Generosity Cost Me My Job

"I've already gotten what I want," replied Michael.

As it turned out, Michael wanted me gone so he could get a promotion and take my place.

When he saw me entering the room, he raised his voice and continued, "Working for this wretched company is so exhausting. I'm so jealous of the people who get to leave this nasty job."

When the rest of the group caught sight of me, they instantly realized what Michael was trying to do.

"Maybe you should make an instruction manual for the rest of us, Zane. How does one get themselves laid off? It sounds like such a difficult feat…" someone else mocked.

Subsequently, they all began to laugh even louder.

I sighed inwardly and gently shook my head. Initially, I'd wanted to head over and give them a casual reminder. However, judging by how things were at the moment, I didn't think I needed to do so anymore.

Just as I was about to walk away, someone started yelling after me.

"Hey! Hey—you! I'm talking to you here. Are you deaf?"

I turned around and saw Veronica Goldberg.

Veronica, who was relatively close to Michael, walked toward me with a frown. Then, she impatiently flung a piece of paper at me and spat, "Here's the bill from last night. Do remember to pay your share. Your total is three thousand dollars."

Three thousand dollars?

I scanned the receipt and frowned. "From what I remember, the total cost of drinks, dinner, and the venue rental last night couldn't have been more than nine thousand dollars.

"Our department consists of twelve people, including me, so the bill should've been about seven hundred and fifty dollars per person. Why am I suddenly being asked to pay three thousand dollars then?"

Was the receipt even legitimate?

Upon hearing my comments, she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. With an arrogant expression, she retorted, "The bill has always been split this way. Your pay is a lot higher than ours. So, doesn't it make sense for you to pay a bigger share?"

What?

This was the first time I'd ever heard of team-building costs being split according to each employee's salary. On top of that, Veronica looked so entitled that I almost thought that I was being unreasonable.

Had I been paying a bigger share of our team-building expenses this entire time?

"You're not arguing with me over such a small amount of money, are you?" she asked with a look of disdain.

Of course I was. Did I look like a fool to her?

After eyeing me up and down, she suddenly pretended to look shocked. She dramatically put a hand over her mouth and said, "I'm so sorry! I forgot that you're out of a job. I suppose three thousand dollars is a hefty sum for someone who is unemployed…"

She intentionally dragged out her words in order to mock me.

Everyone in the office burst into laughter.

Michael, who'd been watching everything unfold from the sidelines, finally stepped forward. Pretending to be considerate, he waved Veronica off and said, "That's enough. Stop making things difficult for him."

Once he made his way toward me, he put on the same condescending expression and proceeded to stare at me with a mocking gaze.

"For old times' sake, I'll look past what happened yesterday. If you get on your knees and bark like a dog right now, I'll help you pay your share of the bill immediately. What do you say?"

Everyone in the office was staring at me. They were all waiting for me to humiliate myself.