you're fired you useless my manager David cut the call short with a derisive tone I placed my phone away and clutched my head in my hands while staring blankly my mind was racing but I had to tell the train conductor about the accident that had just occurred at the Crossing I looked up and saw that the girl I had saved was looking at me anxiously when I tried to identify her I saw that it was Amelia it was unbelievable to me I knew the girl whose life I had rescued a familiar man emerged from the
back seat of the lead car as several sleek black luxury cars pulled up Henry looked shocked to hear about the accident that almost happened here mark thank you for saving my granddaughter I just acted without thinking in the moment I said this encounter with Henry signal the start of my retaliation against David my name is Mark Hayes and I'm a 40-year-old man who enjoys working out it's not that I was particularly interested in Fitness or exercise I just didn't have any other hobbies and decided to start going to the gym for my health initially I
swam the pool or ran in silence on the treadmill but my drive to improve my body increased as I met more Folks at the gym of those I saw often Henry was the one I saw the most despite being 60 years old Henry appears to be in his 50 s happy morning Mark another excellent workout today maybe because his kind approach and voice resembled me a bit of my grandfather I felt relieved whenever he greeted me but Henry apparently had no athletic ability to speak of he frequently tripped or stumbled over nothing at all back
when he was around 50 he thought it wouldn't be good to age like this and started going to the gym while he built up his stamina his athletic skills hadn't improved despite his efforts now he'd given up and came to the gym mainly to see the many friends he made there recently his granddaughter had started coming to the gym too and I was happy to gain another acquaintance Henry's granddaughter is named Amelia she's stunningly beautiful with a presence that draws everyone's attention she might even become a model someday thank you for always looking after my
grandpa here if you'd like please take this the sweets Amelia occasionally brought us were delicious and her friendly nature always greeting everyone without a hint of shyness made her the gym sweetart whenever Henry or Amelia came to the gym their presence instantly brightened the atmosphere the time I spent chatting casually with them was so enjoyable that I hoped they would continue coming but lately Henry's company had been struggling with a particular deal that wasn't going well he'd been looking more and more downcast each day and had stopped coming to the gym as often Henry as
it turned out was the president of a company that dealt in electronics since he was the person I was closest to at the gym even though it wasn't my business I couldn't help but hope the issue at his company got resolved if there's anything I can do to help just let me know I can at least lend an ear if you need to vent I had said to him before but he hadn't taken me up on the offer which frustrated me was there any way I could lend him a hand in early October Halloween decorations
began appearing all over town whenever I saw decorations that seemed like something Amelia with her love of cute things would enjoy I took a photo or two on my way to work that day I found another unique decoration and stopped to take a picture Hoops I shouldn't get too caught up in this realizing I've been lost in taking photos I snapped back to reality and checked my watch I was running much later than usual to work panicking I stuffed my phone into the chest pocket of my suit and hurri off to the office I worked
for a company that dealt in electronics it wasn't a big name but in areas farther from the city center it was fairly well known I worked in the sales department but something upsetting had happened recently I was taken off a $2 million deal I had been working on for some time the reason the harassment of my manager David in his 60s David looked at least 10 years older than he was his body was rounded a key feature he must not have exercised much as he was always out of breath after even a short walk when
I arrived at the office I could hear David's voice seriously young people these days are so spoiled because of them even the older generation starts acting entitled it's just ridiculous it seemed like he was scolding a younger male employee the young man stood before him slumped over but David I'm really not feeling well you said the same thing last time and went home you just got here can't you tough it out a little longer well but the young man who looked pale and unwell seemed to be struggling if left alone he might collapse unaware or
uncaring of his team memb condition David continued his lecture thinking the young man might be forced to work despite his condition I stepped in between them now now David he's been a diligent worker so far maybe he's just worn out I think we should let him leave early I turned to another employee hey you over there could you escort him out of the building speaking as calmly as possible to avoid escalating things I handed the exhausted employee off to another worker and got him sent home David scalled at me as if to say why are
you always interfering with me you're always disagreeing with me he seemed about to launch into a tie raade but luckily the start of work chime rang sparing me from further trouble grateful for the reprieve I quickly settled at my death and got to work David is the type of person who doesn't tolerate excuses or complaints he seems to believe that because he's been able to overcome challenges others should be able to as well what he doesn't seem to understand is that everyone experien his difficulties and sadness differently this lack of understanding often leads him to
impose his opinions on others causing frequent issues because I often voice my opinions against him I've become his scape in fact David removed me from the $20 million deal I had been handling saying don't get cocky Mark if I want to continue in this department it would probably be best not to defy him I just can't ignore him a few days later while working in the sales department I noticed a female colleague looking troubled in her 40s she had been dealing with back pain lately and was rubbing her lower back after carrying a stack of
documents to the shredder she looked tired and was gindr trying to ease the strain on her back so I spoke up are you okay if there's more I can take over for you I appreciate it but if David sees he'll get mad at me I'll be fine she glanced around the office checking to see if David was nearby before continuing actually just earlier he told me if you're not getting results at least take care of the grunt work so I've been doing all this stuff but well it's exhausting when you're not used to it you
know her sales performance hadn't been great the previous month so David must have said something to her about it sign heavily she muttered I wish someone else would be the manager instead of him fortunately it seemed her work was done for the moment so there wasn't anything for me to help with but scenes like this had become commonplace since David took over as man manager people have been pushing themselves too hard in various ways at this rate someone is bound to break down or perhaps the male colleague who recently left early was already the first
case sure there are plenty of other workplaces with terrible conditions and overbearing bosses compared to those our workplace might be slightly better but that doesn't mean we have to stay silent it's better to find ways to improve things than to let someone burn out and leave just then David returned to the office talking on his phone from his tone it was clear he was irritated thanks for earlier yeah I made it back to the office safely seriously can't they do something about that always crowded crosswalk on my commute and the road paving is so shoddy
it's such a rough ride from the way he sounded he was likely to lash out at someone again I had to stay alert in case that happened but this situation couldn't continue indefinitely maybe I should consult with a senior executive or bring it up in company counseling there were several options but which would be the most effective while I was considering this David finished his call and spoke to me Mark remember the deal I reassigned the other day you take it over again what his unexpected words made me blurt out a dumbfounded response what do
you mean by that exactly what I said the employee who took over for you fell ill and will be on extended leave we need someone to fill the Gap it's a $20 million deal so failure is not an option I didn't mind taking it back but will The Client be okay with all these sudden changes David I don't think this is a good idea this deal isn't something that needs to be rushed wouldn't it be better to wait for the original employee to recover and return if we do that the deal will be delayed and
that'll cost the company he dismissed my concerns outright if you show sincerity and apologize or whatever it takes you can smooth things over just quietly get it done if the client is upset all you have to do is work until they forgive you David seems to believe that anything can be achieved with enough effort while it's true that effort isn't entirely ineffective the there are things that just won't work out no matter how hard you try he has probably only dealt with people who are receptive to his way of thinking until now that said I
had no right to refuse so all I could do was respond understood I'll do everything I can having agreed to take over the deal I immediately started looking into how far the negotiations had progressed with so many changes in the person handling the account the client might have developed distrust for our company whether or not it will go well I should at least make an effort to convey sincerity as David suggested I began preparing a gift box of sweets to bring and identifying points where we could make concessions to increase the client's benefits there was
no guarantee they would accept it but it was better than doing nothing as a result my workload piled up and I ended up working overtime for 3 days straight that's why nearly oversleeping that morning morning might have been inevitable it was the morning of the fourth day since David told me about the reassignment as Winter's cold gradually set in I woke up to the crisp air and realized that the clock by my bedside showed I was an hour behind schedule and today of all days I had an important meeting rushing to get ready I left
the house and drove to the office but trouble struck at a railway Crossing notorious for rarely opening driving over the bumpy asphalt I stopped my car in front of the crossing and noticed an unusual commotion in the area hey isn't that kid in trouble it'll be a disaster if the train comes I could hear the voices of passers by through my car window looking toward the crossing I saw a young girl crouching there the alarm signaling an approaching train was blaring yet she didn't move at this rate she could be hit by the train thinking
that I quickly got out of my car and ran toward the girl hey are you okay can you stand pulling her arm to help her up I noticed she had injured her leg it seemed she had fallen and twisted her ankle while crossing she must have tripped as soon as she entered the crossing though she was panicking and tried to stand she couldn't manage it thinking that my time at the gym was finally proving useful I picked her up and carried her out of the crossing as quickly as I could sorry for moving you so
suddenly concerned she might faint from anemia or something similar I spoke to her while catching my breath moments after I got her to safety I heard the sound of the train passing behind us the train came to a stop several dozen meters past the crossing since I couldn't just lead the situation unresolved I knew I'd have to explain what happened to the train conductor it's okay now I said to the days girl she was likely in a state of extreme shock after her close call with death the girl couldn't clearly explain why she had ended
up in such a dangerous situation near the train tracks but I didn't want to force her to talk thinking she needed time to process her emotions I shifted my focus to work I decided to leave the still panicked girl alone for now and focus on contacting the office acknowledging the life-threatening situation that had just un folded I moved my trembling fingers to operate my phone I called the sales department and spoke to David David I'm sorry but there was a bit of trouble as I briefly explained the situation I noticed the train conductor running toward
us after stepping off the train seeing that we were safe he looked visibly relieved as I reflected on how lucky it was that the girl was unharmed David's cold voice came through the phone I'm disappointed in you the fact that you were at that Crossing At This Hour means you overslept didn't you if you hadn't overslept none of this would have happened in the first place David knew the crossing and its proximity to the company he must have realized that if I had woken up at my usual time I wouldn't have been there in other
words David had figured out that I overslept that may be true but admittedly he had a point I might have made it to the office on time if I hadn't overslept but in that case the girl's life might not have been saved and it was David's decision to reassign the deal that led to my late nights and ultimately my oversleeping being criticized while these facts were ignored left me frustrated as I wrestled with my feelings David said something unbelievable some reckless young person who doesn't value their life caused trouble right you should have just left
the entitled crybaby alone that's going too far David I couldn't help but snap back David sighed in exasperation you said you do whatever it takes to make the deal succeed didn't you I said i' will do my best shut up don't talk back when I tried to clarify my past statement David's sharp voice cut me off do you not care about this job if we fail this deal again the client won't work with us anymore what happens to the company if we lose $20 million does that not matter to you I never said it doesn't
matter work is important but abandoning someone in need to attend a business meeting doesn't feel right the company's profits are significant but a human life is irreplaceable I had hoped he'd understand that much but David as if to show he didn't care spat out you're fired you useless liar mocking me David and Ed the call with that statement I put my phone away and held my head in my hands I still needed to explain the situation at the Crossing to the train conductor but my mind felt clouded looking up I saw the girl I had
just rescued watching me with a worried expression I thought her face looked familiar then I realized she was Amelia I couldn't believe it the girl who had been moments away from losing her life was someone I knew it seemed Amelia had also recognized me and she looked equally shocked perhaps recognizing her rescuer as someone familiar had helped Amelia calm down a bit looking directly at me she opened her mouth to speak well you're heading to work now right I think my grandpa should be passing by here soon maybe he could give you a ride it
seemed that Henry also commuted to work using this Railway Crossing however since I didn't know know how long the questioning would take I couldn't agree so easily while I was contemplating this more than 10 sleek black luxury cars pulled up nearby startled by the unfamiliar sight I watched as Henry stepped out of the back seat of the lead car oh grandpa Amelia what's going on what happened seeing the crowd gathering around Amelia and me Henry must have realized something serious had occurred and approached us with concern Amelia explained the situation to Henry and me she
had been in a rush like me and stumbled on the uneven Road near the crossing although she managed not to fall it must have put a strain on her ankle which gave out while she was crossing the tracks causing her to twist it upon hearing about the accident that had nearly occurred Henry looked astonished mark thank you for saving Amelia I had just acted quickly and without thinking I hadn't acted out of some Noble desire to help even so being thanked like this made me feel a bit awkward if there's anything I can do to
help you please don't hesitate to let me know thank you but I'm sure you have a lot on your plate Henry well yes I've been having some issues with an electronics company but honestly those problems pale in comparison to my granddaughter's safety later I had to explain the situation to the station staff and police during this process I learned something astonishing from Henry Henry was in fact the president of the company I was supposed to meet for the business deal he revealed that he had been frustrated for some time over the frequent changes in the
sales department Representatives handling the negotiations this Revelation was one small silver lining in an otherwise chaotic day after all gaining Henry's support gave me a way to turn the tables on David 3 hours later I arrived at work in one of Henry's luxury cars well technically I had stopped by the client's office first to finalize the deal so my order of priorities was a bit unconventional when I entered the sales department office David shot me a disdainful glare by the way Henry who had given me a ride went straight to the CEO's office for a
discussion hey Mark what nerve you have showing your face here a useless slacker who was late for an important deal normally I would have lowered my head and tried to smooth things over but since I had already done what needed to be done there was no reason for me to stay low David the deal is already finalized it was a great success as you can see with a be smile I handed David the documents confirming the successful contract David who took the papers with a puzzled expression immediately looked stunned as his face filled with shock
that's impossible you were supposed to be late yes I smirked then why on Earth did it come to this completely losing his composure David threw the documents he was holding onto the floor he stomped on them glaring at me with a look full of hatred his predatory gaze radiated intense animosity and Obsession resembling that of a carnivorous animal once he labels someone as an enemy David shows no mercy he refuses to acknowledge their success and never stops his harassment or insults it seems like he won't rest until he drives his Target into the ground it
was Henry who spoke next having just greeted the CEO Henry turned to address David throwing important documents on the floor is hardly Behavior befitting the department manager David looked bewildered at the sudden appearance of a third party and those in leadership shouldn't lose their composure so easily the people working under you are always watching Henry said in a calm tone then he introduced himself when Henry handed David his business card David froze his mouth a gape as he stared at it so you're the one who decided to keep changing the person in charge thanks to
you one of our deals has been stalled which has caused us quite a bit of trouble David Henry's company had initially been open to forming a contract with us but the frequent Personnel changes had led to distrust when they asked the new representative for details they discovered David's unreasonable behavior as a result their impression of our company worsened it seems they were even considering canceling the deal altogether if things continued like this however because I had saved Henry's granddaughter they decided to continue with the negotiations and I hear markcus taking charge of the deal again
that's great news he's thorough in his work and my team says discussions progress smoothly with him the previous representative was inexperienced and awful since he's a rookie it's not his fault but you bear significant responsibility for failing to assess his abilities properly Henry smiled warmly and placed a hand on my shoulder His Kind expression making me feel genuinely appreciated for my effort efforts but the next moment his expression turned icy as he addressed David even if someone lacks ability Mark is my granddaughter's Savior and yet you hurled verbal abuse at him that's unforgivable as a
human being seeing Henry's cold demeanor David's body trembled and he desperately glanced around searching for someone to back him up but no one came to his Aid changing the person in charge without explanation was also unaccepted acceptable so David how do you intend to show me your sincerity David like a broken record repeatedly apologized he muttered I'm so sorry but it seemed Henry wasn't satisfied with mere apologies do you really think apologizing sincerely will be enough you're a professional surely you don't believe that just putting an effort will solve everything I I didn't me David
looked like like he wanted to argue but seemed to realize how foolish that would be after faltering he resumed his repeated apologies Henry's attitude however remained unchanged perhaps realizing that this wouldn't work David tried a different approach I'll send Mark to deliver a gift box later and if necessary I'll personally visit your company as many times as needed to apologize in person David glared at Henry as if to say how about this then he must have relied on this approach to get out of tough situations in the past but this time it wasn't going to
work do you think apologizing this much means you'll be forgiven this is business your feelings of regret can't cover the losses our company has suffered Henry sighed and turned his gaze away from David there are failures in this world that can't be undone you've lost all trust and I will never trust you again real realizing there was no longer any chance for Redemption David looked completely desperate what did I do wrong leaving the stunned David behind Henry went to speak with our company's CEO while he had initially prioritized supporting me and kept his greeting brief
it seemed he felt it necessary to have a more thorough discussion with the CEO as soon as Henry arrived at our company he made sure to meet with our CEO and discuss the matter in detail I thought it would be rude for him to leave after that but he seemed to be a conscientious and Earnest person despite his presumably busy schedule as a company president Henry insisted I should give a proper farewell and headed back to the CEO's office once more after work I stopped by the gym as usual there Amelia the girl I had
saved earlier that day greeted me with a smile thank you so much for helping me out of that dangerous situation Amelia said said handing me a gift of sweets as usual they were homemade cookies but the contents were different today it was a beautifully decorated cake with intricate patterns looking at the cake Amelia had made I was genuinely glad I had been able to save her if someone as hardworking and kind as Amelia had been lost it would have devastated Henry and weighed heavily on my conscience as I ate the cake I shared my thoughts
this this is delicious it's good enough to sell at a bakery hearing my compliment Amelia's face lit up with a radiant smile meanwhile David's reputation had plummeted among the employees who had overheard his exchange with Henry the staff began to see David in a new light did you hear you weren't around so you probably don't know but David got scolded by the CEO of one of our client companies he used to be intimidating but seeing get chewed out makes him seem like no big deal really I've always been careful not to upset him but maybe
David's not as scary as we thought these comments came from employees who had been berated by David for not trying hard enough and subjected to his harassment however those employees stopped listening to David and refused to work excessively long hours as a result they were able to take adequate breaks which seemed to improve their work efficiency their performance steadily improved and David found himself losing credibility the employees David had insulted and dismissed as not hardworking enough were simply trying to work efficiently and focus on results by ignoring David's words and adopting methods that suited their
workstyle these employees grew and started achieving impressive results the sales team began to discuss openly David's advice isn't worth listening to to totally the employees who are always overworked and exhausted never seem to get good results and their sales numbers are terrible eventually David found himself alienated and chose to resign voluntarily he left our company afterward he tried various part-time jobs but none of them worked out for him why is it that even though I'm working as hard as always no one recognizes me apparently David would complain like this every day even so someone seemed
willing to extend a helping hand to him that someone was Amelia's mother as it turns out Amelia's mother who had been working as a model was involved in filming a project a stunning woman who closely resembled Amelia she had appeared in numerous movies and TV shows the major company she was affiliated with needed a large number of extras for the project and began hiring part- Tim David thrilled to be hired by such a prestigious company was eager to do well but ended up struggling there at one point when Amelia's mother who isn't very athletic fell
down a flight of stairs she collided with David at full force unfortunately David was badly injured due to the impact though the company compensated him with settlement money and covered his medical expenses he's now bedridden and unable to move me meanwhile I successfully finalized the deal with Henry's company and secured the contract my accomplishments were recognized and after David left I was promoted to his position at first I was overwhelmed unsure of what to do but I've since grown accustomed to the role by assigning tasks that matched each employes abilities I managed to improve workplace
efficiency recently I've discovered a new hobby baking the cake of Amelia gave me was so delicious that I became curious about trying to bake myself all right this is perfectly baked I'll bring these to the gym next time and give them to Amelia and Henry as gifts I've been sharing cookies and other baked goods with the two close friends who have become special to me balancing Fitness with the pursuit of creating delicious desserts has brought joy to my life the adult routine I've once had has transformed into something vibrant and full of color I'm truly
glad I was able to save Amelia that day if I had ignored her crisis I wouldn't be living this fulfilling life now David had insisted I focus on the deal but if I had turned a Blind Eye I'd have carried that regret for the rest of my life no matter how powerful someone may seem if something feels wrong you shouldn't blindly follow their orders as a manager I want to ensure that I never manipulate others like David did or force my will on them excessively I have a responsibility to guide and support my team moving
forward
