Chapter 1

It was New Year's Day, and my boss had pinged the whole team in the group chat about payroll. Everyone else got their pay without a hitch, except me. As soon as my boss learned that, she didn't make a big deal out of it. She asked me to double-check my account and promised to resend the payment. But still, nothing came through. My colleagues were skeptical, thinking I was making it up. Luckily, my boss agreed to process it again in front of everyone so we could watch the transfer in real time. Still, my paycheck never arrived. At this point, my colleagues completely lost it. They started accusing me of trying to scam the company, calling me all sorts of names, and kicked me out on the spot. The moment I stepped out of the office, a truck hit me, and I died! Even at the end, I couldn't figure it out. Everything went smoothly with the payment transfer, so why didn't my money go through? When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on the day my paycheck was supposed to be deposited. ... Looking at my paycheck account balance, which was still at zero, and seeing the constant notifications pinging in the group chat, I felt my head spin. The company set up our paycheck accounts, and I'd been using mine for years without any problems. Not to mention, in my past life, I even went to the bank to check. The company processes payroll in bulk. So, why on earth would mine be missing? My boss, Justine Shaw, had always been generous. If the money had been sent repeatedly in the past, there was no reason to think she was targeting me. So what went wrong? I was lost in thought when a message popped up in the group chat. "Anyone with questions about their paycheck, speak up now, or it'll be too late!" I froze. At first, I planned to quietly figure it out on my own, hoping to avoid the same mess. But if I stayed silent now, the money would vanish for real. With rent and car payments looming, this paycheck was critical. No choice. I had to bite the bullet and tag Justine. She quickly responded with a screenshot of the transfer. "Audrey, the payment went through on my end. Check for yourself." Some colleagues immediately chimed in. "Audrey, Ms. Shaw's transfers have never had an issue. We all got paid, so it's probably something with your account." Others quickly agreed. I took a close look at the payment screenshot, and everything seemed fine. This meant Justine had indeed processed my payment correctly. I made a few excuses and rushed straight to the bank. Just like last time, the staff told me there was nothing wrong with my account. But this time, I wanted to verify it myself. I transferred money from another card to my payroll account. It went through instantly. The account could receive funds just fine. Next, I had the bank check Justine's payment account, and there were no problems there either. With both the sender's and receiver's accounts fine, where did the money go? Could it have disappeared in the system transfer? Hearing my question, the bank employee gave me a look like I was out of my mind. "Ms. Lindth, our system's stability and security are top-notch. We've never had any issues! As long as both accounts are fine, the money will go through. I'll stake my career on that!" Seeing how confident the employee was, I had no choice but to return to the office and explain things to Justine. Caught up with business, Justine waved her hand and had the finance team transfer the money to me right away, promising they'd look into the issue later. This time, I decided to play it safe. I kept an eye on the finance team while they processed the transfer, and I called the bank to check on the status. Having worked in finance, I made sure the transfer was set up right, then immediately checked with the bank for updates. The bank quickly responded, confirming the money had been successfully transferred to my account. The confirmation text came through shortly after. A wave of relief washed over me. Finally, my paycheck was in my hands. But when I checked my account, I froze in place.