The next day, the company called me back for a meeting.
John texted me over and over, telling me to wear a formal skirt suit.
When I got back to the office, my coworkers took one look at me and started whispering.
"Ms. Henson's back!"
"I heard today's the day she gets promoted to VP. That's why they made sure she came in."
"Ms. Henson's earned it. Nobody has a problem with her taking that seat, she's the real deal..."
"But do you know why Mr. Gilbert suddenly decided to promote her?"
"I do. Because Mr. Gilbert and Supervisor Finch pulled a prank on her mother on the wedding day and killed her. And here's the wild part, Mr. Gilbert slept with the supervisor too. Cheated on Director Henson."
The second those words were out, every head turned to stare at me, and the looks were all either pity or scorn.
They pitied me and mocked me at the same time, laughing that I'd swallow an overnight blood feud for money.
Nobody knew what was going through my head as I walked in carrying a humiliation I'd never felt before.
I reached my office, pulled the door open, and went straight in.
I started gathering up my own things and my desk pieces, and I was only halfway done when someone came in to tell me the meeting was starting and I needed to go.
All the staff and shareholders were already there. I was the only one missing.
John looked at me, then parted his lips and spoke.
"Everyone, I've called you all here today because there's something big I want to announce."
"The VP position has been vacant for a long time. It's time we found someone with real ability, real results, and real backbone to fill it."
The moment he finished, every person in the room turned to look at me at the same time, because in their minds I was the only one qualified to sit in that seat.
John smiled. "I have a good candidate in mind. She is...!"
He looked at me, his eyes firm, telling me to stand.
I thought about it for a second, then decided to rise.
And then, the next second.
"That person is Lena Finch!!!"
"Let's give her a round of applause!"
The instant he said it, the whole room burst out laughing at me.
"So it wasn't Bertha Henson after all. Then why did she stand up like she was so sure of herself?"
"Hahaha, I'm dying laughing."
I'd worked and fought for this company for so long, and in the end I'd only sewn the wedding dress for Lena Finch.
And he'd made a fool of me in front of everyone, until I had nowhere to hide.
Lena stood up, and as she passed me she deliberately ground her heel down onto my shoe.
She spoke in a voice only the two of us could hear.
"You idiot. I pranked your mother, and I pranked you too."
"John lost a card game. He only played along with the prank to go along with me."
Watching her walk away, my heart burned with rage.
I turned around and left without a word.
John was talking to Lena, but he kept glancing at my back with something like unease.
He wanted to come after me, but Lena made a point of blocking his way.
I'd known all along that the whole VP promotion wasn't as simple as it looked.
I set the resignation letter I'd already written down on the desk, then picked up my phone and made a few calls.
I told them I'd left Gilbert Corp, and that from now on nothing about the Gilberts had anything to do with me.
Then I blocked and deleted every one of John's contact channels.
I picked up my things and walked out of Gilbert Corp without looking back.
