So, here we are, back in the conference rooms full of half smiles and avoiding eye contact. I knew the second I walked in I was done for. "Laura, thank you so much for joining us!", Alison cooed in a distinctly Un-Alison tone of voice, "Please take a seat." Another Wendy's lemonade was waiting for me at the conference table. At least they know how to soften the blow.
Our CEO, Jess Elwood, sat across the conference table from me. I had only met him a handful of times, but he had always been incredibly intimidating. From his perfectly tailored suits to his impeccably quaffed hair, you could tell this man meant business. He was actually quite a handsome man – tall, broad shoulders, steely blue eyes, a perfect smile that he rarely let surface. A girl could only dream of landing a man like him (and trust me, I'd dreamed about it a lot).
"Laura, thank you so much for joining us. Your performance at our firm has been outstanding. But unfortunately, our numbers just haven't been adding up the way we'd hoped this quarter. Profits are down, and we just need to cut costs to stay afloat. I hate to do this, but you are the newest accountant on our team, so I think it's only fair that..."
I couldn't sit here and listen to this nonsense anymore. I took one final gulp of my Wendy's lemonade for some liquid courage and slammed it down onto the table. "Only fair" I scoffed, "ONLY FAIR!? In the two years I've been here I've brought in more new business than any other accountant in this firm! I've yet to miss a deadline, all of our clients love me, and now I'm being let go because other people can't keep up with the demands?" I felt the heat of anger and betrayal bubbling up in my chest.
"I honestly can't believe you are letting them do this to me Alison. After everything I've done for you."
She wouldn't even look me in the eyes. Alison softly muttered "We had to make the decision that was best for the firm. It's not personal."
"Hah! That's where you're wrong. You know I'm what's best for this firm. So this has to be personal." And with that, I stormed out of the room, threw my things in a box and left.
YOU ARE READING
The Lemonade Charade
Narrativa generaleThey say "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade." Well, what do you do when life gives you a pink slip for no reason? Laura Saunders was unjustly let go from her job as an accountant at a big-name firm. Now, she's out to get revenge. Because som...
