Commission Deducted for One Extra Meal

...

Seeing how confidently I spoke, my colleagues exchanged puzzled glances. Only Mark seemed to catch on, his eyes sparking with realization.

I didn't elaborate; I just moved some office supplies to the outer cubicle. My new assigned spot was in the corner of the hall, right next to the storage room and the restroom.

It was a blatant dig from Adeline, but I didn't care. Her time in the office was running out anyway.

I'd cut her slack for so long because of Elliott, figuring she'd be family one day. Not anymore.

Glancing at my phone, I replayed a video my best friend had sent. It showed Elliott and Cheryl locked in a passionate embrace outside a hotel.

A chill ran through me as I chuckled darkly. "Used me to steady the ship, then kick me overboard once it's smooth sailing? But did you ever think one word from me could sink the whole damn thing?"

I pocketed the phone and fired up my computer, using AI to whip up a sloppy self-criticism email for Adeline. Then I submitted my vacation request.

Without waiting for Elliott's approval, I grabbed my bag and headed out.

Adeline didn't care how half-hearted my self-criticism was; she posted it on the intranet and took the opportunity to mock me.

[Some folks ride the company's coattails to a bit of success and forget their place. Let this be your wake-up call, or end up like her.]

I ignored her sarcasm. Back home, I took a relaxing bath and curled up on the sofa to binge-watch TV shows.

This past year, I'd been running around for the Mason Group, working overtime on proposals and market research like it was routine. Now I finally had time to enjoy this rare leisure time.

In the office, Adeline and Cheryl weren't idle. Cheryl snatched up my client files from Mark, clearly aiming to make a splash.

By 8 a.m. the next day, Adeline started boasting in the chat group: [Congratulations to Cheryl Whitfield for securing a $500K order on her first day! Let's aim for even more success ahead!]

Cheryl chimed in with polished platitudes, the pair hyping each other like they'd closed a multimillion-dollar deal.

Mark messaged me privately: [A $500K order? Even my retail deals are bigger than that. I don't know where they get the nerve to brag in the group.]

I texted back with a laugh: [Hey, a win's a win. Let them bask for now.]

Mark: [When is your move, boss? Can't wait to see them crash and burn.]

Adeline's unpopularity was no secret.

Me: [Patience. Let it build a bit more.]

Holding the trump card, I wasn't in a hurry.

In the following days, Adeline posted several more "victory reports" in the group. Cheryl, leveraging the old clients I'd cultivated, secured multiple renewals totaling $50 million.

They dropped all pretense, constantly shading me in the group and tagging me at every opportunity. Little did they know, every client had looped me in first for approval.

Those deals were greenlit by me, and everything was going according to my plan.