Chapter 3

On my Uber ride home, my phone buzzed constantly.

I opened the old department WhatsApp group. Chloe was busy pitching her grand vision.

"I firmly believe that in this new era, we need fresh minds. We are young, and we represent the future. The old ways of doing things are completely outdated and toxic!"

"Starting today, no more overtime. Under my leadership, everyone will have perfect work-life balance!"

The chat was flooded with praise, alongside passive-aggressive digs aimed at me.

Suddenly, I was added to a new, unofficial group chat. The creator was Logan, the office kiss-ass.

"Honestly, Chloe is a hundred times better than Aria. At least she doesn't force us to finish projects before going home!"

Others quickly chimed in:

"For real. I'm so glad Aria is gone. Besides breathing down our necks, what did she actually do for us?"

"Exactly! That old witch was obsessed with deadlines."

"With a boss like Chloe, I'd gladly stay here forever."

"And she's so sweet, she never raises her voice."

The messages piled up, each one more toxic than the last.

Until I accidentally hit a thumbs-up emoji in response.

The next second: [You have been removed from the group chat.]

I stared at the screen. To say I wasn't hurt would be a lie.

I never liked making people work late. But when you lack the skill, you have to put in the time. Clients don't pay for excuses.

Every time we stayed late, it was because someone had botched a file, and I was always the last one to leave. I even fought HR tooth and nail to get them overtime pay.

And yet, to them, my protection was "oppression."

I opened Instagram and saw a new post from Stella, my former mentee.

"Nobody knows how exhausting it is to constantly be overshadowed by someone who thinks they are everyone's mentor."

Underneath, someone commented, "Stella, you're finally free now that she's gone!"

Stella replied, "Yes! Nobody knows how much I've had to endure."

I laughed out loud, utterly amused.

Stella was the first intern I had personally trained. I poured my heart into mentoring her. When she made mistakes, I took the blame. When she needed a win, I put her name on my successful deals.

When Chloe was promoted, Stella was the first to buy her flowers.

And when I left today, she didn't even look up from her screen.

I thought she was just scared of Chloe's reaction. But now I saw her true colors.

Well, this made things easier. If we ever met in the business world again, I wouldn't have to let personal feelings get in the way of crushing her.

After I got home, I muted all work contacts and turned my phone to 'Do Not Disturb.'

For ten years, I had skipped meals and lost sleep for this company. My friends told me to relax, and my family told me to stop being so stubborn.

Finally, I was free.

For the next few days, I didn't look for a job. I needed to breathe and actually experience life.

Occasionally, I would see updates about the company through mutual acquaintances.

It was always Chloe buying the team boba, Chloe treating them to lunch, and so on. These posts were always uploaded right at 6:00 PM, almost as if they were trying to prove a point to me.

I ignored them.

Until Friday arrived, and the social media updates suddenly went dead silent.