Chapter 2
816 Words
The next morning, Chloe had taken over my workstation.
She sat in my chair and ordered Admin to move the monitor.
"I'll use this large screen. I need to review the proposal before the final review. Sienna can sit at the small side desk. She's just the assistant now anyway."
Lily held a cardboard box and looked at me awkwardly.
"Sienna, Mr. Whitman said the project team seats have been rearranged."
My keyboard, file rack, and worn leather notebook had all been dumped into the box.
There was still a coffee stain at the bottom from last night.
I took out the notebook and put it into my bag.
Chloe watched me do it.
"You really treat it like treasure. Anyone who didn't know better would think it contained state secrets."
Victor pushed the door open. People from Business and Engineering followed him in.
"Everyone to the conference room. Chloe will run the final review rehearsal today."
In the conference room, Chloe stood before the projector and opened the master bid proposal I had prepared.
On the first page, the project lead had been changed from Sienna Wells to Chloe Whitman.
On the second page, the core technical architecture had been gutted. Most of my algorithm explanation was gone, replaced with flashy charts. Under the charts, only one sentence remained: "Uses an in-house Grade-A encryption module."
Frank Morgan, the technical supervisor, frowned.
"Chloe, shouldn't we cite the licensing source here? A Grade-A algorithm isn't something we can just write in."
Chloe flicked her hair back, her face full of arrogance.
"Frank, you're too old-school. I looked into it. The company has used this in several earlier projects, so there must be a historical license. And even if there isn't, calling it in-house technology makes our proposal look stronger. Big clients care about overall strength. Who has time to dig into source-code similarity checks? Besides, Sienna's work belongs to the company."
Victor immediately backed her up.
"Frank, don't trip Chloe up over a small issue like this. She learned proposal packaging at an elite university. We'll do it her way."
Frank glanced at me, wanting to speak but holding back.
Chloe pointed the laser pointer at me.
"Sienna, confirm this for everyone. Is this algorithm part of the core technical proposal or not?"
Everyone turned to look at me.
I opened the handover checklist.
"The files contain the technical requirement analysis. They don't contain proof of patent license."
The conference room went silent for a second.
Chloe's smile faltered.
"What do you mean? The drive you handed me clearly contains the full proposal. Now you're saying there's no license? Are you trying to raise the price at the last minute?"
The business manager frowned at once.
"Sienna, the final review is about to begin. Don't make trouble at a time like this."
Lily muttered under her breath.
"She's already getting a 10% share. Still not satisfied."
Victor's expression darkened.
"Sienna, don't forget you're an employee. The company has paid you for years. We didn't hire you so you could use process details to block your own people."
As he spoke, he pushed a supplemental statement in front of me.
"Sign it. Confirm that you have fully handed over all core materials. If any loss occurs later because of missing handover items, you will bear joint liability."
The words "joint liability" were bolded in black.
I picked up the statement and read it twice.
Chloe crossed her arms.
"What are you afraid of? If you really handed everything over, sign it."
The business manager added, "Exactly. It's just a signature. Don't waste everyone's time."
I put the paper back on the table.
"I won't sign."
Victor slammed his palm on the table.
"Sienna, don't push your luck."
Chloe laughed softly.
"Uncle Victor, don't be angry. She's just afraid I'll land the project and prove she wasn't that important over the past 6 months."
After that sentence, the eyes around the room grew sharper.
Some people lowered their heads to text. Some leaned back in their chairs to watch the show.
Victor spoke coldly.
"It's okay if you don't sign. But you must be at the final review. If the client asks anything, you answer. If we lose this bid because you drop the ball, you won't get a penny of this year's bonus."
I photographed the supplemental statement.
"I'll attend as assigned."
Chloe switched the projection to the presentation cover and smiled as she changed the last line.
The Presenter was changed to Chloe Whitman.
She turned back to look at me.
"Sienna, remember to dress properly tomorrow. Don't let the reviewers think our company doesn't even have a decent assistant."
I looked at her smug face and put the handover checklist back into my bag.
"All right."
I thought internally, 'Yes. I should dress properly. After all, I need to witness the company's humiliation with dignity tomorrow.'
- Writer
