Chapter 2
1105 Words
I have a professional boundary: I refuse to work overtime to accommodate a supervisor’s last-minute changes. Once I start revising, it’s a slippery slope—at best, I’m stuck until 10 PM, and at worst, I’m pulling an all-nighter, leaving my brain completely fried for the next day's presentation.
During my first week, I made this clear to my team. "The requirement document should be finalized before we clock out. I don't do major revisions after 8 PM."
They all nodded in agreement. Ivy even looked sincere when she said, "Don't worry, we'll keep that in mind."
That day, after a meeting, I returned to my desk. Before I even sat down, I heard laughter coming from the cubicles. Then, a notification popped up on Slack from the project group, @everyone.
Ivy: Direction changed. We need a new version of the framework by 10 PM tonight. Hang in there, everyone.
It was posted at 6:30 PM—thirty minutes before we were supposed to head home. I stood by my desk, motionless. Ivy was sitting across from me, and when she saw me, her expression was incredibly innocent.
"Oh, I forgot you don't revise at night. The project director gave us some tough feedback on this direction, so I wanted to adjust it early to get it set." She then added, "You're not mad, are you?"
I stared at her with a blank expression. She was waiting for me to lose it. She wanted me to slam the table or start yelling so she could run to the leadership and say, "Tessa has such a temper; she explodes over the slightest adjustment."
I just smiled. "It's fine."
I opened Slack and took a screenshot of the message with the timestamp: 6:37 PM. Then, I opened my email, started a new draft, and addressed it to the project director. I didn't write anything in the body; I simply attached the screenshot.
I looked up and asked, "Ivy, you told me the final draft was due by Monday, right?"
She paused. "Yeah, but I just got feedback from the project director today."
"So, you knew I didn't do major revisions after 8 PM, and yet you sent out this requirement change at this hour anyway."
"Oh, come on, I told you it was just feedback from the director. Why are you being so difficult?"
Claire took off her headphones to chime in, "Tessa, Ivy didn't do it on purpose. You don't have to make such a big deal out of this."
I nodded. "Right."
I turned around and walked to the restroom. Behind me, I heard Ivy whisper, "Is she angry? I really didn't mean to..."
Once inside the restroom, I pulled out my phone and messaged the project director. "Ryan, I have a few questions regarding the direction of the Smart Retail Shared Services Platform 2.0. Are you free for a call?"
He replied instantly with, "Call me."
Once connected, I laid out the sequence of events without a hint of emotion, stating only the facts: "The initial requirement document was sent on Monday, and I spent Tuesday and Wednesday working in that direction. At 6:30 PM today, Ivy notified the group of a change and demanded a new version by 10 PM. As you know, my work policy—which I shared during the team meeting—is that I don't make major revisions after 8 PM."
The director was silent for a few seconds. "She notified you at 6:30 PM? I gave her that feedback at 10 AM."
He continued, "Don't worry about it. I'll handle her. Just finish up what you have, and I'll touch base with her about the adjustments tomorrow morning."
"Thank you, Ryan."
I hung up and returned to my desk. Ivy had sent a second message to the group.
Ivy: @Tessa, why don't you handle the sales module for the new framework? You're the most familiar with the logic from your previous draft.
I didn't reply. I opened the shared document to check the progress. My section—thirteen thousand words, including data, logic, flowcharts, and interface documentation—was complete, following the first version. Ivy’s section had twelve hundred words, which were just copied and pasted from the project summary. Claire’s section was empty, and Viola had written three placeholder paragraphs.
I took screenshots of the Slack chat history, the requirement document timeline, the notification of the direction change, and the task distribution table. I saved everything into a folder named "Project Documentation — Smart Retail Shared Services Platform 2.0."
My philosophy in life is simple: if you treat me with respect, I’ll return the favor tenfold. But if you try to scheme against me? Sorry, but I’m going to make sure you have nowhere left to run.
When I got back to my station, all three of them were there. Ivy’s eyes were a bit red, as if she’d just been called in for a talking-to. Seeing me return, she sniffled, "Tessa, did you talk to Ryan? I really didn't mean it. Was that necessary?"
Claire chimed in, "Exactly. You're blowing such a small thing out of proportion. Aren't you being a bit too sensitive?"
I stood by my desk and dropped my laptop onto the surface. "Why are you crying, Ivy?"
She blinked, stunned.
"You sent a requirement change at 6:30 PM, I responded by following standard procedure, and the director reached out to get the facts. From start to finish, what exactly did I do to wrong you?
"What are you crying about? Is it because you didn't expect me to go straight to the director?"
Ivy opened her mouth, but was left speechless by my retort.
I continued, "You three have a private group chat, you don't invite me to lunch, and you change the subject whenever I walk near. I don't care about any of that.
"But your 'forgetfulness' almost forced me to spend the entire night redoing twenty thousand words.
"This time it was a 6:30 PM update. What about next time?"
I pulled out my phone and held the screen up for them to see. "I’ve saved screenshots of our entire group chat. From the document finalization to the direction change, every single message is clearly documented."
The air went silent for three seconds. Claire's expression shifted, and Viola frowned. Tears dried on Ivy's face, but she'd forgotten to wipe them.
I smiled. "Don't worry, as long as you don't 'forget' again, nobody else will ever see these screenshots.
"But if this happens one more time—
"Want to guess if I'll post them to the main department group?"
Nobody answered.
- Writer
