Chapter 2 · I Stole My Boss's Business

When I got home that night, I added the headhunter on WhatsApp.

Her name was Kelly Clark, and her profile picture was a professional headshot.

She messaged: [Ms. Parker, would you be available for a voice call?]

I replied: [Sure.]

The call connected, and Kelly said, "Ms. Parker, I have a client who's a competitor of your company, NovaTech Solutions."

NovaTech, huh. I knew that company. It was the No. 2 player in the industry, always trying to overtake us.

"Their sales director just left, and they're looking for someone new. You've got a great reputation in the field, so I wanted to ask if you'd be interested," she continued.

"What kind of offer are we talking about?" I asked.

"Double your base salary, Sales Director position, and you'll be in charge of your own team," Kelly replied.

I paused, thinking it over.

"Ms. Parker?" she prompted.

"I'll think about it," I said.

"Alright. If you make a decision, just reach out anytime," she said.

After I hung up, I sat there on the couch, staring into space.

Sales Director. Leading my own team. Double my base salary... All that stuff? Even if I stuck with my current company for another ten years, I still might never get any of it.

But... I thought back to when I first started here. It was 2014 I was 25.

I'd only been out of college for two years, working as a salesperson at a small company.

One day, I got a call from John.

"Lynn Parker, right? I've heard you're quite capable. Interested in joining us?" he asked.

I went in for an interview.

The office was tiny, with just about 20 people.

John interviewed me himself.

"Lynn, our company's just getting off the ground, and things aren't exactly glamorous right now. But if you've got the skills, I'll make sure you're taken care of," he promised.

I believed him and signed the offer, becoming the 23rd employee of the company.

Back then, we had to build everything from the ground up.

I had to chase down clients, draft every proposal myself, and even pay for my own printer paper sometimes.

I was running myself ragged from morning till night, handling everything solo.

In my first year, I closed three deals worth 400 thousand dollars.

The company's annual revenue was about 2.7 million dollars, and my deals alone made up 15% of it.

John patted me on the shoulder and said, "Keep working hard, Lynn. The sky's the limit for you."

I believed him.

The next year, I closed deals worth 1.5 million dollars.

The year after that, 2.5 million.

In my fourth year, I landed the company's very first client worth over three million dollars, Pinnacle Materials.

That was the proudest moment of my life.

John treated me to dinner.

"Lynn, you're the MVP of this company," he said, raising his glass. "When we go public, I'll make sure you get stock options."

I believed him.

In my fifth year, I was promoted to sales manager.

I thought it was the beginning. But it turned out to be the end.

It'd been five years since then, and I never got promoted again.

Year after year, my name was never on the promotion list.

Every time I asked John, he always gave me the same answer.

"Lynn, just keep waiting."

"Lynn, you've got the skills, but being a leader needs the whole package."

"Lynn, there are only so many spots available this year."

I waited year after year. But what did I get in return?

People with connections jumped ahead of me, cutting in line for promotions.

Credit for my achievements always ended up in someone else's hands.

I ended up taking the blame and just had to swallow it in silence.

Thinking about it, I couldn't help but laugh to myself. I picked up my phone and sent a message to the headhunter. [Let's set up a time to chat.]

She replied almost instantly: [Great! How about Wednesday?]

I replied: [Works for me.]

The next day, I showed up at work as usual. The usual meetings. The usual proposals. The usual summons to John's office.

"How's the Grandway proposal coming along?" he asked.

"All done," I said.

"Send it over," he said.

I forwarded the proposal to him.

He spent about ten minutes reviewing it. "Not bad."

He looked up. "We're pitching to Grandway on Friday. I'm taking Emily with me."

I was caught off guard. "Emily?"

"Yeah. She needs to observe and learn," he replied.

I looked at him. "Mr. Carter, I've been handling this client for half a year. Mr. Warren requested me personally."

"Of course you're going," he said with a smile. "Emily will just be sitting in to observe."

Just to observe, huh. I knew what that really meant. What "just observing" really meant was: after I did all the work and landed the client, she'd show up to claim the prize.

This kind of thing wasn't anything new.

Three years ago, after eight months of chasing a client, John showed up with his nephew in tow when it was finally time to sign the deal.

The contract ended up with his nephew's name on it. His nephew got all the glory and the commission, too.

And me? John had said, "Lynn, you've been here forever. You gotta keep the bigger picture in mind."

Bigger picture, huh. I'd been hearing that line my whole life.

"Alright. Mr. Carter, I get it," I replied.

He nodded, satisfied. "Lynn, you're sharp. Just keep at it. I'll make sure you're taken care of."

He'd take care of me? I'd heard that same promise for ten years.

I turned and walked out of his office. Only one thing was on my mind: I have to meet that headhunter on Wednesday.

Chapter 2

When I got home that night, I added the headhunter on WhatsApp.

Her name was Kelly Clark, and her profile picture was a professional headshot.

She messaged: [Ms. Parker, would you be available for a voice call?]

I replied: [Sure.]

The call connected, and Kelly said, "Ms. Parker, I have a client who's a competitor of your company, NovaTech Solutions."

NovaTech, huh. I knew that company. It was the No. 2 player in the industry, always trying to overtake us.

"Their sales director just left, and they're looking for someone new. You've got a great reputation in the field, so I wanted to ask if you'd be interested," she continued.

"What kind of offer are we talking about?" I asked.

"Double your base salary, Sales Director position, and you'll be in charge of your own team," Kelly replied.

I paused, thinking it over.

"Ms. Parker?" she prompted.

"I'll think about it," I said.

"Alright. If you make a decision, just reach out anytime," she said.

After I hung up, I sat there on the couch, staring into space.

Sales Director. Leading my own team. Double my base salary... All that stuff? Even if I stuck with my current company for another ten years, I still might never get any of it.

But... I thought back to when I first started here. It was 2014 I was 25.

I'd only been out of college for two years, working as a salesperson at a small company.

One day, I got a call from John.

"Lynn Parker, right? I've heard you're quite capable. Interested in joining us?" he asked.

I went in for an interview.

The office was tiny, with just about 20 people.

John interviewed me himself.

"Lynn, our company's just getting off the ground, and things aren't exactly glamorous right now. But if you've got the skills, I'll make sure you're taken care of," he promised.

I believed him and signed the offer, becoming the 23rd employee of the company.

Back then, we had to build everything from the ground up.

I had to chase down clients, draft every proposal myself, and even pay for my own printer paper sometimes.

I was running myself ragged from morning till night, handling everything solo.

In my first year, I closed three deals worth 400 thousand dollars.

The company's annual revenue was about 2.7 million dollars, and my deals alone made up 15% of it.

John patted me on the shoulder and said, "Keep working hard, Lynn. The sky's the limit for you."

I believed him.

The next year, I closed deals worth 1.5 million dollars.

The year after that, 2.5 million.

In my fourth year, I landed the company's very first client worth over three million dollars, Pinnacle Materials.

That was the proudest moment of my life.

John treated me to dinner.

"Lynn, you're the MVP of this company," he said, raising his glass. "When we go public, I'll make sure you get stock options."

I believed him.

In my fifth year, I was promoted to sales manager.

I thought it was the beginning. But it turned out to be the end.

It'd been five years since then, and I never got promoted again.

Year after year, my name was never on the promotion list.

Every time I asked John, he always gave me the same answer.

"Lynn, just keep waiting."

"Lynn, you've got the skills, but being a leader needs the whole package."

"Lynn, there are only so many spots available this year."

I waited year after year. But what did I get in return?

People with connections jumped ahead of me, cutting in line for promotions.

Credit for my achievements always ended up in someone else's hands.

I ended up taking the blame and just had to swallow it in silence.

Thinking about it, I couldn't help but laugh to myself. I picked up my phone and sent a message to the headhunter. [Let's set up a time to chat.]

She replied almost instantly: [Great! How about Wednesday?]

I replied: [Works for me.]

The next day, I showed up at work as usual. The usual meetings. The usual proposals. The usual summons to John's office.

"How's the Grandway proposal coming along?" he asked.

"All done," I said.

"Send it over," he said.

I forwarded the proposal to him.

He spent about ten minutes reviewing it. "Not bad."

He looked up. "We're pitching to Grandway on Friday. I'm taking Emily with me."

I was caught off guard. "Emily?"

"Yeah. She needs to observe and learn," he replied.

I looked at him. "Mr. Carter, I've been handling this client for half a year. Mr. Warren requested me personally."

"Of course you're going," he said with a smile. "Emily will just be sitting in to observe."

Just to observe, huh. I knew what that really meant. What "just observing" really meant was: after I did all the work and landed the client, she'd show up to claim the prize.

This kind of thing wasn't anything new.

Three years ago, after eight months of chasing a client, John showed up with his nephew in tow when it was finally time to sign the deal.

The contract ended up with his nephew's name on it. His nephew got all the glory and the commission, too.

And me? John had said, "Lynn, you've been here forever. You gotta keep the bigger picture in mind."

Bigger picture, huh. I'd been hearing that line my whole life.

"Alright. Mr. Carter, I get it," I replied.

He nodded, satisfied. "Lynn, you're sharp. Just keep at it. I'll make sure you're taken care of."

He'd take care of me? I'd heard that same promise for ten years.

I turned and walked out of his office. Only one thing was on my mind: I have to meet that headhunter on Wednesday.