The Price of a Bagel

There was a three-hundred-dollar deduction on my pay stub.

The HR lady just rolled her eyes at me.

Don't you know what you did?

I was the top salesperson in the entire company.

I had no idea where that three hundred dollars went.

When I went to the manager for an explanation, he pulled up the cafeteria security footage.

All because I took one extra bagel.

"If you have the audacity to steal a bagel today, who knows when youll decide to betray the company tomorrow."

The manager gave me a long, meaningful look.

"As a woman, there's no need to be the best at everything. You might accidentally end up blocking someone else's path."

It suddenly clicked.

Fine. If Im in the way, Ill just step aside.

I hit the top of the leaderboard again this month.

I just closed a million-dollar contract.

Between my base salary and the commission, I was expecting a check for at least thirty thousand.

But then.

The moment my eyes hit the pay stub the HR rep handed me.

The smile on my face froze solid.

Policy Violation Fine: $300?

I stopped her right there to ask what it was about.

She just gave me a look, covering a smirk with her hand.

"Don't you know what you did?"

"You actually have the nerve to ask!"

I was completely lost.

Id worked so many late nights this month Id lost count.

To land that million-dollar deal, Id practically lived at the clients office for a week straight.

Every waking second was spent catering to their needs.

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I finally snapped.

"I've worked endless overtime and secured a massive account for this firm. What exactly did I violate to lose three hundred dollars?"

"Tell me. Which rule did I break?"

She just curled her lip.

"If you're pissed, don't take it out on me. Go talk to the manager if you're so tough."

Oh, I was going.

Fuming, I knocked on Mr. Millers office door.

He looked like hed been waiting for me.

I walked in with a face of stone.

"Mr. Miller, why does my pay stub show a three-hundred-dollar deduction for a policy violation?"

As the companys top closer.

I figured I had enough leverage to demand an answer.

But I never could have imagined.

The reason for the fine was this pathetic.

Mr. Miller showed me a clip from the security cameras.

It was me, at the cafeteria counter, taking two bagels.

The cafeteria policy:

One bagel per person. No extras.

I was speechless. "Youre docking me three hundred dollars... because I took an extra bagel???"

I did take two that day.

It was because a client had arrived unexpectedly, and I didn't have time for a real meal.

I had to scarf down whatever I could grab while running to the conference room.

I tried to explain. "That day, the situation was"

"If you dare to steal a bagel today, who knows when you'll decide to betray the company tomorrow," Mr. Miller cut me off impatiently.

This was beyond an overreaction.

Id been with this firm for six years, grinding my way up to become the top producer.

Why on earth would I betray the company?

I was genuinely insulted.

Mr. Miller leaned back, giving me that same meaningful look.

"Look, Sarah. As a woman, you don't need to be the best at everything. You might accidentally end up blocking someone else's path."

My mouth hung open, but no words came out.

I left his office in a daze.

Thinking about that warning look he gave me as I walked out.

My heart sank.

But it didn't take long for me to figure out what was really going on.

The next day, the company blast went out with the monthly rankings.

I was still number one.

But on the line for the million-dollar contract Id just closed, there was a new name under "Account Support."

Caleb Reed.

On top of that, two of my high-value leads were reassigned directly to him.

I stared at the screen for a while.

Who was Caleb Reed?

The girl in the next cubicle gave me the answer.

He was the new intern.

Then I remembered him.

This kid had just started, and he didn't have a lick of rookie humility.

Hed been here less than a month, done zero work, and was already walking away with ready-made projects.

So, this was about stealing my accounts?

My blood started to boil.

I headed straight for Mr. Millers office.

If I didn't get a real explanation for this, I was walking.

I was halfway there when I stopped by the breakroom.

The door was cracked open.

I heard Calebs voice. "Uncle, are you sure about giving me Sarahs project? Won't she freak out? She is the top earner, after all."

Uncle?

Then Mr. Millers voice came back, dripping with dismissiveness. "She only has herself to blame. Why does a woman need to be that ambitious anyway?"

He paused.

"If I give her credit, shes the top earner. If I don't, shes nothing."

Caleb was quick to suck up.

"Yeah, you're right. She thinks she's untouchable just because she brings in some money. She doesn't show you any respect."

Mr. Miller snorted.

"This company's resources belong in the hands of our own people. We can't have a woman hogging the top spot forever."

He lowered his voice, sounding even more ruthless.

"If shes smart, shell hand over the rest of her leads quietly. If not, Ive got plenty of ways to make her pack her bags."

"Once youve got her accounts and secure that top spot, this whole department will be our territory."

In a split second, rage hit me like a physical blow.

I finally got it.

I finally knew whose way I was blocking.

And me and Caleb.

We did have a little history.

Last week during the staff meeting, Id pointed out three massive holes in a proposal hed clearly copy-pasted.

They were rookie errors.

After the meeting, hed cornered me, his tone bitter and arrogant.

"Don't get too comfortable just because you've been here longer. We'll see whos still standing in the end."

I hadn't thought anything of it at the time.

Turns out, he had backing.

Mr. Miller seemed to have forgotten that he only got that manager's chair because Ithe woman he looked down onhad pushed him there.

Three years ago, when they were voting for a new department manager.

Mr. Millers rival had more seniority and the biggest clients.

Mr. Miller had practically begged me to transfer my closed deals to his portfolio so his numbers would look better than his opponent's.

I valued our working relationship and wanted a boss I thought I could trust, so I did it.

The day he got the promotion, he called me the "pillar of the department" in front of everyone.

And now? Now I was just an obstacle.

My heart went cold.

If Miller was determined to pave the way for Caleb, nothing I said would matter.

It would only give them more ammunition to use against me.

Oh, so they thought I was in their way?

Fine. Ill give them the whole damn road.

I walked back to my desk, putting on my best "defeated" face.

My coworkers saw me looking down and immediately averted their eyes, too scared to ask.

When Caleb got back to his desk.

I gathered up every single one of my client files.

I carried the stack over and set them on his desk personally.

I kept my voice soft and compliant. "Caleb, I've organized all my client data. They're all yours to handle from now on."

Caleb froze.

He clearly hadn't expected me to be this "reasonable."

A flash of smugness crossed his eyes, but he kept up the fake politeness.

"Sarah, I couldn't! You worked so hard on these."

I looked down, acting despondent.

"As a woman, there's really no point in me pushing this hard. Better to give the opportunities to you young guys."

The office erupted in whispers.

The looks Caleb was getting were a mix of suspicion and wariness.

If even I was backing down, what chance did any of them have?

I ignored them.

I went back to my computer.

I pulled up the backup files for the million-dollar contract.

That draft had three major contractual loopholes. Id planned to fix them before the final signing, but now... they were exactly where they needed to be.

Then I dug up the resume Caleb submitted when he was hired.

It was a work of fiction.

"Independently closed a half-million dollar deal." "Led market expansion in the Southeast."

I did a quick search on the clients he claimed to have worked with.

Non-existent.

Heh. This is going to be fun.

I saved all the evidence to an encrypted drive, then hopped on the company group chat and sent a message:

[Mark is going to be the main driver for our department from now on! Let's all learn from his example!]

Mr. Miller was quick to "like" it.

[Great attitude, Sarah. Very professional.]

I looked at the screen, a cold smile curling my lips.

For the next week, I completely checked out.

I showed up at 9:00 sharp and vanished the second the clock hit 5:00. No overtime.

Every client inquiry that came in, I forwarded straight to Caleb.

I was light as a feather.

Slowly, the office rumor mill started churning.

People were saying Id fallen for Caleb.

That I was stepping aside out of love.

I didn't say a word, letting the gossip spread like wildfire.

Caleb was loving it.

He strutted around the office, barking orders, trashing peoples reports, acting like he owned the place.

Once hed had his fill of the flattery, his ego started to cloud his judgment.

It was time.

I caught him in the breakroom while I was getting coffee. "Congrats, Caleb! You've been so busy lately. That million-dollar deal is basically in the bag, right?"

Caleb lifted his chin.

"Of course. A little thing like that? Not a problem for me."

I leaned in, looking totally envious.

"You're amazing. I pulled so many all-nighters on that account, and you just took over and finished it like it was nothing."

He gave me a condescending smirk.

"You women just think too small. Business is about strategy, not just grinding. Hard work is useless if you don't have the vision."

I nodded along like a fan girl, then lowered my voice.

"A rookie landing a deal that big makes Mr. Miller look like a genius. Upper management is definitely watching you."

I watched his eyes light up, and then I threw the match.

"In six months, Ill probably be calling you 'Manager Reed'."

Calebs face turned bright red.

"Hey... you shouldn't say things like that!"

I gave him a knowing smile. "Mr. Miller isn't getting any younger, and you know how much the VPs love promoting new blood."

I paused, acting a little hesitant.

"It's just a shame..."

"A shame about what?"

Id hooked him perfectly.

"It's a shame you're only listed as 'Support' on that contract. If you were the sole 'Project Lead,' that manager's position would be a lock."

Smart people don't need things spelled out.

His eyes darted around as he did the math.

An hour later.

He marched over and slammed a Project Lead Transfer form on my desk.

"Starting today, I am the sole person responsible for this contract!"

I acted shocked and quickly snapped a photo of the signed form with my phone.

"When you're the boss, you better look out for me."

Caleb was so high on himself he was practically floating.

The second he walked away.

I sent an anonymous email to the entire firmand the client.

I laid out the project theft, the contract loopholes, and the total fraud that was Calebs resume.

Send.

The next second.

The company group chat turned into a war zone.

[No way! This resume is a total joke! I looked up that $500k deal, and that company doesn't even exist! He lied that much on day one?]

[I heard someone was stealing accounts, I thought it was just office drama, but it's real?]

[Management needs to investigate this immediately! Otherwise, why are we even doing our own work? Let's all just poach each other!]

[Tsk. Nepo baby much?]

I jumped in the chat to "defend" him.

[There must be some mistake! I'm sure Caleb isn't like that.]

People immediately started feeling sorry for me.

[Sarah, you're way too nice. He stole your account and you're still sticking up for him?]

[Seriously. In my department, hed be eaten alive.]

I hadn't even finished reading the replies when a roar erupted across the office.

"Sarah! You sent that email, didn't you?!"