My female colleague, Chloe, suddenly stared at my exposed calves and asked, "Maya, are you wearing brown pantyhose today?" I instantly understood. She was taking a dig at my dark complexion. I nodded indifferently. "Yeah, I am." She let out an exaggerated gasp, loud enough for the whole office to hear. "Really? Wow! I bet someone else that those were your actual legs." I ignored her and buried my head back into fixing my boss’s PowerPoint. By afternoon, half the office had found excuses to walk past my desk. They just wanted to see if I was actually wearing stockings or not. 01 Brenda was the first. She pretended to log office supplies but kept her eyes glued to my legs. "Maya, is this the first time you've worn such a short skirt to the office?" Short? It was knee-length. I flashed a quick, fake smile and didn't reply. She enthusiastically added, "That color really makes you look... darker. Listen to me, next time pick a different shade." Brenda was part of Chloe’s mean girl squad. They were inseparable, going to the bathroom together like high schoolers, despite being in their mid-thirties. They had definitely roasted my skin tone over lunch, but they still felt the need to say it to my face in front of everyone, terrified I might not realize I wasn't pale like them. I stood up abruptly and stopped her. "Brenda, are you sick—" Chloe, who had been watching from her desk like a hawk, didn't wait for Brenda to react. She jumped up, her voice screeching across the room. "Maya! Why are you cursing at people? Brenda was kind enough to give you fashion advice, and this is how you repay her?" Brenda’s face flushed red, and she pointed a finger at me. "Exactly! You’re too sensitive. I wasn't mocking you; I just wanted you to look more professional." Seeing everyone looking our way, Chloe doubled down. "Maya, you’re so ungrateful. Did you forget how patient Brenda was teaching you when you first started? Without her, would you even have passed your probation?" Neither of them let me finish my sentence. They just wanted to catch me slipping up. I sighed, pointing helplessly at the leave request form sitting on the printer. "Brenda, I was going to say, last time you were out sick, you didn't file the paperwork. I’m worried that when attendance comes out later, HR will dock your pay." The two of them looked at each other, instantly silenced. The anger they had queued up had nowhere to go. Brenda’s face dropped. she grabbed the form and scurried off. I added a helpful reminder, "Brenda, make sure you get it signed next time you’re sick." 02 Chloe finally quieted down, though she kept tapping furiously on her phone. Whenever the boss went on a business trip, she would disappear—picking up packages, vanishing for two-hour "breaks." Her work ethic was nonexistent. I was envious, but I didn't dare slack off. I had to be here. Until I gained enough XP and gathered the necessary intel, I couldn't go home. I rubbed my sore eyes and continued checking the project budget data. Todd, a male colleague, pushed the door open. He pretended to tie his shoe, stealing a quick glance at my legs. I didn't know men could be this gossipy. Suddenly, a message popped up in the unofficial office group chat. It was a photo of the boss standing next to a very tanned model. If I remembered correctly, it was taken at a car show last year. They still didn't know I was lurking in the group using the janitor’s WeChat account. Chloe was chatting up a storm: "No wonder the boss values Maya so much. Turns out he has a thing for dark skin." Brenda: "Rich people have such peculiar tastes. Maya never wore a skirt this short before." Chloe: "If she doesn't show it off, how would the boss know?" Todd seemed to have a conscience: "Maya isn't that dark. Besides, she works really hard." Chloe immediately fired back: "Todd, are you trying to fight the boss for a woman?" Todd didn't dare reply. Chloe kept ranting. "Sophie was stupid, but at least she was pretty. I don't know what's wrong with the boss's eyes, firing her and keeping this one." " considering how Maya messed up that huge project during her internship, she shouldn't have been hired full-time." "Sophie" was the boss's former secretary, Sophie Miller. I took over her position when she left. If Chloe hadn't mentioned the full-time offer, I would have forgotten. I had parachuted into the company at the beginning of the year. I didn't know much about the internal politics. The boss asked Brenda to help me get up to speed. Brenda used her lifetime of experience to sabotage me. She assigned me a mountain of busy work but taught me nothing. Whenever I asked questions, she’d say, "Maya, in the corporate world, you have to figure things out yourself. I can't spoon-feed you." Back then, I thought her seniority meant wisdom. Before I started, my mom told me, "Work is a form of spiritual practice." To their faces, they were warm, often giving me snacks. When my three-month probation was up, I invited Chloe and Brenda to my family's place to pick berries. "My mom grows them herself, no pesticides. They're super sweet." But their usual enthusiasm vanished. They made excuses and refused. And because I never ordered takeout and always heated leftovers in the break room, strange rumors began to circulate. They said my family were farmers trying to hawk fruit to coworkers. They said I was a charity case the boss was sponsoring, which was why I got hired despite "screwing up." I silently wrote in my workplace observation journal: The company suffers from "Toxic Solidarity." Employees use boundary-crossing remarks or rumors to break the ice, quickly forming an evil cohesion. This kind of solidarity solidifies prejudice and lowers the moral standard of the group. 03 Near the end of the day, I finished checking the quotation sheet. I looked up and saw the boss. He was back early. Chloe was pretending to maintain client relations on the phone. As soon as the boss entered, his gaze landed on me. He swept over my legs, looked up at the air conditioning vent, and snapped, "Maya, there's a blanket in my office. Why didn't you get it?" I gave a dismissive "Oh" and didn't move. The boss grabbed the blanket himself and threw it onto my desk, causing a stir among the colleagues. Chloe grabbed her phone and bolted to the break room. The small group chat started flashing again. It was just Chloe and Brenda. "I told you there was something going on between them!" "Back when Sophie was wearing skirts in winter and got arthritis, he never asked a single question." "The boss is really desperate. How can he stomach someone that dark?" "Shameless. She knows he's married and still acts like the mistress." "I don't care. I'm telling the boss's wife. I have her Instagram." I calmly took a screenshot, grabbed my laptop, and walked into the boss’s office, closing the blinds behind me. Half an hour later, the office door was kicked open. "Liam! What are you doing in there with your secretary?!" The doors swung wide. I was lying on the boss's leather sofa, playing on my phone. Chloe and Brenda stood at the doorway, gloating as they watched the boss's fierce wife storm in. Even the janitor and the security guard came to watch the drama. The boss, Liam, who had been sitting at his desk seriously reviewing the PPT, jumped at the sound of the kick. His face turned black as a skillet. I was afraid he’d blow my cover in his agitation, so I quickly winked at him. I exchanged a glance with Chloe and Brenda too. Before Liam could speak, Chloe rushed forward, grabbing the wife's arm. "Mrs. Sterling! See? I didn't lie to you!" The beautiful woman paused, looking confused. She asked Chloe angrily, "You said she is the secretary seducing my husband?" Chloe, assuming the wife thought I was too dark and unworthy, felt emboldened. "Yes, that's her. Don't be fooled by her quiet act. Even though Liam is my boss, as a woman, I can't stand this kind of thing. Even if he fires me next month, I’m standing by you." I sat up on the sofa. "What are you talking about, Manager Chloe? I don't get it. Wasn't it Brenda who told me that Secretary Sophie used to nap in here too?" I remembered Brenda whispering that to me when I started. Brenda started sweating bullets, desperately explaining, "No such thing! Don't listen to her nonsense." Chloe’s face turned sour. They were grasshoppers on the same rope; they used the same script for rumors. The scene was chaos. Liam, unable to contain his rage, glared at Chloe. "Chloe, what is wrong with you? Are you drunk on the job? Go to finance tomorrow morning and pay for the door. That was custom-made, and it wasn't cheap. Everyone else, get back to work. Maya, you stay." I lowered my head. "Yes, sir." Liam wrapped his arm around his agitated wife’s waist, coaxing her as they walked out. "Honey, don't overthink it. I fired that weird secretary ages ago. Did I forget to tell you? My bad, my bad..." Seeing that no one was praising her "righteousness" and that she now owed the company for a door, Chloe was fuming. As soon as Liam left, she ran up to me, screaming. "Maya! If you two are innocent, why close the blinds during work hours? And he knows you broke the rules, causing the company a 3.6 million dollar loss, yet he makes you full-time? There’s definitely something shady going on!" I wanted to prove my innocence, but not like this. Closing the blinds was none of her business. I retorted, "Chloe, the boss and his wife seem pretty in love. Why did you say they were getting a divorce? You told me to seize the opportunity so I could take you to live in a mansion and drive a Bentley once I got rich!" Her voice cracked with panic. "Stop spreading rumors! When did I ever say that? Do I even know you like that?" I perked up. "Exactly. We aren't close, so why are you obsessed with me? Today my skin is too dark, tomorrow my hair is frizzy, the next day I look bloated. Also, does it matter if I wear pantyhose? Are you underworked or do you have a fetish? If you like them that much, I'll bring you a pair tomorrow." "You..." Chloe was speechless. She had trapped herself. I admit, she never told me the boss was divorcing. But she told everyone else, so I wasn't technically framing her. Brenda, afraid of getting burned, had already physically distanced herself from Chloe. But fearing Chloe would call her out for being disloyal, she reluctantly played peacemaker. "Forget it, forget it, Maya. It must be a misunderstanding. We're all colleagues; no need to be so harsh. I trust your character, and the boss's. Chloe is just hot-tempered and hates seeing women get bullied. She was joking. If you're going to throw a tantrum about it, we won't joke with you anymore." I marveled internally. A true corporate veteran. Textbook gaslighting. I wanted to take out my notebook and write this down. With a few light sentences, she shifted the concept, turning a malicious setup into a "misunderstanding" and "joke." She turned my legitimate defense into being petty and bad-tempered. I patted her shoulder heavily. "Okay, Brenda. I forgive you two. You can go now. I need to keep working." I couldn't kick them out immediately, but seeing Chloe's eagerness to throw dirt on the boss today... I guessed the opportunity for layoffs was coming soon. 04 I ground myself a cup of civet coffee, wandered around the boss's office, and found a photo from last year's team building. Secretary Sophie was indeed young and pretty, but she had eyes. She wouldn't fall for a mediocre-looking married man like the boss. After musing for a while, Liam returned after dropping off his wife. He saw me and immediately complained. "Maya, did you steal my coffee beans?" I glared at him. "Mom bought these beans. Why would I steal yours?" Liam looked aggrieved. "You're investigating the mole, I get it. But can you not draw the fire onto me? To calm your sister-in-law down, I had to renew her kickboxing membership for three years. She even asked when we're firing those two drama queens..." Hearing this, I pouted. "Fire them tomorrow. Stop the investigation. We don't need the big client. Just hand over the domestic market Dad fought for to the competitors. When we can't make payroll, the first things we sell are your Bentley and your villa." Liam, who cherished his car and house above all else, quickly backtracked. "You know I didn't mean that. We're expanding to overseas clients next month; I'm just worried about complications." I sipped my coffee. "Bro, don't worry. Almost there."
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