She had depended on this project to raise her position in the company. Most of the work had already been done. All she needed were a few final touches, and the credit would have been hers too.
“They kicked me out of the project…” Celia whispered bitterly, her voice cracking with anger. “I’m the one who helped them so much. I brought them so many team members. I made things easier, and now they threw me away?”
Her chest rose and fell rapidly.
“They’re so selfish. Why does everyone do this to me? Whenever I show kindness to people, everyone treats me like I’m the evil one to ruin my reputation.”
She tightened her grip on her bag, the leather wrinkling under her fingers. With a sudden motion, she lifted it and slammedit onto the table. The sharp sound made several people in the distance turn their heads.
After a brief moment of thought, her eyes hardened. The shock faded, replaced by calculation.
Then she turned and walked out, her heels striking the floor with force.
She entered another team area and headed straight toward the man she had spoken to during the video call—the one who had added himself and his friends to Yulia’s team.
Before reaching him, Celia took a slow breath. Her shoulders relaxed. The anger vanished from her face as if it had never been there.
A sweet, gentle smile appeared, perfectly practiced, hiding everything underneath.
“Sam,” she said brightly, her voice warm and friendly, “what are you doing?”
Sam glanced at her.
For a moment, concern flickered across his face. His fingers paused above the keyboard.
“Yulia removed us from her project,” he said carefully. “So now we’re creating another one.”
Celia moved closer to Sam and then spoke in a soft voice.
“Can you add me to your project as well?” she asked. “They removed me too… just because I was helping so many people.”
Her shoulders slumped slightly. Her eyes turned droopy, almost glossy, filled with forced innocence. She looked small, wronged.
“I helped them so much,” she continued, her voice trembling just enough. “I helped everyone. But all I got was betrayal.”
Sam looked at her, concern appearing on his face. He rubbed the back of his neck before answering, “But we already have five people on our project. If I add one more…”
“You can add just one more member, right?” Celia interrupted gently. She clasped her hands in front of her chest. “I helped you when you needed it. You have to help me too. I really have no other option.”
She took a small step closer to him.
“Please let me join your team. I promise I won’t take much space. I’ll help you a lot with the project. I’ll work on everything with you. I just need a small mention at the end—that I was part of your team. Just to maintain my position in the company.”
Her voice softened further.
“Please, Sam… you can do that, right?”
Sam hesitated. His brows furrowed. He clearly looked reluctant.
However, after a few seconds, he sighed.
“Alright. You can join our team,” he said. “But please make sure you don’t add any more people. We don’t have space. Our project isn’t a big one. There’s very limited capacity.”
“Yes, of course!” Celia nodded quickly, her face lighting up. “I promise I’ll help you a lot, and I’ll make sure we don’t add more people.”
“Alright then,” Sam said with a small smile.
He turned back to his computer, typing rapidly. After a few seconds, he glanced back at her.
