“Are you really quitting? Why so suddenly?”
“Laura said I was fired.”
“Well, if she said so, maybe there’s no other way.”
Even the executives couldn’t stop Laura’s actions. Given her connections to a larger company, it seemed inevitable.
That day, I resigned and left the company.
“Scott, please come back to our company. We need you here. We’ll talk to the manager,” read numerous messages on my phone, all begging me to return.
But I had been fired, and there was nothing I could do about it.
“If you’re not here, I don’t know how to proceed with our business strategy,” a female colleague said cheerfully over the phone.
“I appreciate everyone’s words, but I’ve been let go.”
“Don’t say that,” she replied.
But as much as I felt for my trusting colleagues, there wasn’t much I could do.
I already had my sights set on another company, so I stuck to my decision and said goodbye to my colleagues.
“Well then, Scott, are you okay?” Pamela asked.
Actually, I was about to contact you.
After reaching out to a certain company, I immediately got a call from Michael. He had been out on sales visits and was unaware of what had happened.
“Recently, I heard from everyone. Are you really quitting, Mark?” Michael asked.
“That’s right.”
“Do you have another job lined up?”
“Yes, fortunately.”
“Scott, we’ve known each other since our previous job, but I have a favor to ask.”
“I’ve already talked about you, Michael.”
“Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.”
A few months after leaving that company, I found myself at a high-end restaurant for a business meeting.
Honestly, the person I was meeting today was a bit difficult to deal with.
As I waited at the entrance, I heard a familiar voice.
“Well, well. Long time no see.”
Laura Sono appeared, smirking.
“Oh, look, it’s the gloomy window-seat guy,” she said in a condescending tone.
“What are you doing here? Surely not eating, right? You couldn’t possibly afford a meal here, could you?” she mocked.
“Did you ever find a company that would hire someone as useless as you?” she continued, clearly unaware of my current situation.
“Well, actually…”
“They can’t be anything important, right?” she interrupted, not giving me a chance to explain.
She continued with her mocking laughter.
“What would a useless non-worker like you be doing at such a high-end restaurant? Are you part of the cleaning staff? It’s just like you to try to look cool. It doesn’t suit you at all.”
“I’m not part of the cleaning staff. I’m here for work today.”
“Work? Ha. That’s a word for people who actually work hard, like me, not for incompetents like you,” she sneered.
“Today, I came here as a sales manager for a business meeting. Not like you, who just sits at a computer.”
As I grew tired of her endless chatter, someone approached us.
“Hey, sorry I’m late.”
“I’ve been waiting for you, Director Charles.”
It was Charles, the director from the major restaurant chain Bloom Dining.
I shook hands with Charles, and Laura suddenly bowed her head.
“Director Charles, thank you very much for your valuable time today.”
Seeing that it was Director Charles, Laura quickly started to butter him up, showing just how important this business meeting was for her company.
“Hi, Laura. Looking forward to working together. But really, if both of you had arrived earlier, you could have waited inside,” Charles said to me with a friendly smile.
Laura looked confused.
“What? Scott is involved in this business?” she muttered under her breath, clearly shocked.
“Shall we go inside, then?” Charles suggested.
“Yes, yes, let’s,” Laura replied, still trying to process what was happening.
Prompted by Charles, we proceeded into the restaurant and were guided to a private room.
“What’s going on here?” Laura whispered to me, still confused.
“Don’t rush. You’ll understand soon,” I whispered back, making sure Charles didn’t hear.
Once inside the private room, and after the attendant had left, I prepared my business card.
It was time to clear up the confusion.
“Here is my business card,” I said, handing it to Laura.
“What? Really?”
Laura’s eyes widened as she looked at the card.
It read: Scott Murphy, Head of Bloom Dining Food Research Department.
“You asked earlier if there was a place that would hire me. Well, I was picked up by your major client,” I said with a smile.
Laura’s face turned increasingly pale.
After leaving that company, I had contacted Charles. I had known Charles for a while and had previously received an invitation from him.
“I’m glad you joined us, Scott,” Charles said.
“Thank you. I look forward to working with you.”
“The pleasure is ours. We’re grateful to have someone with your talents join us. We’ll be counting on you.”
“Yes, I’ll do my best.”
So I joined Bloom Dining and took on the responsibilities entrusted to me.
Just like in my previous company, my work was recognized, leading to a smooth promotion to my current position as the head of the department.
“Is that really possible?” Laura mumbled, still in disbelief.