I took a step closer, lowering my voice. "Do you want me to post a side-by-side comparison—your 'work' versus my original drafts—on a tech forum and let the experts judge?"
That hit him where it hurt most.
His foundation was shallow; his code couldn't withstand real scrutiny.
Darlene might be fooled by appearances, but in the tech world, people see through fakery in a heartbeat.
His face turned from red to white, then to a sickly shade of green.
Just then, his gaze flicked to the old photo frame on my desk—a picture of my mother and me from last year's trip.
A glint of malice flashed in his eyes.
He reached out casually, as if by accident, and with a careless sweep of his hand—
Crash!
The frame hit the floor, glass shattering into jagged pieces.
He took a deliberate step forward, his shoe grinding down on the broken glass and the photo beneath it.
"Oh no," he said mockingly, "sorry, Sir Harold. Didn't see that there."
In that instant, my blood roared in my ears.
I grabbed him by the collar and swung hard.
Smack!
The slap echoed through the room. His head jerked to the side, a vivid handprint blooming across his face.
"Get. Out."
Before he could react, the office door slammed open.
"Harold! What are you doing?!"
Darlene stood in the doorway, face dark with fury. She must have been walking by and caught the scene at just the wrong moment.
Lester instantly slipped into his victim act, voice trembling with perfect pitifulness.
"President Schmidt... I-I only came to apologize about the bonus. I don't know why Sir Harold got so angry... he suddenly hit me..."
"Harold!" Darlene's voice was sharp enough to cut glass. "I never thought you'd be so petty and narrow-minded!"
"The company made its decision fairly. Even if you disagree, that gives you no right to lay a hand on your colleague!"
"Besides," Darlene snapped, "Lester came here to apologize!"
"Apologize?" I pointed coldly at the floor. "He smashed my mother's photo and stepped on it. That's your idea of an apology?"
Darlene glanced down, her brows tightening briefly—but the frown quickly faded.
"It's just a picture frame. So what if it broke? Is that really worth throwing a punch over?"
She let out a scornful laugh. "Looks like that bonus really went to your head. You've lost your mind."
Lester sniffled right on cue, looking pitiful and fragile.