My Boss Tried to Frame Me… But I Can Hear Thoughts?!
I collapsed at work, my heart seizing up, dying right there.
Not a single colleague bothered to call 911. They just watched, cold-eyed, as I faded away.
In my last moments, a familiar voice echoed in my ears.
I can control everyone to hear my thoughts. What makes you think you can compete with me?
“Ashley, a poor girl like you should just stay in your village. This isn’t where you belong.”
Even as I died, I had no idea how I, a small-town girl who’d put herself through college with scholarships and the tight-knit support of my community, and then worked tirelessly to land my dream job, had ever offended anyone so deeply.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back. Back to the day I’d exposed the expired pre-packaged meals in the conference room, just before my last life’s sudden demise.
I was still reeling from the strange, familiar voice I’d heard right before I died.
Then, a voice popped into my head.
*{Should I tell the Director that Ashley intentionally changed the packaging dates? If it comes out, the entire team’s year-end bonus will be forfeited.}*
I spun around, staring in disbelief at Brittany, my supposed best friend, sitting beside me.
She was smiling at me, her face innocent and sweet.
But she didn’t know that this time, I could hear her thoughts too.
1.
I couldn’t believe it. The girl who had looked out for me so meticulously since I joined the company was actually the one who’d caused my death.
I remembered my last life. The Director had heard Brittany’s thoughts and wrongly assumed I’d changed the dates myself, just to claim credit. He’d immediately announced that our team’s year-end bonuses were canceled.
Afterward, the entire team isolated me.
They were too scared to oppose the Director, so they unleashed all their anger on me, ostracizing me completely.
I regretted it then, blaming myself for being too tongue-tied to explain things clearly to the Director. I carried that guilt, always feeling like I’d let everyone down.
And that was exactly what set the stage for my eventual heart failure.
I snapped back to the present. The Director was scrutinizing the photos of the expired pre-packaged meals I’d submitted earlier.
A moment later, his eyes widened, as if he’d noticed something, and he looked up at me.
“Ashley, did you take these photos during your store visit?”
I slowly stood up, my gaze sweeping across everyone in the conference room, especially my closest friend.
As expected, the next second, Brittany’s thoughts echoed in my mind.
*{No wonder I saw her editing the dates on those photos in Photoshop yesterday. She was fabricating evidence.}*
*{The Director keeps looking at her. He must have realized the photos are off.}*
I pulled my gaze away from Brittany’s feigned innocence.
When I looked up, the Director was frowning at me.
Then, he slammed the photos onto the table, stood up, and strode towards me.
Knowing the truth, I faced the situation with an unsettling calm this time.
The Director quickly reached my side, his voice sharp with anger.
“Ashley, there are hundreds of employees at Eastbay Group. How is it that *only you* could find expired pre-packaged meals?”
“Are your eyes better than everyone else’s?”
“Or are you saying everyone else in the company is blind except for you?”
I lowered my head, my voice barely a whisper.
“Director, I didn’t. I truly found these during my store visit.”
The Director sneered.
“I’ve played all the games you’re trying to pull. I’ve seen countless people like you.”
“Today, I’ll show you what happens when you try to be a hero! The year-end bonuses for Ashley’s entire team are canceled!”
“Anyone who has a problem with it, come talk to me. Grab your termination papers, and I’ll ensure you get every penny of your severance.”
Everyone in the conference room stared at me.
My teammates’ eyes were practically spitting fire.
“Who the hell does Ashley think she is? What’s with her trying to act so smart?”
“She’s a menace! Our whole team was counting on those thousands for the holidays, and she just ruined it all!”
Instead of returning to my seat, I silently moved to a corner.
I secretly sent a SnapChat message to Leo, the store manager of the location with the expired food.
‘I can’t help you anymore. The Director won’t accept this. It’ll probably go to the General Manager sooner or later. I advise you to confess to the GM yourself.’
The Director caught my small movement from the corner of his eye. He swiftly walked over and snatched my phone.
“Ashley, you’ve got some nerve.”
“You ruined the entire team’s year-end bonuses, and you’re still shamelessly playing on your phone? Aren’t you ashamed?”
I bit down hard on my lip, saying nothing.
Just then, Mr. Davies, my manager, also came up to me.
“Ashley, are you freaking mute?”
As I slowly released my bleeding lip, about to speak, the conference room door suddenly swung open.
Sarah, the secretary, rushed in, whispered something to the Director, and then quickly left.
With the Director gone, I instantly became the common enemy. A torrent of insults rained down on me.
2.
A few minutes later, the conference room door opened again.
The General Manager’s secretary called me and the rest of the team out.
As soon as I stepped into Mr. Thompson’s office, he rushed over, taking two steps at a time, to apologize to me.
“Ashley, Mr. Davies unfairly accused you in this matter. I’ll have him apologize to you right away and clear your name.”
Mr. Thompson spoke, his eyes filled with resentment as he glanced at the Director standing behind him.
I kept my head down.
“General Manager, an apology isn’t necessary. I’d like to transfer departments.”
He had doubted my integrity and suspected me of fraud based solely on Brittany’s word. Such a person didn’t deserve to be my leader.
Mr. Thompson nodded, readily agreeing.
Then he continued, “Mr. Davies, if this expired pre-packaged meal incident isn’t handled properly, do you know how much damage and loss it could bring to the Group?”
“I don’t think you should continue as Director.”
My heart lurched. I had thought the Director would, at most, face some penalties or a fine. I never expected him to lose his job.
Mr. Davies was in his forties; being fired at his age meant his future was over.
He realized this too, and the light in his eyes instantly faded.
But he dared not blame me, and certainly not the General Manager.
He turned, searching for something, and when he spotted Brittany hiding behind the crowd, he lunged forward and grabbed her collar.
“You b*tch, if you hadn’t said Ashley fabricated evidence, why would I have accused her?”
“You ruined my future!”
Brittany struggled, her face filled with terror.
“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about! You disgusting old man, let go of me!”
Mr. Davies yelled hysterically.
“You’re still lying, damn it! From the first day you joined the company, I noticed you constantly looking at Ashley like a resentful woman! Do you dare deny you deliberately provoked me to lash out at her?”
His words sent a jolt through everyone in Mr. Thompson’s office.
Those who could hear Brittany’s thoughts believed him implicitly.
A few team members mumbled, “No wonder we always heard her badmouthing Ashley. She was just jealous.”
Hearing this, Mr. Davies’s bloodshot eyes widened, and he clamped his hands around Brittany’s neck.
“You b*tch! I’ll f*cking kill you!”
The General Manager’s office erupted into chaos.
Mr. Thompson frowned, signaling Sarah to call security.
The security guards arrived swiftly, dragging the Director out.
Until the very last moment, as he was dragged from the office, Mr. Davies’s venomous gaze remained fixed on Brittany.
3.
Brittany’s hateful glare lingered on me for a few more seconds before she quickly concealed it.
Then, as if nothing had happened, she walked over to me.
“Ashley, don’t listen to the Director’s nonsense. We’re best friends, you have to believe me…”
Before she could finish, I excused myself to the General Manager and left.
Brittany was left standing there awkwardly.
Once my team colleagues understood the truth, they all sincerely apologized to me.
Brittany, who had once been the group’s darling, was now thoroughly despised by everyone.
That afternoon, as I packed up my belongings, preparing to transfer to another department, I saw Brittany still hunched over her desk, sobbing alone.
A cold snort escaped me internally.
She can’t handle this already?
The pain she caused me in my last life, it’s time for her to experience it herself.
The expired pre-packaged meals incident eventually quieted down.
A few days later, while on a routine store visit in my area, a boy started vomiting uncontrollably right after leaving a restaurant.
His reaction was exactly like the food-poisoned boy I’d saved in my previous life.
Seeing his grandfather’s helpless, bewildered eyes, I decisively scooped up the boy and, speeding through at least ten red lights, rushed him to the hospital.
The final diagnosis confirmed the boy was poisoned due to excessive aflatoxin from expired pre-packaged meals. If I hadn’t gotten him to the hospital in time, his life would have been in danger.
The incident quickly caught the attention of various media outlets, and all Eastbay Group stores were subjected to investigation.
Thankfully, no other expired products were found.
Mr. Kingston, the Group Chairman, specifically instructed the General Manager to publicly commend me at the company.
At the commendation ceremony, just as I stepped onto the stage, Brittany’s thoughts rang out in my head.
*{First, she finds expired food, now she saves a kid just in time? How could it be such a coincidence?}*
*{She probably hired that kid as an actor. She’s just vain, trying to get fame and money this way. She thinks the General Manager is an idiot.}*
Next to me, Mr. Thompson’s face suddenly stiffened, and he looked at me with suspicion.
A wave of murmurs rippled through the colleagues in the audience.
Seeing everyone’s reaction, a bitter smile touched my lips. Brittany, why are you trying to ruin me, again and again?
The terrible plight of my last life flashed through my mind.
In that commendation ceremony, swayed by Brittany’s manipulations, the General Manager had believed her.
He canceled the ceremony, citing disruption to the month-end workflow.
Hearing his words, everyone directly chased me off the stage.
My pre-existing heart condition, exacerbated by emotional stress and pressure, flared up, and ultimately, no one called 911. I died filled with resentment.
But now, I had a plan to deal with it.
I snapped back to reality, Brittany’s thoughts hadn’t stopped. She continued:
*{There are so many intersections on the way to the hospital. How could she have gotten there so smoothly if she hadn’t rehearsed it beforehand?}*
*{It must be Ashley, that b*tch, who staged this.}*
*{Oh god, if the company praises such a calculating girl, won’t it discourage everyone else?}*
On stage, Mr. Thompson’s face completely changed.
Just as I was about to speak, the General Manager cut me off directly.
“Ashley, the company recognizes the positive impact you’ve brought to the Group.”
“However, could you please explain in more detail what exactly happened at that time?”
I let out a long breath.
Grateful that the General Manager still retained a shred of rationality.
I glanced at Brittany below the stage and recounted the entire incident in detail.
Finally, I pulled out my phone and projected my Google Maps activity history onto the large screen.
“General Manager, ever since I transferred to the new department, the first thing I did was familiarize myself with all the stores in my jurisdiction and the surrounding routes.”
“I believe this is a basic professional quality for every Eastbay Group employee.”
Mr. Thompson nodded approvingly.
Brittany’s thoughts resurfaced.
*{What can a broken map prove? With how advanced the internet is, all this can be faked.}*
*{I think she’s just avoiding the crucial points, being vague about the poisoned boy and his grandfather from start to finish. There must be a hidden agenda.}*
*{And what about Mr. Davies, who was suddenly demoted? Who knew this young girl had such deep schemes? Who knows if the General Manager is next on her list?}*
*{I also heard Ashley already approached the Chairman, expressing her desire to become a department General Manager.}*
Mr. Thompson’s previously softened expression clouded over again.
He considered it carefully. It was true that Ashley had just been reprimanded by the Director, and then, immediately afterward, the expired pre-packaged meals incident had been brought directly to him.
His gaze at me became complicated.
The quiet murmurs from below the stage turned into open whispers and hisses.
Mr. Thompson looked at me and said, “Ashley, doing good and being a good person are inseparable.”
“Some things, if you don’t want others to know, then don’t do them.”
“This commendation… think carefully, do you really deserve it?”
With that, Mr. Thompson walked off the stage, saying coldly as he went, “It’s month-end, and everyone’s rushing to meet their deadlines.
This commendation ceremony, in my opinion, can wait until next month.”
“Everyone, get back to work. Disperse.”
I stood there, stunned.
Below the stage, several burly men approached. Disregarding my struggles, they simply dragged me off the stage.
In an instant, I was the biggest mistake again.
“Pfft, what a piece of trash. Someone like her is a menace to Eastbay Group.”
“Just get lost already. I feel sick being her colleague.”
I never imagined Brittany would be so ruthless, so utterly without a bottom line, just to discredit me.
Brittany slowly walked toward me from a distance, her face full of mocking amusement.
“What’s wrong with these people? They’re really going too far, leaving an excellent employee alone here, like this.”
“Ashley, what exactly did you do that was so shameful?”
“If it were me, after something like this, I’d be so embarrassed I’d quit.”
I looked at Brittany, a cold laugh forming in my mind.
I hadn’t even gone looking for you, and you delivered yourself right to my doorstep.
“My dear friend, I’m returning the General Manager’s words to you, exactly as he said them.”
“Some things, if you don’t want people to know, don’t do them.”
Brittany’s eyes flashed with a hint of panic.
“What do you mean by that? I don’t understand.”
A sneer played on my lips.
“The entire Group strictly ordered a crackdown on expired pre-packaged meals. How is it that no other store had them, but a store in *my* area did?”
“You never expected things to blow up this big, did you?”
“You must have wanted the company to fire me, right?”
Brittany’s gaze changed completely as she listened to my words.
“You… Ashley, what nonsense are you spouting? We’re best friends!”
I slowly leaned in close to Brittany’s ear.
“I’ve already found evidence that you arranged for someone to secretly place expired pre-packaged meals in the kitchen.”
“If I’m not mistaken, Mr. Kingston should already know about this by now.”
Brittany recoiled several steps, muttering, “No, this can’t reach Dad’s ears.”
My brow suddenly furrowed.
Dad?
Mr. Kingston is Brittany’s dad?
Just then, a panting young man wearing an Eastbay Group catering uniform walked up from the stairwell.
“Excuse me, where is the General Manager’s office?”
The young man’s appearance drew some colleagues’ attention.
The moment Brittany saw him, her triumphant expression instantly turned to terror. She rushed forward to block him.
“What are you doing here?”
The young man’s eyes darted nervously. He whispered, “Ms. Evans… the famous fraud investigation team has already uncovered everything.”
“If I keep covering for you, I’ll go to jail.”
With that, the young man ignored Brittany and hurried straight towards the General Manager’s office.
4.
Hearing this, a flicker of unease crossed Brittany’s face, then she looked at me.
“Ashley, is there some misunderstanding between us? We’re best friends!”
I just gave her a cold smile and said nothing.
Brittany pressed on.
“Ashley, don’t forget how you were when you first joined the company. If I hadn’t helped you every step of the way, would you be so secure in this position?”
“Just because you overheard the Director and some other colleagues talking nonsense in the General Manager’s office a few days ago, are you going to be so ungrateful to me?”
I looked at Brittany with a detached gaze.
“Brittany, you hypocrite. I genuinely thought you were my best friend, and you’re still trying to fool me like I’m an idiot?”
Brittany realized her lie had been exposed and staggered back a few steps.
Her gaze lingered darkly on the General Manager’s office, then she turned.
“Ashley, do you really think you can beat me like this?”
With that, Brittany turned and walked away, heading straight for the General Manager’s office.
I looked around. This was where I’d died from a heart attack in my previous life.
But this time, I would begin my new chapter right here.
Brittany still didn’t know I could hear her thoughts, and that would be my ultimate weapon against all her schemes.
A moment later, the General Manager’s assistant called me into the office.
Inside, Mr. Thompson looked at me with a complex expression.
The young man who had rushed into the GM’s office earlier had already left.
Only Mr. Thompson, I, and Brittany were in the room.
Mr. Thompson looked at me and said, “Ashley, Brittany just told me that you submitted some information to Mr. Kingston that’s unfavorable to the Group’s internal harmony.”
As he spoke, Mr. Thompson gestured for me to sit on the sofa.
“The Group fully acknowledges your heroism in saving the child. However, the media is closely watching the Group right now.”
“I think, at this juncture, we should set aside personal conflicts, shouldn’t we?”
I understood Mr. Thompson’s meaning. Clearly, Brittany had used some tactic to get him on her side.
But I was already prepared for the worst. If it came down to it, I’d take everyone down with me.
Having experienced death once, many things I couldn’t let go of in my past life, like my job, now seemed insignificant.
“I don’t understand the General Manager’s words. It sounds like everything is my fault?”
Mr. Thompson hadn’t expected me to reject his flattery. He gave a dry laugh and continued,
“Ashley, I know you’re still angry. As for the details of the incident, you must have seen, the young man who came to report to the company has already told me everything.”
“This whole thing, it was Brittany’s rashness. She’s already recognized her mistake.”
“As for your commendation ceremony, I will certainly reschedule it for you.”
“Not only that, but I’ll also submit an application to the Group headquarters to promote you to Manager.”
“As long as you…”
Mr. Thompson didn’t finish his sentence.
I cut in. “As long as I tell Mr. Kingston that the information I submitted about Brittany’s unauthorized placement of expired pre-packaged meals was all false, then everything will be fine, right?”
Mr. Thompson exchanged a knowing smile with Brittany.
I stood up and scoffed.
“You two are truly shameless.”
“Brittany, I’m going to tell you plainly today.”
“I am determined to expose this matter of an internal Group employee placing expired pre-packaged meals in stores to Mr. Kingston.”
“Want to coerce or entice me into compromising? No way!”
With that, I walked directly out of Mr. Thompson’s office.
For the next few days, perhaps Brittany realized that her mind-reading abilities were useless against me, so I enjoyed a rare period of peace.
Although some colleagues still misunderstood me, occasionally glancing at me with disdain, I didn’t care.
I simply continued diligently with my work, visiting stores, organizing documents—everything proceeded as usual.
One day, as I went to the underground parking garage to dispose of trash, I unexpectedly stumbled upon Brittany complaining tearfully to a stranger.
I slowly approached.
“Brother, you know Mom has always been good to me since I was little, but Dad has always been so stingy with me. Even during my internship, he wouldn’t let me do any management work, saying I needed to be down-to-earth.”
“Am I really that much less in his eyes than that worthless child his ex-wife gave him?”
The man sighed deeply.
“Brittany, you know Mom came into the picture later. Dad’s feelings for Mom were never as strong as they were for his deceased first wife.”
“Plus, Mom intentionally made sure the child his first wife left behind went missing back then.”
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