My female boss refused to book my flight for a $5 million deal. She insulted me, “Why bring trash, LOL?” But I knew something she didn’t: the client’s CEO was my brother.

I smiled and said, “Good luck in the meeting. It’s a $5 million deal today. Do you think I should carry the trash?”

Jade’s remarks left me speechless. On the other end of the phone, I could hear her giggling with delight. I was unable to get through to her. After the call finished, the phone was switched off. She had this plan from the start.

But Jade is unaware that my brother is the CEO of the client company. I called my brother and added myself to the standby list for the upcoming flight. I’d put up with her small-time harassment up until now, but I was at my breaking point. Jade needed to confront reality.

I’m Mary Walters, and I work for a trade company in the sales division. My sales proposals are highly appreciated, and I consistently achieve the highest sales performance because of my positive outlook, strong interpersonal skills, and in-depth product knowledge. Even within the organization, I’ve received recognition and am frequently referred to as the Ace of the sales department.

Naturally though, things weren’t always easy. From the start, I made a lot of blunders when I first started working for the company straight after high school. Insufficient product expertise occasionally resulted in unhappy clients and unsuccessful negotiations. In retrospect, I used to detest studying and tried to land contracts by using only tactful conversation.

I didn’t want to continue my education after high school, so I immediately entered the workforce. I was often compared to my intelligent brother when I was a kid. I could never match his grades no matter how hard I studied. I thought my folks were subtly evaluating my performance whenever they gave him praise. I studied every day, had tutors, and even went to cram school, so I had no time for play. Nevertheless, I received a score below 600 on the SAT I took for college.

My brother, on the other hand, received a score of almost 1,600 and was accepted to a university with greater requirements. Despite my best efforts, I was unable to outperform my brother. I was unable to live up to my parents’ expectations. I started to detest studying after realizing that, despite my best efforts, I would never be able to meet their expectations.

I had lost interest in studying. I did not wish to experience any more misery. I was so determined that I chose to start working right out of high school instead of going to college. At the time, I believed that I wouldn’t need to study if I stopped going to school. But in practice, assimilating into society required ongoing education.

I used to detest it, but one day I offered a customer a product that was better suited to their needs than what they had planned to purchase—and it completely transformed my life. I was ecstatic to see the customer grin and express his gratitude for listening to my suggestions. I could help someone by studying. Because of me, some people would grin for the first time.

I realized how much I enjoy learning because of that fact. I started studying product knowledge more than anyone else. After that, my present sales performance is the outcome of all that effort. Good outcomes, meanwhile, might often draw unwelcome jealousy.

I’ve recently attracted the attention of a problematic individual. Jade is her name. She joined our organization six months ago and is likewise 26 years old. She was reportedly the top salesperson in the sales division of a rival business where she previously worked.

When she first joined, I was assigned to be her trainer.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Mary Walters. I’ll be in charge of your training, Jade. Feel free to ask me anything.”

“Really? You’re my trainer? You seem kind of unreliable. Are you sure this is okay?” Jade said, looking clearly dissatisfied. She seemed very confident in her abilities, almost mocking me as she looked at my face. Thinking back, I realized I had disliked Jade from this very first encounter.

But work is work. Since I was assigned to train her, I had to do it properly. So I thought I was teaching her everything carefully and seriously, even including a thank-you note with a shipment.

“Mary, are you really using such an inefficient method? Unbelievable. This product is more popular than that one, so it’s better. You should know that just by thinking logically.”

She kept making these kinds of condescending comments. Sure, adding a thank-you note takes extra effort, and some people might just throw it away without reading it. But there are also people who appreciate it, and no one feels bad about receiving a thank-you note. So I believe it’s worth the effort to express gratitude for choosing our product and buying from me.

As for the products, it’s more important to consider what the customer wants than what’s popular. For example, if a customer wants fruit rich in vitamin C, suggesting a sugary cider just because it’s popular is unlikely to lead to a sale. At worst, it might even anger the customer. Even if it doesn’t go that far, suggesting acerola products—which have much more vitamin C than lemons—might be more satisfying than just recommending lemons because they are commonly associated with vitamin C.

Engaging with customers to understand their needs and adjusting my recommendations based on their reactions is my style. Popular items are well received by many, but they might not be the best for the customer in front of me. Keeping that in mind when dealing with customers is my approach.

Sure, it might be inefficient, but I didn’t think it was so bad that it deserved to be laughed at from a superior position. Even if I believed I wasn’t wrong, being laughed at and criticized for everything I taught was still hurtful.

A month after I started training Jade, the sales results were announced. As usual, I was the top performer for that month. Everyone clapped and praised me—except for Jade. She glared at me with jealousy and bit her lip in frustration. From that day on, Jade’s behavior towards me worsened.

From that day on, Jade’s behavior towards me worsened. When I tried to teach her product knowledge, she’d mock me, saying, “You’re such a nerd for remembering all that detail.” She even started spreading rumors that I was using my looks to get sales. Fortunately, no one believed her, but the clear malice was shocking. Had I done something to make her hate me?

But Jade’s training period was only a month. After that, she would be on her own and wouldn’t bother me anymore—or at least that’s what I thought. I soon realized I was wrong. Her harassment didn’t stop after the training period.

At first it was minor things. My pen would disappear, or the sticky notes on my computer monitor would be gone. I thought I had just misplaced them or they had blown away. But when I saw that all my schedules on the company’s shared app had been deleted, I knew it wasn’t just my imagination.

Other things happened too. Documents I saved in the shared folder disappeared. Faxes and mail addressed to me ended up in the shredder bin before I could read them. Calls with customers were abruptly cut off. I had been clueless about who was responsible all along.

But when the phone hung up, the culprit was finally revealed. It was Jade.

It was by chance that I found out. When the call with the customer suddenly got cut off, I panicked and looked around frantically. There was Jade, with a smug grin on her face, holding the unplugged phone cord.

Of course, something like this would interfere with work. If a call gets abruptly cut off, it would also inconvenience the customer. I asked Jade to stop harassing me, but she didn’t listen at all.

“Do you have any proof? Proof that I did it? Don’t accuse me without evidence. It’s really annoying. You’re so paranoid,” she sneered at me, looking up from below with that mean smile.

I saw her unplug the phone cord, but when it came to proof, I was at a loss. She laughed at my silence.

“See? You don’t have any proof. Just because you have good results doesn’t mean you can get cocky. For the trouble you’ve caused, I hope this will make up for it.”

Then Jade reached into my bag, which was beside my desk. I was so shocked that I just stared in disbelief. She pulled out my wallet, took five $20 bills from it, and tossed the wallet back to me.

“Thanks for the bonus. If you keep this up, you can accuse me all you want.”

Laughing loudly, Jade walked away, leaving me stunned.

I thought this harassment was too much, so I consulted my boss. But without proof, my boss said it was hard to take action. Even if there was proof, if there was no malicious intent, it would be considered just a mistake. So he couldn’t reprimand her too harshly. Still, my boss did caution Jade—though it seemed it wasn’t very strict.

As a result, Jade resented me even more. From then on, she harassed me almost daily. No matter how many times I registered my schedule, it would be deleted. Documents I created would disappear from the shared folder. Redoing schedules and recreating documents took extra time, slowing down my work. To catch up, I had to work more overtime. Since Jade started, my overtime hours had more than doubled.

To avoid issues with phone calls, I told customers to email me for non-urgent matters and to call me for urgent or important issues, citing “problems with the office phone line.” It was inconvenient for customers used to calling the office line, but it was better than having calls cut off mid-conversation.

For mail and faxes that ended up in the shredder bin, I had to check the bin several times a day. It was a waste of time, but losing a customer’s trust by not receiving something they sent would take far more time to fix. Building trust is hard, but losing it takes just a moment. Jade didn’t seem to understand that.

I’d endured Jade’s harassment for the past five months, but finally something decisive happened.

It was just a few days ago. I was chosen as the main contact for a major corporation that inquired about our products. This company is one of the leading medical device manufacturers in the country, with a top market share in the industry. If we secured a contract, it would be worth $5 million. Not only would I achieve this quarter’s sales target, but it was also certain I’d be on the promotion track since it was such a big account.

Since it’s such a big account, I’d have support as well. I was planning to choose a colleague I get along with, but Jade volunteered. Her extreme enthusiasm and self-promotion convinced my boss to assign her as my support.

I didn’t think I could work well with Jade, but it’s work. I thought we’d both act professionally and manage to cooperate—at least on the surface. However, she didn’t provide any support. Instead, she sent materials for her preferred products to the client without my permission.

A close colleague discreetly informed me, so luckily it didn’t become a significant issue. I quickly called the contact person, casually mentioning that I had sent some materials for products they might be interested in. I briefly explained the differences between the product Jade sent and the one they inquired about. In the process, I identified the client’s needs and then arranged a detailed discussion.

Thanks to my colleague, Jade’s premature actions didn’t cause major problems, and the contact person was receptive.

On the appointment day, I introduced the products they inquired about, and based on our prior conversation, I recommended other suitable products. During the discussion, I identified more of the client’s latent needs and recommended products that better matched their desires. This is my usual sales approach. Fortunately, the client appreciated my style—enjoying the detailed pros and cons of various products and finding the best fit for their company.

We narrowed it down to three final candidates and agreed they’d consult with higher-ups. Two days later, the contact person informed me they had decided to order one of the products. After discussing quantities and terms, I prepared a quote and sent it to them. The quote amount was $5 million.

Jade was wide-eyed when she heard the news. “Wow, that’s a huge deal. I guess they went with the product I sent the materials for, right? Let me see the quote.”

She smirked and snatched away the estimate I had created, her smile freezing as she read it. That was only natural, I thought. The chosen product wasn’t the one she had sent materials for. In fact, it wasn’t even among the final three candidates. The product she promoted didn’t quite meet the client’s needs. It was like asking for a red vegetable and getting an orange bell pepper—close, but not what they wanted.

She sent them the materials about that kind of product. Looks like it didn’t quite match their needs this time.

“Jade, could you book our flights? We’re scheduled for a direct meeting with the client in two weeks. Let’s go together.”

When I suggested that, Jade immediately broke into a grin. I thought she had finally calmed down and felt relieved.

But on the day of the meeting, I was left stranded at the airport. The meeting was scheduled for 1:00 p.m., and it was a three-hour trip each way. I planned to meet Jade directly at the airport without going to the office. The meeting time was an hour before the flight’s departure, but when the agreed time came, Jade didn’t show up.

I was supposed to get my ticket from her before boarding. Ten minutes passed. Then fifteen. I tried calling her several times, but Jade didn’t answer. I started to worry if something had happened to her. As concerned as I was about Jade, I was also worried about missing the flight. I headed to the counter, explained the situation, and asked if I could still board. That’s when I discovered a shocking fact: my ticket hadn’t been reserved. Only Jade’s was.

With a pale face, I called Jade again. After several rings, she picked up.

“Sorry, I was busy with the boarding process and couldn’t answer,” Jade said nonchalantly.

I confronted her immediately. “Jade, they said there’s no reservation under my name for this flight. What’s going on?”

In my panic and anger, I couldn’t help but raise my voice. But Jade just laughed, clearly enjoying herself.

“Today is a $5 million deal. Should I bring the trash along?”

Her words made my mind go blank. I could hear her gleeful laughter on the other end of the line. Then the call ended, and she turned off her phone, making it impossible to reach her. She had planned this from the start.

But there’s something Jade didn’t know: the CEO of the client company is my brother. I put myself on the standby list for the next flight and called my brother, Kyle. I had tolerated Jade’s petty harassment until now, but I couldn’t take it anymore. It was time for Jade to face reality.

Both the next flight and the one after that were fully booked, leaving me stranded at the airport. Then finally, it was 1:00 p.m.—the time of the meeting. Not even fifteen minutes had passed when my phone rang. The caller ID displayed Jade. The call came much sooner than I had expected. Suppressing my laughter, I answered the phone.

“Hello.”

“Where are you right now? We’re at the airport!”

“You should know exactly where I am,” I replied. “Jade, you didn’t reserve my ticket.”

Jade was momentarily speechless. I could even hear her grinding her teeth.

“Just get here quickly! The client CEO says that if you don’t come, the deal is off!” Jade’s panicked voice echoed through the phone. In the background, I heard a familiar voice speaking with a tense tone. Jade responded, and a video call invitation appeared on my phone. My brother had likely instructed her to switch to a video call, as planned.

I accepted the video call. Jade’s pale face appeared on the screen. Then she turned to look at me, her face growing even paler.

“The CEO and the manager… why are both of you with that trash at the airport?”

Seeing Jade’s confusion, I stifled my laughter. Why were the CEO and manager there? The reason was simple: I had called them.

The company I work for is one of several founded by my great-grandfather. His company, which began in retail, has now evolved into a steel company group encompassing numerous subsidiary companies. One of them is the company I work for. The current CEO of the company I work for is my father’s younger brother—my uncle. My great-grandfather was a shrewd businessman who founded many companies. He built a major corporation with a wide range of businesses, including food and beverage, fashion, telecommunications, and logistics.

My brother, despite growing up in this environment, didn’t rely on the legacy. He started his own company and in about ten years climbed to the top of the industry. As a child, he was often called the reincarnation of our great-grandfather. Now I understand why I could never measure up.

Back to this morning: after Jade abandoned me, I called my brother—the client CEO—and my uncle, our company CEO. Of course, I also informed my supervisor and the manager of the department. If the person in charge couldn’t attend such an important meeting, it was only natural to report it. I informed my uncle before my superiors did. This deal was worth $5 million—a significant transaction for our company.

When chaos ensued, my brother said, “Let’s teach the fool who came without the person in charge a lesson.” With that, even the CEO and the manager decided to join.

“Calling someone’s sister trash is quite disrespectful. My sister—this trash—is the CEO.” I heard my brother’s displeased voice on the phone.

Jade blinked in surprise at his words. My brother glared at her, while she kept repeating “trash.” But Jade, not noticing, lit up and became even more smug.

“So you were favoring her because she’s your sister, Kyle. That’s not good for the company. Look, I’ve brought a new proposal. This product is much more popular than the one that trash suggested—”

“Enough!” Jade started her sales pitch enthusiastically, but my brother’s angry voice cut her off.

“I heard that after making an inquiry, our staff received a brochure for a product that didn’t meet our needs. You sent it, didn’t you? Our staff was puzzled, thinking the person in charge wouldn’t send such a thing. And now I understand why.”

“What? There is no way it didn’t meet your needs. This product is really popular!”

“So what? No matter how popular it is, if it’s not what we need, it’s useless. My sister, the person in charge, patiently worked with us—genuinely understanding our problems and solutions that suited us. She clearly explained both the advantages and disadvantages of the products. We decided to do business with your company because we believed we could have an honest relationship with her.

“If you plan to replace her with someone like you, who only sees things superficially and pushes popular items without understanding the client, we will cancel this deal.”

Hearing my brother’s angry voice, my heart swelled with emotion. I never imagined he thought so highly of my work. Knowing my brother’s true feelings warmed my heart.

I deeply apologized. “It’s my responsibility for not supervising my subordinate properly. Our company has no intention of replacing the person in charge. We sincerely apologize for taking your time today. Could we possibly reschedule? We will ensure that Mary will be there.”

Hearing my brother’s anger, the manager and company kept apologizing. Jade stood there stunned and pale, not expecting this outcome. My brother then said he would let it go for the sake of the manager and company, finally resolving the situation with both sides relieved.

Jade returned to the office immediately. Just before hanging up, the manager’s angry voice echoed. I could faintly hear Jade’s gasp.

Jade, who was ordered to return immediately, came back to the office after business hours. She entered the sales floor where the southeast manager and I were waiting. Jade looked exhausted, her face was a mess, but I didn’t feel sorry for her—it was her own doing.

“What is the meaning of this?” As soon as Jade returned, the manager angrily confronted her. He looked ready to grab her.

“Sir, I was set up. Please believe me!” Jade, with tears in her eyes, clung to the manager. Instead she pressed her chest against his arm and looked up at him pleadingly.

“How?” The manager, not entirely displeased, asked.

Jade lowered her face sadly, but gave me a wicked smile. It seemed she was plotting something again.

“The truth is Mary ordered me to go alone today. I told her she was the person in charge, but she said I was being impertinent for not obeying her even though I’m a new hire. She threatened to harass me until I quit if I refused.”

“Is that true?” The manager looked back and forth between Jade, who was tearfully pleading, and me.

“Of course not. What she said isn’t true,” I firmly denied it. “That’s not true. In fact, I’ve been the one getting harassed by Jade.”

“You’re just making things up. You don’t have any proof!” Jade repeated the same word she used before, smirking smugly. She probably thought she had me cornered.

I smiled sweetly at Jade, who was grinning wickedly. “I do have proof.”

Jade’s voice sounded foolish as she reacted to my words. Ignoring her, I pulled out my phone from my pocket. I opened the latest audio file. It was a recording of my conversation with Jade at the airport this morning. The exchange between Jade and me played from my phone.

When it reached the part where Jade said, “Today is a $5 million deal. Should I bring the trash along?” the manager’s eyebrows shot up.

“So it was you, Jade. You’re the cause!”

“I never said that! It’s fabricated!”

“Oh really? Then is this also fabricated?” I continued playing more audio files, each one containing rude remarks Jade had made to me. Both the manager and the company frowned in displeasure.

“And that’s not all, Jade. You’ve deleted documents I saved in the shared folder, erased schedules I registered in the department app, and done various other harassments, haven’t you?”

“Stop lying! You don’t have any proof! Show me if you do!” Jade kept demanding proof, unaware that she was tightening her own noose.

“Don’t you know our company’s computers require connecting to the internal network to access shared folders and apps?”

“Of course I know that. I’m not stupid like you.”

“Well, that’s to track who accessed what, when, and where. So if we check, it’ll be clear that you deleted my documents and schedules.”

“What—? No one told me that—” Jade visibly panicked at my words. Her sudden pale complexion made it clear she was guilty.

“What have you done, forgetting to cover your tracks!” the manager shouted angrily. Fear and panic appeared on Jade’s face.

“Oh no, I didn’t do anything!” Jade continued to claim her innocence.

The company was the one who ended the seemingly endless cycle. “That’s enough. We will conduct a thorough internal investigation on this matter.”

“That’s not true, I didn’t do anything! Please believe me, sir!”

“If you did nothing wrong, then you have nothing to worry about. In fact, this should prove your innocence.”

Jade fell silent at the CEO’s words. If they investigated, it would be clear she had been harassing me. She wanted to convince the company by any means necessary, but when I say we will investigate, we will.

“This is final. Jade, you are on suspension until the investigation is complete. Do not come to the office.”

“No way—” Jade turned pale at the CEO’s words. For someone who took pride in her competence and career, this suspension was a severe blow. She tried to sway the southeast manager with smooth talk and even clung to him, but the company didn’t change its mind.

The next day, despite being ordered to stay home, Jade showed up at the office. However, the supervisor, having been informed by the manager, ordered her to go back home. When the manager arrived and saw Jade, he was furious. He told her that if she didn’t stay home, she would be fired—and she left in tears.

After that, things were peaceful. It felt like it did before Jade joined, and my work progressed smoothly. I thought the day would end without any more issues, but it didn’t go that way. In the evening, the CEO, with a serious expression, summoned me to his office.

Wondering what had happened, I went. The manager was also there, looking grim as he stared at the computer screen. The CEO gestured for me to look at the monitor. I was shocked. The screen showed a meeting app with my brother and Jade on the other end.

“Mary,” he said. “She says you sent her to see me. Is that true?”

“What? Why would I send Jade to see you?” I had no idea what was going on and was completely confused. My confusion must have shown on my face and in my voice, as my brother sighed deeply and began to explain.

The explanation was headache-inducing. After being sent home that morning, Jade must have realized she was in serious trouble. So she headed straight to the airport. She thought that if she could secure the contract with my brother’s company, she would get off the hook.

She bypassed the contact person at my brother’s company and directly requested a meeting with him. Hearing the company name and that a woman was there to see him, my brother assumed it was me coming to apologize and had her shown to his office. Being led into the CEO’s office made Jade think she had a chance.

She enthusiastically pitched her product to my brother, despite it being rejected the previous day for not meeting the company’s needs. Then, as if that wasn’t bad enough, when my brother tried to dismiss her, saying there was nothing more to discuss, she clung to his arm. Completely misunderstanding the situation, she pressed her chest against him.

Jade tried to force the contract. That act finally made my brother furious, and he demanded, “Are you mocking me?” He called the CEO to complain.

Of course the CEO couldn’t believe that Jade, who had been put on leave, was at my brother’s company the very next day. After switching to a video call through a meeting app and confirming that Jade was indeed there, the CEO was enraged. He called in the manager to ask what was going on, but the manager also couldn’t understand how the subordinate he sent home that morning ended up at my brother’s company.

Under intense questioning from three people, Jade, caught off guard, lied that I had ordered her to use her charm to secure the contract.

I let out a big sigh. Why did Jade hate me so much? I couldn’t think of a reason, but I needed to make my innocence clear.

“I understand the situation. Those claims are not true. In fact, yesterday it was agreed that he would forgive us this time for Jade’s outburst out of respect for the CEO and manager. Even if an apology visit was necessary, sending the offending person alone to secure the contract is out of the question. Demanding she secure the contract—that’s absurd. Doing such a thing offers no benefit to our company, only disadvantages.”

“That’s true. However, given the repeated disrespect, I cannot simply let this go.”

My brother’s words made the CEO, the manager, and me all nod in agreement. We understood his position completely.

“What would you like us to do, President Walters?” I addressed him as the CEO, not my brother, to show I understood this was a professional matter. My brother seemed to give a slight smile.

“Our company cannot continue business with an individual who has repeatedly caused issues, doesn’t understand the problem, and shifts blame to others. Such a person is untrustworthy, both professionally and personally.”

“Are you asking us to fire Jade?” When I asked for clarification, my brother nodded slightly.

“Wait, please! Anything but that!” Jade, who had been silent, suddenly cut in, realizing she couldn’t let this happen. Her audacity to delegate everything up to this point was astonishing.

Her face had turned ashen. “I was wrong. I apologize. I won’t call you trash or mock you again. I won’t delete your files or schedules daily, shred your mail and faxes before you see them, or unplug the phone while you’re on a call. Please help me. You too, brother, right? Ask him to forgive me for your family’s sake.”

“That’s selfish. Please continue.”

Why did she think I would help her after everything she had done? I felt only disdain, not sympathy. So I responded clearly.

“No. Even if I convinced him, it wouldn’t matter. My brother doesn’t have the authority to decide staffing here. The CEO—my uncle—does hold that authority. So perhaps the family plea might work, but I chose not to mention that.”

On the screen, Jade crumpled to the floor. Seeing her face full of despair gave me a small sense of satisfaction.

Jade was picked up by the manager that same day. The CEO decided that she might cause more trouble if left alone, even after being told to go home. The next day, Jade was terminated immediately, even before her probation period ended.

It didn’t end there. She was also sued for substantial damage by the company. Her harassment caused work disruptions and ruined deals. The contract with my brother’s company would now be challenging to secure under the initial terms. Our company would have to make concessions on price and conditions to make up for the trouble. Even the travel expenses Jade incurred to visit my brother’s company would be billed to her.

Moreover, the CEO was so furious that he intended to ensure Jade wouldn’t be hired by any affiliated companies. But that wouldn’t be enough. The Estelle company group, to which the CEO’s company belongs, is a major conglomerate in various sectors including food, fashion, telecommunications, and logistics. Finding a company in the country with no ties to Estelle would be nearly impossible. Who would want to hire someone disliked by the founder’s family?

Jade would likely face a tough future, paying off a significant debt without being able to find decent work.

As for me, I regained peace in my life after Jade left. Having my work recognized by my brother—whom I had always felt inferior to—boosted my confidence at work. Maybe this newfound confidence was noticeable, because a long-time client remarked, “You were always reliable, but lately you seem more assured and dependable.”

My sales performance improved, and I was on track to achieve my best year yet. There were other positive changes as well. For the first time in a long while, I felt like visiting my family. I had avoided going home since starting my job due to my feelings of inadequacy compared to my brother. But this Thanksgiving Day, I felt like it might be nice to spend time with my parents and brother.

Recent cases had made me feel that way. Would my family be pleased with my progress? Though my pace was slower than my brother’s, I was still moving forward. With a mix of excitement and anxiety, I looked forward to the approaching Thanksgiving Day holiday.