After that day, Ethan watched Brad with scientific precision—the way a nature enthusiast might observe an exotic, noisy bird repeating the same empty calls. Every email, each phrase, and every meeting interruption became data points. Ethan was busy experimenting with stupidity and power.
The results were consistent. Brad never checked numbers, only headlines. He’d scroll past spreadsheets like they were legal disclaimers and summarize them as “strong upward momentum.” The only graphs he liked were colorful ones. “Visuals sell,” he’d say, ignoring the fact that his visuals often contradicted the data.