I shoved the crumpled receipt into my pocket and picked up my organizing toolkit from the floor.
"No need to call the police." My voice was eerily calm. "The company can deduct the penalty from my paycheck."
I stepped past them both and walked out of that house built on lies.
That evening, a video shot to the top of the local trending page.
Davina was sobbing on her livestream, tears streaming prettily down her face, accusing a top-rated organizer from a high-end home organization company of stealing. According to her, I'd damaged a bag worth over thirty thousand dollars and then physically attacked her.
She didn't just show my employee badge on camera. She also posted a security screenshot of me leaving the building with blood running down my arm, claiming I'd fallen while fleeing out of guilt.
The backlash that comes from an influencer with tens of millions of followers is devastating.
My phone was flooded with dozens of hateful messages every second.
"Are you that desperate for money? If you can't afford it, you steal it and trash it?"
"Bottom-feeding trash like you deserves to be blacklisted!"