He didn’t read the technical analysis, just skimmed the conclusion, nodded, and pushed it aside.
Then he looked at me.
I must have had no expression left, not even the strength to fake a polite smile.
He noticed.
Setting down the mug, he laced his fingers together, leaning slightly forward with a tone meant to sound fatherly.
“Sophie, sit.”
I didn’t move.
He didn’t seem to care and kept going.
“You’re upset, aren’t you? Because I praised Vivian in the meeting and didn’t mention your contribution?”
I stayed silent.
He sighed, like he was disappointed in my lack of emotional intelligence.
“Sophie, honestly, you really should learn from Vivian.”
He said it as casually as if he were commenting on his coffee.
I stared at him—the man I had followed for five years, the one I had personally helped build this company’s entire technical framework from scratch.
His face carried an expression that said, I’m enlightening you.
“All these years working together, you’ve always just buried yourself in code. You finish your tasks, hand in your reports—and that’s it. No involvement in team-building.”
“Once the system is stable and the report is filed, then what? Nothing.”
“Have you ever thought about how to unite people? How to energize the team?”
He pointed out the window. Vivian was handing out new plants to everyone, the hallway buzzing with laughter.
“See how she instantly senses the team’s emotions, lifting morale in a crisis?”
“It didn’t cost much, but the thoughtfulness, the insight into people’s hearts—how many can do that?”
“Build relationships first, then do the work. She understands this better than you.”
I listened with a blank face, utterly calm—almost amused.
So, all my blood, sweat, and tears were worth less than a $5 box of mac and cheese.
He must have forgotten—if I hadn’t fixed the system, there wouldn’t even be mac and cheese. Everyone would’ve been packing their bags to go home.
I looked at his self-satisfied face, slightly sagging from years behind a desk.
And suddenly, everything became clear.
All those moments when I used to tell myself, he’s a business guy, he doesn’t get it—they flashed through my mind like a fast-forward reel.
This wasn’t the first time.
When Vivian had just joined, the company was preparing for the Annual Tech Summit.
David asked me to handle the content and Vivian to handle the presentation format.