Chapter 15 Traffic Is King
The noise around her grew louder and more chaotic.
Elsa felt too drained to even argue anymore.
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The judge’s brows furrowed deeply as he slammed the gavel down. The sharp crack of it stabbed at Elsa’s ears like a spike.
The next moment-
Two officers approached her bedside, grabbing her thin arms and clamping the cold memory retrieval device to her head.
As soon as the electrodes touched her skin. Elsa began thrashing wildly.
The hospital gown she wore came loose, two buttons popping off from the struggle.
“Don’t touch me! Let go!” Elsa screamed, trying to claw the device off with her nails.
Her eyes blazed with fury. “You promised… you said there wouldn’t be any machines today!”
“New charges,” the judge said, glancing at her with a heavy stare.
Without changing expression, he swiped through the holographic interface. “Moore Corp reports that during your internship, you were negligent and slacked off, potentially committing corporate fraud.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the livestream chat exploded.
“She got the chance to intern at the company and still didn’t take it seriously!”
“Moore family was way too kind. They even let this ungrateful snake join the company.”
“What was Elsa even thinking? With a chance like that, and she still chose to mess it all up?”
Peter noticed the fear flickering in Elsa’s eyes.
He smirked and stood up, pointing at her. “What now? Scared? You weren’t so scared when you were slacking off and scheming!”
He pulled up surveillance footage and pointed to the images for everyone to see. “Look at her–yawning all day, not finishing any of the tasks she was assigned!”
“I wasn’t slacking!” Elsa suddenly hunched forward in a violent coughing fit. “I wasn’t feeling well that day. I had a fever…”
“Still pretending to be some poor little thing?” Mandy snapped, grabbing a bag of so–called evidence and slamming it on the
table.
She pointed at the expired biscuits inside, her eyes brimming with hatred. “We found this in your desk! You made yourself sick on purpose just to get out of work!”
“You think we’re blind?”
The next second-
A blinding white light flashed before Elsa’s eyes.
Her memories were violently ripped open, and through the sharp tearing sensation, she could faintly hear the judge’s voice:
“Begin retrieval of the defendant’s memories during her internship at Moore Corp.”
Memory sequence
Summer sun blazed over the towering Moore Corp building.
Elsa stood in the general manager’s office, gripping her internship contract so tightly the paper was wrinkled.
“We gave you this internship as a chance, not so you could come in here with that sour face” Felix slammed a stack of files
12:25 PM P.
Chapter 15 Traffic is King
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onto the desk in front of her.
“Just looking at you ruins my mood.”
“The city officials are coming next month for inspection. You better choreograph something impressive. Don’t embarrass us.”
He glanced sideways at Elsa and felt his irritation rise again. She just wasn’t like Quinn–his sweet, considerate little girl who always knew what he needed before he asked.
Elsa stared at the fine print on the contract:
Interns must comply with all company assignments. Failure to do so will be treated as voluntary forfeiture of payment.”
She swallowed hard, too afraid to speak up.
“Any special requirements?” she asked quietly, almost to herself.
“It should reflect company culture–and be buzzworthy.”
Because in this era, traffic was king.
“What are you still standing there for?” Mandy strutted in on seven–centimeter heels, the sharp scent of her new Chanel perfume almost dizzying up close.
“Oh, and Quinn’s birthday party dance still isn’t ready. You’ll be staying up all night to supervise it.”
“If it’s not perfect, don’t even think about sleeping tonight.
Elsa lifted her head slowly and stammered, “But the city inspection…”
At that, Mandy rolled her eyes. “Can’t you just do both? Stop being so lazy! After all we’ve done for you, this is what we get?”
The memory fast–forwarded.
2:30 a.m.
In the dance studio, Elsa dragged her exhausted body, adjusting formations in front of the mirror.
She didn’t know when Quinn had shown up behind her, but suddenly that mocking voice cut through the air.
“Wow, sis, this choreography is so tacky. Start over. No way I’m using this trash at my party.”
“Don’t forget–half the city’s business elite will be there. Don’t embarrass Moore Corp. Or our parents.”
Elsa clutched the barre to stand, her fingertips swollen and red.
“But this is what we agreed on. If we change it now…”
Splash!
Quinn flung the water from her bottle right at Elsa.
Thankfully, it wasn’t boiling hot, or Elsa might have been scarred for life.
Outside the memory, Peter’s snide voice cut in. “See that, folks? This is her so–called ‘oppression? Give me a break.”
Elsa wiped her face in silence, eyes lowered, thoughts swirling
At dawn, she’d fallen asleep at her desk without realizing it.
Just five minutes later, the HR supervisor stormed over and yanked her up by the hair.
“You have the nerve to sleep here at work?”
If people saw you like this, they’d think Moore Corp was a complete joke!”
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Chapter 15 Traffic Is King
“I’m sorry…”
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Elsa rubbed her eyes and forced herself upright, pulling fever meds from the drawer.
Her voice trembled. “Please, just five more minutes…”
“You’re such a pro at faking illness!” the supervisor snapped, hurling the medicine box at the surveillance camera.
Livestream comments:
“She deserves this! Taking Moore family’s money and slacking off!”
“Ship her to Myanmar to dig mines!”
The memory trembled violently.
Elsa struggled between the past and present.
Suddenly, the scene shifted–to that rainy night.
She stood small and trembling in the study, with Felix roaring across from her.
“You couldn’t even handle one simple task. What use are you to us?!”
“This proposal was due Monday! What is this crap you turned in?”
“A kindergartener could’ve done better!”
Compared to Elsa, Quinn had it easy at Moore Corp.
She never had to deal with anything. She showed up, clocked in, and coasted through every day in comfort.
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