On the other end of the line, all I could hear was the noise of the party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I could make out the sound of glasses clinking. All that fake joy was built upon an entire year of my hard work. Ryan spoke again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This time he wasn\u2019t shouting. His tone was almost one of pleading. \u201cMegan, don\u2019t do this to me. I know you\u2019re angry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe thing about your termination was a misunderstanding.\u201d \u201cIt was a Human Resources error!\u201d He started making excuses. They were as useless as they were ridiculous. I took another shrimp, dipped it in the sauce, and ate it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The spice exploded on my tongue. Delicious. \u201cMr. Ryan,\u201d I said calmly, \u201cit was Patricia from HR who informed me personally.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe said it was a company decision.\u201d \u201cShe said I had undergone an evaluation.\u201d \u201cAnd that the result of that evaluation was that I, Megan Salazar, needed to be \u2018optimized\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was silence on the other end. I heard Ryan\u2019s quickened breathing, like a cornered animal. \u201cMegan, listen to me,\u201d he whispered. He had clearly moved away from the noise of the party. \u201cToday\u2019s presentation\u2026 Danielle couldn\u2019t open the main file. And the backup she brought was incomplete. Mr. Henderson was furious. He said he only trusted you for this project. Without you, there is no contract.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I let out a low laugh. \u201cMr. Ryan, that file is encrypted. I\u2019m the only one with the password. And the physical documents? They\u2019re already packed in a box, along with the trust I had in this company.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGive me the password! Right now!\u201d he ordered, regaining his arrogance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy would I do that? I\u2019m no longer an employee of the company, remember? Though, you could hire me as a consultant. My rate is ten million dollars per character of the password.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAre you crazy?! I\u2019ll sue you!\u201d he yelled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTry it. But before you do, think about how you\u2019re going to explain to the board of directors that they lost 800 million because of your ego.\u201d I hung up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not even ten minutes had passed when the group chat turned into a living hell. Danielle, who hours ago was acting like a queen, was now writing desperately. Ryan must have ordered her to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Danielle:<\/strong> \u201cMegan, please. Answer Mr. Ryan\u2019s calls. Everything is in chaos here at the Marriott. Mr. Henderson wants to cancel all our bookings for next year!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Danielle:<\/strong> \u201cMegan, I\u2019m so sorry for what I said earlier. It was a joke! You\u2019ve always been my role model!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I didn\u2019t respond. I just watched as each message appeared. And the brown-nosers from before? They were silent now. Some even left the group, fearing they\u2019d get caught in Ryan\u2019s path of destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suddenly, my doorbell rang. It was late at night. Who could it be? I checked the camera from my phone. I was surprised to see Ryan, drenched in sweat with a wrinkled suit jacket, accompanied by Patricia from HR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I activated the intercom. \u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMegan! Open the door!\u201d Ryan shouted, almost kneeling in front of the gate. \u201cHave mercy on the company! Have mercy on me! If this 800 million dollar contract doesn\u2019t go through, our stock will plummet. Everyone will lose their jobs!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Patricia also looked like she was about to cry. \u201cMegan, I\u2019m sorry\u2026 Ryan ordered me to call you this morning. He said we had to fire \u2018expensive\u2019 employees so his bonus would be bigger.\u201d There it was. The truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I opened the front door but only walked out as far as the gate. I looked at them both, looking like drowned rats under the streetlight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMegan, take this.\u201d Ryan held out a document. \u201cIt\u2019s a new contract. I\u2019m tripling your salary. I\u2019m naming you Vice President of Operations. Just sign it and let\u2019s go back to the World Trade Center right now. Mr. Henderson is waiting for us!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I looked at the paper. Triple salary? Vice President? I ripped the contract up in front of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cToo late, Ryan,\u201d I said as I let the pieces of paper fall to the ground. \u201cA little while ago, while I was eating shrimp, your main competitor called me: Global Horizon Group.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ryan\u2019s eyes went wide. \u201cWhat\u2026 what did they say?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat they\u2019ve wanted to hire me for a long time. And since you fired me, I\u2019m now a free agent. They offered me a 5% stake in the company if I bring my expertise to them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou can\u2019t do that! You have a non-compete clause!\u201d Patricia screamed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I gave her a sweet smile. \u201cPatricia, did you already forget? You fired me without just cause and without following due process. That contract you keep mentioning was torn to shreds the moment you told me I was fired.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I took a step back inside. \u201cMegan, no!\u201d Ryan pleaded, trying to grab onto the gate. \u201cLet\u2019s talk!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have nothing left to talk about,\u201d I replied. \u201cYou\u2019d better watch the news tomorrow. That\u2019s when you\u2019ll find out how Global Horizon Group won the 800 million dollar project\u2026 with me included.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I shut the door firmly. Inside my house, everything was at peace. The shrimp was gone and the movie had finished. Tomorrow, my new life in Midtown would begin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tonight, I would sleep soundly, while my old boss stayed outside, surrounded by mosquitoes, watching his future crumble bit by bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Life is like a wheel: sometimes you\u2019re up, sometimes you\u2019re down. But if you try to remove a wheel while the car is still moving, sooner or later, you\u2019re going to crash.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On the other end of the line, all I could hear was the noise of the party. I could make out the sound of glasses clinking. 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