Ficorpio
Chapter 1
I stared at the gala budget on my computer screen. After checking every line for the seventh time, I finally let out a long breath.
Fifteen thousand dollars.
That had to cover more than four hundred employees, plus clients and supplier representatives. We needed a venue, catering, entertainment, and prizes. I had fought for every discount I could get, and this was already the lowest feasible budget.
Before I could submit the proposal to our president, however, a message exploded in the company group chat.
“Fifteen thousand dollars for one company gala? How much of that is going into someone’s pocket?” The message came from Madison Vale, one of our interns, and every word dripped with accusation. “Give it to me and I could do the whole thing for forty-five hundred. Drinks, meat, seafood, everything. I guarantee it would be ten times more impressive than this.”
The chat fell silent for several seconds.
Then the agreement poured in.
Before I had a chance to explain, a message from Adrian Prescott appeared.
“Madison, come to my office.”
I stared at the screen, my fingertips turning cold.
This gala was about to become a colossal joke. And the coworkers joining the pile-on would soon pay dearly for following along without thinking.
Adrian tossed my budget proposal onto his desk. The folder struck the polished wood with a dull thud that seemed to pound against my eardrums.
“Claire Bennett, what is this budget?” he demanded. “How many times have I told you we need to keep costs under control?”
I swallowed my resentment and kept my voice as even as I could. “Mr. Prescott, this year’s budget is already twenty percent lower than last year’s.”
I opened the folder and pointed to the itemized figures.
“Our clients and suppliers will be attending. The quality of the gala reflects directly on Prescott Enterprises, so we can’t make it look cheap. I compared at least three quotes for every item and chose the lowest price available at the same quality. We’re even using the Grand Regent again. They have a wedding the day before our event, so they can reuse much of the setup. That’s why they offered us their lowest rate ever.”
Adrian waved me off impatiently, distrust plain in his eyes.
“Don’t give me that. Ryan Cooper handled the gala last year, and I’m convinced at least half the budget went to kickbacks.” He fixed me with a disappointed stare. “I gave you this job because I thought you were honest and dependable. Apparently, you’re just as much trouble as everyone else.”
I froze.
I had personally reviewed every expense from the previous year. Every payment had an invoice, and there had been no kickbacks.
Chapter 2
Ryan had gathered all the contracts and vendor quotes to prove his innocence. He had taken everything to Adrian and asked him to go through the accounts with him, but Adrian hadn’t even looked at the evidence. He had simply decided that something underhanded must have happened.
Furious at being condemned without a hearing, Ryan had submitted his resignation on the spot.
After seeing what happened to him, no one in Administration had wanted to touch this year’s gala. That was why Adrian had forced the job onto me, even though I worked in the Sales Division.
I had known it would be difficult.
I hadn’t expected to be treated like a thief.
At that moment, another message from Madison appeared in the group chat. It was even more aggressive than the first.
“A fifteen-thousand-dollar budget is downright embarrassing! Some people really think they can line their pockets with company money and treat the rest of us like idiots. If I were in charge, forty-five hundred would be enough for a luxury gala. Drinks, meat, seafood. Everyone would leave happy!”
Madison had joined the company two months earlier.
She had built her entire office persona around a so-called Gen Z workplace reckoning, challenging everyone and everything in sight. Yet whenever Adrian was around, she transformed into the sweetest, most obedient young woman imaginable. She knew exactly when to pout, when to flatter him, and when to act charmingly helpless.
Several employees had complained about her poor attitude and abysmal productivity, but Adrian had dismissed every concern with the same excuse.
“She’s new. We need to be more understanding.”
I saw his expression change and felt my stomach drop.
“Mr. Prescott, I haven’t taken any kickbacks,” I said quickly. “Every figure in that budget reflects an actual expense—”
“Enough!”
Adrian slammed his palm against the desk, cutting me off.
Then he picked up his phone and replied in the group chat.
“Madison, come to my office.”
A few minutes later, Madison swept through the door in high heels, her hips swaying. A perfectly measured, bashful smile curved her lips.
“You wanted to see me, Mr. Prescott?”
“I’m putting you in charge of the gala,” Adrian said, his tone noticeably gentler now. “You’re new. You’re straightforward, and you haven’t learned all these little schemes yet. Unlike certain longtime employees who spend all their time plotting how to take advantage of the company.”
Madison’s eyes lit up.
She shot me a triumphant glance, looking like she had just won a championship bout.
“Thank you for trusting me, Mr. Prescott. I promise I won’t disappoint you.” She placed deliberate emphasis on every word. “I organized events all the time in college, and everyone said I was good at it. I would never use a work assignment for personal profit the way some people do.”
Her pointed stress on “some people” made her target unmistakable.
Chapter 3
I looked at Adrian’s self-righteous expression, then at Madison’s smug face, and was suddenly struck by the absurdity of it all.
For the past two weeks, I had visited hotels and vendors across the city. I had pleaded, bargained, and called in every personal favor I possessed to secure the lowest possible quotes.
And my reward was to be accused of exploiting the company for personal gain.
The corner of my mouth lifted in a knowing smile.
“Fine,” I said. “I’d love to see how you plan to provide drinks, meat, and seafood on a forty-five-hundred-dollar budget.”
There were more than four hundred employees. Once the clients and supplier representatives were included, attendance would be close to five hundred.
Forty-five hundred dollars meant less than ten dollars per guest.
That had to pay for the venue, food, entertainment, prizes, alcohol, meat, and seafood.
I laughed inwardly.
Now all I had to do was wait for the show.
If this gala didn’t put half of them in the hospital, I’d consider myself proven wrong.
The moment Madison Vale and I stepped out of Adrian Prescott’s office, a crowd of coworkers closed in around us.
Madison lifted her chin and announced triumphantly, “Good news, everyone. Mr. Prescott has put me in charge of the annual gala.”
Then she gave a theatrical sigh. “I never wanted to cause trouble for anyone, but I couldn’t stand by while someone lined her own pockets with company money. That hurts every single one of us.”
“No wonder Claire bought that designer bag recently,” someone chimed in at once, her voice dripping with contempt. “Now we know where the money came from.”
“And she was always buying us coffee and pastries,” another said. “Looking back, I guess she was trying to ease her guilty conscience.”
“Madison’s the only one brave enough to tell the truth. She’s protecting all of us.”
I looked at the same people who used to crowd around my desk asking when I was bringing in treats again, each of them calling me Claire with easy affection. Now they stared at me as though I were a thief.
A chill settled in my chest.
I had always treated them with genuine kindness. Yet a few baseless accusations were all it took for them to turn on me.
Fine.
If they wanted to believe Madison, they could enjoy every moment of the incredible bargain gala she was about to give them.
I organized all the vendors’ contact information, the quotes I had negotiated, and copies of the contracts, then sent everything to Madison. I even included a note.
“I compared multiple vendors before selecting these. They offer excellent value for the price. Good luck.”
Her reply came almost immediately, thick with disdain.
“Don’t worry. I’ll definitely negotiate better prices and save the company even more money.”
With the burden of planning the gala off my shoulders, I left work on time for once. I had barely arrived home when my phone rang.
It was Daniel Mercer, the manager of the Grand Regent Hotel.