The moment she saw me, she burst out laughing. Then she strolled over and patted my shoulder like we were old friends.
"Oh, Bella. Aren't we a little old for petty grudges? That group collection was a total mix-up! You're the heart of this company—and my sister. You really think I'd do you dirty like that?"
Same old Blair. Acting like we were family, feeding me pretty promises.
But I was done swallowing her lies.
Ten years ago, Blair and I were college roommates. She was the trust-fund princess; I was the broke scholarship kid buried in textbooks.
After graduation, she wanted to start a company. Her money, my expertise.
A decade of grinding later, we'd built a mid-sized firm with hundreds of employees. But the equity stake she'd promised me? The profit-sharing? None of it ever materialized.
This time, she'd dangled a hundred-thousand-dollar bonus to string me along for another year.
Not anymore.
I cut straight to the point. "So you're saying you'll honor the bonus after all? Though honestly, a hundred thousand doesn't quite cut it. Word is you gave eighty thousand to people who barely showed up. I'm your core technical lead. I want five hundred thousand. Non-negotiable."
If she backed down now—admitted she was wrong—maybe there was still a chance.
I'd let her keep playing CEO. All she had to do was give me what I'd earned.
But her next words killed that hope dead.
"Of course I'll pay you! Just... in a different form."
A chill crept down my spine.
Blair reached across her desk, picked up two ginseng roots, and held them out to me with a smile.
"Here. Take these."
I stared at her, completely lost.
Blair leaned in close, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "What you're holding right now? Top-grade wild ginseng—ten thousand dollars a pound! These two roots are about half a pound each. Together, that's a full pound. Take them to the Herbal Market and sell them. If the market's good, you might even get more than a hundred grand!"
She wore the expression of someone bestowing an incredible gift.
When I just stood there frozen, she added, "I don't give treasures like this to just anyone. Only my best friend—Bella. Let's leave the past in the past, okay? Consider these my way of making things up to you!"
I laughed.
Leave the past in the past?
No. I was going to drag every last bit of it into the light.
I swallowed everything churning inside me and forced my lips into a smile.