The Intern’s Scheming
I only found out about the dine-and-dash when the restaurant owner showed up at my door, demanding payment for the $20,000 feast.
When I couldnt pay, he put my name and face all over the internet.
Angry netizens doxed me. They cut my power, dismantled my e-bike, and even beat my watchdog to death in my own yard.
Desperate, I went to the intern, Poppy, begging her to explain everything and pay the owner back.
Instead, she went online and started trashing the restaurant.
Were basically public officials, she wrote. People beg for us to eat at their establishments. We graced your restaurant with our presence, and you should be grateful!
And now you have the audacity to ask for money? Youre insane! If you dont take that post down, Ill have my uncle shut your place down for good.
Cornered and desperate, the restaurant owner hunted me down and hacked me to death with a kitchen knife.
When I open my eyes again, Im back on the day of the dinner.
1
Tara, honey, Im still a little shaky on these project accounts. Would you mind just taking care of it for me?
The syrupy-sweet voice of our intern, Poppy, buzzed in my ear.
A violent shudder went through my heart.
It worked. I was reborn.
Today was the day she was officially hired. It was also the day I had died.
The celebratory dinner was in one hour.
The office was already buzzing with anticipation, my colleagues having given up on work to sneak glances in their compact mirrors, touching up their lipstick and powder.
Seeing me frozen at my desk, Poppy looped her arm through mine.
Youve worked so hard, Tara. Dont worry, Im treating you to a huge dinner tonight to thank you!
The phantom terror of the blade, the cold seeping into my skin, still clung to me like a shroud.
Instinctively, I shoved her arm away.
Do your own work.
Poppys lower lip trembled, her face a perfect mask of wounded innocence.
Its not that I dont want to! I just I really dont get this part. Or, Tara, maybe you could just take a little time to teach me? Please?
She delivered the lines perfectly. To anyone listening, it sounded like a senior employee on a power trip, refusing to help the new girl.
In reality, I had explained the same process to her more than ten times.
But Poppy loved playing the helpless newcomer, dumping all her responsibilities onto my desk.
Just then, Director Yang, our boss, strode over, his brow furrowed as he fixed me with a cold stare.
Tara Vance. I know youre busy, but you need to make time for the new hires. We were all new once. Have some empathy.
He wasnt finished. Besides, the project accounts are critical. Id feel much better knowing you handled them personally.
And today is a happy occasion, he added, his voice softening as he glanced at Poppy. Its Poppys big day, and shes thoughtful enough to treat us all to dinner. You dont find grateful interns like her very often.
That was the cue for the rest of the hyenas to chime in.
Poppys been running around all day booking the restaurant and buying everyone fruit. The least you could do is help her out instead of dumping your own work on her.
Thats what happens when you get a promotion. Suddenly youre too good to do anything but boss people around.
Careful what you say! She might get another promotion tomorrow and make you the first one she fires.
The project accounts were literally the interns job. Every other intern in every other department did them.
But no one was going to stand up for me. They were all eager to get on Poppys good side, because Poppy was Director Yangs precious niece.
The office had devolved into a cacophony of accusations.
Poppy, of course, stepped in to play the peacemaker.
Thank you all for sticking up for me, but it really is my job. Im just slow, and Im holding Tara up. Ill get the reports done. She sighed dramatically. Youll all just have to wait a couple of hours for me after work. I need time to figure it all out.
I just nodded. Fine. Let her do it.
But Director Yang exploded.
Tara! Are you going to bully a new employee right in front of me? he boomed. I dont care if youre this companys top performer. With an attitude like that, I have every right to fire you.
Poppy wrung her hands, the picture of distress. Please, dont yell at Tara anymore! Its my fault, Im too stupid to handle simple tasks. Im sure its a pain for her to have to teach me when shes so busy.
She turned to me, her eyes glistening. Tara, dont worry about the work. You take everyone to the restaurant. You can all start eating without me!
With Poppys performance, Director Yang backed off, slamming his office door behind him.
But her words sent a chill down my spine, and the fine hairs on my arms stood on end.
In my past life, the whole nightmare started because Poppy used my name and ID to run up that tab.
I hadnt stopped her from setting the trap, but I wasnt about to walk into it again.
The only reason the restaurant owner had agreed to let her run a tab on my name was my positiona manager at a prestigious city agency.
But what if I wasnt a manager anymore? What if I didnt even work here?
I typed up my resignation letter and emailed it directly to the head of corporate HR, bypassing Director Yang entirely.
My colleagues were already packed up and ready to go. Seeing me still at my desk, one of them snapped impatiently.
What are you waiting for? We cant go without you leading the way. Is it fair to make everyone wait for you?
I shot back, my voice dripping with sarcasm. Cant you use Google Maps to find the restaurant? What are you, three-year-olds? Need mommy to hold your hand to cross the street?
Someone tried to smooth things over. Come on, Tara. Were all colleagues. We should go to a team dinner together. We wouldnt leave you behind.
I laughed, a harsh, humorless sound. Lets be honest. Youre just afraid that if Im not there, the restaurant will make you pay.
Dont worry, I continued, enjoying the way their faces fell. Your precious Poppy has already picked the place and paid the deposit. You can all go stuff your faces.
I had ripped away their polite masks, and they were furious.
Shes just a hick from the countryside. You can give her a fancy title, but you cant get rid of that trashy attitude.
And this is just what we see. Imagine how she must bully Poppy behind our backs.
Only someone as sweet as Poppy would even think of inviting her. If it were me, Id rather feed the scraps to a dog.
I knew my colleagues disliked me, but theyd always maintained a veneer of professionalism. Now, they were openly cursing my name. My work ethic had always been rigorous and no-nonsense, which theyd grudgingly respected. But ever since Poppy arrived, their dislike had curdled into personal attacks.
Living through this a second time, I finally understood it was all Poppys doing.
From her first day, shed worked to win everyone over with a constant stream of coffees and pastries, making them all feel special. Building office relationships is one thing, and I respected her hustle.
Then I discovered she was funding her generosity with our projects expense account.
I had naively thought that since she was Director Yangs niece, stealing from the company would be an embarrassment to him. I couldn't have been more wrong. Poppy had no shame.
Payday was approaching, and I repeatedly urged her to replace the money. She always had an excuse. Finally, with no other choice, I used my own salary to cover the shortfall. As her direct supervisor, I was also responsible.
The very next day, when the free coffee didnt appear, my colleagues blamed me. They said I was a petty tyrant, using my new power to clamp down on Poppy. I couldn't explain the truth, so I just focused on training her, hoping shed become competent and I could be rid of her.
But it only got worse. Whenever a task involved conflict or telling a client no, shed find a way to push it onto my plate. Then, shed swoop in afterward, playing the peacemaker, smoothing things over with more gifts and sweet talk.
In the end, the difficult work got done, and everyone praised Poppy for her skill and diplomacy. In less than three months, my reputation was in the gutter while she was the office darling.
Even so, after I first discovered the embezzlement, I didnt think she was evil. When the restaurant owner came for me in my past life, I didnt blame her, I just asked her to clear things up. I thought she was just a recent graduate whod made a stupid, impulsive mistake.
I never expected her vicious response.
So what if I used your name? she had sneered. You love playing the hero, dont you? Why dont you just cover this hole, too?
I never said I wouldnt pay back the expense money, shed continued, her voice rising. Youre the one who had to make a big deal out of it and tell the whole company. This is your fault! If you had just let me handle the expense reports myself, I wouldn't have needed to use your name in the first place!
Hearing those words again in my memory made my whole body tremble with rage.
As they said, I was from the countryside. Every dollar I earned was earmarked for something critical: my sisters tuition, my dads mounting medical bills. I didnt have a cent to spare. But my position came with responsibilities, and I had covered for her. To fill that hole in the expense account, Id had to beg my sisters principal for an extension on her tuition payment.
By the time the restaurant owner came at me with that knife, I was already at rock bottom.
I had tried to hide in the office bathroom, but my colleagues had calmly pointed him in my direction.
When the police arrived, I was already dead, bleeding out on the cold tile floor.
A chill ran down my spine, but I forced myself back to the present.
After my colleagues left, I took a shortcut to the restaurant.
This time, the one who runs up the bill pays the bill.
I used to think Poppy was some rich heiress who could easily afford a $20,000 dinner. It wasnt until she refused to pay back the expense funds that I learned the truth: her entire family was blacklisted by creditors. Every cent that went into their bank accounts was instantly seized. The only reason she got this job was because of her dear old uncle, Director Yang.
This time, I was going to enjoy watching Poppy fall into the very pit she had dug for me.
The restaurants main dining hall was packed with my colleagues.
Lavish dishes began to arrivefoie gras, wild truffle risotto, towers of seafood.
Poppy raised her glass, playing the gracious host. To all of my wonderful new brothers and sisters here! Thank you so much for taking care of me these past few months. Please, eat and drink as much as you like!
The room erupted in cheers.
Poppy, youre amazing! Ive never even heard of some of these dishes, let alone seen them. This is a real eye-opener!
Youre so generous, Poppy! Thanks to you, we get to experience true fine dining.
Seriously! What did our company do to deserve an angel like you?
My phone buzzed with notifications. Their social media feeds were flooded with pictures of the food, selfies, and gushing posts about their deep love and appreciation for Poppy.
Right. Ten-tenths of that appreciation was probably for the wild truffles.
Someone even tagged me in a comment.
@TaraVance, you're seriously missing out!
Another one followed. You country folk have probably never seen food this good. What a shame!
A slow smile spread across my face.
Watching them devour every last bite, a profound sense of satisfaction washed over me.
In my last life, the owner had cornered me outside the office, his grip like iron on my arm as he screamed about the bill. All those expensive dishes and fine wines added up to a staggering $20,000. Every penny I made went to my fathers medical care; I barely had enough cash on me for bus fare. He gave me three days to come up with the money.
When Poppy refused to pay, I begged my colleagues to just split the bill.
They turned on me in an instant.
Poppy was the one who invited us. Why should we have to pay?
She used your name, not ours. This is between you two. Dont drag us into it.
Some avoided my calls. Others literally turned and walked the other way when they saw me coming. I maxed out my credit cards, but it wasnt even enough to cover a fraction of the debt.
The owner, furious, slapped me hard across the face. You people who work for the city, you think you can just bully us regular folks? he had roared. Im telling you, if you dont give me the money today, Im not leaving!
My colleagues watched, their faces cold and indifferent.
How did our agency hire someone like this? Shes a disgrace.
I say we just call the police. People like her are a menace.
They all knew Poppy had set me up, but not a single one spoke a word in my defense. Of course not. Theyd gotten a free meal out of it. They were the ones who had benefited.
The betrayal still felt like a shard of ice in my heart. When our department first started, nobody knew what they were doing. They constantly messed up projects, and when deadlines loomed, they would come to me, sometimes in tears, begging for help. In this economy, no one could afford to lose their job. So I would stay late, night after night, painstakingly fixing their mistakes.
And this was how they repaid me.
Remembering how it all ended, there was no way in hell I would ever sit at a table with those vipers again.
After finalizing my resignation, I was walking out of the building when Poppy ran up and blocked my path.
There was a flash of panic in her eyes.
Tara! You quit? Is this some kind of joke?
Have you forgotten about your sick father? And your sister in high school? What are you going to do for money?
Her words sounded like concern, but I knew the truth. She was terrified that without my job, I had no way to pay her massive dinner bill. She knew every detail of my precarious situation, information Director Yang had undoubtedly fed her.
When I first started, Director Yang had been so kind. He gave me extra gifts on holidays and was always lenient with my time-off requests. I thought he genuinely sympathized with the struggles of a kid from a poor family, so I told him everything. I never imagined he was just cataloging my weaknesses, using my familys poverty to bury me in work, knowing I was too desperate for the money to ever quit.
I smirked. Why I need money is none of your business.
I had fought hard for this stable, respectable job, and I had treasured it. Even when I knew my colleagues hated me and my boss was exploiting me, Id clung to it. My familys situation left me no other choice.
But being reborn had shown me that life had more options than I ever imagined.
I had already accepted a long-standing offer from a Fortune 500 company.
The salary was more than five times what I was making here.
Seeing my nonchalant attitude, Poppy started to panic.
Fine! You want to leave? Then pay for the dinner first! she shrieked. I was going to pay for it myself, but you insisted on treating me as an apology! You said it was on you, thats the only reason I agreed!
I signed the bill with your name for the owner, she lied, her voice getting louder. You have to pay it.
The audacity was breathtaking.
I just laughed in her face. Whoever ate the free meal pays the price.
I clutched the box with my personal belongings and turned to leave.
Suddenly, a foot shot out, and I went sprawling, my box flying as I crashed headfirst onto the pavement.
My head spun, stars bursting behind my eyes.
When I came to, a crowd of onlookers had gathered.
Hey! Thats her! The one from the city agency who doesnt pay her bills!
They make so much more than us small business owners, and they still have the nerve to cheat people!
Phones were out, cameras flashing in my face.
A white-hot rage burned through me. I pushed myself up, my head throbbing, and forced the words through gritted teeth.
The one who dined-and-dashed was Poppy Yang! Shes the one who should pay!
Poppys face paled. She quickly made a call, summoning the restaurant owner.
He arrived moments later, smiling and holding a credit card machine, thinking he was finally getting paid.
My former colleagues chimed in from the sidelines.
The owners here now. Lets see how she lies her way out of this one.
Poppy pointed a triumphant finger at me. There she is, sir. Thats Tara Vance. Get the money from her!
The owner consulted a small notebook and then shook his head. You must be mistaken, miss. The name on the tab is Poppy Yang. Why would I be asking this woman for payment?
He then pulled an employee ID card from his pocket.
When Poppy saw her own ID card, the color drained from her face
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