The Funeral Planner's Revenge

The plan I had spent half a year perfecting finally won over the wedding contract for the top celebrity.

That directly turned our struggling company into a huge overnight success.

Right after the wedding ended, I collapsed from days of pulling all-nighters and was carried into the hospital.

On my hospital bed, my boss, Harrison, came to see me personally. His tone was gentle.

"Victoria, I heard your parents aren't in the best health. How about this? We won't give you the commission for that 0-00,000 wedding contract."

"When your parents pass away in the future, the company will throw you a $20,000 funeral for free. Think of it as a perk."

As he finished, he looked like he was showing off his generosity, squinting as he waited for me to thank him over and over.

I froze on the hospital bed, completely stunned.

On my first day back at the company after being discharged, Harrison urgently called me into his office.

"Victoria, get started on a new proposal right now!"

"The top celebrity Samantha's victory party has to have the highest-tier budget!"

"This kind of big-name deal, you have to land it! We absolutely cannot let any other wedding company steal our spotlight!"

I idly twirled the lollipop I'd just unwrapped between my fingers and looked up casually.

"A wedding? Sorry, but I only know how to plan funerals."

Harrison slammed his hand on the desk and shouted at me.

"Victoria! You're the company's head planner. Planning wedding proposals is your job!"

I met his eyes and said firmly, every word landing hard.

"Harrison, when have I ever slacked off on my actual work?"

"The wedding for celebrity Samantha had over thirty companies fighting over it."

"I drank with her agent until I was throwing up blood, and I revised the proposal to version eighteen before it was finally approved."

"For half a year, I slept less than three hours a day, and on the wedding day I passed out right backstage from exhaustion. You know all of this better than anyone."

Harrison's face darkened.

"Are you saying that to take credit? That's all work you were supposed to do anyway!"

My voice stayed steady.

"Harrison, I finished everything that was mine to do, and I nearly gave up half my life doing it."

"Shouldn't the 0-00,000 commission for that wedding contract belong to me too?"

His eyes rolled, and his tone softened.

"Samantha's wedding had very high costs. There was basically no profit."

"You need to think bigger and put the company first. Don't get hung up on a little gain or loss."

Before Harrison could finish, my eyes flicked to the payroll slip he had just signed.

My salary: $2,000 base pay.

Chloe, the new hire: $8,000 base pay + 0-00,000 wedding commission.

A wave of anger rose in me that I could not hold back.

I stood up and pointed at the payroll slip.

"Chloe hasn't even planned a single event since joining the company. Why does she get the 0-00,000 commission?"

At that, Harrison hurriedly covered the payroll slip, then quickly lifted his water cup and took a sip to hide his guilty conscience.

"Chloe is an art talent we finally managed to poach from France!"

"Victoria, you're a company veteran. Don't be so petty. There's no need to fight a new hire over this."

Just then, Harrison's phone rang, and the caller ID clearly showed: 'Honey, Chloe'.

Only then did I understand that Harrison and Chloe were secretly a couple.

No wonder he always favored her so much, why she walked into the company and immediately got a base salary far above mine, and why he gave all that 0-00,000 commission that should have been mine to this newcomer.

After Harrison answered, Chloe's excited voice came through the speaker.

"Baby! Samantha's wedding setup went viral online after the wedding. Everyone's calling it the gold standard for weddings!"

"She's also holding a celebration party for her big win, and she's handing that over to our company too!"

Harrison's eyes lit up, and he looked overjoyed. Deliberately right in front of me, he raised his voice.

"Chloe, Samantha brings her own traffic and attention. This celebration party is yours, fully in your hands!"

"Once it's done, you'll be the hottest planner in the industry!"

A coy "Love you~" came from the other end of the call.

After hanging up, he leaned back in his chair, smug.

"Victoria, you don't need to handle celebrity Samantha's celebration party anymore. The company already landed it."

"There's also a wedding for the billionaire's son here. Get the proposal done as soon as possible."

"If you don't do it, then get out. The company doesn't need a planner like you!"

Because of the celebrity wedding I had planned, the company had blown up, and Harrison had straightened his back too. He was like a completely different person.

Before, when the company was so bad off it was close to shutting down, he had practically begged me to land Samantha's contract, saying it was the company's last lifeline.

I had poured my heart into it and focused all my energy on the proposal, pulling countless all-nighters before I finally forced my way through that hard nut to crack.

Right then I clenched my fists and stayed silent. He waved his hand impatiently.

"Enough, enough. Don't just stand there. Get out there and work!"

"When your parents' funeral comes around, the company will cover the whole thing! Is that enough for you?"

I let out a cold laugh and slapped my resignation letter onto the desk.

"Save that for yourself. I quit."

Back at my desk, I packed my things and got ready to leave.

Chloe suddenly rushed over and snatched my laptop away.

My face went cold. "That's my personal property. Give it back."

She ignored me and started flipping through the laptop, lifting her brows with a sneer.

"I'm short on inspiration for my celebration party proposal, so I'll borrow your computer and see if I can get some ideas."

"There are private things on there. I'm not lending it to you."

I reached for it, but she nimbly dodged backward.

Two male planners beside her immediately stepped in front of me and said with obvious disdain, "Victoria, Samantha's wedding is the company's top priority. It's just your computer. Why are you being so stingy?"

"Yeah, have a bigger picture. Borrowing it won't cost you a chunk of flesh!"

Chloe wore a smug smile and casually opened my chat box, then deliberately turned the screen toward everyone.

"Victoria isn't supposed to be so busy she doesn't even have time to sleep?"

"So she's busy flirting with Howard! Everyone, come look. They're talking so hot and heavy!"

A few coworkers immediately crowded around, pointing at the laptop.

"Wow, you really can't judge a book by its cover. Victoria looks pure on the outside, but she chats with her boyfriend so openly. She's really pretty freaky."

"No wonder she's so good at wedding proposals. Turns out she's been head over heels for a guy, and she's just using her love-brain to find inspiration?"

"Whoa, she's hidden it well! I knew it. How else could she have landed Samantha's contract? She must have slept her way into it through the agent."

As soon as he finished speaking, a wave of laughter broke out across the office.

I was shaking with anger, my fingertips trembling. Clenching my teeth, I took out my phone, opened the video recorder, pointed the camera at the crowd, and said coldly, "Keep talking! Every bit of slander and every private invasion you do today, I'll record all of it and hand it over to the police!"

The crowd instantly went quiet, one by one slinking away and shrinking back to their desks.

From the corner, one of the planners I had personally trained muttered in a low voice, "Tch, can't even take a joke. What a petty person."

"Acting so high and mighty. And now she's using the police to scare people."

When Chloe heard that, she turned to me with a standard fake smile on her face.

"Victoria, we're all coworkers who see each other all the time. It's just a joke. Was it really necessary to record video?"

"If people hear about this, they'll say you're petty and cold."

Another coworker immediately chimed in, their voice not loud but sharp enough to sting.

"Exactly! Chloe's way more thoughtful than Victoria as our head planner. I've been sick of Victoria acting so superior for ages!"

My chest felt like it was stuffed with fire.

Normally, all the wedding proposals my coworkers made had to be reviewed by me before being sent to the clients in the end.

To be responsible for a couple's once-in-a-lifetime wedding, and also to help my coworkers grow into strong planners, I had always been strict with my reviews, never daring to be careless for a second.

But to them, that responsibility had become nitpicking, and over time they had built up a stomach full of complaints.

Chloe had only been at the company a few days, and she had dragged coworkers off after work to drink all night without caring about the wedding timeline for the client.

The next day, everyone showed up late together and delayed important work.

She said a few soft words to Harrison in his office, and the whole thing was brushed aside as if nothing happened.

So everyone stood on her side and treated her like a savior.

I stared coldly at Chloe. "Give me the computer back."

She was startled by the chill in my eyes, but in the next second the corner of her mouth curled into a provocative smile.

Then, Chloe deliberately loosened her hand.

Crash! The laptop slammed hard onto the floor.

I looked at the laptop with the shattered screen, and slowly smiled.

I pulled up my phone payment code and shoved it in front of Chloe.

"0-0,200. Scan it and pay up."

Her eyes flickered, and she hurriedly covered her hand while changing the subject, putting on a show of frowning.

"Your computer hit me, and my hand hurts!"

The coworkers followed along and started jeering.

"Victoria, look at you. You injured her hand, so hurry up and apologize!"

I ignored them and pushed the payment code even closer.

"Cut the crap. Scan it. Pay me."

Chloe's face flushed red, and she argued back with her neck stiff.

"Your crappy computer should have been thrown out ages ago. And you still want 0-0,200? Who do you think you're fooling? Do you think I'm some sucker?"

Amid the arguing, Harrison came out of his office and shielded Chloe behind him.

"Victoria, aren't you resigning?"

"You're still making a scene and bullying coworkers before you leave. What exactly are you trying to do?"

I lifted my eyes and looked straight at Harrison.

"Chloe went through my private computer without permission, then deliberately smashed it. Either she pays, or I call the police."

Chloe hid behind Harrison a little more, looking like she had been deeply wronged.

"Victoria was terrifying just now. She scared me, and my hand got hurt too..."

Harrison frowned deeply and looked at me with scorn.

"Victoria, I think you're really obsessed with money!"

"It's just a little thing between coworkers, and the first thing out of your mouth is payment or the police. Is it really that serious?"

"If you dare to make trouble here today, then when you join your next company, I'll personally tell them everything truthfully. Let's see which company would still dare to hire you!"

Just then, my phone vibrated, and a message from my boyfriend Howard popped up.

"The new studio is already rented! 'Victoria Wedding Planning Studio' will be officially open soon!"

Seeing that message, my heart finally settled down completely.

Harrison had only one obsession in his whole life: making his wedding company number one in the country.

But now, his biggest rival had appeared.

Seeing that I still hadn't said anything after a long time, Chloe thought Harrison's threat had scared me.

She deliberately acted generous and gave him a look.

"Harrison, since Victoria did contribute a little to the company before, how about letting her stay on as my assistant to run errands? I don't mind."

Harrison understood what she meant and picked up the thread.

"Victoria, I'll give you a chance."

"If you can go sign the wedding contract for the billionaire's eldest son, the company can barely keep you. Otherwise, pack your things and get out now!"

"Without the company platform, you're nothing!"

Looking at his arrogant face, I had no patience left.

"Harrison, when the company first started, there were only three of us."

"I handled everything myself, from signing clients to design to execution, and I kept it going little by little until now."

"I had feelings for this place, so I kept giving in again and again. But now I don't want to give in anymore. The 0-00,000 commission and the computer compensation are both what I deserve."

I took half a step forward and stared at his evasive eyes, word by word.

"Do you really have to make this so ugly that we can't part on good terms?"

"Victoria, you don't know what's good for you!"

"The company trained you. Landing a celebrity wedding was because you got to ride on the company's coattails, and now you're turning around and biting the hand that fed you by demanding money?"

Harrison pointed at me and snapped harshly.

"Which rule says that 0-00,000 should be yours? What right do you have to ask for it?"

"I'm the boss. I give it to whoever I want!"

His shameless attitude actually made me laugh.

Realizing that talking to him any more was useless, I directly took out my phone and called the police.

At a glance from Harrison, two coworkers immediately moved in to snatch my phone.

In the struggle, the receptionist hurried over. "Stuart, Samantha's agent, is here!"

As soon as the words were out, a stylish man pushed the door open and walked in.

His gaze swept lightly over Harrison without stopping, then he went straight to me.

"Victoria, Samantha only approves your celebration party proposal. She asked me to come handle the details."

Harrison knew that Samantha, as a celebrity, couldn't show up herself, and her agent was basically the same as her.

He immediately put on a full smile and stepped forward, shoving me aside with some force.

"Stuart, perfect timing!"

"For Ms. Samantha's celebration party, our company has a much better planner. We guarantee she'll be satisfied!"

As he spoke, he pulled Chloe forward.

"This is our company's new head planner. She just came back from studying in France. Her taste and creativity are ten times better than Victoria's!"

Stuart frowned. "No need. I came specifically to find Victoria."

Harrison's face stiffened, and he put on a pained, righteous look while hiding a blade in his words.

"Stuart, to be honest, even though Victoria is an employee of my company, I have to tell you the truth. All of her designs and proposals were copied from Chloe!"

As soon as those words came out, the entire office went silent.

His shameless twisting of the truth was honestly ridiculous.

I smiled slightly. "I copied her? I've been in the industry for five years. She's only been at the company for three months. What exactly would I be copying from her?"

Chloe stepped out at the right time, lifting her chin with total confidence.

"Your previous proposals were all copied from other people!"

"The reason Ms. Samantha's wedding setup was so stunning had nothing to do with you. It was all my creativity!"

"Those French-style props at the wedding, from the flowers to the decor pieces, all came from my ideas!"

She picked up a tablet and quickly handed it to Stuart.

"Stuart, look! These are all my design sketches from then. Victoria just followed my ideas to make the proposal!"

I glanced at the design sketches on her tablet and recognized them at once as the original drafts I had drawn myself.

No wonder she had wanted to smash my computer before. She had already stolen the drawings for herself.

A few coworkers immediately crowded in to back her up, sounding so certain it was as if it were true.

"I saw Victoria sneaking around in Planner Xu's computer with my own eyes!"

"Exactly! She always had me help find other people's proposals to copy. Since she was my superior, I never dared say anything, even though I was furious!"

"She doesn't have any real skill. It's all about stealing other people's ideas!"

Amid the rising chorus of accusations, Harrison sighed and shook his head in a show of sorrow.

"Victoria, you're not fit to be a planner if all you can do is copy!"

"From this moment on, you're no longer an employee of our company!"

Then he turned to Stuart with a flattering smile.

"Stuart, don't be fooled by her! What kind of person is fit to plan Ms. Samantha's celebration party?"

"Chloe is the one with real ability. She'll definitely satisfy Ms. Samantha!"

Stuart gave a smile that was hard to read.

His gaze landed on me, and the moment our eyes met, we both understood each other without saying a word.

"I've known Victoria since we were kids. No one knows her skills and character better than I do."

"To be honest, your company landed this celebrity wedding because of Victoria too."

"Since she's no longer your employee, then there's no need for us to keep talking."

"Whichever wedding company Victoria goes to, I'll cooperate with that one. I'll wait for her word. I'm busy, so I'm leaving first."

After Stuart left, the office fell into a dead silence.

Harrison was the first to react, forcing out a smile with all his might.

"Victoria, Ms. Samantha's celebration party still needs you to handle it."

I tilted my head and looked at him.

"Didn't I say it already? I only know how to plan funerals."

"Oh, right. You smashed my computer and stole my design drafts. Copyright infringement. I wonder how many years that gets?"