I heard them talking behind my back in the restroom stall. The intern I’d spent three months personally training was complaining, her voice sharp with resentment. “He’s just an old fossil who doesn’t get it, like some robot whose brain is stuck in a loop.” I was about to push the door open and cut her off when someone else chimed in with a snicker. “‘The materials are incomplete.’” “‘This receipt isn’t compliant.’” “‘The director hasn’t signed off, so I can’t process it.’” “Yeah, we’ve all memorized his corporate catchphrases!” I waited until they were gone, then quietly returned to my desk. The intern, Jessica, slammed a thick stack of expense reports on my desk. “Don’t you dare go on another power trip and refuse to reimburse everyone.” I glanced at the fraudulent invoice on top but didn’t call it out like I usually would. This time, I just smiled faintly. “I have a headache. I can’t see the words clearly.” 1 “What?” Jessica stared at me, then her voice turned shrill. “Are you doing this on purpose?” “If you don’t want to process them, just say so! You’re deliberately making things difficult for everyone, so cut the act!” I took a deep breath, refusing to get dragged into a pointless argument. The old me would have patiently explained it to her. Expense receipts needed to be legitimate and valid. As the gatekeepers of the company’s finances, we were legally liable. But every time, she’d push back with a defiant look. “Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. Chris, why can’t you just bend a little?” I had still maintained my professionalism, teaching her time and again how to properly audit the claims. But now, remembering her words from the restroom, a chill settled in my heart. If she didn't appreciate my guidance, there was nothing more to say. I picked up my thermos and turned to leave. Jessica frowned and grabbed my arm. “Where are you going? Feeling guilty?” When I didn’t answer, she raised her voice. “Don’t you know everyone’s had a problem with you for ages? You think I’m the only one who can’t stand you?” “You’re always holding up people’s reimbursements. What, does the money you ‘save’ go into your own pocket?” I was stunned by the absurdity of it all. Just last week, when Jessica applied for a full-time position, I had written a glowing recommendation for her. Now, before the ink was even dry on her application, she was eager to burn this bridge. I pulled my arm away from her painful grip. “Jessica,” I said, my voice calm and measured, “you need to understand that the company has specific procedures and policies for reimbursement. I’m just following the rules.” “Rules?” she sneered. “Are you even human? All you ever talk about are rules, repeating the same lines over and over.” She huffed, her tone becoming demanding. “I don’t care. You have to approve everyone’s expenses today. The others are too polite to say anything, so I’ll be the one to do it. Chris Miller, you need to change your rotten attitude! Stop acting like a damn robot!” Her outburst was met with a ripple of soft laughter from the onlookers who had been silently watching. “Jessica’s got guts!” “Finally, someone’s putting that fossil Chris in his place.” Buoyed by the support, a triumphant smirk spread across Jessica’s face. “See? Now you know how much everyone dislikes you. You should learn from me. Be more considerate of your colleagues’ difficulties and stop making everyone bend to your will!” I almost laughed out loud. The very first expense report on the stack was a fake invoice. The description read “Business travel taxi fare,” but the amount was a staggering one hundred thousand dollars. I wondered if the colleague in question had taken a taxi on a cross-country tour. I set that report aside and flipped to the next one: a screenshot of a fifty-two-thousand-dollar mobile payment. The recipient was labeled “My Dearest Wifey.” Jessica chimed in, “That one’s for Mr. Davies from Sales. He even printed it in color for you. How thoughtful.” I didn’t argue. I moved on to the next. The entire page was a collage of QR codes with a “helpful” note scrawled beside it: “For the old ladies in finance to scan and generate their own invoices.” I put the stack down and looked at Jessica. I swallowed the words I was about to say—“We’re a legitimate company preparing for an IPO. None of this can be approved.” Instead, I smiled. “My head is killing me. I need to take some medicine. Since you’re so considerate of our colleagues, why don’t you approve them?” 2 Ignoring Jessica’s protests, I walked out. It was almost lunchtime. Instead of working through my break as usual, I left the office. Before the lunch hour was even over, my phone was ringing off the hook with calls from my superiors. In the work group chat, my department head, Amanda, was singling me out. “Chris Miller, my office, now!” I took my time, walking back into the office just one minute before the end of the break. Amanda was there, along with the heads of several other departments. It felt like a public execution. Seeing my calm demeanor, Amanda slammed her hand on the desk. “Chris, I’ve received several complaints about you today. What do you have to say for yourself?” I calmly found a chair and sat down. Before I could speak, Jessica added fuel to the fire. “Director Shaw, look at his attitude! He has no respect for you at all!” Amanda’s face flushed with anger. “Chris Miller, show some respect! Don’t act like you own the place just because you’ve been here a while!” I managed a faint smile. When this company was just a dozen people, I was the head of finance. Now, with a thousand employees, I was still just the head of finance. I carried the risk of a corporate officer but earned a salary comparable to the cleaning staff. I’d thought that as the company grew, I would too. But instead, they brought in Amanda as the new CFO. Amanda was the CEO’s wife. I had no choice but to accept it. On her first day, she tried to expense a Louis Vuitton handbag. She saw nothing wrong with it. “What’s with that look? This is my husband’s company. He put me in charge of the money. It’s perfectly natural for me to use our money to buy a purse.” I had to force a smile. “For an amount this large, we’ll need an invoice.” She was busy applying lipstick in her compact mirror. “What’s an invoice?” she asked vaguely. “Can’t you just figure it out?” She waved me away. “And they said you were a professional. You can’t even handle a small thing like this without bothering me. Useless.” It was impossible to muster any respect for a boss like her. Amanda’s attack was immediately backed by the other department heads. Mr. Davies from Sales spoke up, his tone severe. “Chris, I’ve been meaning to talk to you. Times have changed, but you’re still clinging to your outdated rules, constantly picking fights with my department. What is wrong with you?” I shot him a cold look. “Picking fights? Are you referring to the time your department closed a million-dollar deal, spent four hundred thousand on client entertainment, sixty thousand on ‘gifts’ for the client’s executives, and then requested a two-hundred-thousand-dollar bonus, which I rejected?” “Or was it the time you asked me to help a client create a fake two-million-dollar invoice, and I refused?” “You—!” Davies pointed a trembling finger at me, his face turning beet red. He was furious. “Finance is nothing without Sales! I’m the top salesman in this company! You work for me, Chris. It’s not your place to question me!” I didn’t argue. I looked down at my phone. The message I’d sent the CEO this morning was still unanswered. The office was a cacophony of criticism. “Logistics has a problem with you too! You demand detailed receipts for everything. Do you think we’re trying to cheat the company?” “And what about Purchasing? You’re always auditing our contracts. Don’t you trust us?” “HR has some concerns as well…” It was all just noise. I typed another message to the CEO, who was on a business trip. “Sir, could you approve my resignation today?” 3 My phone screen finally lit up. The CEO’s reply had arrived. “Don’t be ridiculous! We’re in the middle of our IPO. You can’t just quit now! Whatever your grievances are, wait until I get back. Don’t cause trouble for me.” Reading his message, the last of my hesitation vanished, replaced by a profound sense of disappointment. I had known for a long time that the CEO didn’t really care about the finance department. If he did, he wouldn’t have brushed me off every time I suggested streamlining the reimbursement process. He wouldn’t have flatly refused my proposal to provide basic financial training for the sales teams. The public shaming continued. Seeing me engrossed in my phone, ignoring her completely, Amanda’s voice rose to a shrill pitch. “Chris Miller, are you even listening? What is this attitude!” I locked my phone and looked up, my face impassive. But my next words stunned everyone into silence. “Director Shaw, everyone, are you finished?” The room fell quiet. I stood up and walked to Amanda’s desk. I picked up the stack of expense reports and gave them a little shake. “Since you all believe that I am inflexible and an obstacle to the company’s progress, fine.” I turned to Jessica and thrust the stack into her hands. My voice was devoid of emotion. “Jessica claims she can be more considerate of everyone’s needs. Then I will hand over all of my responsibilities to her.” “Director Shaw, do you have any objections?” Amanda was thrown off by my unexpected move. But the other department heads, especially Davies, were quick to agree. “I think that’s a great idea! Let’s give Jessica a try! Young people are more adaptable.” “Exactly! It’s time for some fresh blood!” Seeing the enthusiastic support and seizing the opportunity to put me in my place, Amanda went along with it. “Jessica, you will temporarily take over Chris’s duties. Do a good job. Don’t disappoint me.” A look of pure joy and triumph spread across Jessica’s face. She almost jumped for joy. She shot me a defiant look and puffed out her chest. “Don’t worry, Director Shaw, everyone! I will complete all tasks efficiently. You won’t have to wait!” I smiled faintly and added, “I’ll send a company-wide email stating that I have completed the handover of all my duties, and that from this point forward, you will be solely responsible for everything.” Jessica, high on her newfound power, agreed without a second thought. “I know, I know! You don’t have to tell me!” I nodded, said nothing more, and returned to my desk to slowly start packing my personal belongings.
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