ahead of time.

One was a gorgeous, Tiffany-blue box. Inside lay a fresh piece of dog poop, wrapped so exquisitely it looked like a high-end French dessert from Ladure.

The other was a plain, brown paper bag. Inside was a vintage bottle of Macallan whisky and a limited-edition Montblanc pen.

I placed the Tiffany-blue box in the most conspicuous spot on my desk, wrapping it with the most expensive silk ribbon.

Then, holding my coffee, I casually strolled past Chloes desk. I slowly slipped the gorgeous box into the outermost pocket of my briefcase.

"Tonight's dinner with Mr. Vance depends entirely on this baby," I muttered to myself. My voice wasn't too loud, but it was just enough for her to hear.

Once the dinner at the upscale Manhattan restaurant began, I excused myself to the ladies' room. When I returned, I subtly felt my briefcase.

The gorgeous box was still there, but the weight was off.

I stealthily opened it. The dog poop was gone. In its place was a cheap, synthetic silk scarf.

Chloe sat across the table, her lips curving into a smug, victorious smile. Right next to her hand sat the Tiffany-blue box.

She thought she had won.

At the climax of the dinner, Chloe stood up. She held the gorgeous Tiffany-blue box with both hands and presented it to Mr. Vance with a sweet, doll-like smile.

"Mr. Vance, this is a special gift I personally selected for you. I hope you like it."

Mr. Vance smiled, taking the box and slowly opening it under the expectant gaze of everyone at the table.

The moment the lid was lifted, the air in the private dining room froze.

A neat pile of dog poop lay peacefully on the black velvet lining.

Mr. Vances face turned instantly as black as charcoal. He slammed the lid shut and threw the box heavily onto the table.

"Chloe Bennett! What is the meaning of this?!"

Chloes face drained of all color. Her lips trembled, but no words came out. In sheer panic, she shot a frantic look at me.

I stood up unhurriedly, pulled the plain paper bag from beneath my seat, and presented it to Mr. Vance with both hands.

"Mr. Vance, this is a small token of my appreciation. Just a little something to show my respect."

Mr. Vance took it and opened it. Seeing the vintage Macallan and the limited-edition Montblanc pen, his face finally softened.

"At least Vivian knows how to conduct professional business. Some people... not only lack capability, but their character is downright trash."

Chloe slumped in the corner, her face as pale as a sheet of paper. Her fingernails dug so hard into her palms they drew blood.

*[Hahaha! The green tea bitch got the dog poop!]*

*[Vivian is so much smarter!]*

A faint, cold smile played on my lips.

She probably had no idea that the gorgeous box she "exchanged" from me was a trap I had custom-made just for her.

The moment I stepped out of the restaurant, I heard a trembling, pitiful sob.

"Julian... Vivian is here."

I looked up and saw Chloe throwing herself into the arms of my husband, Julian Sterling. Several of our colleagues from Apex Marketing were standing around them, their necks craned, eyes gleaming with pure gossip.

Seeing me approach, Chloe raised her tear-stained face, deliberately raising her voice so everyone could hear.

"Vivian, I know you hate me because my quarterly evaluations always beat yours. But you didn't have to humiliate me with dog poop tonight!"

"How am I supposed to close this deal after being embarrassed in front of the client like that?"

"Even if youre jealous of my performance, you shouldn't ruin my career!"

As soon as she finished, the crowd gasped.

I saw a few colleagues pull out their phones, recording me while whispering to each other.

"It's her. The one who kept losing clients to Chloe. Turns out shes just malicious and vindictive."

*[Oh my god, how can the supporting character be so evil? Framing the female lead with dog poop?]*

*[People like her should be fired, not promoted!]*

*[I feel so bad for Chloe. Shes so strong, still trying to work after being publicly humiliated.]*

Julians face darkened instantly. He pointed a finger at my nose and roared, "How did I end up marrying such a toxic woman!"

"You're incompetent yourself, so you decide to sabotage Chloe?"

I stood there, watching them stand side-by-side like a perfect couple. I, the actual wife, looked like an unwelcome intruder.

The Tiffany-blue box was clearly snatched by Chloe using her system, yet she effortlessly pinned the blame on me.

I hadn't had time to record the swap during the dinner. If I tried to defend myself now, who would believe me?

Just as I opened my mouth, Julian waved his hand in disgust, as if shooing away a stray dog.

"Get lost. Don't ruin our night. I'm taking Chloe to Nobu to cheer her up. She needs to be rested for tomorrow's meeting."

Leaning against Julian's chest, Chloe peeked over his shoulder. She shot me a quick, triumphant wink, a smug smirk plastering her face. Where was the crying, victimized girl from a second ago?

They turned and walked away without looking back.

The crowd, having had their fill of drama, dispersed while pointing fingers at me.

I wasn't angry. Instead, my lips curled up.

The next morning at the office, Chloe deliberately strolled past my cubicle. She leaned down, her voice barely a whisper in my ear.

"Loser. Youre destined to rot in this cubicle forever. The VP of Operations position is mine."

*[Hahaha, Chloe put her in her place! The rival is just a clown!]*

I ignored her. The moment I booted up my laptop, I began plotting my next move.

Since Chloe could exchange things from me, I was going to let her "exchange" a beautifully wrapped poison bait.

I unlocked my phone, opened Snapchat, and brought up a chat with a contact named "Mr. Harrington." I tilted my screen slightly, ensuring Chloe would catch a glimpse of the messages as she walked past.

*Vivian: "Mr. Harrington, regarding the partnership we discussed last time, I see massive potential. Let's grab coffee soon to finalize the details."*

Arthur Harrington was a well-known figure in the industry. On the surface, he was a wealthy big shot. In reality, he was a notorious sexual predator whose company was drowning in millions of dollars of debt, on the verge of bankruptcy.

But Chloe didn't know that.

As she passed my desk, her eyes lingered on my screen for two seconds before she walked off, pretending nothing happened.

I smiled. She had taken the bait.

Over the next few days, it was the same routine.

I casually dropped Mr. Harrington's name in front of Chloe, raving about how lucrative his company was and how this contract would secure anyone a partner seat.

After a few times, she finally couldn't resist. She used her Exchange System to "steal" this connection from me.

She had no idea that the golden goose she thought she stole was actually a ticking time bomb.

When I walked through the front door of our apartment carrying my briefcase, the laughter in the living room abruptly died.

Julian walked out of the kitchen. Seeing me, his face instantly turned cold.

"Why are you just standing there like a statue?"

"We're celebrating Chloe's big win tonight. She just landed a massive client, and her promotion to VP of Operations is practically sealed. Don't you dare ruin her mood."

Chloe, lounging on the couch, looked up and waved her phone at me.

"Vivian, have you signed any clients lately?"

"My colleagues keep asking how you're doing. After all, you used to be the top manager before I came along."

I didn't reply. I walked straight into my home office and shut the door, blocking out their noise.

I opened Instagram. The very first post on my feed was from Chloe, posted ten minutes ago:

*[Just landed the legendary Mr. Harrington! Hard work always pays off! ????]*

The comment section was already flooded with dozens of comments from our colleagues kissing her feet:

*[Oh my god, you are a sales queen!]*

*[VP of Operations is yours! Unlike a certain someone who keeps losing clients and probably only gets base pay now. ??]*

I scrolled down to a post I made three months ago when I won the Employee of the Year bonus. The recent comments on it were filled with disgusting vitriol:

*[How did you even win Employee of the Year with this level of performance? Did you steal Chloe's work back then?]*

*[Can't steal anything now, huh? Enjoy your zero sales!]*

My fingers paused. I closed the app and tossed my phone aside.

A moment later, Chloes voice drifted in from the living room. She was on speakerphone with Marcus Kane, the Director of Sales.

"Chloe, darling! I heard about you landing Harrington! Absolute genius!"

"Once the quarterly evaluations are officially out, Im putting you up for the President's Award and writing your recommendation letter for the VP role. You are the pride of Apex Marketing!"

Chloe giggled, her voice dripping with sweet vanity. After hanging up, she yelled toward my room:

"Julian! Marcus is writing my recommendation letter!"

Julians booming laughter shook the walls.

I sat at my desk, opened my laptop, and pulled up the real background check on Arthur Harrington.

The credit report showed his company was $8 million in debt, with seven active lawsuits and two sexual harassment filings pending.

I then pulled out a locked document box from the bottom of my safeone I hadn't touched in six months. Inside lay twenty folders containing client data, original pitch decks, and communication logs from every single quarterly evaluation over the past year.

I photographed every single page to back them up. Every client I had worked hard to secure had magically ended up in Chloe's name, but my original files were packed with deep market analysis, client pain points, and call logs that she could never replicate.

I organized these proofs by date and uploaded them into a double-encrypted cloud drive. The moment the Harrington deal blew up, these would be the final nails in her coffin.

Feeling thirsty, I went downstairs to grab an iced coffee. When I returned, my heart stopped.

The pitch decks on my desk and the project timelines pinned to my wall had been ripped to shreds, scattered all over the floor.

My body trembled with pure rage.

"Oh, you're back?"

I spun around. Chloe was leaning against the doorframe of my study, chewing bubblegum.

She shrugged, giving me an innocent, doll-like smile.

"I came in to look for something and saw all this scrap paper taking up space. Since you're never getting promoted anyway, these garbage plans are useless. I did you a favor and thrashed them. Don't mention it."

*[Nice! Those trash files deserved to be ripped!]*

*[Why is the rival even hoarding files?]*

*[It's useless anyway. You're a loser, Vivian.]*

On the day of the quarterly evaluation, I was still sweeping up the shredded paper in my home office.

Julian banged on the door, telling me to hurry up and get to the office for the meeting.

When I arrived at the main conference room, Marcus Kane and the executive board were already seated. The projector screen showed the quarterly performance ranking list.

Chloe was leaning back in her chair, sending a voice note on Snapchat:

"Yeah, the results are coming out. Landing Mr. Harrington guarantees my top spot. I'm taking everyone out for drinks tonight!"

Seeing me walk in, she arched an eyebrow and raised her voice:

"By the way, Vivian, once my rank is displayed, don't you think you owe me an apology? You must have been so bitter being crushed by me every single time."

Julian glared at me, frowning. "What are you standing there for?"

"Take notes from Chloe. If you want to keep your job, stop being a useless househusband's burden and learn something."

Marcus Kane cleared his throat, standing up to announce, "Alright team, lets display this quarters final performance rankings."

He clicked the remote. The spreadsheet appeared on the screen.

From the top down... First place, second place, third place...

The scroll went all the way to the very bottom. And there, sitting dead last at the absolute bottom of the list, was:

*Chloe Bennett.*

TheThe entire conference room fell into a dead, suffocating silence.

"No... This is impossible! There must be a glitch!"

Chloes shriek shattered the silence.