My Former Boss Called Me to Work Overtime After I'd Quit

After the New Year's holiday, my former boss called. The moment I picked up, she tore into me. "What time do you think it is? Why aren't you here yet? The project is about to be handed over. If it falls through, are you going to take responsibility for it? Get over here now!" She sounded completely entitled, as if I were still the same pushover who came running whenever she called. Before I could say a word, she hung up. Then HR called. "Why aren't you here yet? The boss is furious! You're usually the most reliable one. Even if you're unhappy about your year-end bonus, you can't just walk away from your work!" I laughed and explained, "It's not that I'm refusing to work. I already quit before the holiday!" Today was my first day at the client company. Chapter 1 When I brought up the fact that I'd resigned before the holiday, Ryan Walker, the head of HR, brushed it off casually. "Oh, that. I saw your resignation letter. Ms. Hayes did too. But you know how busy everyone was before the holidays. We never got a chance to sit down and really discuss it. Now that the holidays are over, why don't we talk it through properly?" "Talk about what?" I asked. My resignation had already gone through. As far as I was concerned, there was nothing left to discuss. "Your terms, of course!" Ryan replied immediately. "Ms. Hayes said she'll give you a 75-a-month raise. The economy's rough right now. You think other companies are just handing out raises like this on a silver platter? Do the math. That's like 900 more a year." I couldn't help doing some math of my own. The people in my department who clocked out on the second every day and never saw a project through from start to finish had reportedly received year-end bonuses of $1,500 each. Last year, I brought in over $15 million in business for the company. One major project I handled from beginning to end was worth $1.2 million on its own. I did the work of three people, logged more overtime than anyone else in the department, and never took a single sick day. But when the Outstanding Employee award was handed out at the annual company party, every project I'd signed suddenly became Kevin Lewis's. He got a $7,500 bonus and the latest iPhone. My year-end bonus was $40. The more I thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed, and I wanted an answer. "Ryan, why was my year-end bonus only $40?" There was silence on the other end for a few seconds. "Look, you have to understand. The company has its policies," he said, carefully choosing his words. "You do a lot of work, sure, but sometimes you're too particular about things. "You're not much of a team player either. You hardly ever come to team events, and you don't socialize much with your coworkers. "When it comes to year-end bonuses, we have to look at overall performance." I let out a disbelieving laugh. I recalled last year's company team-building event, a weekend hike. I didn't go because I had to work overtime. There was a company dinner on a Friday night. I skipped it because I had a proposal to finish. Then there was the time the department went to karaoke. I turned that down too because I had a client meeting the next morning, and I couldn't afford to be careless. Every single time I missed a department get-together, it was because I was working. And now they were using those very things against me? What about everyone else? What were they doing while I was slogging? Drinking, singing, taking group photos, and posting them online. The captions were always things like "We're one big family" and "Best team ever." So that was what "overall performance" meant. "Any other reasons?" I asked. Ryan thought for a moment, then lowered his voice. "Well, Ms. Hayes also said there were a few projects last year where, uh... the clients had some issues with your work, so..." "Which clients? What issues? When did they complain? And why was I never told?" I pressed immediately. "That... I'm not sure. It's just what I heard." Apparently, I was bad at my job. Apparently, clients had complained. Apparently, I wasn't a team player. And that was how they justified giving me a measly $40 bonus. At that point, the amount itself felt like a slap in the face. Chapter 2 I was done. Completely. "Ryan, I understand," I said calmly. "But I resigned before the holidays, and all the proper procedures were completed." "Come on, Evan, why are you being so stubborn? Just listen to me..." "Ryan." I cut him off. "I've been with the company for seven years. I've never missed a day of work, never taken a day off, and never once refused overtime. I believe I've done right by this company. If there's anything that still needs to be handed over, I'll cooperate. Other than that, there's no need to call me again." "Evan Young!" His voice turned shrill with anger. "What kind of attitude is that? I'm trying to talk this through with you in good faith, and you're not even appreciative of it!" I hung up. I wasn't about to let my former company ruin my mood on my first day at the client company. Less than five minutes later, my phone rang again. This time, it was a voice call from Kevin Lewis, the subordinate who had taken the Outstanding Employee award from me last year. I declined it. Half a minute later, messages started popping up one after another. "Evan, why aren't you answering?" "Ms. Hayes is furious. At least text her back." "You're usually the most reliable one here. Why are you being so unreasonable this time? Don't make things difficult for Ms. Hayes." I looked at the messages without feeling much of anything. Kevin Lewis had been with the company for three years. I was the one who had trained him when he was still an intern. I taught him how to deal with clients and how to step in quickly when something went wrong on a project. And in return, he stole the credit for my work and the year-end bonus that came with it. My phone buzzed again. This time, he sent a long message. Apparently, my silence was getting to him. "Evan, I know you're upset about the year-end bonus, but you can't blame the company for that. "Business was tough last year. Everyone had a hard time. Ms. Hayes actually thinks highly of you. If you walk away over a little money, how do you think that's going to look? Besides, the company spent all these years training you. Can you really just leave like this with a clear conscience?" A clear conscience. I stared at those words and almost laughed out loud. I typed back, "Who secretly copied my client files while I was out sick? Who took my ideas, repackaged them, and presented them as his own at team meetings? And who bought drinks for the entire department right before the year-end evaluations and somehow managed to leave me out? "You're the last person who gets to lecture me about having a conscience." Less than three minutes after I sent it, another message came through, this one dripping with patronizing disappointment. "Evan, what's the point of saying all this? You're only hurting yourself by making a mountain out of a molehill. Where do you think you can go after leaving the company? There are people with graduate degrees who can't even find jobs right now. You're thirty, single, and only have a bachelor's degree. Everything worth putting on your resume came from opportunities this company gave you. "Ryan already said that if you still refuse to come back, Ms. Hayes is ready to put out a statement about you. After that, who do you think will still hire you?" I scoffed inwardly. So now they were threatening me. My phone buzzed again. "Evan? Say something! We're all waiting." I opened the chat and replied with a single smiley face. Then I blocked him, got out of bed, and went to wash up. Today, I was going to start working at Newfield Group, my former company's client on the $1.2 million project. The executive in charge was Marcus Cole. We'd gotten to know each other through the project, and he was refreshingly straightforward. When my company stabbed me in the back before the holidays, Marcus had sent me a message. "Evan, we desperately need people like you at our company. You're wasting your talent over there. Name your price. If you're interested, contact me anytime." After washing my face, I looked at my reflection in the mirror. Chapter 3 This year, I was going to live differently. I walked through the doors of Newfield Group, my former company's client. The receptionist already recognized me. She smiled when she saw me. "Evan! You're here. Mr. Cole is waiting for you in his office." Marcus Cole's office was at the end of the hall, and the door was open. He was looking at something on his computer. When he heard me knock, he looked up and smiled. "Evan, you're here. Have a seat." I sat down across from him. "There's something I'd like to discuss with you," he said, getting straight to the point. I sat up a little straighter. "Of course." "You remember that project from before the holidays? The $1.2 million contract with your former company." Of course I remembered it. It was the project I'd spent countless sleepless nights on, revising over and over, only for Kevin to walk onto the stage and accept the award for it. Marcus continued, "The project is ready for final acceptance. I was originally going to send someone else, but then I thought about it. You handled it from beginning to end. No one knows it better than you do." "So I'd like you to go over there," he said, looking at me. "Head to your former company this morning and conduct the final acceptance." I met his straightforward gaze. I recalled the day I resigned, when Hannah Hayes had barely glanced at my resignation letter before setting it aside. I recalled Kevin standing onstage accepting my award, his eyes red as he thanked everyone. I recalled Ryan telling me my $40 year-end bonus was because I wasn't a team player. And I recalled all the calls that morning. First came the orders, then the threats and sweet talk, until finally they dissolved into furious insults. "Sure. I'll head over right away." I smiled. "Besides, I'd like to see how their first day back is going." After leaving Marcus's office, I went to HR to complete my onboarding. At the end, the HR representative handed me my employee badge. It read: Project Director: Evan Young I returned to my desk and had barely sat down when Hannah called. Over the past seven years, that number had appeared on my phone more times than I could count. Late-night calls demanding urgent work. Weekend orders to go into the office. Last-minute assignments while I was traveling. I'd answered these demands immediately every single time. "Yes, Ms. Hayes." "I'm on my way, Ms. Hayes." "No problem, Ms. Hayes." This time, I picked up. "Evan Young!" she snapped. "You've got some nerve! Ignoring calls, refusing to answer messages, blocking everyone! What? You think you're too good for us now? "I'm warning you, don't push your luck!" The angrier she got, the louder her voice became. "If you don't show up today, I'll mark you absent without leave and fire you! I'll make sure it's on your employment record and see what company would dare hire you after that!" Fire me. I sneered inwardly. "Ms. Hayes," I said evenly, "I'll be at your company shortly." The smugness in her voice was impossible to miss. "Hmph. At least you know what's good for you. Hurry up. I'm waiting." When Marcus first reached out to me before the holidays, I hadn't accepted his offer right away. But after Kevin took credit for my work at the annual company party and I was handed a pathetic $40 year-end bonus, I lay awake until six the next morning and finally came to a realization. That company had never been a place where ability mattered. All it could offer me was more work, more blame, and more years spent grinding away unnoticed in some corner. And when all that hard work finally paid off, the people standing onstage accepting the awards would always be the ones who knew how to play the game. That very night, I decided to resign and join the client company. Coming back to the present, I stood and hung my new badge around my neck. I wondered what their faces would look like when I walked into my old company as the client this time. I was actually looking forward to it. The cab stopped outside the familiar office building. I pushed through the doors. Nothing had changed. I had barely made it a few steps inside when Ryan walked over with a cup of tea in his hand. "Evan Young, and here I thought you actually had some backbone," he said, stopping in front of me and looking me up and down. "The way you talked on the phone this morning, I thought you were off to bigger and better things." He gave me a mocking look. "So what happened? Thought you'd spread your wings, only to come right back?" Chapter 4 I looked at him and scoffed lightly without saying anything. My silence only encouraged Ryan. "What, playing nice now? Where'd all that attitude from before go?" As he spoke, his eyes deliberately dropped to the badge hanging from my neck. Then he gave an exaggerated "Oh? "What's this? What's with that badge? Ours aren't that color. Did you walk into the wrong building, Evan? Or..." His eyes shifted, and his face lit up as though he'd suddenly figured it out. Then he burst out laughing. "Don't tell me you're doing deliveries now. That blue lanyard looks just like one of those courier badges! Hahaha!" My badge had flipped over, so they couldn't see the company name. Then Kevin's voice came from behind him. "Evan! You finally showed up! "You've made your point by now, haven't you? Come on, go wrap up the project. The client will be here any minute." He reached out to pull me along, but I knocked his hand away. Kevin's expression darkened. He lowered his voice. "I'm trying to help you here. Ms. Hayes is already in a bad mood today. Just finish the work and don't make things worse for yourself. Otherwise, when the client gets here, you'll only end up getting chewed out again." I scoffed. "Wasn't this project supposed to be entirely your work? Ms. Hayes said so herself at the annual party. She said you handled the whole thing on your own and did an outstanding job. "You're the one who got the Outstanding Employee award and the bonus. So why do you need me to finish it now?" Ryan let out another mocking "Oh?" "Come on, Evan. That's not fair. Why are you still hung up on that now? Just get to work." I stayed where I was. As the standoff dragged on, Hannah's furious voice rang out from inside. "Where's Evan Young? Is he here yet? Tell him to get in here right now!" Hannah strode out of her office. She stopped in front of me and looked me up and down. "Well, well, Evan Young," she said condescendingly. "You've had your little tantrum, made a whole scene, and now you've finally decided to come back?" I nodded calmly. "I'm here on business." Hannah snorted. "I've seen plenty of people like you. You do a little work, start thinking you're indispensable, convince yourself you've been treated unfairly, then throw a fit because you expect your boss to come begging you to stay. "Let me tell you something. Life doesn't work that way. No one is irreplaceable. You really thought the company would collapse without you? What a joke." She planted her hands on her hips, her voice growing louder. "And here I thought you actually had some backbone. Yet here you are, crawling back just like I knew you would. "It's the first official day back after the holidays, and you're already late. With an attitude like that, you need to be taught a lesson. I'm docking your entire salary for this month." She stared at me, waiting for the familiar meek expression she was used to seeing. I gave a cold laugh. "Are you sure you want to talk to me like that?" Kevin immediately chimed in. "Ms. Hayes, don't get too worked up. Evan's probably just in a bad mood. I asked him to get started earlier, and he snapped at me." Hannah glared at me. "Does being in a bad mood mean you can abandon your work? Does it mean you can ignore everyone's calls? This is a workplace, not your home. No one's going to put up with your tantrums here!" She waved a hand dismissively. "Get your act together now. The client is sending someone over today to go through the project with us. You're handling the meeting. They're the ones paying us, so watch your attitude and don't screw this up." "Ms. Hayes, the client is already here." She froze. "They are? Where?" "Right here." I flipped my badge around. The moment the three of them saw what was printed on it, they all froze in place.