Chapter 4
"Mr. Jones, have you forgotten?" I said calmly. "When I came to you, you told me rules are rules. You said everything should be fair."
I emphasized the word "fair".
Howard went silent for a second.
I could imagine his face must look terrible right now.
"Now, I'm giving your words back to you," I said, slightly mocking. "Sympathy is sympathy. Principles are principles.
"My principle is simple. I will no longer help someone who treats me like a disposable resource, uses me up, discards me, and fines me afterward. That's my version of fairness."
My words cut into his most vulnerable spot like a sharp blade.
He was left speechless for a long time.
After a long silence, he finally said in a pleading tone, "Nora, I'm begging you. You can't stand by and do nothing. Sasha is innocent."
"Yeah, she's innocent," I admitted. "But I'm not the one responsible for this; it's you. You drove away the person who could have saved her with a 600-dollar fine.
"You talked to me about rules back then. Now I'm talking about karma. You brought this on yourself."
I gave him no chance to respond and hung up directly.
Then I opened my contacts, found the unknown number that had called me over thirty times, and blocked it.
Everything finally went quiet. I leaned back in my chair and let out a long breath.
There was no thrill of revenge in my heart. I only felt like everything had finally settled.
Howard, ever since you signed that penalty slip, we were square. I gave your daughter a pint of blood, but you docked 600 dollars from my bonus. We owed each other nothing.
From now on, your daughter's life was no longer my concern.
I took a sip of water and prepared to continue my work for the day.
However, this wasn't over yet.
An hour later, I was discussing a new project with a coworker when the receptionist called me. "Nora, there's a woman downstairs asking for you. She says she's your former coworker, Brynn."
That name immediately made me frown.
'What did she want? Was she sent by Howard as a mediator?
"Let her in," I said.
Since there was no dodging this, I might as well face Brynn head-on. I wanted to see what else they were capable of.
*****
A few minutes later, Brynn showed up at the office door in a business outfit and polished makeup.
She carried an expensive-looking gift, wearing a smile that was slightly awkward and overly polite.
This was my new workplace, a rising internet company in the industry.
It had an open office space and young, energetic coworkers. Everything here made her, who used to traditional corporate environments, feel a bit out of place.
She spotted me immediately and walked over quickly in her high heels. "Hi, Nora."
Her voice wasn't loud, but everyone nearby could hear it.
I stood up and stayed by my desk. I didn't take her to a meeting room because I didn't want to have a private talk with her.
"Brynn, is there something you need?" My tone was flat, like I was speaking to a stranger.
Brynn's smile froze for a moment. She handed me the gift. "I-I'm here on behalf of the company."
As she spoke, she quickly glanced around my new workplace, a subtle and complicated emotion flashing in her eyes.
Maybe she didn't expect me to find a decent job so quickly after leaving that company.
"No need." I refused the gift. "I'm no longer your company's employee. I shouldn't take it."
My blunt response left Brynn speechless.
Her hand froze awkwardly in the air. She didn't know what to do next.
My coworkers looked over curiously, slowing down their work.
My manager, Nicolas, a project director in his early thirties, came out of his office, arms crossed, watching us curiously.
Brynn took a deep breath, as if she'd finally made up her mind. She placed the gift on a nearby chair and put on a deeply sorrowful expression.
She said, "Nora, I know you're still angry. We were indeed wrong about what happened back then. I didn't handle it properly. I'm here to apologize."
As she spoke, she gave me a slight bow.
"The situation is urgent. Sasha is really in critical condition." Her voice rose, carrying a deliberately dramatic sadness, as if she were performing on stage.
She said, "She's only nineteen. What did she do wrong? Why should our conflict involve an innocent child?
"Nora, I know you're a kind person. The fact that you donated blood without hesitation last time proves you're not cold-hearted. If you agree now, you can save her. Think about Mr. Jones and his wife. They're panicking."
She spoke with great emotion, tears welling in her eyes.
I had to admit that she was an experienced HR veteran. She was really good at twisting things and guilt-tripping people.
She skillfully shifted the focus from Howard's ingratitude to my refusing to save an innocent girl.
Some coworkers who didn't know the full story started whispering, giving me those weird looks.
In their eyes, any conflict should be put aside for someone dying. If I refused, I would be seen as cold and cruel.
A classic pressure tactic.