Page 126 of Through You
Everyone else leaves when I remain quiet. Carl gives me a smile as he walks by on his way out.
“Goddamn bloodsucking thief!” I bang my forehead against the desk. “How could he do that? How could he shamelessly take my idea? He didn’t even hesitate for a second.”
“I know,” Kelly agrees. “I guess that’s the way things work here. The higher-ups take advantage of the newbies to further their careers and make an impression.”
“It shouldn’t be that way.”
“Tell me about it. Carl stole my campaign idea for a commercial mall the company is building next year. He presented it as his own last week.” Kelly takes a sip of coffee. “I didn’t find out until I was given copies of the proposal and noticed that it included my idea. It was a punch in the gut, so I know exactly how you feel.”
“Is there anything we can do?”
“Complain? To our boss? Carl’s her favorite.”
“She has to have a boss, doesn’t she?”
“She’s the department head. Her boss is the CEO.” She snorts.
“As if we could talk to the head of the company.”
Artemis. I bite my lower lip, thinking. And then I shake my head. I’ll find a solution on my own first. I get up and make my way to Carl’s office. He looks annoyed when he sees me.
“Yes?”
“Why didn’t you give me credit for my idea? It’s not fair, and—”
“Claudia, you’re an intern. Your duties don’t include developing entire campaigns for the company. I made the decision to use your idea and develop it. You should be flattered.”
“It’s my idea.”
“No one is saying anything to the contrary.”
“Then why did you tell everyone it was your idea at the meeting?”
He sighs, stands up, and slips his hands into the pockets of his pants.
“What were you looking for? An ego boost? If I had presented the idea as yours it would have sat on your desk collecting dust.
As I said, introducing new projects is not part of your job description. No one would have paid any attention to your proposal.”
Anger speeds through my veins. No matter how elaborate his explanation or excuse is, it doesn’t change the fact that what he did was wrong.
“I want you to tell Mrs. Marks the truth, and I would like a chance to take the lead on the development of my proposal.”
He snorts and laughs. “And what if I don’t?”
“I’ll tell her myself.”
“Okay, go ahead.” He shrugs. “It’s the word of a new intern against mine. Go on, run along and let her know. But one thing is certain, I’ll make sure you’re not hired once you complete your internship.”
“You’re an idiot,” I tell him before I leave his office and head to see Mrs. Marks. She’s on a call when I arrive, and I have to wait for a few minutes before she can see me.
After I finish telling her everything, she says, “Oh, Claudia. I had no idea. Unfortunately, even if it was your idea, Carl is right.
As an intern, I can’t assign you the responsibility to lead a project of this magnitude. He has more expertise to flesh out a concept like yours. But I’ll make sure that you get some credit at the next meeting for the idea, okay?”
“I—” I actually don’t know what to say.
“I’m a little busy. So could you please go back to your desk?”
