You nailed that. I would want to say I'm the hero and I did great but I played the part just as much. Life's messy and messiness is grey. I'm so happy you felt the ambiguity. Thank you for reading and engaging!
I think what made this work for me was the fact that you allowed yourself to be part of the contradiction, you didn’t make yourself look morally above everything, that honesty made the whole thing feel much more human...
Hey ria, I'm sincerely happy to see you come back and read another story of mine. I'm not just randomly saying this but this makes such a big difference to me.
Yeah, I'm still struggling very much with this moment. It already defined my life and might very well be a huge turning point looking back when I get old.
So, yes, I clap at the end (I'm super happy this ending somehow worked cause that's just the metaphor). I clap for my performance but I'm not happy about it. Not at all.
Of course! I’m glad it means something to you. I genuinely enjoy reading your stories, so I guess you’ll be seeing me around here from time to time !
The clap doesn’t feel like a celebration, it feels more like acknowledging the performance for what it was, even though you’re not proud of the part you played. I really liked that you didn’t try to make peace with that contradiction or turn it into a neat lesson.
The last few lines are what got me: the whole piece judges Stefan's charm, then you turn round and admit you handed him a polished version of yourself too. After years in law I recognise that swap of flattery for access, and it happens on both sides of the desk. Did keeping your thoughts to yourself feel like the sensible move at the time, or only looking back?
Hey Melanie, thank you so much for getting to the depth of it ❤️.
It felt natural at the time. It's something I was very used to, something I was good at. I had played such a role that often that I don't even know how much of a role it even was anymore. Hindsight is the problem. Looking back, I wish I had been open and direct from the start. I value honest so much that I thought staying quiet doesn't break it. Well, fool me.
There’s something terrifying about realizing that even our private suffering can acquire an audience in our heads. Eventually you can’t tell whether you’re surviving the thing or performing your survival of it. The curtain craving applause is such a brutal image. Thank you -FB
Hey Jonas! I’m coming here from your comment on my note about all those people engaging with each other’s work. Thought I’d stop by and give your piece a read. And here I am! And keeping my promise! 😄
I really enjoyed your story. I honestly didn’t expect that ending and I found myself flowing through the narrative. You’ve built the backbone and context of the story really well.
What stayed with me most was the way it made me think about the different faces people can have and the invisible dynamics behind relationships. Someone who smiles at you, praises you and offers you unlimited freedom and support can suddenly fall completely silent when you choose your own path. There’s something quite thought-provoking about that.
Another powerful aspect is the inward turn. The moment you recognize your own silence, your own performance and that quiet dishonesty adds another layer to the story.
Still, I would have loved to see a little more of you in it. Exploring your inner conflicts, what you were feeling in those moments and how you connect this experience to your own identity could have taken the story somewhere even deeper.
Overall, I genuinely enjoyed reading it. Especially the ending, which stays with you and gives you something to think about even after the story is over :)
Hi Ali, this comment is amazing. Thank you so much. I sincerely appreciate you reading and engaging. Especially the part about you wishing for more depth about my inner conflict, is extremely helpful to me. Lately, I found that shorter articles with less than 5 minutes get way more engagement. Hence, I started trimming down stories to the rather bare minimum. Maybe, that is not always the best direction. Again, thank you so much <3.
I understand. But honestly, I think your inner voice and the depth of your stories are what make your writing meaningful in the first place. It would be a shame to lose some of that depth in pursuit of engagement. Metrics can tell us what attracts attention, but they can’t always tell us what makes a piece of writing truly worth reading. I hope you keep writing in a way that feels true to you, without feeling the need to compromise what you genuinely want to express✌️
What a wonderful piece! Tells an important lesson too that in the end it is your morals and principles that matter. Being aware of your environment is so important in today’s time!
I read all through the story, and at first I felt kind of wierdly warm, just as your publication describes. Really, if someone praises you and you take it smile, the praise was genuine but what you give back should be honesty. Maybe you should have Thank stephan and Then should put your offer all neat and clean. But then also, the ending had to beautiful brutal. You chose honesty towards the company, and resigned from the post.
Hi Megha, that’s so unbelievably kind. The way you connected my newsletter slogan to the story just made my day <3.
Yeah, I’m still wondering. I guess most people would have just thanked him, taken the career jump and moved on. I’m not trying to build a good versus evil thing here. Especially the end should have made clear that I also very much played a part for my own purposes. I’m not the good one here. Nor is Stefan the bad one. It’s just sometimes very hard to make the right call in life when it becomes so messy.
We are all performing in our own silent little shows. I like how this story leaves me with ambiguity about how to feel.
You nailed that. I would want to say I'm the hero and I did great but I played the part just as much. Life's messy and messiness is grey. I'm so happy you felt the ambiguity. Thank you for reading and engaging!
When is he texting again 😭
Not happening. For the better.
what a good read!! thank you for making me check out your posts haha
I’d love to be mutuals & support each other’s work here! Subbed!!
Will do, thank you <3.
Stories like this are what make me desperately pull away from the corporate world. Disingenuous people everywhere. Really good work!
Yeah, I’m happy I quit a couple of months ago. Hopefully for good.
I think what made this work for me was the fact that you allowed yourself to be part of the contradiction, you didn’t make yourself look morally above everything, that honesty made the whole thing feel much more human...
also the last line was the cherry on top for me !
Hey ria, I'm sincerely happy to see you come back and read another story of mine. I'm not just randomly saying this but this makes such a big difference to me.
Yeah, I'm still struggling very much with this moment. It already defined my life and might very well be a huge turning point looking back when I get old.
So, yes, I clap at the end (I'm super happy this ending somehow worked cause that's just the metaphor). I clap for my performance but I'm not happy about it. Not at all.
Of course! I’m glad it means something to you. I genuinely enjoy reading your stories, so I guess you’ll be seeing me around here from time to time !
The clap doesn’t feel like a celebration, it feels more like acknowledging the performance for what it was, even though you’re not proud of the part you played. I really liked that you didn’t try to make peace with that contradiction or turn it into a neat lesson.
The last few lines are what got me: the whole piece judges Stefan's charm, then you turn round and admit you handed him a polished version of yourself too. After years in law I recognise that swap of flattery for access, and it happens on both sides of the desk. Did keeping your thoughts to yourself feel like the sensible move at the time, or only looking back?
Hey Melanie, thank you so much for getting to the depth of it ❤️.
It felt natural at the time. It's something I was very used to, something I was good at. I had played such a role that often that I don't even know how much of a role it even was anymore. Hindsight is the problem. Looking back, I wish I had been open and direct from the start. I value honest so much that I thought staying quiet doesn't break it. Well, fool me.
Thriving int the corporate world requires a very specific set of qualities, doesn't it.
At least in my experience it helps very much to always put yourself first. Good thing I quit I guess.
I really enjoyed reading it. I Especially liked how you were directly thrown into the story and the last line !
I'm so happy you liked it ❤️. Thank you for ready and engaging, it really makes all the difference!
This is a chilling look at corporate manipulation. Stefan’s warmth feels more like a trap than a genuine connection.
The narrator’s complicity is the real tragedy here. They knew something was off but played along for the career boost.
That final line, "The curtain falls. I clap," is so dry and perfect. It captures the hollow end of that whole charade.
You earned yourself an instant subscriber. Thank you for sharing!
Great work 🔥🔥🔥
Thank you ❤️
There’s something terrifying about realizing that even our private suffering can acquire an audience in our heads. Eventually you can’t tell whether you’re surviving the thing or performing your survival of it. The curtain craving applause is such a brutal image. Thank you -FB
Deeply appreciated. I, for one, crave way too much applause, way too much of an audience. Performing comes way too natural by now. It's fucked.
Hey Jonas! I’m coming here from your comment on my note about all those people engaging with each other’s work. Thought I’d stop by and give your piece a read. And here I am! And keeping my promise! 😄
I really enjoyed your story. I honestly didn’t expect that ending and I found myself flowing through the narrative. You’ve built the backbone and context of the story really well.
What stayed with me most was the way it made me think about the different faces people can have and the invisible dynamics behind relationships. Someone who smiles at you, praises you and offers you unlimited freedom and support can suddenly fall completely silent when you choose your own path. There’s something quite thought-provoking about that.
Another powerful aspect is the inward turn. The moment you recognize your own silence, your own performance and that quiet dishonesty adds another layer to the story.
Still, I would have loved to see a little more of you in it. Exploring your inner conflicts, what you were feeling in those moments and how you connect this experience to your own identity could have taken the story somewhere even deeper.
Overall, I genuinely enjoyed reading it. Especially the ending, which stays with you and gives you something to think about even after the story is over :)
Hi Ali, this comment is amazing. Thank you so much. I sincerely appreciate you reading and engaging. Especially the part about you wishing for more depth about my inner conflict, is extremely helpful to me. Lately, I found that shorter articles with less than 5 minutes get way more engagement. Hence, I started trimming down stories to the rather bare minimum. Maybe, that is not always the best direction. Again, thank you so much <3.
I understand. But honestly, I think your inner voice and the depth of your stories are what make your writing meaningful in the first place. It would be a shame to lose some of that depth in pursuit of engagement. Metrics can tell us what attracts attention, but they can’t always tell us what makes a piece of writing truly worth reading. I hope you keep writing in a way that feels true to you, without feeling the need to compromise what you genuinely want to express✌️
Thank you so much Ali. It's those comments like yours that really make the difference for me. Especially, to keep staying true to myself ❤️.
You’re welcome Jonas. I’m not a Pollyanna, but I believe that as long as we stay true to ourselves, beautiful things will find their way to us 🌿
I love the raw vulnerability and your willingness to admit your own role in the charade. Well done! Keep wrangling!
Thank you so much Steve for reading and engaging. Time is precious <3.
Concur!
Silence he chose later leaves no doubt about the person ..and you chose a boss move 🙂↔️.. 👌✨
What a wonderful piece! Tells an important lesson too that in the end it is your morals and principles that matter. Being aware of your environment is so important in today’s time!
It's hard though. And I am also not without fault, I played my part just as much.
Thank you so much for reading and engaging ❤️.
I read all through the story, and at first I felt kind of wierdly warm, just as your publication describes. Really, if someone praises you and you take it smile, the praise was genuine but what you give back should be honesty. Maybe you should have Thank stephan and Then should put your offer all neat and clean. But then also, the ending had to beautiful brutal. You chose honesty towards the company, and resigned from the post.
Hi Megha, that’s so unbelievably kind. The way you connected my newsletter slogan to the story just made my day <3.
Yeah, I’m still wondering. I guess most people would have just thanked him, taken the career jump and moved on. I’m not trying to build a good versus evil thing here. Especially the end should have made clear that I also very much played a part for my own purposes. I’m not the good one here. Nor is Stefan the bad one. It’s just sometimes very hard to make the right call in life when it becomes so messy.
Thank you so much for reading!
very true!