Part 3The Office Doormat Strikes Back

She tossed the client contract onto my desk:

"You can't do a spreadsheet, but surely you can run an errand? This is the contract for the client. Go drop it off!"

Just as I was about to fire back, a scene from my past life flashed through my mind: It was this exact contract delivery. Linda falsely accused me of submitting the contract to the client without permission, which cost me my annual bonus, got me publicly reprimanded, and made me cry my eyes out.

Well, I had to deliver it. Otherwise, what if she noticed the data was wrong and corrected it?

So, I pretended to be reluctant and said:

"Fine, I'll go drop it off now."

Linda looked pleased. She finally got her respect back today. This young upstart dared to rebel and be insubordinate; she had to nip that abnormal behavior in the bud immediately.

However, seeing my sour expression, she assumed I was still resentful and wanted to push me down further:

"Chloe, this isn't just a simple delivery. You'll get to interact with the client. You can learn how to communicate with clients. You're still very lacking in that area."

What a joke. When I got to the client's office, all I had to do was hand it to the receptionist. What was there to learn? Stop using "learning" and "growth" as bait to exploit young employees.

Besides, I communicate perfectly fine with my own clients. How am I lacking?

Of course, right now, I couldn't wait to get that contract into the client's hands. I just played hard to get:

"But I'm worried the manager might need me for something. If he can't find me, he might mark me as AWOL. Could you let the manager know?"

My request was perfectly reasonable. The company had a formal "Out of Office" form, but people usually just left if they had urgent business. I diligently filled out the form, made sure both Linda and the manager, Mark, signed it, and then happily rented a Citi Bike to deliver the contract.

As for the financial loss it would cause the company, that wasn't my problem. In my past life, when the bullying got so suffocating I couldn't breathe, I went to the boss and told him I felt like I was being bullied by my coworkers.

The boss just sneered at me:

"Chloe, have you been reading too much fiction? There's no such thing as bullying among adults. If nobody likes you, maybe it's because your emotional intelligence isn't high enough?"

I tried to explain, but he waved his hand dismissively:

"Look for the reasons within yourself. Don't blow everything out of proportion. You're an adult, stop being so dramatic!"

Was I being dramatic? I was being bullied, and I was supposed to find the reason within myself? When will this victim-blaming mentality finally disappear?

I looked at the contract in my hand and wished I could change the price to be even lower and the penalty clause to be even higher. I'd love to bankrupt this company in one fell swoop.

But I wasn't going to commit a crime. I'd just sit back and watch them destroy themselves.