Many years later, a former classmate who once shared a desk with me walked into the interview for her dream job. She didn’t recognize me — and kept the same arrogance as before: scrutinizing eyes, condescending tone. She even smirked, “I hope you have enough authority to pass my file to your superiors.” I opened my laptop, flipped to the HR decision page, and said calmly, “No need to pass it on. I’m the one who decides… who gets hired.” She turned pale instantly.
The 45th floor of the Aetheris Dynamics tower overlooks the foggy San Francisco Bay. My office is cold, minimalist, and so quiet you can hear the ticking of the clock’s second hand.
On my black glass desk is a single file.
Candidate name: Jessica Sterling.
I, Ethan Cole, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Aetheris, twirling a Montblanc pen in my hand. It’s been 15 years since I last heard that name.
15 years ago, at Lincoln High School in Ohio, Jessica was “Queen.” She was beautiful, rich, smart, and ruthless. Me? I was the fat kid with thick glasses who sat next to her in AP Chemistry. I was the “shadow” she never looked at, except when she needed to copy homework or make fun of my old shoes in front of her friends.
“Get out of the way, Ethan. You’re breathing all my oxygen,” the voice echoed in my head.
Today, Jessica was here to interview for the VP of Strategy position. A position with a seven-figure salary, ultimate power, and stock options.
She didn’t know who was interviewing her. Aetheris’s hiring process was highly confidential. All she knew was that she had made it through four rigorous rounds of qualifying to the “Final Round.”
I adjusted my tie. I’d lost 30 pounds, had laser eye surgery, and the confidence of a man who built a billion-dollar empire had completely transformed my demeanor.
She wouldn’t recognize me. And that was a killer advantage.
“Mr. Cole,” the secretary announced over the intercom. “Ms. Sterling is here.”
“Let her in.”
The door opened. Jessica walked in.
She was still beautiful, a sharper, colder beauty than before. Her Armani suit was perfectly tailored, her Hermes Birkin bag was placed casually on the chair. She walked with the confidence of someone who had never known defeat.
I stood up, not offering a handshake, just a slight nod. “Please sit, Ms. Sterling.”
Jessica sat down, legs crossed, her eyes scanning me briefly and absently. She was assessing me. And I saw the disappointment in her eyes.
To Jessica, I looked too young. Too ordinary. Perhaps she thought I was a senior assistant or an HR specialist sent to do the final screening before she met the “real boss”.
“Thank you,” she said, her tone polite but lacking warmth. “I was expecting to meet Mr. Vance, the CEO of the corporation. Has his schedule changed?”
“Mr. Vance is in Tokyo,” I lied smoothly. (Actually, Vance was golfing, he had delegated all senior personnel decisions to me.) “I’ll be the one to conduct this interview.”
Jessica raised her eyebrows, a slight smirk appearing on her lips. She didn’t take me seriously.
“Okay,” she said, as if doing me a favor. “Let’s get this over with. I have a lunch date with a Google partner at 1 o’clock.”
“I’ll try not to waste your precious time,” I replied, opening the folder. “I’ve looked over your CV. Impressive. Director of Marketing at Zenith Corp, Head of Development at OmniG. But I see a gap in the last 6 months. Can you explain?”
Jessica sighed, looking bored.
“Listen… um, what’s your name?”
“Just call me the interviewer.”
“Okay, ‘interviewer.’ It’s my sabbatical. I’ve been working nonstop for 10 years. I think questions about gaps in resumes are for interns, not for the C-level position I’m applying for. Can we skip the administrative stuff and talk about my compensation package and my rights?”
The arrogance. It’s still there. She doesn’t see this as an interview. She sees it as a coronation.
“At Aetheris, we value cultural fit over technical competence,” I say, keeping my voice even. “Ms. Sterling, let’s say you get hired. In the first 90 days, you find out that a junior employee, who is very technical but a poor communicator and an introvert, is having trouble integrating. What would you do?”
Jessica smirks. She adjusted the Cartier watch on her wrist.
“I’m firing him.”
“Fired?” I asked again.
“We’re running a billion-dollar business, not a daycare center,” she said firmly. “If someone doesn’t have the guts to fit in, they’re the weak link. I don’t waste time trying to coax weaklings. I need warriors. That’s why I’m successful, and the others work for me.”
That answer was like a knife stabbing into my memory.
“Ethan, are you crying? You’re weak. You don’t belong in this world.” That’s what she said when she ripped up my A-grade test in 11th grade.
“Don’t you think diversity is an asset?” I retorted.
“Diversity is a HR cliche,” Jessica said impatiently. She looked at her watch again. “You know, I started
I feel like this conversation is going nowhere. Your questions are too trivial, lacking strategic vision.”
She stood up, grabbing her expensive handbag.
“I don’t think you’re qualified to judge my abilities. You’re just a gatekeeper trying to look important.”
“Where are you going?” I remained seated.
“I’ll contact Mr. Vance directly,” Jessica jerked her chin, her eyes filled with contempt and pity. “I hope you have the authority to forward my file to your superiors. I need to talk to the real decision maker, the one who understands my value, not some desk jockey asking stupid questions.
She turned, about to walk out the door.
“Jessica Sterling,” I said her name. Not in a polite tone anymore, but with a cold authority.
She paused, turned her head. “Did you just say my name?”
I slowly opened the laptop on the desk, turning the screen toward her. On the screen was the Aetheris Dynamics organizational chart.
At the top, right below the CEO, was my picture. Below it was my full name: Ethan Cole – Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer (COO).
And next to that tab, was a pre-composed email to HR, subject line: VP Strategy Hiring Decision.
“You don’t need me to forward the file anywhere,” I said, my voice low and resonant in the quiet room. “Because because I’m the one who decides… who gets accepted.”
Jessica’s face paled. She looked at the screen, then at me. Her eyes narrowed, trying to search her memory.
“Ethan… Cole?” she muttered. “This name…”
“Yes,” I stood up, walked away from my desk, and approached her. “Class 11B, Lincoln High School. You sat in the front row, I sat in the back row. You used to call me ‘Barrel’ instead of my real name. Remember?”
Realization hit Jessica like a bucket of cold water. She took a step back, holding onto the chair for balance. Her arrogant face crumbled, replaced by utter confusion.
“Ethan… Fat Ethan… I mean, Ethan Cole?” She stammered. “You… you’re the founder of Aetheris?”
“Co-founder,” I corrected. “And the one who just heard you say you’re going to fire weak, introverted people – the kind of people I used to be.”
Jessica swallowed. She was smart, she knew she was on edge. Instantly, she switched gears. Her industrial smile returned, her voice turning cloyingly sweet.
“Oh my god! Ethan! I didn’t recognize you! You’ve changed so much! You look amazing!” She stepped forward to take my hand. “Back then… we were just kids, right? I always knew you were special. I was just… kidding. You know me, straightforward but effective.”
“Effective?” I smirked.
“That’s right! Look at where we are! Two old friends, standing at the top together. We’ll be a great team, Ethan. I’ll help you take Aetheris to the next level. You need someone as strong as me by your side.”
She thought that getting an acquaintance would save the day. She thought I would be receptive to cheap flattery.
“Jessica,” I interrupted her. “Do you remember the question about the six-month gap in your CV that you refused to answer?”
Jessica’s smile stiffened. “That… that was just a break…”
“No,” I turned back to my desk, picking up another piece of paper. “Before this interview took place, I called the CEO of Zenith Corp. He was my golf buddy.”
The blood drained from Jessica’s face.
“You’re not resting, Jessica. You’re fired. And you’re fired not for incompetence, but because you were caught stealing customer data to sell to a competitor.”
The room fell into a deadly silence.
“They didn’t sue you because they wanted to keep the data breach a secret to protect the value of their stock. They let you go on good terms on the condition that you never return to the industry. But you, in your arrogance, thought you could erase your past and fool me—a ‘dumb desk guy.’”
Jessica trembled. Her perfect facade was shattered. She wasn’t just losing her job, she was facing being exposed.
“Ethan… please…” she whispered, and for the first time in my life I saw her truly scared. “I need this job. I’m in debt. My lifestyle… I can’t sustain it without this salary. Don’t tell anyone… You can reject me, but don’t ruin my career.”
I looked at her. The woman who had once haunted me, now small and pathetic. I could get revenge. I could make this public and make sure she never got a job in Silicon Valley again.
But I realized, the greatest revenge isn’t dragging someone down. The greatest revenge is proving they don’t matter anymore.
“I won’t tell anyone,” I said, closing the file.
Jessica’s eyes lit up with hope. “Thank you
You! Thank you, Ethan!”
“But,” I insisted. “I didn’t do it for you. I did it because Aetheris doesn’t care about moral failures. You’re not a threat to us, Jessica. You’re just… unsuitable.”
I pressed the intercom button.
“Security, escort Ms. Sterling out. And cancel her access card immediately.”
Two large security guards walked in. Jessica looked at me one last time, her eyes filled with hatred and regret. She wanted to say something, perhaps an apology, or a curse, but in the end she kept quiet. She knew she had lost. Lost to the “fat guy” she had despised.
She was led out. The door closed.
I stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked down at the city below. I saw Jessica walk out of the building, alone and small among the bustling crowd. She stood there, looking up at this skyscraper, where she had just lost her last chance to save her life.
I went back to my desk, picked up her CV, and dropped it into the shredder.
The whirring sound was the most satisfying sound I had ever heard.
The past was canceled.
I picked up the phone, called HR the.
“Call candidate number 2, the young graduate. He seems a little shy, but I see great potential. Give him a chance.”
Because we don’t hire queens here. We hire people who know how to rise above adversity.
