Everyone in the company got a $300,000 year-end bonus. Everyone but me. I got three grand. Victor Thorne, my manager, clapped me on the shoulder, a condescending smirk on his face. “Ava, young people shouldn’t focus so much on money. You should value the opportunities for growth this company offers.” I just smiled, nodding, and took the pathetic three thousand dollars. Right then, my contract was expiring, and the company wasn’t renewing it. But I didn’t care. Not one bit. After all, I held the contact list for 108 of the company’s most important clients. 0 Three thousand dollars. I sneered internally as I walked back to my cubicle. It was a corner drowned in files and sticky notes, an ignored island. The air practically hummed with celebration. “Holy crap, $300K! My Hermès bag, here I come!” “Where are we hitting up tonight? Michelin three-star, baby!” “My husband’s telling me to hurry home and pay off the mortgage!” Excited, distorted faces blurred before my eyes. I sat down, my face a mask, feeling like an alien among them. “Hey, Ava, did you get your bonus?” Kyle Miller piped up, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Yeah, I did,” I said calmly. “Companies are laying people off everywhere this year, but ours is so generous!” Kyle continued, oblivious, or perhaps intentionally cruel. “If you’ve got talent, you get a huge bonus! Even the useless ones, the company still gave them three thousand bucks.” A wave of snickers rippled through the office. My knuckles went white as I clenched my fists, but I bit back any response. They continued their revelry, while I just buried my head in my work. Suddenly, the phone on my desk blared, a jarring sound. “Ava, the client’s system crashed again. Get on it, pronto! The boss is fuming.” It was Kyle’s voice, an impatient, demanding tone. This client was notoriously difficult. Anyone who touched them ended up with a headache. “Got it,” I said, a single word, then hung up. Just then, Brenda Lee from HR walked over. “Ava, don’t take it to heart. You’re actually really great.” Brenda was the only one in the company who ever showed me any real concern. “It’s fine, Brenda. Thanks,” I replied. I closed my SnapChat window and clicked open a heavily encrypted folder on my computer’s D drive. Inside was just one document. This document held all my client information. Every single order I’d secured, every single client I’d personally nurtured over the past three years, it was all here. These were the “brilliant achievements” in Victor’s reports, the capital he used to curry favor with Mr. Peterson, the founder. These were also my final trump card. I transferred all these files to my personal USB drive. Then, I wiped them from my computer. In the office, Victor’s voice boomed again, “Drinks are on me tonight, everyone!” Another wave of roaring applause and flattery followed. I sent him a text message: “Can’t make it tonight. Got plans.” 0
The week before my contract expired, Victor was still squeezing every last drop out of me. He called me into his office, leaning back in his executive chair, a sly grin playing on his lips. “Ava, this project is yours.” He pushed a thick folder across the desk towards me. The cover read “Aegis Group Strategic Partnership Proposal.” Aegis Group. Our company’s biggest, most crucial, and most demanding client. I flipped open the proposal. After just two pages, my heart sank. It was an entirely new, incredibly complex customized request. And the client wanted to see the complete first draft within three days. Three days. This wasn’t just impossible; it was a deliberate setup. “Victor, a high-quality proposal can’t be finished in three days.” “Ava.” His smile deepened, laced with meaning. “Challenges are what test you.” He stood up, clapped me on the shoulder, a thinly veiled threat in his voice. “Your contract’s almost up. Your renewal depends on your performance this time.” I took the folder. “I’ll do my best.” When I came out, Kyle immediately sidled up to me, his face alight with schadenfreude. “Ava, congrats! Victor’s really giving you a chance. Work hard, and maybe you’ll actually keep your job.” His voice wasn’t loud, but it was loud enough for the entire office to hear. Everyone watched me like it was a show. Pity, mockery, indifference. I knew, deep down, Victor had no intention of renewing my contract. He just wanted to drain every last bit of value from me, then toss me aside like trash. If this project succeeded, the credit would be his. If it failed, the blame would be mine. I opened my laptop, staring at the nearly impossible task, my mind strangely calm. The next three days were a blur of intense activity. By day, I organized files at my desk, deflecting the random tasks Kyle and others constantly threw my way. By night, when the office was finally empty, I truly began my work. Brenda couldn’t bear to watch. At eleven at night, she handed me a steaming mug of coffee, her eyes filled with concern. “Don’t push yourself like this, it’s not worth it.” I gave her a small smile. “It’s okay, Brenda. This is the last time.” She sighed, quietly patting my shoulder. After Brenda left, I picked up my phone and dialed a number directly. The contact was saved as “Mr. Donovan – Aegis Group.” “Mr. Donovan, hi, this is Ava Sterling.” “Oh, Ava,” his tone immediately warmed, “It’s pretty late. Is everything alright?” “Mr. Donovan, regarding this partnership proposal, there are a few details I’d like to confirm directly with you.” I bypassed all the so-called company procedures because I knew that, for Mr. Donovan of Aegis, I, Ava Sterling, was the most efficient process. For three years, every time their internal system experienced an emergency outage, whether it was midnight or not, I was the first to respond, resolving it remotely. Every time they proposed a wild, out-of-the-box idea, I was the one pulling all-nighters to create prototypes that came closest to their needs. His trust was never in our company; it was always in me. “Alright, go ahead.” Next, I worked directly with Mr. Donovan, finalizing all the details. Three days later, I printed out a perfect proposal and placed it on Victor’s desk. Then, I deleted every single file from my computer. When Victor arrived at work, he was absolutely thrilled with my proposal. He announced to the office, beaming: “Great news! Our team has secured the Aegis Group project!” The office erupted in thunderous applause. He basked in everyone’s flattery and compliments, never once mentioning the person who actually did the work. Then, he took my proposal and went to claim credit from Mr. Peterson. My heart remained calm. The last connection between me and this company had been severed by my own hands. 0
The day my contract expired, the HR email landed in my inbox promptly at the start of my workday. “Dear Ms. Sterling, Due to company business adjustments, your employment contract will not be renewed upon its expiry today. Please complete your offboarding procedures by 5 PM.” I glanced at the email, then hit delete. Everyone in the office pretended to be busy. No one offered me comfort. Only Brenda walked over, quietly patting my shoulder. Victor didn’t even show his face today. He probably thought it wasn’t necessary. A tool, once used, is simply discarded. The offboarding process was surprisingly smooth. Everyone was distant, almost cold. As if I were just a casual visitor. I walked out, carrying my cardboard box. Passing by the office, I noticed a celebration party in full swing. Victor stood in the center of the crowd, looking smug and triumphant. “Good news!” he announced. “Because our team brilliantly landed the Aegis Group project, I’ve just been appointed Vice President!” Everyone crowded around Victor, showering him with praise. He stood on the pedestal I’d unknowingly built for him. I smiled. There was no bitterness, no resentment in my smile, just the mockery of watching a clown perform. I turned away, not looking back. I pulled out my phone and sent a text to “Mr. Donovan – Aegis Group.” “Mr. Donovan, I have officially left my previous company today. Thank you for all your support over the years, and I wish you all the best.” Almost immediately, my phone rang. “Ava, why don’t you come work for my company?” I looked at the message, the smile on my lips deepening. Then, I opened my contacts and forwarded the “Core Clients” group to a few key people. These were all the core resources Victor had once valued. I knew a storm was brewing, aimed squarely at Victor. 0
Victor’s celebration party was in full swing, reaching its climax. He raised his glass, about to make a toast. A shrill, urgent phone ring cut through the air. Victor frowned, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face as he glanced at the caller ID. “Aegis Group – Mr. Donovan.” The annoyance was instantly replaced by a fawning smile. “Excuse me, everyone, the most important client is calling to congratulate me.” Under the envious gazes of his colleagues, he walked to a corner and answered. “Hello, Mr. Donovan! You’re so quick with the news, thank you for—” The voice on the other end cut him off. “Aegis Group is terminating all cooperation with your company, effective immediately.” The smile on Victor’s face instantly froze. “What do you mean? We just signed a partnership—” “You lost the most important person.” Then, the call was abruptly disconnected. Victor stood there, phone in hand, stunned. What did he mean by… the most important person? Before he could even process it, all the phones in the office began to ring, one after another. “Hello, this is…” “Hi, this is Eos Tech. We’re informing you that all our orders are canceled.” “What? Why?” They were all termination calls. “There’s nothing to explain. We only deal with Ava.” … These were the “loyal clients” Victor had boasted about countless times. And now, these “loyal clients” were all terminating their partnerships. The scent of champagne still lingered in the office, but the joyous laughter had been replaced by a dead silence. Only the persistent ringing of phones, like death knells, echoed in everyone’s hearts. Victor slumped into his leather executive chair, his eyes vacant. His subordinates, who had been fawning over him moments before, now kept their distance as if he were carrying a plague. “Ava…” He suddenly remembered something, frantically scrolling through his phone for Ava Sterling’s contact information. Just then, the office door was kicked open. The company founder’s face was thunderous. He stormed up to Victor and slammed another report onto his face. Mr. Peterson’s voice trembled with extreme rage. “Is this what you call a massive success?!” “Is this the regional VP position you brought me?!” “Half the company’s orders, in one damn afternoon, GONE!!!”
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