Sophia Shaw stopped short and stared at Joanna Sherman. She could clearly see her own name written on the list in Joanna’s hand!

Joanna Sherman had changed it at the last minute!

"Thank you!"

Jenna Judd was so thrilled she was laughing through her tears, lifting the hem of her dress as she ran to accept the award.

Joanna Sherman shook her hand and offered a few words of encouragement.

Sophia Shaw was left to the side, standing out awkwardly.

All eyes were on her!

While Jenna Judd gave her speech on stage, Sophia, no matter how wronged she felt, could only retreat into the crowd.

Taunts jabbed at her from all directions.

"That Sophia Shaw is hilarious. She actually thought she was going to get the Most Valuable Employee award."

"She’s been with the company for four or five years and is still a Level 1 employee. She’s got some nerve, dreaming like that!"

"If you don’t work hard, you can only dream big!"

"Lazy and completely unaware of it."

"So shameless!"

"..."

Company employees were divided into levels. New hires started at Level 1 and moved up based on seniority and contributions to the company, with the highest being Level 30.

The fact that Sophia Shaw was still a Level 1 employee after five years had become a running joke in the company.

Timothy Morgan was furious; Sophia Shaw had been wronged.

Seeing Joanna Sherman leave the stage and enter the lounge, Sophia followed her in, unable to suppress her rage. "Miss Sherman, why did you change the name? My name was on the winner’s list!"

Joanna Sherman sat down on the sofa, propping her head up with a hand and giving Sophia a careless glance, as if looking at an insignificant ant.

Her tone was matter-of-fact when she spoke. "I don’t believe an employee who took a month of continuous leave is qualified for this award."

Sophia was so angry her chest felt tight. "It was my annual leave!"

"That’s right, Miss Sherman." Timothy Morgan had followed them in. "This is Sophia’s performance record."

Timothy Morgan held out a thick data report to Joanna Sherman. "The videos Sophia has produced all have tens of millions of views and millions of likes. The new product launches she planned are all considered classics in the industry."

Timothy Morgan rattled off a long list of her accomplishments, every single one impeccable.

"So?" Joanna Sherman shot back, her expression flat. She lazily lifted her eyelids. "Making a Level 1 employee who’s been stuck in the same place for five years the company’s Most Valuable Employee overnight... Manager Morgan, what do you think the executives from other companies attending our annual gala will think of us?"

Timothy Morgan’s face instantly turned grim. "Whether they speculate that the winner doesn’t deserve the title or that our company buries talent, it will bring negative publicity to the company. Can you bear that responsibility, Manager Morgan?"

How could Timothy Morgan dare to nod!

Joanna Sherman turned to look at Sophia, and just as she had bullied her countless times before, she enunciated each word, "Sophia Shaw is not worthy of the Most Valuable Employee award!"

Sophia’s fingers curled into a tight, tight fist. She turned her head and met the eyes of Vincent Grant, who had just walked in.

She snatched the file from Timothy Morgan’s hand and held it out to him. "President Grant, do you also think I’m not worthy?"

Vincent Grant took it and glanced through it. He closed it and made a decision. "Wire her a million from my personal account!"

The prize money for the Most Valuable Employee award was one million.

Vincent Grant was willing to acknowledge her contributions, but he wasn’t willing to change the name on the award!

In the end, he was just afraid that Joanna Sherman’s scandal of abusing her power for personal gain would get out, afraid that she would be wronged!

Joanna Sherman was the one at fault, so why should Sophia be the one to take the blame?

Sophia clenched her fists tightly, but she still couldn’t control the trembling of her body.

"Let’s go. I’ll introduce you to some people." Vincent Grant walked past her, leading Joanna Sherman out.

"Vincent Grant!" Sophia blocked their path, her gentle face filled with a stubbornness she had never shown before! "I don’t want money. I want justice!"

Vincent Grant’s brows shot up in displeasure. He looked past her to Timothy Morgan. "Manager Morgan, if you don’t know how to train your employees, go back to the management trainee program and learn from scratch!"

A triumphant gleam flashed in Joanna Sherman’s eyes as she brushed past Sophia’s shoulder and left with Vincent Grant.

"Sophia." Timothy Morgan walked over and held her back, looking troubled. "Why don’t you... just let it go."

Vincent Grant had chosen to side with Joanna Sherman. This couldn’t be overturned.

Why did she have to be the one to let it go!

Sophia was so filled with hatred that her blood felt like it was boiling.

But Vincent Grant was using Timothy Morgan as a warning. If she didn’t endure this, an innocent person would be implicated!

When she returned home that evening,

Sophia played with Bun for a long time. Bun’s simple, adorable laughter finally healed her.

Forget it. She won’t fight it anymore. Sophia’s mindset finally calmed. Since she’s leaving the company anyway, she shouldn’t care about whether she’s ’valuable’ or not. A Level 1 employee after five years? So be it.

Sophia decided not to waste any more time and to resign as soon as possible. She drafted her resignation letter, ready to submit it as soon as she got to work.

After finishing, she walked to the bed and leaned down to kiss Bun’s soft, pink little cheek.

Thank goodness for Bun.

Wounds that would have taken her half a month of brooding to recover from in the past were healed in just a few hours.

Cedric Grant didn’t go out that night, and it suddenly occurred to him that Sophia Shaw hadn’t called him on schedule for many days.

In the past, whenever Sophia was on a business trip, she would always calculate when he’d be finished with his homework and call him right on time.

Sometimes she would even call three times a day.

It’s nice that she doesn’t call.

Cedric Grant felt that the days when Sophia wasn’t home and didn’t call were comfortable and carefree.

Having finished his homework half an hour early today, Cedric Grant eagerly pulled out his phone to video call Joanna Sherman.

...

After the annual gala came the three-day New Year’s holiday.

As soon as the New Year’s holiday ended, it was Sophia Shaw’s birthday.

"Bun, today is Mommy’s birthday. Wish Mommy a happy birthday." Sophia woke up in the morning, holding Bun and kissing the baby again and again.

Bun babbled, mouth open and toothless, as if truly wishing Sophia a happy birthday.

On her birthdays in previous years, Sophia would always try her best to contact Vincent Grant, hoping their family of three could celebrate together.

This year, she didn’t.

Surprisingly, Cedric Grant called. "Mom, I’m almost home. Can you come out to the roadside to meet me? I have a little surprise for you."

It was only then that Sophia remembered Cedric Grant used to give her birthday presents in previous years, too.

He had traveled over three hundred kilometers from Meridian early in the morning just to give her a gift! And he’d have to go back for his classes after delivering it.

Sophia’s heart skipped a beat, and she hurried to the side of the road.

Cedric Grant emerged from the car and, sure enough, handed her a small gift box. "Mom, I’m sorry. I was playing around too much that day and didn’t see you. Please don’t be mad, and please don’t blame Auntie Joanna for it."

His words doused Sophia’s warm heart with ice water, chilling it to the point of pain. He came all this way, so early, just to protect his Auntie Joanna.

A tear fell unexpectedly, splashing onto the gift box.

The tear smudged the handwritten words on the box, revealing the two words underneath: "Free Gift."

So in Cedric Grant’s heart, she’s only worthy of receiving a free gift.

Cedric Grant was in a hurry to get back to school and didn’t see Sophia’s tear.

Through the car door, Sophia saw a large box next to him. Written on it were the words, "Happy Birthday, Auntie Joanna."

The brand of the box was the same as the free gift in her hands.

Joanna Sherman’s birthday was nearly a week after hers. Cedric Grant had forgotten that today was her birthday, yet he remembered Joanna Sherman’s birthday a week from now!

Her heart grew so cold it became numb, and somehow, the pain seemed to lessen.

The gifts Cedric Grant had given her in previous years were also inexpensive, but Sophia had treasured them and kept them all.

This time, she didn’t even unwrap it before tossing it into the trash can.

In the car, Cedric Grant carefully picked up the large box.

The gift he just gave Mom was just a freebie, but it was only an apology gift anyway. Besides, Mom doesn’t like it when he spends money.

He had spent several days and all his allowance choosing this gift; he just hoped Auntie Joanna would like it.

Cedric Grant’s face was full of apprehension. He had a vague feeling that today was some kind of special day, but his thoughts were quickly occupied by matters related to Joanna Sherman.

When Sophia Shaw returned to the office, it was no surprise that colleagues who passed by gave her strange looks.

They whispered about the scene that had unfolded at the annual gala yesterday.

Sophia pretended not to hear and strode into the office.

Just as she entered, she saw Joanna Sherman perched on the corner of Jenna Judd’s desk. Her wavy hair cascaded down her slender, outstretched arm, partially concealing the curvaceous figure beneath her form-fitting turtleneck sweater. She exuded an air of casual allure mixed with aloofness.

Vincent Grant stood beside her, his posture ramrod straight, radiating an imposing, aristocratic air.

He wasn’t doing anything in particular, but a certain term came to mind: her knight in shining armor.

Jenna Judd stood before the two of them with her hands clasped, saying something. Her voice wasn’t quiet, and Sophia happened to overhear. "I told you, she’s unprofessional. I told her not to mess around, but she just wouldn’t listen!"

Timothy Morgan walked in from behind her, his expression serious. Seeing her, he said, "There’s a huge mistake in the video you made. It’s even alerted the higher-ups."