Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English
Synopsis
Tags: Procurement Crisis, Slander and Kickbacks, Resignation Face-Slap, Instant Karma
I’ve worked in procurement at this company for five years. This holiday season, as usual, I was in charge of ordering the corporate gift baskets.
"Mom, that $588 luxury holiday basket from our factory is amazing this year. Can you give it to me at cost? There are only about a hundred people at my company. You'll only lose a bit on shipping."
On the other end of the line, my mom had no choice but to give in to my badgering.
I sent a "Thank you, Mom" sticker on SnapChat.
Then, I shared the good news in our WhatsApp work group.
[Team, it’s done! We got the $588 retail holiday gift baskets for our internal cost of just $130! Each includes: 2 ham & cheese rolls, 2 glazed date rolls, 2 premium lobster rolls, 2 sweet red bean rolls; a tin of name-brand butter cookies; a bottle of five-year aged artisanal wine; about 3.5 ounces of early-spring green tea; and a custom aromatic sachet.]
My coworkers quickly chimed in.
[Thanks, Ethan!]
[Ethan, you're the best!]
Even our boss, Miller, replied with satisfaction:
[That tea is top-tier. I bought some two years ago, and it was over a thousand dollars a pound.]
Only the newly hired employee, Tyler, sent a sarcastic text:
[$130? Wow, congratulations to Ethan on pocketing an $80 kickback per order.]
As soon as he posted that, a string of question marks flooded the chat.
Tyler continued: [My friend’s family owns a factory that makes these gift baskets. Their cost is $50 max.]
[Wait, so has Ethan been taking kickbacks every single time?]
I was about to reply: "Items that look the same can vary wildly in quality..."
Before I could finish typing, Miller posted in the group:
[Ethan, hand over the holiday basket procurement to Tyler. Tyler, I'm setting your budget at $60 so your friend won't lose money.]
I quietly deleted what I had typed and replied to the chat: [Understood.]
A $50 holiday roll gift basket?
Fine. Let’s see if your stomachs can handle it.
After replying "Understood," I leaned back in my office chair and let out a long breath.
A basket like that for fifty bucks?
Tyler sure had some nerve.
My mom had run her food processing plant for fifteen years. I practically grew up in the production workshops, surrounded by raw ingredients.
Holiday baskets might look identical from the outside—the wrapping leaves, the seasoned rice, the fillings—but what goes inside makes all the difference in the world.
Still, I knew whatever I said now, Miller wouldn't hear it.
All he cared about were the words "cut costs and boost efficiency."
After a moment's thought, I pulled out my phone and messaged my mom:
[We don't need those baskets anymore.]
My mom sent back a question mark, followed by: [Why the sudden change?]
[The boss thinks it's too expensive.]
My mom sent a shocked emoji: [I gave it to you at dead cost! I was practically subsidizing your company!]
[A new hire found a cheaper source for $50.]
My mom replied: [What kind of garbage can you even get in a $50 basket? Watch your back, Ethan. Don't take the fall for anyone.]
[Got it.]
My phone kept buzzing with group notifications.
I glanced over. Tyler had posted a picture of the basket’s outer packaging, and everyone was praising him.
I stopped reading and locked my screen.
I’d been at this small firm for five years, running the procurement department single-handedly.
Inspecting goods, comparing quotes, negotiating prices—I even tapped into my family’s connections for the company.
No one had ever complained.
And now? A rookie who had only been here for two months.
With a few careless words, he had wiped out five years of my hard work and slapped a "corrupt kickback" label on me.
"Hey Ethan... don't take what happened in the group to heart. We all know what kind of person you are."
It was Greg from HR, sitting at the desk next to mine.
I smiled. "I’m good. Every holiday used to run me ragged. Now that someone else is taking over, I get to relax."
The next morning, Tyler walked into Miller's office holding a stack of files.
Ten minutes later, I was called in.Inside the office, Miller sat behind his mahogany desk, nursing a cup of tea. Marcus, the finance director, and Brenda, the HR manager, were both there.
Tyler stood right behind Miller, grinning at me smugly.
Marcus sighed. "Ethan, you're a senior employee. If this gets out, it won’t look good for anyone. You should just submit your resignation."
"What are you talking about?"
Miller snapped, "Your procurement kickbacks, of course!"
"I never took kickbacks!"
"Cut the act, Ethan. Legally speaking, this could land you in prison. Asking you to resign quietly is already the company showing mercy."
Tyler stoked the fire from the side. "Tyler’s right. The company is giving you a graceful way out," Brenda chimed in.
I couldn't believe it. Five years of loyal, dedicated work shattered by a couple of lies from a newbie who had been here for two months.
To say I wasn't hurt would be a lie.
In that instant, the fight left me. I didn't even want to argue with them anymore.
Since they truly believed $50 could buy quality, let them choke on it.
Some people simply don't deserve good things.
"Fine. I'll resign."
Remembering my mom's monthly nag to "come home and take over the factory," leaving didn't sound bad at all.
Just as I turned to leave, Marcus and Miller exchanged a glance. Marcus spoke up.
"Ethan, walking away like this leaves a stain on your name. How about this: pay back the kickbacks you took over the years. Then, Miller will personally clear your reputation so it won't hurt your next job."
I rolled my eyes internally. My next job was none of their business.
Still, he made one fair point: I couldn't leave with dirt smeared on my name.
"Since you don't believe me, hire an external audit. Whatever discrepancy they find, I'll pay back tenfold. How's that?"
"You said it yourself!" Miller said, his eyes lighting up as if his reverse psychology had worked. He practically drooled at the thought of finding a $100,000 discrepancy so I'd have to pay him a million.
"Ethan, organize the procurement records from the past five years. We're running an audit. Until then, hand all purchasing duties over to Tyler."
Back at my desk, I leaned against my chair and looked at the clock in the bottom right corner of my monitor: 3:47 PM.
The office was eerily quiet. Even the typing sounds seemed muffled and cautious.
I began sorting through five years of supplier lists, business cards, quote comparisons, and price sheets, archiving them one by one.
From when I joined at twenty-two until now at twenty-seven, I had poured my best years into this small firm.
It wasn't because the pay was extraordinary. I simply thought my coworkers were nice people, free from toxic office politics.
Because of that, I once camped out at a supplier's factory for a full week just to lock down the lowest wholesale price. Every holiday eve, when everyone else went home, the procurement office stayed lit as I scoured spreadsheets line by line, shaving off every single penny.
Over the last few years, the economy slumped and company profits dipped.
I swallowed my pride and begged my mom to supply our autumn and winter holiday gift baskets at dead cost, saving the firm tens of thousands of dollars.
I never bragged about any of it.
I thought there was no need.
And yet here we were. A kid who had been around for less than two months dropped two snide comments in a group chat, and suddenly my five years of sacrifice turned into proof of corruption.
It cut deep.
"Ethan."
I looked up. Tyler was standing beside my desk, clutching a pile of folders. The look on his face was a sickening blend of smugness and fake sympathy, his lips curled in a slight smirk while his eyes tried to look concerned.
"Miller sent me to pick up the procurement archives. You know..."
He put extra weight on the words "Miller sent me."
I glanced at him without a word and pushed three heavy archive boxes forward.
"Everything from the last three years is here. Contracts, invoice copies, vendor quotes, and price comparison sheets."
Tyler took them, flipped through the top binder, and frowned slightly. "Ethan, Miller said five years."
"The other two years are in my filing cabinet. I haven't sorted them yet. If you're in a hurry, dig through them yourself."My voice was flat, devoid of emotion.
Tyler blinked, lowering his voice into an intimate whisper.
"Ethan, are you mad at me?"
"I really didn't mean to target you in the group. I just... said whatever came to mind. I didn't think Miller would take it so seriously."
Staring at his picture-perfect innocent face, I found the whole thing pathetic.
This kid graduated last year and couldn't find a job for months.
Two months ago, he interviewed here with a marketing degree from a mediocre college. Greg and I conducted his interview together.
He had clean-cut hair and spoke softly, coming across as polite and humble.
Greg thought he seemed grounded, so I gave him the green light.
Looking back, I must have been blind.
"No need to explain," I said with a faint smile, sliding the last stack of papers into a folder.
"You're right. Maybe there really are cheaper sources out there. The company needs to cut costs and boost efficiency. I get it."
Tyler's eyes lit up, his smile turning a bit more genuine. "I'm so glad you see it that way, Ethan! Don't worry, once the audit is done, you'll be proven innocent. I'll take you out to lunch then!"
Sure you will.
I watched him walk into Miller's office. The second the door clicked shut, Miller's booming laughter drifted out.
Greg poked his head over from the next cubicle, looking hesitant.
"I'm fine," I said, waving a hand dismissively. "Seriously, I'm good."
At clock-out time, I bumped into Jason by the elevators.
Jason was a senior sales rep who had joined two years before me. He was one of the few people in the office I genuinely considered a friend.
"Ethan."
He called out to me, looking conflicted.
"What's up?"
He hesitated before finally speaking.
"About the chat... don't take it too hard. Tyler is young and reckless, talking without thinking. Miller just reacted on impulse. Once the audit wraps up, everything will be fine."
"I know."
The elevator arrived, and we stepped inside.
After a beat of silence, Jason added, "But seriously, Ethan... those baskets you used to get... how much did they actually cost?"
The elevator lights were bright. I turned to look at him. His expression was dead serious; he genuinely wanted an answer.
"They were the absolute lowest prices I could negotiate," I said.
"Ah." Jason nodded, not pressing further.
But the rising inflection on that "Ah" spoke volumes.
We hit the ground floor, and the doors slid open.
"See ya," I said.
"Yeah. Get home safe."
Stepping out of the building, the early summer heat hit my face. I took a deep breath.
My phone vibrated. A SnapChat message from my mom.
[Sweetie, have you seen that $50 basket the new kid ordered?]
I texted back: [Not yet. Why?]
She called me right away.
"Let me tell you, getting that kind of spread for fifty bucks means one of two things: either they're taking a massive loss to gain clout, or they cut dirty corners on the ingredients. Listen to your mother. When those baskets arrive, do not eat a single bite. You hear me?"
Her voice was grave with worry.
"Got it, Mom. I know what I'm doing."
"Like hell you do," she scoffed. "If you knew what you were doing, you wouldn't have been framed like this! Why don't you just quit and come help me run the plant? I'll pay you twenty grand a month. Isn't that better than being humiliated at that dinky firm?"
"I hear you, Mom—"
I hung up and saw the red badge on my WhatsApp icon showing over 99 unread messages. The group chat was blowing up again.I tapped it open.
Tyler had posted a sample photo of the gift basket. It was forest green with gold embossed lettering that read "Happy Holidays." It looked surprisingly decent on the surface.
[@All Check out the packaging, everyone! My friend said this batch was made for a high-end supermarket chain. Top-notch quality, and the items are upgraded too—2 ham & cheese rolls, 2 sweet red bean rolls, 2 smoked vegetable beef rolls, 2 glazed date rolls, plus a bottle of premium maple wine, a box of artisanal butter pastries, and an aromatic sachet! The factory cost is $50, but my friend gave me a deal at just $60!]
The chat went wild.
[OMG, all that for $60?! Tyler, you're a wizard!]
[Way more cost-effective than the $130 one! That one only had lobster rolls and tea, but cost more than double...]
[Makes you wonder where our previous procurement budget actually went (whispers)]
[Tyler proves his worth immediately. Fresh talent beats old blood any day. Amazing!]
[Miller really found a gem.]
Tyler played it humble in the chat: [Aw, it's nothing. Just friends doing me a favor, plus a bit of luck~]
Then Miller joined in, dropping a thumbs-up emoji.
[@Tyler Great job. Excellent cost control. @Ethan Wrap up your procurement archives ASAP and hand everything over to Tyler. Moving forward, he will handle all purchasing. Just cooperate with the audit to clear up the past.]
I stared at the screen for a few seconds, then typed: [Understood.]
The chat went quiet for a moment.
They probably didn't expect me to agree so cleanly, without a single word of defense or complaint.
A moment later, Tyler tagged me: [@Ethan Don't worry, the audit is just routine paperwork. I'm sure there won't be any problems~]
I didn't bother replying.
The next day was Thursday. I clocked in at nine as usual.
Just as I sat down, muffled voices drifted from the breakroom.
"...I'm telling you, I felt something was off for a while. Think about it, what's Ethan's monthly salary? Seven or eight grand tops? But look at how he spends. Does that look like an eight-grand lifestyle?"
It was Brad from sales.
My hand froze over my coffee mug.
"Now that you mention it, totally," another voice agreed—Zach from accounting.
"Every day when we go down for smoke breaks, he hands out cigarettes. Always top-shelf luxury brands, never anything cheap."
"Right? And have you seen his sneakers? Limited edition designer kicks! They go for several thousand on the resale market."
"No wonder! I always wondered where he got that kind of cash."
"Told you. You can't hide kickbacks forever. Acting all clean and innocent while swimming in dirty money."
"Tsk, tsk. No wonder he panicked the second Tyler spoke up..."
"Tyler's honest, putting a $50 price tag right on the table. Fair and square. Not like some people who quote $130 while pocketing God knows how much."
My mug rested on the desk. I picked it up, set it down, stood up, and walked straight toward the breakroom.
A few coworkers were huddled around the small round table eating breakfast. The moment I appeared in the doorway, the chatter died instantly.
Brad froze mid-bite with a breakfast sandwich in his hand, looking like someone had hit the pause button on him.
Zach dropped his head, aggressively stirring his coffee.
Leo from marketing offered an awkward grimace, muttered "Morning, Ethan," and slipped past me out the door.
"Morning," I walked in, my tone casual. "What's everyone chatting about so enthusiastically?"
"N-nothing," Brad laughed nervously. "Just shooting the breeze."
"Really? I thought I heard my name."
Chapters (4)
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Watch & Promotions
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