Karma’s a Bitch: My Intern Stole My Fortune, So I Sent Her to Prison!

Brooke Vance, the intern at my company, did something to my bank account. No matter how much money I deposited, my balance always magically reset to five dollars.

In my past life, my biggest dream was to buy a starter condo near the office.

I worked myself to the bone until I finally saved up $50,000 for the down payment.

But when the realtor ran my card, she looked at me pityingly and told me it was declined.

I checked my transaction history, argued with the bank, and even called the cops.

But everyone treated me like a lunatic.

Because on paper, my bank statements showed every single transaction clearly.

But I knew I hadn't spent a single penny of that money! I was living on ramen and cheap coffee!

Sobbing, I called my parents. Instead of comfort, I got a harsh lecture.

"Chloe, are you seriously making up excuses for blowing your paycheck?" my mom snapped.

"Do you think we're stupid? If you want money from us, just ask. Theres no need to make up such a ridiculous lie."

I tried telling my coworkers, hoping for some support.

But after looking at my leaked bank statement, a few toxic male colleagues started smirking.

"Wow, Chloe. Spending thousands of dollars at VIP nightclubs at 2 AM? I guess we now know how much those hot male models cost per night."

No matter how much I explained, no one believed me.

Desperate, I posted my story anonymously online.

The internet tore me apart, accusing me of making up a wild story just to get clout and sell products.

Only one random user left a helpful comment: *Check your surroundings. See if anyone close to you has a spending history that perfectly matches your missing funds.*

I started watching people closely. And that was when I noticed Brooke, our new intern.

Every time she bought something, an alert for the exact same amount would pop up on my phone, deducting money from my account.

Even when she ordered a Starbucks drink, my phone buzzed instantly.

Once I was sure, I confronted her directly.

Brooke just laughed in my face. She claimed I was a reckless spender who couldn't manage her own money and was now trying to frame her. She said I was losing my mind.

She even rallied our coworkers against me, gaslighting them into thinking I was dangerous, and had me forcibly committed to a psychiatric facility.

I was trapped in that hellhole for two torturous years.

Unable to take the abuse any longer, I finally found a chance to escape and threw myself into the freezing river.

But when I opened my eyes again... I was back.

I had returned to the exact day before I was supposed to sign my condo contract.

***

My first instinct after waking up was to open my banking app and check my balance.

Sure enough, it was exactly five dollars.

I quickly forced myself to calm down and think.

Right now, all my hard-earned savings had already been transferred to Brooke's account through whatever sick method she was using.

I wanted to drag her to hell with me right then and there.

But then I remembered how my parents looked in my past life after I diedtheir hair turning white overnight from grief.

I instantly regretted my impulsiveness.

If I acted blindly like last time, I would only ruin myself again.

Just then, my manager, Sarah, called me over to her desk.

"Chloe, this new client is a total pain in the ass, but the commission is five grand! Im doing you a huge favor by giving this to you, okay?"

My throat tightened. I swallowed hard.

Five thousand dollars.

That was enough to cover my rent for a month and leave me with a huge chunk of change.

But I shook my head.

"Thank you, Sarah. But Im taking a break from taking new clients for the next month."

Ignoring Sarahs shocked expression, I turned and walked out of her glass office.

Because the office walls were thin, everyone outside had already heard us.

Immediately, whispers erupted.

"Chloe Higgins is the top sales representative in the whole company. Shes literally a machine. Did she just turn down a client?"

"Not just today. Didn't you hear her? She's taking a whole month off!"

Ignoring the gossip, I pulled out my phone, opened a food delivery app, and ordered a venti iced Americano.

The purchase instantly drained the remaining five dollars from my account.

In my past life, I wouldn't even spend two dollars on a gas station coffee.

To survive and get a foothold in this ridiculously expensive city, I had worked myself to death.

I used to stay up until 3 AM following up with clients. I woke up before dawn and squeezed onto the packed subway like a canned sardine for two hours just to clock in on time.

One minute late meant a fifty-dollar penalty.

That was my grocery budget for an entire week.

My only dream was to own a tiny 300-square-foot studio apartment near the office.

Every month, I only kept three hundred dollars for basic survival.

The rest went straight into my savings account.

And to think, the fifty thousand dollars I had literally bled for had ended up in someone else's pocket!

Suddenly, the heavy glass doors of the office were pushed open.

"Hey, everyone! Lunch is on me today!"

Brookes loud, obnoxious voice echoed through the room.

She practically glowed, strutting in with a brand-new Chanel handbag on her arm. She looked like a trashy lottery winner who had suddenly come into money.

"Were going to the Grand Hyatt! Order whatever you want!"

The office erupted. Colleagues rushed over to surround her.

"Brooke! Did you hit the jackpot or something?"

"Did you find yourself a sugar daddy?"

I didn't move. I just held my coffee cup, staring at her with cold, dark eyes.

Because I knew. Every single penny she was spending belonged to me.

Brooke waved her hands, pretending to be modest.

"Oh, come on, guys. Its nothing like that. I just bought a random scratch-off ticket a couple of days ago and won a little prize."

One of the gossipy coworkers instantly nudged her. "How much did you win?"

#### Chapter 2

Brooke glanced at me, a smug, self-satisfied smirk playing on her lips.

"Not much," she said casually, waving her hand. "Just a few hundred thousand."

A collective gasp echoed through the office.

A few hundred thousand dollars was a life-changing amount for wage slaves like us.

But I noticed that ever since Brooke stepped through the door, her eyes kept darting back to me.

She was watching me. Like an scientist observing a lab rat.

She wanted to see if I had realized my bank account was completely drained.

I squeezed my coffee cup, forcing down the violent urge to scream at her.

I couldn't ruin my plan now. I had to play dumb.

I stood up, putting on a perfect, slightly envious smile.

"Wow, Brooke! Congratulations! You have to let me get some of that good luck."

Seeing my completely normal reaction, a flicker of surprise crossed Brookes eyes, followed by a subtle sigh of relief.

She probably thought I was still clueless about my missing savings.

As lunchtime approached, Mia, who sat at the desk next to mine, leaned over.

"Chloe, didn't you say you finally saved enough for your down payment? When are we going to look at the condo? I can go with you."

At the mention of the condo, my fists clenched so hard my fingernails dug into my palms.

But I quickly forced my hands to relax and kept my face neutral.

"No rush," I said smoothly.

"I actually lost my ID a couple of days ago, and the DMV is taking forever to mail the replacement. Plus, the housing market is cooling down. I think Ill wait and see."

The moment the words left my mouth, I felt that burning gaze on me again.

It was Brooke.

She was staring, her eyes sparkling with a twisted, triumphant glee.

Brooke was just an intern who had joined the company two months ago. She was slightly overweight, had a completely forgettable face, and was always at the bottom of the sales leaderboard.

In a high-pressure, looks-conscious sales department like ours, she should have been at the very bottom of the food chain.

Yet, in my past life, she took my fifty thousand dollars, got full-body liposuction, and paid for extensive plastic surgery.

Overnight, she transformed herself into a gorgeous, wealthy IT-girl.

She used my money to buy everyones loyalty, hired a few male coworkers, and had me thrown into a psych ward under the guise of me having a "mental breakdown."

Remembering the agonizing two years in that place, I took a deep breath to calm my racing heart.

At noon, Brooke took us to the Grand Hyatt. She grandly gestured for us to order whatever we wanted.

I didn't hesitate. I flipped the menu directly to the most expensive pages.

"The king crab, the largest one you have," I told the waiter.

"The bluefin tuna sashimi platter."

"The pan-seared foie gras."

"And let's add the premium caviar service."

With every dish I ordered, the faces of my coworkers grew more and more shocked.

Mia pulled my sleeve, whispering, "Chloe... isn't this a bit too much? It's so expensive."

I just smiled at her and said nothing.

It was my own money. How could spending it be a waste?

Brookes cheek twitched violently. But with everyone watching, she had to keep up her generous persona.

"Its fine! Chloe is our top sales rep, after all. She works so hard. She deserves to treat herself."

She smiled brightly, though her eyes were cold.

"Besides, you need to eat up so you can close more deals for our department!"

Before I could answer, another colleague chimed in.

"Oh, Brooke, you weren't here this morning. Chloe told Sarah she's taking a break from taking new clients for the next month."

The air in the private dining room suddenly went dead silent.

I slowly wiped my mouth with a linen napkin and looked up at Brooke.

The smile on her face froze, cracking bit by bit.

"What did you say?"

She stared at me, her voice suddenly sharp and high-pitched.

"Chloe, why would you stop taking clients?"

"What is wrong with you?"

#### Chapter 3

I met Brookes furious stare and let my lips curl into a slow smile.

"I'm taking a break. Why are you so worked up about it?"

The surrounding coworkers exchanged looks, their eyes burning with sudden curiosity.

"Yeah, Brooke," Mia couldn't help but say. "Even Chloe isn't stressed about it. Why are you reacting like this?"

"Right? If I didn't know better, Id think you were the one losing out on commission."

The quiet murmurs acted like a bucket of ice water, snapping Brooke back to reality.

The ugly distortion on her face vanished, replaced by an expression of deep, exaggerated concern.

"I... Im just worried about Chloe!"

She raised her voice, trying to sound as sincere as possible.

"Didn't she say she was just a few deals away from securing her down payment? The units at West End Luxury are so hard to get. If she stops now, shes going to lose out on so much cash! I just feel bad for her!"

She looked almost on the verge of tears. It was a flawless performance.

I chuckled.

"I'm just tired. I want to rest."

I casually picked up a lobster claw and began cracking it open.

"Besides," I paused, looking up at her with an innocent expression, "didn't you just win the lottery? A few hundred thousand dollars, right? If Im actually short on my down payment... surely you wouldn't mind lending me some, right?"

The room went dead silent again.

All eyes instantly locked onto Brooke.

The color completely drained from her face. Her lips trembled, but she couldn't squeeze out a single word.

I took a bite of the lobster meat and added playfully,

"Our generous Brooke would definitely help a friend out, right?"

Cornered by everyone's expectant stares, she was practically roasting on an open fire. Finally, she managed to squeak out a few words.

"O-Of course I would."

Terrified that I would actually make her sign a loan agreement right there, she quickly added, "But, you know, it wasn't *that* much after taxes. Just... pocket money, really."

I looked at her brand-new Celine dress, the limited-edition Chanel bag sitting next to her, and the table full of food that cost more than a normal person's monthly rent.

Yeah, right.

My fifty thousand dollars really wouldn't last her very long at this rate.

I thoroughly enjoyed the meal.

Before leaving, I called the waiter over and asked him to pack up the untouched king crab and lobster.

A few coworkers started whispering behind my back.

"Oh my god, packing up leftovers at a fancy lunch? That is so tacky."

"Seriously. She's acting like she's never eaten food before. How embarrassing."

I heard them, but I didn't care. I just looked at Brooke with a bright smile.

"Brooke, you spent so much money. Itd be such a waste to leave this delicious food behind. You don't mind if I take it home, right?"

Brookes face went through three different shades of purple.

But under the gaze of the entire office, she could only nod through gritted teeth.

"I... I don't mind."

Back at the office, I casually placed the takeout boxes in the shared fridge, completely ignoring the judgmental looks from everyone else.

That afternoon, I walked into the finance office.

"Brenda, I need to request a cash advance on my commission."

Brenda looked up from her computer. "Company policy says you need the manager's signature, and payments are usually direct-deposited at the end of the month."

I handed her a pre-signed form I had prepared.

"Sarah already approved it."

"And I don't want a bank transfer."

"I need it in cash."

If keeping money in my bank account meant it would be magically siphoned away, then I would just keep physical cash. Let's see how she steals that.

An hour later, I walked back to my desk with a thick envelope of cash.

It was my base salary plus my commission from last monthfifteen thousand dollars.

I slipped the envelope into the deepest, zippered compartment of my bag.

In my past life, my nightmare had started with that fifty thousand dollars.

In this life, I would claw my way back starting with this fifteen thousand.

But before my seat could even get warmnot even five minutes later

My right eyelid began to twitch violently.

Twitch. Twitch. Twitch.

It grew more intense with every passing second.

A sudden, overwhelming sense of dread gripped my heart.

I quickly unzipped my bag and reached into the hidden compartment

Empty!

The paper envelope was still there, but the thick stack of bills was completely gone!

My blood ran cold. The hairs on my arms stood on end.

I hadn't expected Brookes account-linking trick to be so absolute.

Was she trying to cut off my every means of survival?

I looked over at Brookes desk. Sure enough, a smug, subtle grin played on her face.

I clenched my fists. Fortunately, I had already anticipated this and had a backup plan!