1 A freak thunderstorm hit the city. I raced to the office, but I was still one minute late. The CEO's Executive Assistant, Marcus, stopped me at the door. He didn't smile. "One minute late. As per policy, you can make a 'voluntary contribution' of one condo." It was so absurd I almost laughed. I'd heard of "voluntarily contributing" for a coffee run, or for office supplies. Never a condo. "Because I was one minute late... you want me to donate a condo to the company?" I asked, just to be sure I'd heard him right. He gave me an annoyed, dismissive look. "Do you have any idea what can be accomplished in one minute? Twelve missile defense protocols can be launched. Understand?" I decided he was insane and ignored him. What could he do? I wasn't going to just hand over my deed. Then I got my pay stub. Salary & Commission: +$100,000 Voluntary Contribution (Condo, Appraised): -$1,000,000 Total Pay: -$900,000 My vision went red. I grabbed my phone and called the CEO. "Honey, is your new assistant having a psychotic break?" ... An angry, cold voice snapped back from the other end. "What right do you have to question my assistant?" "Don't bother me with this. It's a small thing." She hung up before I could speak. A million-dollar fine... she called it a "small thing"? I stormed over to Marcus's desk. "What the hell is this? You can't just fine me a million dollars!" He looked up, a smug, arrogant smirk on his face. "Late employees make a voluntary contribution. It's the rule." He then shouted to the entire open-plan office: "Hey! Have you all made your voluntary contributions?" A few people immediately piped up: "I have! I donated a pen!" "I donated a stapler!" "I donated a whole ream of paper!" Marcus turned back to me, raising an eyebrow. "See? Everyone contributes. Why are you trying to be special? It's company policy. You're not trying to welsh, are you?" I didn't fall for it. "I can accept a reasonable penalty for being late. But why do they donate office supplies while I'm donating a condo?" Marcus actually laughed, pointing at me. "Ryan, you're not stupid. Use your head. The contribution is tied to your personal economic situation." "You're rich. So you contribute more. What's the problem? Ask Leo over there. If he were rich, he'd donate more, wouldn't you, Leo?" Leo, his number one sycophant, practically jumped out of his chair. "Of course! If I had $20 million, I'd gladly donate $10 million to the company!" Marcus clapped Leo on the shoulder, looking impressed. "That's the spirit, Leo! The company won't forget this. Here, a reward for you. A coupon for the coffee shop downstairs. Two dollars off any purchase over eighty." Leo was so grateful he was almost crying. Marcus spread his arms wide, projecting power. "As long as you follow the rules and understand the spirit of 'voluntary contribution,' this company will take care of you." I was done with this circus. "Show me the company handbook. Show me the rule." He tossed a supplemental contract addendum onto my desk. I scanned it, even using my phone's magnifier. Nothing. He impatiently jabbed a finger at the last page. "Ryan, if you're blind, get glasses. If you can't read, go back to elementary school." Finally, under his finger, I saw the microscopic print: "All policies herein are subject to interpretation by executive management." I looked at him, confused. He cut me off. "I represent executive management. My interpretation is the rule. Got it?" "Your seniority doesn't mean you're above the rules. And my rules are the rules." He looked around the office, smug. Everyone knew he was the CEO's new favorite. No one dared challenge him. But he was messing with my money. I wasn't going to be "everyone." "Marcus, you're an assistant. Stop acting like you own the place." "I'm going to the CEO. We'll see who she sides with." 2 I slammed open the CEO's office door. Before I could speak, Serena's icy gaze hit me. "Get out. Who said you could come in without knocking?" I did as she said. The moment the door clicked shut, I raised my hand to knock. But before I could, Marcus burst right in. This idiot, I thought. He's about to get his head bitten off. But the screaming I expected never came. When Serena saw who it was, her pinched, angry expression melted. "Oh, Marcus, you're here!" Her voice was warm, gentle. The exact opposite of how she'd spoken to me. I coughed, then knocked. After she called "come in," I re-entered. I explained the situation. Serena's expression was calm, as if this was all perfectly normal. "So? You feel Marcus did something wrong?" I was stunned. "You don't think this is... excessive? He's using his position to extort employees. The entire office is toxic!" Serena's face darkened. "Ryan, I will not have you speak about him that way." "Everything he has done was with my full authorization." "The 'Voluntary Contribution' policy... was my idea." I stared, my jaw slack. I couldn't connect the brilliant, driven woman I'd married to this... this tyrant. "I was one minute late, Serena! He's taking my condo! You don't find that a little insane?" She just raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Why? A company needs rules to function." "He is being 100% dedicated to this company's success. What's wrong with that?" I was speechless. "It's a house, Serena! Not a... a sandwich!" Marcus, seeing the tension, stepped in. "Serena, I did have a strategic reason." "With great power comes great responsibility. He earns the most, so he should contribute the most. Plus, our intern housing is full. I told Ryan to donate his condo so the interns would have a place to live. It solves an HR problem and saves the company a huge expense." Serena's eyes lit up. "That's brilliant! Two birds with one stone. Marcus, you're always so thoughtful." She turned to me. "Ryan, if you were half as dedicated as Marcus, this company would be twice as large." The anger I'd been suppressing finally boiled over. "If I were as 'dedicated' as that brain-damaged moron, my mother would have disowned me!" The room went dead silent. Serena's face turned black. She stood up, walked over, and slapped me. Hard. I just stared at her. Blank. Married for three years. She had never laid a hand on me. Now, for him, she slapped me. A flicker of regret crossed her eyes, but it vanished instantly. Her voice was ice. "Marcus does have a head injury. He got it in the car crash that he saved my life from." "For years, he's had chronic pain, and not even the best specialists in the country can figure out why. "I will not allow anyone to mock his condition. Especially not in front of me." Marcus immediately looked "nervous." "Serena, please don't fight. It's not good for your relationship to be strained over an outsider like me. I... I should probably just cancel Ryan's contribution. I just don't want to undermine your authority..." Serena shook her head, all CEO again. "Don't be ridiculous. The contribution stands. Ryan's condo is donated." 3 My heart ached. Her tone was final. Marcus put on a sympathetic face. "Ryan, I'm already giving you a deal, out of respect for Serena. A small condo in this city is at least $1.5 million. I'm only valuing it at $1 million on the books. I'm saving you $500k." Serena chimed in. "He's right. You should be thanking him. He's being more than fair. Why are you acting like this?" I let out a short, bitter laugh. "Thank him? You've got to be kidding me." Serena's hands went to her hips. "You bought that condo with the salary I pay you! I never realized you were so petty! You have no vision!" I just sighed. She was completely under his spell. She couldn't remember the beginning. In college, she told me she'd rather build an empire than work for one. I told her I'd help. After graduation, I joined her startup for zero pay. Ops, strategy, marketing, sales, client relations... I was the entire executive team. The company nearly went bankrupt three times. Each time, I saved it, pouring in my own money that I'd made from stock trading in college. This "100-person ship" was afloat because I'd plugged the holes with my own cash. Then, two months ago, Marcus, her "one that got away," showed up. And she forgot everything. He'd been targeting me from day one. I'd put up with it, for her. But this... this was a bridge too far. And all I got was "petty." The money I'd earned here wasn't even a third of what I'd invested. But she didn't remember that. "Fine," I said, my voice empty. "Whatever you say." My surrender only made her angrier. She stared at me, her chest heaving. Marcus put a hand on her arm, gently rubbing her back. His eyes met mine over her shoulder, and he smirked. "Look what you did, Ryan. You've upset her. For that, you're cleaning all the company restrooms. You can't go home until they're spotless." I crossed my arms. "Not my job. That's what the janitorial staff is for. And you're an assistant. You don't get to give me orders." Before Marcus could speak, Serena snapped. "What if the order comes from me?" I looked at her, incredulous. She knew I had a thing about germs, about public restrooms. She used to hire a private cleaning service for our house. She'd always said my hands were "for building, not for scrubbing." Now, she was telling me to clean a toilet. She meant it. I had to do it. The smell in the men's room was foul. I grabbed the mop and started on the floor, then began wiping down the stall doors. I heard his expensive Italian shoes click on the tile behind me. "You're still a long way from beating me, Ryan." 4 I turned. It was Marcus. "If you're here to gloat, you've done it. Now you can get out." He stayed put, his voice dropping to a hiss. "Serena is mine. If I hadn't gone to London for my MBA, you'd never have had a chance. Your little joyride is over. I'll be taking care of her from now on." I laughed. "She's my wife. When does she need an assistant to take care of her? Worry about yourself. Stop sniffing around another man's wife." He slammed his fist into a stall door. "You're so tough, huh? Then why are you on your knees scrubbing a toilet? I thought you were so important to her. Turns out, you're just... this." "You still have so much energy. Looks like this isn't hard enough for you." He then proceeded to walk, deliberately, all over the wet, clean floor, leaving dirty footprints everywhere. It got worse. He unzipped his pants and urinated all over the floor I had just mopped. "Oops," he said, zipping up. "You missed a spot, Ryan. You're not very good at this." My rage was blinding. I lunged, grabbing his collar. Just as I was about to speak, a wave of dizziness hit me. My skin started to itch, intensely. I collapsed, my limbs weak, gasping. "What... what did you do to me?" Marcus roared with laughter. "I heard you had a severe allergy to industrial-strength bleach. I dumped half a bottle in your mop bucket." I was wheezing. "Serena... will kill you..." He just smiled. "Wanna bet?" On cue, I heard high heels clicking outside. "Marcus? Are you in there?" Marcus's face changed instantly. He slapped himself, hard, three or four times. He ripped his tie askew, messed up his hair, and then collapsed on the floor near me. "Ryan, no! Please, stop! I'm sorry! I'll leave!" The door burst open. Serena ran in. She looked right past me, her eyes only on Marcus. "Marcus! Oh my god, what happened? Are you okay?" He fell into her arms, groaning. "I... I just came in to see if he needed help... I don't know what happened... he just went crazy. He started punching me... I think... I think he's mad about me being here..." Serena's eyes, when she looked up at me, were filled with murder. "Ryan. He came in here to help you. And you assaulted him?" "If anything happens to Marcus, I swear to God, I will destroy you." She was fussing over him. "Oh god, my head... I'm so dizzy..." Marcus groaned, and I saw him, over her shoulder, give me a tiny, triumphant smirk. Serena was completely fooled. She started to help him up. As they were leaving, Marcus "generously" looked back. "Serena... maybe we should check on Ryan. He... he looks like he's in pain, too." Serena didn't even glance at me. "He's fine. He's never sick. He's obviously faking it." "Only a pure-hearted person like you would fall for such a cheap trick. I'm not." They left, supporting each other. I was alone on the wet, filthy floor. I passed out. Ryan, Ryan... you're a failure. Your own wife can't see you're dying. She's obsessed with another man. It's all your fault. If there's a next life... you have to find someone who actually loves you. "Hey! Wake up!"
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