I had just announced our engagement dinner to my coworkers in the work group when Ethan's childhood best friend, Vicky, dropped a bombshell in the chat. "Chloe. How dare you ask Ethan for $8 million for the wedding?" "Ethan's parents had to sell their family home just to satisfy your greed. Aren't you afraid of killing them?" In less than ten minutes, everyone at the office branded me as a gold-digger. I was shaking with rage. The total budget for Ethan's and my wedding was only twenty-eight thousand dollars. I went to confront Vicky, but she immediately started playing the victim, crying in the group chat. "I'm so sorry, everyone. I shouldn't have mentioned the $8 million at work. I didn't think about Chloe's reputation." Overnight, I became public enemy number one. The internet tore me to pieces. Ethan never said a single word to defend me. My dad was harassed and bullied at his construction site. He fell from a scaffold and never woke up. In the end, consumed by depression, I jumped from the roof of our apartment building. But then, I woke up. I had been reborn. This time, I didn't argue with Vicky. Instead, I took screenshots and screen recordings of every single message she sent. Then, I tagged Vicky in the chat: "Please show everyone the evidence that I demanded $8 million." "If you can't, my lawyer will see you in court."
The moment I sent that message, the chaotic group chat went dead silent for a few seconds. Vicky was quick to reply. "Chloe, is there any need to be so hostile? I just couldn't bear to watch this happen." "Ethan is such a sweet guy. Look how far you've pushed him." I stared at the screen. My fingers were steady, showing none of the panic of someone who had just died a horrific death. "Stop changing the subject." "An eight-million-dollar demand, selling the house, and draining his elderly parents." "Give me proof for these three claims." Some coworkers started chiming in. "But seriously, eight million is insane. Chloe, did you really ask for that much?" "Trying to hit the jackpot in one go, huh?" "Ethan is too nice. He's probably too embarrassed to say anything." I ignored them and messaged my best friend, Mia, directly. "Someone is spreading rumors in the company chat, calling me a gold-digger. I've already recorded everything." She replied instantly. "Don't argue with them. Just keep saving every piece of cyberbullying." I turned back to the work group and pressed Vicky. "Vicky, I'll give you ten minutes." "If you can't produce a bank transfer of eight million, a house sales contract, or a prenuptial agreement signed by me, I am calling the police for defamation." Vicky replied with a crying emoji. "I'm not the bad guy here. I just feel bad for Ethan." "If you're going to be this heartless, how do you expect to live with Ethan's family in the future?" Finally, Ethan showed up. He sent only one line. "Chloe, stop making a scene. Everyone is watching." My heart went cold, aching with a familiar pain. "Ethan, did I ever ask your family for eight million dollars?" The chat went silent again. Ethan didn't reply. But Vicky jumped right back in. "Don't force him! He's caught in the middle and it's already so hard for him! If you really love him, can't you save him some dignity?" I laughed. What a disgusting pair. I uploaded a screenshot of my chat with Ethan's mother, Jennifer, directly into the group. It clearly showed our conversation: The total wedding cost was exactly twenty-eight thousand dollars. Jennifer had even replied with a smiley face: "Chloe, you are so sensible. I love you." Some coworkers immediately started changing their tunes. "Wait, the wedding only cost twenty-eight thousand?" "Then where did the eight million come from?" "Did Vicky get her facts wrong?" Vicky went silent. Ethan went silent too. But very quickly, the screenshots of our internal company chat were leaked to social media. Strangers who knew nothing about the truth started calling me a gold-digger on Twitter. Mia sent me a voice note. "Chloe, the rumor is spreading fast on social media. Make sure you back up all the chat logs." I logged onto the company network, exported the chat history, and submitted it to an online notary for digital evidence preservation. Just as I finished, my manager, Marcus Vance, messaged me. "Come to the conference room. Now."
Three people were waiting for me inside. Marcus, the HR Director Rachel Hughes, and Ethan. Vicky was nowhere to be seen. She was crying her eyes out online, but in reality, she was hiding safely in the shadows. Rachel closed the door and spoke in a gentle, patronizing tone. "Chloe, please sit." "We've seen what happened. The company understands your frustration." "But this is a personal matter, and it's already affecting the team's productivity." "For next week's client presentation, we think it's best if you step back temporarily." I looked up at her. "The liar gets to keep working, while the victim gets kicked off the project?" Marcus frowned. "Chloe, don't make it sound so ugly." "The company isn't punishing you. We are protecting you." I fired back. "Protecting me by taking my name off the project?" "Or protecting Vicky so she can keep spreading lies in the company chat?" Marcus's face darkened. Ethan finally spoke. "Chloe, can you please grow up? Vicky just has a hot temper. She didn't mean any harm." I looked at him and let out a cold laugh. "And what about you? Did you mean any harm? Why didn't you explain to everyone that I never asked for eight million dollars?" Ethan avoided my eyes. "Can't we talk about this in private? There's no need to corner me in the work chat." I nodded. "Fine. Let's make it clear right now. Did I take your money?" Rachel coughed. "Chloe, there's no need to discuss these details at work." "Yes, there is." I looked directly at her. "The rumor started in the company chat." Rachel's expression hardened. "Are you saying you don't trust the company?" I smiled. "Oh, I know this company all too well." In my past life, the company was preparing for a funding round. They didn't want the scandal of an "employee demanding a multi-million dollar for wedding" to trend on social media. They suspended me and forced me to write a public apology online. They made me sign a statement admitting that "my personal relationship issues had brought negative publicity to the company." I had signed it back then. That piece of paper was later posted online by Vicky. It became the ultimate "proof" of my guilt, showing that I had admitted to my mistakes because I was guilty. This time, I wouldn't sign a single dirty piece of paper. I pulled out a printed formal request for an internal investigation from my bag. Marcus spoke up. "Don't turn a small issue into a massive scandal." I didn't back down. "It is already a massive scandal." Suddenly, Rachel's phone buzzed. She glanced at it, and her face turned pale. "Chloe, did you offend some influencer?" She handed her phone to me. On TikTok, a drama channel had already uploaded a video. The title was eye-catching and disgusting: "Tech Manager Demands $8 Million For Her Wedding; Groom's Parents Forced to Sell Family Home." The comment section was a toxic mess. "Another gold-digger." "The guy needs to run fast." "Someone expose her company. Don't let clients support a woman like this." Staring at those words, a strange sense of calm washed over me. I sent the video link to Mia. As I walked out of the conference room, Ethan chased after me. He lowered his voice, hissing. "Chloe, have you had enough?" "How are my parents supposed to face the world now because of you?" "They didn't sell their house, so why can't they face the world?" Ethan froze, his face turning pale.
At 7 PM, I got back to my apartment. There was a paper bag sitting at my doorstep. There was no return address. It only had a handwritten note: "An $8 million bride, but only worth $80 a night." I didn't touch it. I pulled out my phone and recorded it first. In my past life, I had been so hysterical that I tore the package to shreds and threw it away. Later, when I called the police, they asked for evidence, and all I could do was sob. This time, I called the building management and asked them to pull the security footage. The bag had been delivered by a courier wearing a face mask. The sender's number was blocked. I posted a formal update in the company WhatsApp group: "An offensive package was left at my doorstep. I have contacted the police and secured the building's security footage. I will prosecute anyone involved." As soon as that message went out, several coworkers who had been mocking me immediately deleted their previous comments. Too late. I had already screenshotted everything. When Mia arrived at my apartment, she was carrying her laptop. She opened it and her fingers flew across the keyboard. "I tracked the social media source. It was Vicky who leaked the company chat screenshots to those gossip accounts." Suddenly, my phone rang. It was my mom. "Chloe, your dad got into a fight with someone on his way home from work today." I bolted upright. "Is he okay? Where is he?" My mom quickly explained. "He's fine, he's at home. It's just... some people at the construction site gates were saying nasty things. They said you demanded eight million dollars and were driving Ethan's parents to suicide. Your dad couldn't stand it and got into a fight with them." My fists clenched tightly, my nails digging into my palms. My dad had been an honest, hard-working safety officer his entire life. He hated being slandered more than anything. In my past life, under the crushing weight of the rumors, he had been distracted at work, fell from the scaffolding, and died. In this life, I would never let anything happen to him. "Mom, listen to me. Don't let Dad go to the site tomorrow. I've booked a full medical checkup for him." My mom panicked. "Chloe, what on earth is going to happen?" "Someone is trying to ruin me, and they are targeting you and Dad too." Silence fell over the line for a few seconds. Then, my mom's voice started to tremble. "Chloe, don't be scared. I understand." I immediately called Robert, the manager at my dad's construction site. Robert had worked with my dad for over a decade. After hearing what happened, he cursed loudly over the phone. "What kind of sick bastard would do this? Don't worry, Chloe. I'll approve your dad's paid leave for tomorrow." "We have cameras at the main gate. I'll have the security team pull the footage and see who was harassing him today." After hanging up, I contacted the local mail distribution center near my parents' house. I instructed them to hold any anonymous packages addressed to my parents, telling my mom to only open them while recording a video. At midnight, Ethan sent me a text. "Chloe, my mom has been crying all night. Are you happy now that things have gotten this out of hand?" I replied: "Why is she crying? Because her lies got exposed?" He didn't reply. But ten minutes later, Vicky posted a photo on her Snapchat story. It was Ethan's mother sitting on the sofa, wiping away tears. The caption read: "She told me that as long as her son is happy, she doesn't care if she has to sell the family home." Mia sneered beside me. "She's really putting on a show." I saved the photo and sent it to a friend who worked as a real estate agent. "Can you do me a favor and check if the Cooper family's house has had any recent listing or transaction records?" The next morning at 9 AM, Rachel sent me an email. The company had decided to suspend me from all client-facing communications. My project was temporarily handed over to Vicky. I laughed out loud. The person who started the rumors was taking over my project.
At noon, Vicky finally posted her "evidence." Three images. The first was a fake "prenuptial demand." It stated: The bride, Chloe Davis, demands the groom, Ethan Cooper, pay $8 million for the wedding. If he refuses, the wedding is off. My signature at the bottom was a shaky, forged mess. The second was a fake bank receipt. Sender: Jennifer Cooper. Receiver: Chloe Davis. Amount: $8,000,000.00. The third was a fake home sales contract. The sellers listed were Ethan's parents. Vicky sent a voice note in the WhatsApp work group. "I really didn't want to post these. But Chloe kept pushing me." "I just want everyone to know how hard it is for Ethan's family." The chat erupted instantly. "The eight million is real?!" "This is terrifying. She was scheming even before the wedding." Looking at those three images, I almost laughed. The background of the desk in the photo of the fake agreement showed Vicky's signature pink mousepad. In my past life, I had pointed this out in a panic. But back then, no one believed me. This time, I didn't try to argue in the chat. I simply typed: "Received." "To everyone in this chat, please do not delete these messages." "I will be submitting these for forensic analysis." After sending that, I saved the high-resolution images and uploaded them to a secure digital evidence platform. Mia was already on the move. She contacted the bank's customer service through official means to verify the format of the receipt. My real estate friend also messaged me back: "The Cooper house has no transaction history. It wasn't even listed on the market." Just as I stepped out of the office building, an unknown number sent me a text. It was a photo of my dad's identification and his construction site address. Below it was a single line: "Call off the wedding now, or your family's personal info goes public."
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