She Stole My Boyfriend, So I Sent Her to Jail

The new receptionist called herself a silly baby and greeted everyone with cutesy whines of Daddy.

When I caught her stealing my takeout, she blinked those big eyes and pouted:

Oopsie, baby didn't mean to~ Big sis won't be mad at baby, right?

I'd been starving all day. My head was spinning, but I held my temper and told her to order me a replacement.

Her eyes instantly welled up with tears. My boyfriend rushed to shield her, frowning at me:

"Anita Fox, Stacy already apologized. It's just takeoutdon't be so petty!"

He transferred me the money for the meal. But the next day, the whole company was buzzing with rumors that I'd slept my way to my position.

When I traced the gossip back to its source and confronted the receptionist, my boyfriend coldly berated mesaid where there's smoke, there's fire.

During a bidding presentation, "baby" lost our core proposal, costing the company fifty million dollars.

When everyone demanded accountability, my boyfriend stepped in front of her again and pressured me to take the blame.

Watching him play the knight in shining armor, I smiled.

I pulled out my phone and dialed the chairman directly:

"Dad, I give up. I failed your test."

What my boyfriend didn't know was that this had been his final exam to become the son-in-law of a wealthy family.

Since he'd chosen to be baby's devoted slave, he could rot in prison right alongside his precious receptionist.

Stacy Pruitt, the new receptionist, had established her "silly baby" persona from day one.

She wore her hair in twin pigtails and dressed in a puffy skirt, blinking those colored-contact-enhanced doe eyes as she struck up conversation with me:

"Hi, big sis~ I'm Stacy. Please take care of me from now on~"

"Wow, your desk is so specialright next to the bathroom! Must be super convenient for potty breaks, hee hee~"

The corner of my mouth twitched. I didn't respond.

My desk was near the restroom because I was the youngest team leader in the Marketing Department, coordinating with over a dozen departments daily. This spot was the most centrally locatedmaximum efficiency.

She thought she was being adorable. She was actually broadcasting her IQ.

But Stacy's stupidity quickly became the company's favorite entertainment.

She spilled coffee on a client's contract, then whimpered, "Boo-hoo, baby's little hands have a mind of their own~"

The male colleagues acted like they'd been hypnotized, tripping over each other to clean up her mess.

She got a meeting time wrong and made the entire department stay late. All she had to do was pout and coo, "Oopsie, Stacy's such a scatterbrain~"

The department manager just laughed it off: "She's young. Mistakes happen."

Meanwhile, because I refused to participate in this juvenile theater, I gradually got labeled as cold, unapproachable, and jealous of the new girl.

I couldn't be bothered to care.

But I didn't expect the flames to reach me so soon.

Wednesday afternoon, I ordered Japanese food.

I walked briskly to the front deskonly to find my takeout container already open.

Half the sashimi was gone. The sushi had been gnawed into a mangled mess.

Stacy spotted me and lit up, bouncing over.

"Hee hee, baby was so hungry, I didn't look carefully before eating~ Big sis isn't mad, right?"

She tilted her head, all wide-eyed innocence, but smugness flickered beneath the surface.

I'd been slammed with work all day. My blood sugar had crashed. Black spots swam in my vision. I snapped:

"My name is written right on the label. You didn't see it?"

Stacy blinked, then suddenly covered her mouth, eyes reddening:

"I'm sorry~ Stacy has bad eyesight, and big sis's name is so complicated... Stacy reads slowly..."

I didn't have the energy to argue. I just wanted her to order me a replacement.

Instead, she started crying, all wounded innocence: "Big sis is so mean... Stacy's scared..."

That's when my boyfriend Arnold James appeared out of nowhere, pulling the teary-eyed Stacy behind him. He turned to me with a frown:

"It's just a takeout order. She ate it, so what? Stacy didn't do it on purpose. Why do you have to be so aggressive about it?"

"How much was it? I'll just transfer you the money!"

I almost laughed from sheer disbelief.

"When was I being aggressive? She ate my food. I asked her to order me a replacement. Is that unreasonable?"

"I've been working all day without a single bite to eat!"

Stacy immediately rummaged through her drawer and pulled out some off-brand snack cake that looked like it had been sitting there since the Stone Age. She shoved it into my hands, her voice dripping with saccharine sweetness:

"Stacy ate sissy's lunch, so heretake Stacy's little cakey as a trade..."

She wanted to swap a dollar-store reject for my high-end sushi?

I tossed the cake right back at her.

Stacy's face crumpled into wounded innocence:

"Sissy won't even take my little cakey... Does sissy hate Stacy...?"

I opened my mouth to fire back, but Arnold didn't even glance my way. Instead, he handed Stacy a tissue and cooed at her:

"Don't cry. I'll buy you some boba."

Stacy's tears vanished instantly. She latched onto his arm, all smiles:

"Arnold is the best~ Not like some people, always so mean. No wonder she doesn't have a boyfriend."

My nails dug into my palms.

Arnold James. My secret boyfriend of two years.

He just let her cling to him. Didn't pull away.

From that day on, Stacy's "accidents" multiplied.

She accidentally put wasabi in my coffee. Accidentally lost my delivery package.

And then she accidentally posted a photo of me working late to the department group chat, with the caption:

"Anita is soooo hardworking~ Still at the office this late... Could she be waiting for a certain executive? "

The angle was deliberateit caught me adjusting my collar, making it look like I was... putting myself together after something.

The group chat exploded.

"Acts all high and mighty, but turns out she plays THAT game?"

"I heard she's always going up to the executive floor. You don't think..."

"Tsk tsk. So THAT'S how she became team lead. And here I thought it was merit~"

I tried to explain, but Stacy had already deleted the message. She followed up with a crying emoji:

"Sorry sorry, Stacy sent that by mistake~ Don't jump to conclusions, everyone! Although... Stacy doesn't really know why Anita is always going to the CEO's floor either..."

The more she "clarified," the worse it looked.

But what truly chilled me was Arnold.

He dragged me into the stairwell without bothering to hear my side:

"Anita, are those rumors true? You have been going to the executive floor a lot lately. And your bags, your clothesthey don't look like things a regular employee could afford!"

I stared at him, feeling like I was looking at a stranger.

"Arnold, we've been together for two years. You don't know what kind of person I am?"

He looked away, guilt flickering across his face:

"I thought I did. But people change. Stacy's rightyou're too secretive. You never tell me anything. If you're really innocent, why won't you just explain?"

I laughed. My eyes stung.

Three months ago, my fatherthe chairman of Fox Grouphad sent us both to a subsidiary to test Arnold.

"Sweetheart, you're not just looking for a husband. You're looking for someone who can protect Fox Group. If he can't survive at the ground level, or if he can't stay loyal to you, then he doesn't deserve you."

At the time, I thought my father was being paranoid.

When Arnold was pursuing me, he'd waited three hours in a downpour just to bring me an umbrella.

In two years together, he'd remembered every anniversary. Even tracked my cycle.

How could he possibly have wandering eyes?

But now, I wasn't so sure.

I wanted to give Arnold a chance to prove himself.

Instead, he started having meals with Stacy. Walking her home.

He even took her to the amusement park to watch fireworks on nights when I was working overtime.

The rumors in the department grew more outrageous by the day.

Some said Stacy was the chairman's daughter. Others claimed my perpetually cold demeanor was because I was jealous of Stacythe real heiress.

Stacy never denied any of it. She'd just blink those doe eyes and coo:

"Stacy doesn't know anything about that~ I just want to do my job well~"

What made it worse was that after the takeout incident, she started deliberately fabricating gossip about me.

"I saw Anita getting into a luxury car yesterday! The license plate had five eights~"

"I heard back in college she used to... I mean, how else could she have gotten into Fox Group?"

"Oopsie, Stacy's just being silly! If she finds out, will she hit me? I'm so scared~"

Soon after, I started receiving harassing texts. One client even asked my manager directly:

"I heard your team leader Lin sleeps her way to contracts?"

The way my manager looked at me changed. Admiration curdled into disgust.

I found Arnold, hoping he'd vouch that I'd been working overtime every nightthat I'd never gotten into any luxury car.

He was helping Stacy fix her computer. He didn't even look up.

"Anita, where there's smoke, there's fire. If there really wasn't anything going on, would the rumors have spread this far? Stacy's so innocentshe'd never lie. Besides..."

He finally looked at me, his eyes full of disappointment. "I saw you get into a black car in the parking lot yesterday myself."

That was my father's driver, picking me up for a family dinner.

But I'd promised my father: during the evaluation period, I couldn't reveal my identity.

I couldn't take it anymore. I told Arnold we were done.

He froze for a moment, then visibly relaxed.

"Maybe that's for the best. Anita, you've changed. You used to be so pure, but now you're too complicated. Stacy was righta woman like you is more than I can handle."

I turned to leave, but heard Stacy's sugary giggle behind me:

"Don't be sad, Arnold~ Stacy will buy you a yummy milk tea and stay by your side forever~"

In the restroom, I overheard Arnold's colleagues teasing him.

They said he'd latched onto an heiress and was about to soarsoon to be a billionaire's son-in-law.

It all clicked into place.

Arnold had agreed to break up so readily because he was hedging his bets.

He thought Stacy was the real heiress. He'd been willing to step on me to elevate her, even turning a blind eye while she spread lies and humiliated me.

I couldn't wait to see his face when the truth came out.

But before that could happen, disaster struck.

The company was bidding on a fifty-million-dollar government contract. I'd pulled three all-nighters preparing the proposal. Arnold, as the sales representative, was supposed to assist with the presentation.

The day before the pitch, Stacy wandered into my office looking dazed.

The next day at the venue, I opened my work USB drive.

Inside was a proposal that had been mutilated beyond recognition.

Every key figure was wrong. The budget had two extra zeros. And at the end, someone had added:

"Baby thinks this project is like a donutcute enough to win~"

My mind went blank.

Arnold stood beside me, his face ashen.

"Anita Fox, this is your proposal? Do you have any idea this contract could make or break the company?"

I knew this was Stacy's handiwork. I kept my voice steady. "The USB was switched. It was Stacy."

"Enough!" Arnold's voice exploded through the room. Everyone went silent.

He pointed at me, his finger trembling, and shouted for all to hear:

"You blame Stacy for everything! She's so innocenthow could she possibly do something like this? Anita, I never thought you were this kind of person. You can't deliver, so you shift the blame! What, are you going to claim she tampered with your proposal? She can barely figure out a spreadsheet!"

The evaluators exchanged glances, their expressions dripping with contempt.

Arnold turned to the judges and bowed deeply.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is a serious oversight on our part, but Fox Group will take full responsibility. As for Miss Fox here..."

He paused, his expression dripping with contempt.

"Her personal life is rather... complicated. It's likely affected her professional conduct. I'll be recommending that the company take disciplinary action."

Right there, in front of everyone, he validated every rumor that had ever circulated about me.

I watched him calmly. "Arnold, you're going to regret this."

"Regret?" He scoffed, lowering his voice. "You're the one who should be worried. Stacy is the Chairman's daughter. The moment she reveals her identity, the first person getting fired will be a slut like you who slept her way up."

The bid was lost. A fifty-million-dollar project, gone.

The company's stock price plummeted. My father was furious and ordered a full investigation.

Back at the office, Stacy was crying her eyes out, the picture of wounded innocence.

"I didn't know it was Anita's flash drive. I was just curious." She sniffled, clutching Arnold's sleeve. "Arnold, do you think she'll try to hurt me? I'm so scared..."

Arnold pulled her behind him protectively. "Anita, are you satisfied now? Look what you've done to her. A cold-hearted woman like you never deserved me."

The department manager made the announcement in front of everyone: "Anita Fox is suspended pending investigation. Stacy has suffered emotional distress and will receive one week of paid leave."

Whispers rippled through the office.

"Serves her right. Never liked her anyway."

"Can you believe she tried to seduce Arnold? He only has eyes for Stacy."

"Stacy's the real heiress. Who does Anita think she is?"

The day the investigation results were announced, the company held an all-hands meeting.

My father attended personally.

Stacy's cheeks flushed with excitement. She tugged at Arnold's sleeve. "Arnold, do you think Daddy will be upset with me...?"

Arnold squeezed her hand, his gaze tender. "Don't worry, Stacy. I'm here."

My father surveyed the room. His eyes passed over Stacy, then Arnold, before finally settling on me.

He gave me a slight nod, then spoke. "Regarding the failed bid, I've reached my conclusion."

Stacy shot to her feet, tears glistening in her eyes, her voice choked with emotion.

"Daddy, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. I was so stupidI grabbed the wrong flash drive. But I didn't mean to! I only wanted to help Anita. I'll take full responsibility. Just please don't blame Arnold. He's innocent..."

She swayed weakly, and Arnold rushed to steady her. The two of them put on quite the performance of devoted love.

The room erupted in murmurs.

It was a masterful moveadmitting fault while hiding behind her ditzy persona, all while showing off their relationship.

My father raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

Stacy froze. "I'm Stacy... your daughter..."

Arnold went rigid. "Chairman, you don't recognize Stacy?"

My father's expression turned icy.

"Why should I? She's a receptionist who got in through connections. She tampered with critical company files, caused a fifty-million-dollar loss, and spread malicious rumors about a colleague." His voice cut through the silence. "That takes some nerve."

Arnold's face drained of color.

"Stacy Pruitt... isn't your daughter?"

With trembling hands, he pulled out the family photo Stacy had shown him.

My father took it, glanced at it once, and tore it to pieces.

"Nice Photoshop work. But my daughter's name isn't Stacy Pruitt."

His gaze shifted to me.

I rose from my seat, smoothed down my blazer, and walked up to the stage to stand beside him.

"Her name is Anita Fox." My father took my hand, his voice resonating through the room. "The sole heir to Fox Group. Three months ago, I sent her to work at the ground level to gain experienceand to test a certain toad who thought he could eat swan meat."

Every last trace of color vanished from Arnold's face.

He looked at me, trembling, his lips quivering:

"Anita, you..."

I smiled faintly, leaned in, and whispered in his ear:

"Arnold, you bet on the wrong horse."

"For Stacy's sake, you stepped on me, humiliated me, destroyed my reputation, and even framed me for that fifty-million-dollar loss."

"It's time we settled this score."