One Cup of Coffee, One Ruined Career

The day I closed the biggest deal of the year for the company, I drank a single milk tea from the client, and the intern I was training reported me for taking kickbacks.

Not only were all my bonuses and commissions cancelled, I was demoted a full level.

The intern who reported me sailed through to a permanent position and took over the project I'd handled.

When I confronted her, all she did was blink at me.

"Sis, if you take a drink from someone, of course you'll cut them some slack~"

"Reporting you was for your own good. It'll keep you from making a big mistake down the road. You should be thanking me!"

The intern walked off, pleased with herself.

But a few days later, the client stormed straight into the company over her, because she'd packed up the lobster and king crab left on the dinner table to take home.

When she came to me for help, I gave a scornful shake of my head.

"Take a drink from someone and you owe them, take a gift and you're compromised. Learn your lesson now so you don't make a bigger mistake later. I can't help you!"

...

"A milk tea, and you'll take even that? Do you have any respect for the company left? Do you even know what your job is?"

The manager slammed the desk so hard it rattled, spit flying all over me.

The office door stood wide open, and outside every coworker was craning their neck, waiting to enjoy the show.

"Manager, it was just an ordinary milk tea. It doesn't count as a kickback at all," I couldn't help arguing.

"Still talking back!"

The manager pounded the desk again, hard enough to make the teacup jump.

"Why would they give it only to you and no one else?"

"With that kind of character, grabbing every little freebie, how could anyone dare hand the account to you? You're off the account. Come find me when you've straightened out your head!"

I clenched my fists and, under a whole room of mocking eyes, walked numbly back to my desk.

The moment I sat down, a face plump with collagen leaned in close.

"Sis, you're not going to blame me, are you?"

Kitty Fox twisted her fingers together, her big eyes brimming with innocence.

I looked at her coldly and didn't want to say a single word.

"Pfft."

Kitty suddenly covered her mouth and let out a soft giggle.

"Sis, don't be so petty. I reported you for your own good too."

"Take a drink from someone and you owe them, take a gift and you're compromised. I was just keeping you from waving clients through later and making an even bigger mistake!"

I found it utterly absurd.

"Waving them through? We're the vendor. We spend every day begging the client to pay us. What exactly could I wave through for them?"

Kitty pursed her lips, her tone airy.

"Who knows. What if you were taking kickbacks on the side?"

"Anyway, Sis, the manager said the coordination on this project is fully mine to handle from now on."

"So stop being so small-minded and sulking."

Watching her sway off, I felt my heart twist in wave after wave of pain.

Back during campus recruitment, Kitty's rsum was so weak she got turned away everywhere, and she stood bawling in the hallway.

I felt sorry for her, so I took the pressure of bringing in someone nobody wanted and taught her everything myself, hand over hand.

I never imagined I'd raised an ingrate.

"Attention, everyone. Milk tea's on me today!"

Kitty's voice suddenly rang out across the office.

The coworkers burst into cheers and crowded around her.

Kitty held up her phone, smug, and came over to me again.

"Sis, what do you want? How about a mint milk green tea?"

She looked at me with a sweet little smile, leaning hard on those last three words.

It was exactly the flavor of the milk tea the client had bought me before.

"No thanks."

Three cold words, and that was all I gave her.

Kitty's eyes went red, and the tears fell right on cue.

"Sis, are you still holding a grudge against me?"

"You were the one who wanted that milk tea. You just had to take advantage of the client."

"Now the manager handed the account to me. What was I supposed to do? How can you take it out on me?"

I was so furious it came out as a laugh. I folded my arms and looked at her, cold.

"I took advantage?"

"Kitty, who's the one stuffing whole rolls of the office toilet paper into her bag every single day?"

"The coffee in the break room, the little snacks, when have you not cleaned them all out and taken them home?"

"When it comes to mooching off the company, is there anyone here who can top you?"

Kitty's face froze in an instant.

She clenched her teeth and dropped her voice to a cold whisper, pitched so only the two of us could hear.

"So what? You've got it coming, all of it. Serves you right."

"What good does all your hard work do you now? You just had the bad luck to be the one they made an example of."

"This account and the commission landed in my lap. Bet that's killing you, isn't it? It's hilarious. A deal this sweet, I'd be an idiot not to take it."

Before I could answer, she suddenly staggered back a step, buried her face in her hands, and broke into sobs.

"Sis, even if you don't want it, you don't have to scream at me like this..."

"I was just trying to be nice and buy you a drink..."

The coworkers, who a second ago had been buzzing excitedly about which flavor to get, went dead silent.

A dozen accusing stares swung around and locked onto me.

"Oh, Kitty, don't cry. Some people just bite the hand that feeds them."

"Exactly. She screwed up and got punished, so now she takes it out on a newbie?"

"She really thinks she's something. She used to train the girl, and now that Kitty's been made permanent, she's jealous. It's disgusting."

Watching them fall in line with each other, all I felt was cold to the bone.

Back when these people couldn't close a single deal, they cried out of sheer panic, and I was the one who, for the sake of being coworkers, handed them accounts off my own desk.

After Kitty joined, she schemed every way she could to snatch deals right out of their hands so she'd get to stay, and behind her back they cursed her up and down.

But now, over one cup of milk tea, I was the one everybody had turned on.

Really something.

Someone sidled up to Kitty, all fawning smiles.

"Kitty, you're amazing. Barely made permanent and you land an account this big. What's your secret?"

Kitty wiped her tears, her face full of smug satisfaction.

"Honestly, it's nothing special. Mostly it just comes down to my own hard work and dedication."

"You have to be patient with clients, keep in touch, reply to every message the second it comes in."

"Not like certain people who think their seniority means they can just phone it in with clients."

Listening to Kitty spout her high-minded speech, I nearly threw up on the spot.

Hardworking? Diligent? Always replying in seconds?

Back when I was training her on client accounts, she complained the clients were too much trouble and trashed them behind their backs.

To hit her numbers, she'd promise clients anything, and in the end I was always the one cleaning up her mess.

I couldn't stomach that fake, simpering face of hers, so I frowned and turned to stare at my own monitor.

While Kitty was busy ordering everyone their milk tea, I bundled every file I had on that big contract and sent the whole packet to her with a single click, then leaned back in my chair, thinking.

For years I'd run myself ragged day and night for those numbers. When I actually did the math, I'd racked up a full six months of unused leave.

After browsing a few tour packages, I went straight into the system and filed a leave request.

Just as I expected, the manager called me into his office right away.

"Shirley, is this you throwing a tantrum at me?"

I looked at him calmly. "Manager, I'm only taking the leave I'm entitled to. That's within procedure, isn't it?"

He let out a cold snort, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Shirley, don't think so highly of yourself."

"Walk out that door, and when you come back, your accounts will all be gone. Don't say I didn't warn you."

I tugged at the corner of my mouth. "Whatever."

Face like a storm cloud, he gritted his teeth and clicked approve in the system.

I packed my bags and flew out of town for a few days.

Once I'd had my fill of the trip, I met up with a few headhunters I knew well and locked down the new job and terms for good.

Only after all of that was settled did I finally have time to scroll through my work messages.

That was when I found that Kitty, whose calls I'd already blocked, had bombarded me with over a hundred messages on the app.

"Shirley, why didn't you note down that the client is allergic to caffeine? I bought Mr. Chavez a premium black coffee and he blew up right there. Did you do this to sabotage me on purpose?!"

"What does clause two of the contract actually mean? Say something!"

"Playing dead, huh? People like you deserve to get demoted!"

Reading those furious accusations, I gave a cold laugh and screenshotted every single one.

Monday, I came back to the office right on time.

My seat had barely warmed up when the HR manager walked over, her face cold.

"Shirley."

"Someone reported that you deliberately failed to respond to work messages during your leave, causing a major error in a company project. We're now issuing you a formal disciplinary notice."

There was no need to wonder. This was Kitty's doing, no question.

I followed the HR manager into her office, my face blank.

She swiveled her monitor around. The screen was packed with screenshots of Kitty's messages.

"Shirley Dickerson, deliberately ignoring messages during work hours and causing a major project error. What do you have to say for yourself?"

I took out my phone, unhurried, and pulled up the leave approval record in the system.

"This was legally approved time off. The manager signed off on it himself, right here in the system."

Her face froze, then she pushed back anyway. "That was a special circumstance. Urgent situations call for flexibility. As a senior employee, you should have the bigger picture in mind."

I laughed outright, cold.

"The bigger picture?"

"I've already been demoted. Every account and file I had was packaged up and handed over to Kitty with one click."

"Under company confidentiality policy, anyone who isn't on a project checking or asking about its business information privately is subject to penalties."

"So tell me, are you asking me to be the one who breaks company policy first?"

She was left speechless, unable to get a single word out for a long moment.

"Fine. Go back to your desk."

I turned and walked out of the office in long strides.

The second I got back to my desk, I saw Kitty going through my things.

Her hand was already on the zipper of my bag.

"Hands off!"

My voice cracked out sharp.

Kitty visibly jumped, snatched her hand back, her face going a little pale.

Then she pursed her lips and rolled her eyes.

"What are you yelling for? So stingy."

"You go off on a whole trip and can't even be bothered to bring back a souvenir for anyone."

I looked at her and gave a soft laugh.

"You're right, I'm not as generous as you."

"After all, I could never pull off going to a scenic spot on vacation and handing every coworker a 'rare stone from the site.'"

Kitty's expression changed on the spot.

"Shirley Dickerson, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing much. I just remembered the cleaning lady mentioning she saw you first thing one morning, picking up half a bag of pebbles from the landscaping strip downstairs."

"What, when did our company's landscaping strip become a five-star scenic destination?"

A few people nearby couldn't hold back a burst of laughter.

Kitty's face turned ugly. She rounded on me, grinding her teeth.

"Shirley Dickerson, quit with the snide little digs. You're just selfish, out for yourself, and you don't care about the company at all!"

I looked at her, completely at ease.

"If you've got time to pick a fight with me, you'd be better off making a couple more runs to the production line."

"If Mr. Chavez's order doesn't get delivered on time and it comes back on someone, can you carry that as the person in charge?"

Kitty went white in an instant. She stamped her foot, spun around, and ran off.

I pulled my eyes back, opened my laptop, and started writing my resignation letter.

The moment Kitty left, a few coworkers nearby couldn't help whispering.

"Hey, did you guys hear? Kitty's been running over to the client's place every day lately, using business as the excuse."

"She times it right for meals every single time, and orders the pricey stuff."

"Then she brings the receipts back to expense them. Just last week alone, she expensed almost ten thousand in meal charges."