Kevin stepped out of the elevator and noticed his colleagues are whispering to each other.
"He deserves to be fired, no doubt about it," one said.
"Yeah, I heard he stole funds from the company. I used to think he was honest and hardworking, but you can't always judge a book by its cover," another voice added.
A third colleague joined, "Emma should get a promotion instead of Kevin."
Kevin didn't know what they were whispering about, so he ignored it.
He walked over to his desk only to find his manager, Mr. Adam, waiting for him.
Mr. Adam approached Kevin and said, "Kevin, we've discovered that you stole funds from the company. The CEO hasn't found out yet, but if he does, you'll be fired. "Kevin listened to everything quietly.
Seeing that Kevin didn't respond, Mr. Adam continued, "Since you've been one of our best employees, I suggest you consider resigning voluntarily. It's difficult to find a new job after being fired." With those words, the manager left.
If someone is accused of something they didn't do, most people try to defend themselves by explaining that everything was a misunderstanding. However, Kevin remained calm.
"Don't blame me for what was about to happen."
-Flashback to a week ago-
Kevin passed by his manager's office after submitting reports to the CEO. He overheard a conversation between two familiar voices.
"Sweetheart, can you fire Kevin? I want the promotion." Emma complained.
"It's not simple to fire him since the CEO favors him. It would be better if he resigned voluntarily," Mr Adam replied, placing his hands on Emma's waist.
"But why would he resign when he's about to get a promotion?" Emma asked, pushing his hands away.
"Well, we can try to put the blame on him for stealing company funds and pressure him to resign." Mr. Adam continued. "Later, we can tell the CEO that Kevin left the company because he was afraid we'd discover his theft, and he resigned by claiming that he found another job."
"Brilliant," Emma replied before kissing the manager's lips.
-Present time-
He knew who had stolen the company funds. The person who had just spoken to him was the true culprit.
Kevin reached into his bag and pulled out his resignation letter.
He wanted to quit his job a while back, but his CEO convinced him to stay. So he had no choice but to keep working.
He often has to work extra hours and doesn't receive his salary on time. So, he's happy that he can finally leave this job.
Just then, a woman in high heels approached him, and he didn't need to turn around to recognize her.
"It looks like someone is about to resign. Finally, I can get promoted. Today is such a happy day," Emma said joyfully.
"What do you want, Emma?" he asked, already knowing why she was there.
"Give me your pendrive since you're resigning. I'll present the project to the investors," she said arrogantly.
"But I worked hard to prepare the presentation. Why should I give it to you?" Kevin protested.
"Be glad you're not fired. Hand over the pendrive, or else I'll accuse you of harassing me," she threatened.
This is Emma's trick. She pretends to be a victim to manipulate situations in her favor. She used this tactic on one of our colleagues, Ivy, who asked her to stay away from her boyfriend. Emma told Ivy's boyfriend that Ivy had harmed her because she was close to him, and this caused them to break up.
"Whatever." Kevin tossed the pendrive at her and walked away.
Emma hadn't expected Kevin to give in so easily, but she didn't care. She got what she wanted.