Whie They Played in the Snow

“Brandon, how come I never realized you were this petty before?” Jessica crossed her arms and glared at me. “I already told you that lately I have had Elliot clean up the company atmosphere and rebuild the corporate culture. I asked you to support me. However, instead of helping, you are throwing a tantrum and quitting.”

She pulled a key out of Elliot’s pocket and tossed it against my chest.

“Fine. Go enjoy the air conditioning if you want it that badly. Happy now? However, since you violated company policy, your entire quarterly bonus is gone.”

I did not move, and Jessica let out an icy laugh.

“Well? I am letting you use it now, so why are you not bringing the generator inside? Do not tell me you regret this after hearing your bonus got cut.”

I picked up the key and threw it straight into the trash can. “I already told you. I am resigning.”

The moment I turned to leave, several coworkers I had personally brought onto the team stood up as well.

“If Brandon quits, we quit.”

“Yeah. We are done with this. What kind of corporate culture is this supposed to be? All I have seen is people getting tortured.”

“I am out too.”

Panic flashed across Jessica’s face for a split second when she saw so many people resign at once. She then turned her anger on me.

“Brandon, do you even have a conscience?” she snapped.

“The company paid you, trained you, and gave you everything you have today. Instead of being grateful, you are encouraging everyone else to quit with you.”

I stared at the woman in front of me, arguing nonsense with complete confidence, and I suddenly felt sick.

For a moment, I could barely remember the version of her who once cried in front of me and begged for help.

I laughed bitterly.

“When you first started this company, you were not prepared. You did not even have enough funding. I emptied my savings to help you survive those early days so you would not go bankrupt.

“When you hit technical problems, you cried and begged me to help. I quit my job at a major company just to come work for you.

“So tell me, between the two of us, who exactly helped who? And who should really be grateful?”

Jessica fell silent.

A moment later, she grabbed my arm and pulled me into another room.

After she shut the door, her expression softened at once.

“Brandon, you misunderstood me.”

I raised an eyebrow.

She gave a helpless smile. “I know you have suffered these past few months. However, did you forget? I told you before that Elliot is only a stepping stone I am using to pave the way for you. Once he serves his purpose, I will get rid of him.

“I have always wanted to move you into management, but I was worried the other employees would not accept it. That is why I let Elliot reshape the company culture first. Once he finishes cleaning things up, I will use the same rules he created against him and fire him.

“Then when you step into management, everyone will compare you to Elliot and think you are amazing. Everything I have done was for your future.”

She said it so smoothly I almost believed her.

When Elliot first appeared by her side, she had told me the exact same thing.

She said she used his aggressive personality to do things she could not conveniently do herself. She said that in order to borrow his strength, she had no choice but to indulge his arrogance.

She told me it was necessary and asked me not to take it personally.

At first, I believed her.

That was why I ignored all of Elliot’s outrageous behavior and kept tolerating him again and again.

After what happened that day, after seeing her side with him so openly, even someone as slow as me could not keep lying to himself anymore.

Before I could speak, the door creaked open.

Jessica frowned at once.

“Who is there?”

She yanked the door open.

Elliot stood outside with tears running down his face.

“Jessica… were you telling the truth?

“You were only nice to me because you wanted to use me to help your boyfriend?”