I was working late, starving, and ate a biscuit. For that, my manager slapped me with a $600,000 penalty! She pointed her finger right in my face, absolutely furious: “Skylar, don’t you dare think just because you closed a deal, you’re hot stuff!” “This is a workplace, not your personal kitchen! If you want to eat, do it on your own time!” “Company policy explicitly forbids snacks! You knew, and you did it anyway, making it ten times worse!” “That $600,000 commission? Canceled!” I just looked at her, calmly saying, “Whatever.” I decided to just lean into it, throw in the towel. And that’s when she couldn’t sit still anymore. Brenda was seething at my attitude. “Skylar, write an apology! A public apology in front of everyone!” I watched Brenda’s face, flushed crimson with rage, and instinctively clenched my fists. Then I calmly said, “Fine by me!” Every single colleague stared at me, disbelief etched on their faces. Brenda stormed off in her heels to the 23rd floor, leaving me at my desk. A moment later, a notice popped up in the company-wide SnapChat. “Skylar from Sales, for repeated violations of company policy, we have decided to dock her monthly commission, totaling $600,000. She is also required to issue a public apology at the company-wide meeting this afternoon at 2 PM, as a warning to others!” My colleagues looked at me in shock. Leo, from the desk across, messaged me privately: “Brenda’s totally going through menopause, don’t mind her. Just swallow your pride, that’s six hundred grand!” I just smiled. Swallowing my pride wouldn’t help. She wanted to use me up and then discard me. She had been eyeing my position for a long time. When Mr. Sterling personally headhunted me, we had an agreement: no clocking in or out, complete freedom, eat and drink as I pleased, as long as I delivered results. Most of the sales department’s revenue came from me alone. I closed the M Corp. deal, worth billions, in just one week. Brenda probably thought my job was too easy and was just plain jealous. I replied to Leo: “Just wait. This afternoon won’t just be my public shaming; someone’s also going to take my place!” Leo looked stunned. I ignored him, calmly sitting at my desk, organizing and printing all my client files. Then I wiped clean all the data on my work phone. After doing these two things, I started writing my apology. Brenda came down once during this time. Seeing me write the apology, she smirked triumphantly. At 2 PM, she came back with someone else. Over a hundred people gathered in the main conference room on the 23rd floor. Brenda’s voice rang out, clear and sharp: “I’ll reiterate—a company is a company! Don’t think this place is your personal home! We’ve told you countless times not to turn it into a garbage dump, but some people just refuse to listen!” “Don’t think just because the Chairman headhunted you, you’re special! Anyone can close a deal with a phone call and a dinner! That’s not real skill!” “Skylar, get up here and apologize! Let everyone see how you messed up!” I stood up and walked to the front, amidst a mix of bewildered and gloating stares. “Manager Brenda is right. I shouldn’t have eaten a biscuit in the office. From today on, I will strictly adhere to company rules and never cross the line again!” “Manager Brenda, I’m not exactly a wordsmith; I don’t have much else to say. If you don’t want me to eat, I won’t eat. Being a sales rep isn’t that big a deal!” “Good that you know! Given your repeated offenses, the senior management has decided today to revoke your position as Sales Director and demote you to a regular sales associate.” “This is our new Director, Chad, a Stanford graduate. He will lead you all to new heights!” A smattering of applause broke out. Brenda pulled a slick-haired man with an overly confident smirk forward. Leo and I exchanged glances. He was totally floored. Finally, Brenda added: “Skylar, organize your client files and hand them over. They’ll be reallocated!” I agreed without a word, printed everything out, and handed it over. These clients? If you can handle them, go right ahead! Seeing me so cooperative, Brenda looked a little suspicious. She double-checked everything to make sure it was correct before finally dropping it. Chad, full of himself, strutted over to my desk right after coming down from the 23rd floor and tapped his finger on my desk. “Skylar, hurry up! Pack all your stuff now. Otherwise, if anything goes missing, you’ll be held responsible.”
I got it. As Sales Director, my desk used to be with everyone else, but my row was just me, with an open view of everyone opposite. Now, it was different. He couldn’t wait to push me out, and my new spot was placed opposite him, right by the window. Even with AC in summer, I wasn’t allowed to draw the blinds. The scorching sun streamed through the glass, making the computer screen glare and heating up the entire area. But none of that mattered. I silently packed my belongings and was about to move my computer to the new spot when he stopped me. “Hold on. We need to check everything on your computer, too. What if you try to take client data with you?” “Fine, check it!” I opened my laptop and let him search through everything. Mr. Sterling himself headhunted me, and he told me one thing: “Skylar, you have absolute authority within this company!” Mr. Sterling’s health hadn’t been great in recent years, and he’d gone abroad for treatment. Everything they were doing now seemed ridiculously comical to me. I knew exactly what Brenda was thinking: use me up and toss me aside, all to cut costs for the company. Too bad cutting costs isn’t that simple. Chad couldn’t find anything suspicious, so he just waved me off. Leo texted me: “Skylar, don’t worry, we’re all rooting for you!” I replied with a smiley face. What good was their support? I didn’t believe the execs on the 23rd floor were unaware of Brenda’s actions. They tacitly approved. That meant even Mr. Sterling, all the way across the ocean, must have known. If that was the case, there was no point in arguing with them. I clocked in and out like everyone else. I didn’t know how things were before, but from now on, I’d strictly follow company procedures. No one could fault that, right? Traditionally, I’d usually meet clients for coffee or drinks after work, but not anymore. I drove straight home, collapsed onto my long-missed bed, and watched the sunset. My mood was great. I used to constantly be out entertaining clients, with endless social obligations. Now, I finally had time to myself. I pulled out my phone, searched for opera tickets, and booked one. My favorite opera singer had performed hundreds of times, and I’d never been to a single show. Now, I finally had the time. Soon after, I was added to a new sales group chat. Chad was the group admin. “@Everyone: From now on, all sales reps must submit daily sales logs. I want to see who you met, what you discussed, and if there’s any potential, every single day.” “Each month, you need to bring in 5 potential leads. Fail to do so, and your monthly assessment will drop by 20%.” Leo messaged me, complaining: “Look at him! He claims to be from Stanford, but he’s bringing back all these old, outdated methods?” “Has he ever even done sales? Potential leads aren’t that easy to find! Five a month? The entire company only closes deals with old clients nowadays!” “The economy’s rough right now, it’s not easy. And big clients? We can barely touch those. Small clients? This city only has so many people. He’s literally leaving us no room to breathe.” Seeing Leo’s complaints, I just comforted him: “Just take your time. Do whatever the boss tells you to.” “Skylar, how can you just let him walk all over you? I wouldn’t stand for it! If it were me, I’d have quit already! I can’t stand this crap!” Leo never held back. I smiled at his texts but didn’t reply. I wasn’t in a hurry. They’d figure it out soon enough.
The next day, I went to the office and submitted my vacation request form. I had worked at the company for eight years and never taken a single day of annual leave. When I handed in the form today, Chad looked at me. “What’s the meaning of this, Skylar? I just started, and you want to take time off? Are you deliberately trying to defy me?” “Director Chad, you’re overreacting. Under your brilliant leadership, I’m sure we’ll turn things around! I’ve been working for so many years without a break; I’m just completely worn out. I need to take some annual leave, give myself a proper break. My body can’t handle it anymore.” He looked me up and down, his eyes held a clear look of disdain. “Right. All those big clients you have to entertain. True, after thirty, people just don’t have the energy they used to.” He was definitely implying something. He suspected I used shady tactics to land clients. Once prejudice takes root, it’s incredibly hard to change. But I didn’t bother to explain now. Chad still signed it. “Remember your monthly assessment! If you don’t meet your targets, your base salary will be docked!” “Fail to meet targets for three consecutive months, and you’re packing your bags and out the door!” “Understood. Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.” Because they’re the ones who’ll be leaving! After finishing the paperwork, I packed my things and started my vacation. First stop: the capital city. Today was the day I was seeing my show; I absolutely couldn’t miss it. Two hours later, just as I got off the express train, Leo texted me: “Skylar, the Bright Horizon Group contract was finalized. Brenda says this revenue will be credited to Chad’s name.” “By year-end, they’re going to push for Chad to be the Head of Sales. That way, Brenda can get another promotion too!” “Seriously, how shameless! Are you just going to take this?” “Not yet. They can’t handle it. Just wait!” I sent that text and smiled. The Bright Horizon contract wasn’t something you could just smooth over with a few dinners and drinks. I ignored it, silenced my phone, and sat in the auditorium, looking at the stage, barely three feet in front of me. I was incredibly excited. My mood ebbed and flowed with the play, sometimes laughing, sometimes shedding tears. Two hours later, I walked out of the auditorium, pulled out my phone, and saw over a hundred missed calls and countless messages. The most recent one was from Brenda, just moments ago. “Skylar, Mr. Vance from Bright Horizon Group says there’s a problem with the contract. They’re backing out, a direct loss of billions! You’re gonna get fired!” I scoffed, replying with just one sentence: “The contract was handed over to Chad. He messes up, and I’m supposed to take the blame?” “Manager Brenda, if you want to fire me, make sure you pay me severance, okay?” After sending it, I shoved my phone back in my pocket. Leo couldn’t even reach me. I spent my time enjoying the sights and sounds, grabbing snacks, and the constant messages on my phone kept me updated. After I left, Chad tried to “build rapport” with the big client, went to Bright Horizon Group, and even brought gifts. But when he got there, Mr. Vance met him. Learning Chad was the new director, Mr. Vance asked a few technical questions, and Chad couldn’t answer a single one. Mr. Vance thought the company was unprofessional and requested to personally inspect the facility. I’d visited that site hundreds of times with him, but Chad had never even stepped foot there. When they arrived, the machine was conveniently broken. Chad told the engineers to come fix it. However, no one knew how to repair the new machine. Whenever there was a problem in the past, I’d just call in someone to fix it. Chad used this as an excuse, claiming I had intentionally sabotaged the machine. Mr. Vance immediately declared our company was fraudulent and he wouldn’t renew the contract. Not only were billions gone because he messed up this contract, but Mr. Vance also publicly ridiculed Chad and even escalated the issue to Mr. Sterling. Leo happened to call: “Skylar, please come back! They’re even talking about calling the police and saying you committed malicious fraud!”
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