Someone from HR gave me a heads up that an intern's reputation is super important, and I might be on my way out.

It all clicked then. I cornered Jessica and demanded answers.

At first, she tried to play dumb, but then she just let it all out. "Isn't it true? How else could you afford that swanky apartment on your measly salary? I saw the key card in your bag. That place must cost at least four grand a month. If you're not someone's sugar baby, what else could it be?"

I went back to the apartment dead set on moving out. My reputation was shot, all because of this cat-sitting gig. I was done.

Noah was in a meeting, but he rushed back and stopped me from packing. "You got bullied and didn't say a word? What happened to your voice?"

He had a point. I hadn't done anything shady, so why should I back down?

Happy was perched on my suitcase, his tail swishing back and forth, looking more miserable by the second.

I picked up Happy and started bawling. "Happy, someone's picking on me and you're not even gonna scratch her for me. Why do I even bother being nice to you?"

Noah furrowed his brow. "Tom will get you some time off. Take a few days to chill."

I ended up taking a week off.

But I wasn't just sitting around. I took Happy to the vet to get him fixed.

"It's not like you're gonna go out and fight for me anyway. Might as well snip 'em!"

Noah, standing nearby, crossed his legs real quick.

When I got back to work, someone from HR had me sign a full-time contract. They whispered to me: "That Jessica girl? She's out. The department head personally saw to it. She signed her papers and was gone the same day."