I Drew the Worst Fortune at Our Halloween Team Retreat to a Temple

Just before Halloween, our intern, Vivian Blake, suggested visiting a monastery for our team outing. I checked the distance and was about to turn her down. “Our budget is five thousand dollars. Why don’t we just have a nice meal somewhere nearby?” Vivian shot back, visibly worked up. “Who cares about some fancy meal? Do you know that monastery is offering a limited-edition fortune stick? Whoever draws the best fortune will have good luck all year!” “We should try it! Maybe we can bring the company some luck, too!” Seeing how excited my coworkers were, I agreed. After carefully crunching the numbers, I managed to arrange transportation and admission within our budget. I was planning to spend the remaining money on everyone’s lunch. But once we had all drawn our fortunes, the vendor produced a bill. “Eight hundred and eighty-eight dollars per blessing stick. How would you like to pay?” Everyone froze, staring at the bamboo sticks in their hands in disbelief. Vivian looked at me as though the answer were obvious and urged impatiently, “Claire, what are you waiting for? Pay him.” I wanted nothing more than to throw the overpriced stick right back onto his stall. “A gram of gold doesn’t cost eight hundred and eighty-eight dollars. Is this little stick plated in gold or studded with diamonds?” The vendor quickly cut me off. “Don’t talk nonsense about things you don’t understand! These are limited-edition sticks blessed by a revered monk. That’s what they cost!” My coworkers erupted. “Why didn’t you say that earlier? I thought they’d cost a few bucks!” “This is a total rip-off! Can’t we just give them back?” Seeing everyone trying to return the sticks, the vendor’s face darkened. “You can’t be serious. These sticks were blessed by a revered monk. The moment you drew them, your fates became connected!” “If you don’t treat them with respect, your good fortune could turn against you!” The threat was obvious, and it actually scared my coworkers into staying put. But how were interns earning two or three thousand dollars a month supposed to afford an $888 fortune stick? Vivian tugged urgently at my sleeve. “Claire, I checked. These blessing sticks really work!” “Doesn’t the company reimburse team outings? The company can definitely afford this. Just pay!” At $888 each, the total came to nearly fifty thousand dollars! Every eye turned to me. I swallowed my anger and took out the budget sheet. “Vivian, the company approved five thousand dollars. The charter bus and admission cost three thousand. I used the rest to book a vegetarian lunch for everyone at the foot of the mountain.” “Eight-hundred-and-eighty-eight-dollar blessing sticks aren’t covered.” “What?” Vivian blinked, then looked so wounded she nearly burst into tears. “But what are we supposed to do with the sticks? This is all my fault. I should have asked the price before bringing everyone here…” “I just wanted to bring everyone a little luck before the fiscal year ends, and help us get better sales next year…” “I’ll find a way to pay. Please don’t blame Claire…” As she stood there sniffling, my coworkers immediately softened. “Oh, forget it. You’re an intern. How much money could you possibly have?” “Claire, can’t you just charge it to the company for now? We can sort it out when we get back…” “Exactly. Make an exception, Claire. Look how upset she is.” Before I could explain that this was company policy, our director, Paul, stepped forward. “I’ll pay.” He scanned the vendor’s payment code, then frowned at me. “Claire Bennett, Vivian’s still a young woman. She meant well. There’s no need to be so aggressive.” I clenched my fists, crumpling the budget sheet in my hand. The company had given me five thousand dollars. I’d stayed up half the night working out the arrangements. How did that make me aggressive? I was about to explain when Paul turned and headed down the mountain. “That’s enough. It’s paid for. Don’t ruin the outing. Let’s go have lunch.” Everyone crowded around him, praising his generosity. After lunch, just as we were getting ready to leave, Vivian slapped her forehead and pulled the unopened fortune stick out of her bag. A collective gasp went up, followed by Vivian’s delighted squeal. “Look! I got the best possible fortune!”Everyone swarmed around her. “Oh my God, Viv! You’re so lucky!” “The best fortune! Vivian’s our company’s lucky charm!” “Next year’s sales are in the bag!” Under all that praise, Vivian could barely contain her smile. She looked straight at me, a malicious little smirk on her face. “Claire hasn’t opened hers yet. Maybe she got the best fortune, too?” Everyone turned toward me. I didn’t believe in any of it, but I didn’t want to spoil the mood. I tore off the seal. The words at the end of the stick stood out clearly. Worst fortune! “Oh my God, Claire! How did you draw the worst one?” “The vendor said that means bad luck will follow you everywhere! Nothing will go right all year. You’ll lose money and attract disaster. Only someone born unlucky could draw that!” When Vivian noticed my expression darken, she immediately put on an apologetic face. “Claire, I’m just saying. Don’t take it to heart.” Despite her supposedly guilty words, she spread the news about my terrible fortune the moment we returned to the office. At work, she made sure to maintain her new image as our resident lucky charm every second of the day. There wasn’t a single document on Vivian’s desk. Instead, it was covered in lucky figurines and good-luck beads, with her fortune stick displayed in the most prominent spot. That wasn’t all. She also started taking over my work. When I reached for files for one of my projects, Vivian snatched them first. “Let me handle this, Claire. I’m the lucky charm. Maybe I can help you dodge some bad luck!” When I was leaving to meet a client, she planted herself in my car and refused to move. “With my lucky fortune along for the ride, the client will actually sign.” “Get out.” My expression hardened. That evening’s contract was crucial, and the client didn’t like unnecessary people sitting in on meetings. When I refused to give in, Vivian got out with a huff. Then she started slipping nasty comments about me into conversations with our coworkers. “Claire seems a little off lately. That last proposal? She revised it three times, and it still wasn’t approved.” “Do you think that bad fortune is getting to her? Thank goodness I’m here with my lucky one. Otherwise, our department’s numbers would definitely drop.” “Do you think Claire’s bad luck might drag down our annual bonuses, too?” Thanks to her tireless efforts, quite a few coworkers bought her story. Their eyes grew wary whenever they looked at me. People who used to be friendly started keeping their distance. Everyone gathered around Vivian instead, hoping some of her luck would rub off. I ignored all of it. A major company deal had reached its most critical stage. I was working late every night and barely had time to drink water. Who had time to care about Vivian’s gossip?As the fiscal year drew to a close, everyone started looking forward to their annual bonuses. I was no exception. I had exceeded the targets on all five million-dollar projects the company had assigned me that year. Under company policy, my bonus should have been at least six hundred thousand dollars. But while my coworkers were quietly comparing their bonuses, my bank account remained unchanged. My stomach dropped. Something was wrong. I picked up my phone and sent Diane in Finance a message on Snapchat. “Diane, have the annual bonuses gone out yet?” “They’ve all been paid.” What? I immediately asked, “Then why haven’t I received anything?” Diane replied, “Vivian collected your bonus. You didn’t know?” Heat rushed to my head. My hand trembled around my phone. “Diane, aren’t bonuses supposed to go directly to the employee who earned them? What right does Vivian have to take mine?” Rather than try to explain it all over messages, Diane called me. “Vivian said those two projects you handled only went through smoothly because of the luck from her fortune stick.” “She said she’s the company’s lucky charm, so all the credit belongs to her. That means your bonus should go to her.” “Mr. Carter approved it, too. I thought you already knew.” I couldn’t take it anymore. I shot out of my chair and headed straight for Vivian. She was sitting at her desk, holding a brand-new designer handbag. “I worked so hard this year! I deserve a little reward!” Another intern looked at her enviously. “Vivian, you’re incredible! You just joined the company, and you already got an annual bonus!” “Our lucky charm strikes again! You’re so lucky!” “Viv, how much did you get, anyway?” Vivian smiled with fake modesty. “Oh, not that much. A little over six hundred thousand.” “Those million-dollar projects would probably have fallen apart without my good luck.” I stood there, feeling as though an invisible hand had seized my heart. I had earned that six hundred thousand through hard work, countless sleepless nights, and endless client visits. And she had simply walked off with it because she claimed, “I’m the lucky charm. All the credit belongs to me”? I stared at Vivian. As if sensing my gaze, she turned. When she saw me standing there, her smug smile widened. “Claire, why are you just standing there without saying anything?” “Come over! I’m treating everyone to bubble tea with my bonus. Don’t be shy!” The surrounding coworkers turned to look at me. Some looked sympathetic. Some were waiting for a show. Others looked downright pleased by my misfortune. I took a deep breath and forced down my rising anger. Then I walked up to Vivian’s desk and looked down at her. “Vivian, did you take my annual bonus?” She tilted her head back, her smile equal parts innocent and smug. “Claire, didn’t Mr. Carter tell you?” “He gave it to me as a reward for working hard and helping the company land those million-dollar projects.” “Working hard?” I let out a cold laugh. “Vivian, tell me honestly. What exactly did you do on those two projects?” “I…” Her gaze flickered before she grew even more self-righteous. “I organized materials for you and booked meeting rooms!” “Most importantly, my good luck kept your bad luck under control! Doesn’t that count for anything?” “The materials you organized were full of mistakes and missing information. I had to stay up all night redoing them.” “To reserve a meeting room, all you have to do is ask the receptionist. That’s your contribution?” “And as for keeping my bad luck under control…” I laughed in disbelief and pointed at the bamboo stick on her desk. “Vivian, do you really think the company wins contracts because of that stupid stick?” Her face flushed, then paled. Humiliated, she jumped to her feet. “Claire Bennett! You’re going too far!” “Even Mr. Carter recognizes my contribution! You’re just jealous I drew the best fortune and got the bonus!” “Stop twisting things!” I slammed my hand on her desk and pointed straight at her, emphasizing every word. “The company won those contracts because I worked day and night preparing materials and meeting clients. Your fortune stick had nothing to do with it!” “And I’m getting back every cent of the bonus I earned.”