When Ethan finally mustered the courage to ask about recognition, Brad smirked. “Buddy, learn to play the game. It’s not about doing the work, but about owning it.” He patted Ethan’s shoulder as though teaching a child to ride a bike, then walked off to lunch with upper management.
A few days later came the final nail in the coffin. Brad humiliated Ethan in front of the team for forgetting a deadline. “Timing matters, Miller,” he said. The interns giggled. Ethan said nothing, but remembered how he’d been pressured to finish Brad’s personal report instead of this one, even when he reminded Brad about the looming deadline.