This week’s Story Starter teaser is:
Steve wanted Ken’s job, and it would be easy enough to discredit him.
Fandango’s Story Starter #267
The Promotion
Steve wanted Ken’s job, and it would be easy enough to discredit him.
At least, that was what Steve thought.
Ken had been with the company for twenty-three years. Everyone trusted him. Management relied on him. He knew every client, every contract, every forgotten password and every skeleton buried in the company’s very expensive filing cabinets.
But Ken was old-school.
Steve considered that a weakness.
A few altered figures in a spreadsheet.
One anonymous complaint.
A confidential document mysteriously forwarded from Ken’s account.
Nothing dramatic.
Just enough little mistakes to make management wonder whether dependable old Ken was beginning to lose his touch.
It worked beautifully.
Within three weeks, Ken was called into the director’s office.
Steve watched him walk past carrying a cardboard box.
“Everything okay?” Steve asked, arranging his face into something resembling concern.
Ken stopped.
“They’ve decided it’s time for a change.”
Steve lowered his eyes.
“I’m sorry.”
Ken smiled.
That bothered him.
“You’ll be fine,” Ken said. “In fact, I recommended you.”
Steve almost laughed.
“You did?”
“Absolutely. I told them you’re ambitious, resourceful and extremely interested in my work.”
He held out his hand.
“Congratulations.”
By Friday afternoon, the announcement was official.
Steve had Ken’s job.
The salary.
The office.
Even Ken’s parking space.
It was everything he’d wanted.
Until Monday morning.
At precisely nine o’clock, Steve was summoned to the boardroom.
Ken was already there.
So were the managing director, the head of HR and two people Steve didn’t recognise.
A laptop sat open on the table.
The managing director pointed towards the empty chair.
“Sit down, Steve.”
Steve looked at Ken.
“I thought you left.”
“Oh, I did,” Ken replied pleasantly.
One of the strangers slid a business card across the table.
Corporate Fraud Investigation Unit.
Steve stopped breathing.
Ken folded his hands.
“You see, someone had been altering company records for months. We couldn’t work out who.”
The investigator turned the laptop towards Steve.
There were spreadsheets.
Emails.
Login records.
Every little change he’d made.
Every document he’d forwarded.
Every anonymous complaint he’d sent.
Steve stared at Ken.
“You knew?”
“Not initially.”
Ken leaned back.
“But when someone began trying very hard to make me look incompetent, I became curious.”
Steve’s face turned pale.
Ken smiled.
“And that’s why I recommended you for my job.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I needed you to accept it.”
“Why?”
Ken stood and buttoned his jacket.
“Because my old position comes with administrator access.”
Steve stared at the screen.
“And administrator access records everything.”
Ken walked towards the door.
Steve’s voice followed him.
“So what happens to you?”
Ken turned.
“Oh, didn’t they tell you?”
For the first time, his smile became enormous.
“I retired on Friday.”
He opened the door.
“Twenty-three years was quite enough.”
Then he glanced at the investigators.
“Enjoy the new job, Steve.”
And left.
With love, coffee, poetry, and stardust,
— Maggie The Afterlove Voice 💫
Dj Maggie in the house 🎧
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