Glory

“Why are you here? Did I not tell you to get lost for at least a month if you valued your job?” William jumped up and shouted at Steven, his associate whom he had almost fired yesterday. 

 “No.” Steven looked hard into William’s beady eyes flooded by the rivulets of sweat that characterized his chubby boss. “Why should I leave my own office?” Steven said again, now with a smirk and then handed out an envelop.

“In that letter, you will find that you are on vacation… permanently.” Steven enunciated the last words slowly.

William quickly opened the letter while still looking at Steven, bitter hatred in his eyes barely contained.

“Damn you, you sly son of—“

“That’s enough. Pack up your filth and leave the premises or else…” Steven matched the stare, the bitter hatred, and the ferocity of his now unemployed boss’s words, which lingered on as a threat. 

The game was up. William had lost in the ever churning wheel of the corporation. Anything violent here would seal his potential career in any other company. Fuming, and cursing under his breath, William gathered a few things in a random order while Steven relished his moments of victory. 

“So that’s it. You have won all that you ever wanted? You will see the irony soon enough.” William said still trying to find a closure of some kind. 

“Yeah. Keep hiding behind your incompetency, chubby. And to answer your question, yes. This is what I always wanted. Much more than you ever did.”

An hour later, the whole floor was in celebration. There were champagne bottles popping and every kind of sweet was being devoured. Everyone was congratulating Steven for being promoted to the supervisor of Smith’s Solutions, a software engineering company that fixed a host of corporations’ websites. Steven had been after this position in the company ever since he entered the door and sat in his little cubicle. This promotion from being a worker bee to a lion in the corporate jungle was rife with machiavellian machinations. Fortunately, Steven was a seasoned player. He and John, his partner in crime, had been devising a plan for a decade to overthrow the current regime. 

Of course then there was a huge party at John’s magnificent villa overlooking the beach. His coworkers and friends and the extended circle of friends, all in all about two hundred people, had gathered. 

“Spared no expense, my friend,” John said to Steven who was eyeing Carol, as always, on his recliner. He had been in love with her ever since he had laid his eyes on her. She was a blog writer, a minor position in the company. But she always worked alone and had an isolationist vibe to her. 

“One of these days, Steven, you have to reach out to her. You are now the big shot. Girls dig that,” John coaxed Steven for the thousandth time. 

Steven thought for a moment. If there was a time to approach Carol, now would be it. There was just this slight problem. She was engaged to a mystery man and had already refused all attempts by the bachelors on the company floor.

“Hey Carol,” Steven finally did approach her while she was alone for a second. Her best friend Shirley had just left for bathroom and he had prearranged a plan with John who was to keep her occupied when she came out.

“Hi Steven. Congrats on the promotion,” She replied in a casual, professional tone. 

“Yeah. It’s no big deal. What do you think of the view though,” Steven quickly shifted gears before the conversation became about work.

“It’s beautiful,” Carol faced the beach from the balcony, letting a dreamy look wash over her.

Following her gaze, Steven also looked toward the ocean and the beach that stretched endlessly on both sides. 

Then there was a small talk about the type of vacation, colors that she liked and, of course, during those moments filled with the mundane, Steven had conveyed his desire for here, a look lingering here and there on her lips, smiling when he should not, admiring her silently, and a close call of a hand touch, while waiting for reciprocation. 

“Not now, Steven.” Finally Carol responded, acknowledging the silent dialogue. 

Taken aback, and slightly hurt, Steven smiled and then let the conversation drift a bit. 

Later that night, he texted her and invited her for a coffee chat the next day. It was enough time for her to converse with Shirley and hopefully John had told Shirley how awesome Steven was. Also, the invite was innocuous enough so there would have been much less pressure.

“So who is this mystery man that you are engaged to?” Steven asked Carol in a snug little cafe nearby the office building the next morning.

“Well…” Carol hesitated and then decided to come out with the truth. “Actually nobody. I wear the ring and the demeanor so that I won’t be hit on twenty times a day.”

 “Hmmm… how is that working out for you?” Steven asked slyly.

“Not so well,” she laughed and lightly punched on his arm. And then she slightly touched Stevens’ hand which Steven took in eagerly. There was excitement in her moist, shining eyes. 

Everything seemed to be going quiet well. Steven could not even imagine a better life, then and there. He knew he would be going home with her. His personal life was at its best. His new position came with large sums of money that he could now burn through every month. He had already bid on an expensive suite in the middle of the city with the elevator going up to his living room. 

He could see himself smiling in their bed, waking up next to Carol. He knew he was going to be a happy man.

5 Years Later…

“Honey, I am going to the CEO meeting. Will be back by Sunday night,” Steven said out loud to his wife Carol, who gave her disapproving looks for yet another meeting. They had married the same year that Steven had been promoted.

“You have been absent most of the nights, Steve! You know this job of your… It is what is going to break us apart,” Carol replied, reiterating for the thousandth time the same advice/threat.

“Nothing is going to break us apart, honey,” Steven replied, or lied, for the thousandth time. 

“Yeah. Keep looking for the golden egg, Steve. When will it be enough?” Carol asked now exhausted by Steven’s endless ambitions.

Steven, however, was out of the door and to the airport, without even bothering to look at her. He did not want to have this conversation again with his wife, whom he had quickly convinced to quit work and become a housewife.  

John, who was the vice president of the company now, joined him in Las Vegas. Both took Uber to Sahara Hotel, which was hosting Southern California’s regional CEO’s annual meeting. It was a major event where a new Lead CEO was to be chosen. There were drinks, fireworks, strippers, and more. He had worked day and night for this position. Making connections, even sleeping with a few secretaries of other branches to curry favor, and of course dig up dirt on other CEO’s. It had all come together this weekend now. He had made connections, coerced some people in his favor through the “dirt” that he had collected, and bribed a few members with years’ long gifts. The opposing CEO’s would have to be just outvoted. 

It were five long years in the making, carefully cultivated and meticulously planned.

“Now ladies and gentleman, the final decision who will lead our glorious company to future,” An announcer had come to the podium after hours of drinks and dances, “Please stand and hooray for Steven!” 

Steven could not believe his ears, even though he had known from the start who would be the next lead. It was a dream come true. He looked around for Carol. She was not there. It hurt a little, but he brushed it off and walked, almost humbly, onto the stage. 

It was a huge promotion with lucrative benefits, including doubling of the salary. He gave the speech that he had prepared everyday for the last five years and popped open a champagne that he had brought with him. The band started to play while Steven relished every moment of his victory. In the crowd below, he spotted Venessa, a secretary with whom he had shared a few nights some time ago. She was single and was looking at him lustfully. 

Well, what Carol does not know would not hurt her, Steven justified as he came off stage and sat at Venessa’s. Late at night, both went to the drinks and to the hotel room together.

In the morning, while he was sipping coffee with Venessa, he thought about his next plan. She brought him some reprieve, but he wanted more, much more, and thought about how happy he would be, standing in front of all his colleagues from the stage, looking down on them. He looked again at his side. Carol was not there. It hurt a little bit.

5 Years Later…

“Honey, I can’t believe what I am hearing. You are my wife! And you are supposed to support me no matter what. We are merging with Google! Do you know what that means! I will be heading a major company in California!” Steven said to Carol, anger in his every word. They were alone in a huge living room while the servants waited outside the villa. Carol had packed up everything and was finally leaving Steven for good. 

“I did, Steve. I did every day. Even if it killed me, I did. But I am exhausted,” Carol responded. Then her tone shifted to anger, “Why don’t you ask one of your mistresses to support you and wait for you every night?”

“Oh God, we are not having that conversation again. It was just one time, Carol. I made a mistake!” Steve replied, of course lying for he had numerous affairs since their marriage. 

Carol shot him an injured look, knowing well that she could not prove other affairs but knew in her heart that her husband had left her long ago. Last night, she had finally realized that she had married a shell of a man hell bent on going somewhere… nowhere. 

“Steve, don’t you see what you are doing? Have been doing the last twenty years?” Carol asked, now mixed with affections, sympathy being the strongest.

“Okay, what are you talking about, now?” Steven replied little more harshly than he intended to.

“Steve, you cannot have what you cannot have!”

And with that, she left the room and his life forever. 

It hurt for a long while.

5 Years Later…

Steven looked at the CEO of Google on the stage. He was giving a speech regarding how to expand Google services in Dallas. Steven took out his phone and, in coded words, started to type in notes: One day I will be the CEO of Google, standing exactly on that spot on that stage and will be making a speech to the millionaires around me.

Steven smiled thinking how happy he would look on the stage, having reached his pinnacle. 

He looked around, but Carol was not there. It hurt a little bit.