I worked my butt off for this project proposal, and my boyfriend just handed it over to the new girl. Oppressed, suppressed—and I’ve become nothing but the stepping stone for their romance. If a tiger doesn’t roar, you really think I’m some cuddly little kitten? Anger level: 1000%. Fury level: 10,000%. Crazy level: Off the charts. Time to bring the pain. If we’re playing this game, I’m blowing everyone up. After a full month of overtime, my dark circles were worse than a raccoon’s, but I finally finished the project. I was ready to get promoted and maybe even a nice bonus. Ryan Mitchell, my boss-slash-boyfriend, called me into his office. “Claire, you’ve been doing great. Keep up the good work.” I nodded eagerly, waiting for the good part. …Nothing. I waited a little longer. Still nothing. “Is that it?” He blinked, as if remembering something. “Oh, right! I almost forgot the main thing.” I knew it. Verbal praise alone wasn’t enough. “These are the new project files. I want you to take charge and try to wrap it up in a month.” I looked at the stack of papers—at least six inches high—and felt sick to my stomach. “Weren’t you going to promote me after this project?” Ryan walked over, patted my shoulder, and gave me that condescending smile. “Claire, you’re still young, there will be lots of opportunities. This is just a small supervisor role. Knock out a few more projects, and I’ll personally push for your promotion to manager.” I wasn’t buying it. “So… who’s getting the promotion this time?” “Emma Johnson.” Emma? The new girl who’d only been here for six months? “Ryan, are you serious? You’re promoting her over me? Have you lost your mind?” He knew better than anyone how hard I’d worked for this promotion. Forget weekends—I practically split my day into eight parts to get everything done. “Ryan, you’d better give me an explanation, or this won’t end well for anyone.” Ryan’s face darkened. “Claire, this is work. I’m your boss. Just do as I say.” Then he softened his tone, trying to pacify me. “Claire, I’m your boyfriend. Would I ever harm you? I fought hard to get this project for you, and there’s plenty of credit to go around. Trust me, it’ll pay off. Be good.” I’d heard this spiel too many times. “Stop feeding me lies. I’m cutting carbs.” When I returned to my desk with the files, Emma was already soaking up the congratulations from the team. The moment she saw me, she rushed over to give me a hug. “Oh, Claire, I’m so sorry! I don’t know why the boss chose me. We all thought it would be you. You’re not mad, right?” “I’ll ask Ryan. Maybe there’s been a mistake.” I pushed her off with a fake smile. “Oh, please, don’t wait. Go ask him now.” Emma’s face changed, and she lowered her head, saying nothing. Not long after, she posted in our Slack channel, inviting everyone to dinner. And, just like that, the group chat lit up with congratulations. It was sickening. “Claire, you’re coming, right? Your support would mean the world to me. After all, if it weren’t for your help, I wouldn’t have gotten this opportunity.” “They say you’re clueless, can’t get anything right. But clearly, you’ve gotten pretty smart. At least you know you don’t deserve it.” “Emma, weren’t you going to ask the boss? What’s the hold-up? Turns out thanking me was just lip service.” I added a fake pout to my voice for good measure. Emma stood there, speechless, her face stiff with embarrassment. She’s been playing the sweet girl act for so long, she probably thought it worked on everyone. Predictable.
That night, Emma took the whole department out to dinner at The Capital Grille, where it’s $500 per head. She really went all out. Everyone was happy with the free food—except me, of course. “Claire, it’s over. Stop acting like the world owes you something.” I shot Ryan a glare. “There’s something wrong with my paycheck. I didn’t get my project bonus.” Ryan avoided eye contact, which sent a wave of unease through me. I grabbed his arm. “Where’s my $30k project bonus?” Ryan finally muttered, “The project’s Emma’s now, so the bonus goes to her.” No wonder she was feeling generous tonight. Fine, I could live without the promotion. No bonus? Okay, I’d even swallow that. But no promotion and no bonus? Hell no! Ryan, sensing my growing fury, leaned down and whispered in my ear, “Keep your cool. We’ll talk about this later.” I picked up my glass of red wine and tossed it in his face. “Keep your cool? Screw that. And screw you.” The room fell dead silent. All eyes were on us. Ryan gritted his teeth but forced a laugh. “Haha, no big deal, everyone. Claire just slipped. Enjoy your dinner.” Emma was quick to grab some napkins, rushing to dab the wine off Ryan’s face. “Claire, come on! You’re a grown woman. How are you still this clumsy?” I used to feel sorry for her—fresh out of school, baby-faced, always speaking so softly. I’d go out of my way to look after her. Turns out, I looked after her too well. She even took my boyfriend. With how cozy they were, no one would believe there wasn’t something going on between them. After Emma finished cleaning up Ryan, she turned to say something to me, but I beat her to it. “Don’t yell at me. I’ve been scared of dogs since I was little.” Ryan slammed his hand on the table and stood up, pointing at me. “Claire, enough! We’re here to celebrate Emma’s promotion. Don’t ruin this for everyone because of your attitude.” Amazing. Helping the other woman yell at his girlfriend. What a guy. They took my promotion, my bonus, and I was expected to sit there, swallowing my pride and toasting the people who robbed me. I’ve got feelings, too. And tonight, no one’s getting off easy. Especially Ryan and Emma. I swatted Ryan’s hand away. “Your happiness is none of my business.” Then I turned to Emma. “Don’t act like you earned this with skill. Whatever shady tricks you used to get it, just stay quiet and keep your head down. It’s disgusting.” Emma’s face turned red as she stammered. “Claire, I understand you’re upset about not getting the promotion, but you’ve misunderstood. I don’t blame you.” Then, as expected, the tears started falling. The classic “poor me” look. The men at the table immediately started defending her. “Claire, you’re out of line. Emma’s been nothing but great. The company must have had a good reason for promoting her.” Emma knew exactly how to play them. The guys ate up her “sweet girl” act, calling her “little sis” and everything. “Oh yeah, you’re so generous. Maybe next time you’ll give her credit for the projects you complete. Last month, you got a $20k bonus, right? Transfer it. Let me learn a thing or two about generosity.” I stood up on my chair, towering over him, holding his phone out. He stood there, frozen, not saying a word. “What did you drink tonight? Windshield fluid? Stop with the cold takes. Use your brain before opening your mouth.” I turned to another male coworker who had been running his mouth. “I get that you’re straightforward, but that doesn’t mean you should talk out of your ass.” Ryan tried to step in, using his “boss” voice. “Claire, I’m ordering you to apologize to Emma. Now.” I’d been too busy with deadlines to put Ryan in his place lately. “I’m not a customer service rep, Ryan. I don’t apologize for things that aren’t my fault.” At that, Emma’s tears came down harder. She sobbed out, “I’m sorry, Claire… I didn’t mean to upset anyone… It’s all my fault.” I couldn’t help but poke at her more. “Exactly. It’s all your fault.” “If you don’t want to eat, Claire, you can leave,” Ryan said. Who said I wasn’t eating? The food’s free, so why not? I called over the waiter and ordered more dishes. The way he glanced at us told me he knew something was up. After all, at this table, we had people with clenched jaws, others hiding tears, and me with a grin I couldn’t suppress. I’d pissed off so many people at this dinner. Sorry, not sorry. I’ll do it again next time. You know, I might not make everyone happy, but I can definitely make sure everyone is equally pissed off.
After blowing up at the dinner, I felt amazing. That night, I slept like a baby. The next morning, I even took the time to put on some makeup before heading into work. I’d barely sat down when Ryan called me into his office. “Why didn’t you pick up my calls last night?” I flopped onto his couch lazily. “I don’t like hearing dogs bark.” “Claire, you’re really going to make such a big deal out of this?” A big deal?! This man was still calling it a “small thing”? And to think, this guy was my boyfriend. My mistake, clearly. I stood up, walked right up to Ryan, and slapped him across the face. His shock barely registered before I yanked his hair down, forcing him to bend over in pain. I took the opportunity to kick him in the stomach. “A small thing? I’ve been busting my ass working overtime every day, not for money, but what, to earn some good karma? You handed my bonus to some other woman, and you have the nerve to call it a small thing?” I let go of him, but not before giving him one last kick to the gut. Ryan winced, fury in his eyes. “Claire, we’re done.” “Oh, don’t get it twisted,” I sneered. “I’m dumping you. You and Emma have been screwing each other behind my back, haven’t you? You two deserve each other—garbage belongs with garbage. Moonlighting as a cupid now, huh?” Ryan straightened himself, dusting off his shirt, trying to keep his cool. “I’ve been done with you for a long time. You’re all work, no femininity. All you care about is the job.” “Please, Ryan. You’re a bottom-feeder who thinks he’s a king just because he’s splashing around in some shallow water. Do you think you’re worthy of calling me out?” I rolled up my sleeves. Today, I wasn’t just talking. “Ryan, you’ve always been a punching bag. I’m just here to finish the job.” We started brawling right there in the office. Sure, he had the upper hand physically, but I had claws—long nails and a sharp bite—and I wasn’t afraid to use them. I clawed at his face, pulled his hair, even bit him when I had the chance. It was a full-on spectacle, and soon enough, the noise had attracted our coworkers. Emma was the first to burst in. She gasped when she saw the scratches and blood on Ryan’s face and neck. She rushed to stand between us, arms spread wide like a human shield. “Claire, if you’re angry, take it out on me. Don’t hurt Ryan, he’s just following the rules!” She was so noble, wasn’t she? Well, if she wanted the heat, fine. I was ready to take it out on her. But before I could lay into Emma, a close coworker of mine pulled me aside. “Claire, you’ve already hit him and said what you needed to say. If you keep going, you’re the one who’s going to get hurt in the end. You can see Ryan’s just setting everything up for his new girl.” I glared at her, confused. I had thought Ryan and I had kept our relationship on the down-low. How could she know about this? “Oh, everyone knows,” she said with a knowing sigh. “But the way he’s setting things up for Emma? It’s so obvious he’s paving the way for her.” “When did you find out about the two of them?” I asked, my confusion turning to curiosity. She looked at me like I was an idiot. “They’ve been flaunting it all over Instagram Stories for the past month! Don’t tell me you didn’t know.” Well. That was nice to hear. I, the official girlfriend, had found out just yesterday. Right now, I felt like I could morph into King Kong and slap the hell out of both of them.
A coworker and I opened Instagram on our phones, pulling up Emma’s profile. On my screen, I only saw two posts. One from last month with a caption about working late, and one from yesterday—an announcement of her promotion, with a thank you to the company and her colleagues. But on my coworker’s screen, there were at least a dozen posts. Caption: Someone told me we should eat somewhere romantic. Photo: A dimly lit French restaurant, looking all too fancy. The date? I had been stuck in the office finishing a proposal that night. I’d even suggested that place to Ryan once, but he said it was overpriced and not worth it. Instead, we’d ended up eating cheap hotpot from a place down the street. Caption: Collecting every little spark of happiness. Photo: Emma and Ryan at an art gallery, doing a heart gesture with their hands. It was just his hand in the photo, but that watch on his wrist? I’d bought it for him. And the date? I’d been at the office revising that very same proposal, the one Ryan said wasn’t good enough yet. Caption: I saw it and he bought it for me immediately. Photo: The newest iPhone, iPhone 14 Pro Max, 1TB, in Sierra Blue. And the date? The day after I’d given that exact phone to Ryan. He had hinted that his old phone was broken but said he couldn’t afford a new one. Being the good girlfriend I was, I used my hard-earned paycheck to buy him the best. I’d noticed later that he wasn’t using it. When I asked, he said it had been stolen, and he felt terrible about it. I’d even planned to buy him a replacement with my next bonus. Twenty-five years of life, and only now am I realizing how low my IQ must be. Ladies, listen up: spending money on a man is a surefire way to curse yourself for eight generations. As I scrolled through the posts, my fists clenched so hard I thought they might break. At that moment, I wished I could sprout eight arms like an octopus and slap both Ryan and Emma in one go. Just as I was imagining it, Emma returned to her desk. Our eyes met, and she gave me a look as if she were the one wronged. I used to think she was cute, but now, she looked like a rotten grape—full of toxic juice. And that shiny iPhone sitting on her desk? The one I bought with my own money? My. Damn. Money. That’s it. I’m done.
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