The Promotion Is Mine

Chapter 6 - No way

ALEX

David's room, Catalyst Corp

I could feel my heartbeat in my neck. My mouth felt dry, and my stomach acidic. I can't remember feeling this nervous as I entered David's room.

When I arrived, David greeted me with a beaming smile. "Alex, congratulations!" he said, extending his hand.

"Thank you, David," I replied, shaking his hand robotically, my mind still blank.

"The promotion is yours," he continued. "You've worked hard for it, and you deserve it."

And that's when it sunk in. I GOT IT!

"I want you to start your role by leading the team with the GK deal."

"Lead the team?" I repeated, surprised.

"Yes, I think you're ready for it. You've shown a lot of promise, and I believe in you," said David. "The team will begin small, of course - initially, you'll just have Lena and two interns reporting to you, but with time, it will be expanding further."

"Thank you, David. I won't let you down," I promised.

"I know you won't," he said, giving me a pat on the back. "Now, let's get started on this project."

"So the first planning session with GK stakeholders will be a week from now. By then, we should be..."

I zoned out from David's talk, my mind focusing on how to tell Lena. Party poppers, a loudspeaker, and a banner with a mocking meme were my style. But that would be too unprofessional now.

"...let's have a dashboard with the requirements and get rough estimates marked for each..."

Ooh... I'll buy her a coffee and tell her that I wanted to treat my employees. Prfessional burn!

"...and we can use Lena's pitch for our demo. Of course, we will have to add in a little more detail based on the updated requirements."

It was her name that snapped me back to what David was saying.

"We are using Lena's presentation?"

"I think that would be more sensible since it had a more thorough breakdown."

"If her presentation was better than mine, then why am I here?"

I didn't mean to ask that aloud. Not that bluntly. The thought just slipped from my head. I really should stop doing this.

For a moment, David looked taken aback by the question. And then he said in a careful tone, "This is a difficult decision to make. I consider a lot of factors before making the call, not just the quality of the pitch."

Did he reject her for her stammer? No way.

"Like?"

"Practical reasons. As you see more of your leadership role, you'll understand better. Lena might be extremely professional now. But in a few years ahead? But what when she gets a family to prioritize? Not so much. Also, people tend to respect men more than women as leaders. So we yield more results this way."

I could feel the vein in my head pulsing. She didn't get the role, not because of the stammer, but because she is a woman. Presentation or not, she never would have gotten that role.

"You can't do that. She deserves it."

David's tone steeled. "You don't get to take back my decisions."

"You don't get to take back mine either then." I retorted,rising from my seat.

Well, that escalated quickly.