He frowned, looked me up and down, and called over the stewardess.
He whispered to her, and she nodded before disappearing.
When she returned, she handed me a plastic bag.
Inside was a pair of noise-canceling headphones.
“Compliments of the gentleman,” she said, nodding toward him.
My ex-boss, Rylan Voss, gave me the fakest smile Iโve ever seen. “Figured youโd need these. You always had trouble tuning out distractions.”
I stared at him, caught somewhere between amusement and nausea.
This man once made me cry in a parking garage because I asked to leave work early for a doctorโs appointment. Now heโs offering me headphones like heโs doing me a favor?
“Thanks,” I said, sliding them into the seat pocket. I wasnโt giving him the satisfaction.
He turned away, already tapping on his tablet like I wasnโt even there. I didnโt expect small talkโI didnโt want it. The only reason I was even on this flight was because my cousin’s wedding was non-negotiable. Iโd promised her Iโd show up, job or no job. And thanks to Rylan, it was the latter.
He fired me three months ago. Just like that. No warning. No explanation.
I leaned my head back and tried to ignore the sting still buried somewhere under my ribs.
But halfway into the flight, the turbulence hit.
Not just the planeโme. My stomach turned as Rylan tapped me on the arm.
“Hey. I need to ask you something.”
I blinked. “What?”
“Iโve been meaning to reach out. About what happened. About your termination.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Pretty bold, considering you didnโt even say goodbye when security walked me out.”
He sighed. โIt wasnโt personal. You were good at your job. One of the best. But there were… complicating factors.โ
I stared at him. โLike what?โ
He looked uncomfortable for the first time. โLetโs just say someone up top had a problem with how close you were getting to the Orenwald account.โ
My heart paused.
The Orenwald account was the biggest contract we were chasing. Iโd poured everything into itโlate nights, weekends, even skipped my birthday dinner with my dad. I thought Iโd nailed it.
โAre you saying I got too close to winning it?โ I asked slowly.
He gave a weak shrug. โYou werenโt supposed to. They already promised it to someone else. Politics, you know? It got messy.โ
โSo instead of promoting me, you fired me to keep them happy?โ
He didnโt answer. He didnโt need to.
I sat there stunned. Not just because of the betrayalโbut because for months, I thought I had failed. I thought I messed something up. That I wasnโt enough.
It was never about my work.
It was about power.
โI lost my apartment over this,โ I whispered, still processing. โI moved back in with my mom. I havenโt had a real interview in two months.โ
Rylan looked at me like he finally saw the damage.
โI shouldnโt have let it go that way,โ he said quietly. โButโthere might be something I can offer you now.โ
I almost laughed. โIs this another headphone offer? Because Iโm good.โ
He smiled. But this time, it was softer. Less smug.
โLook, I just took over a new firm. Completely separate from the old one. I need someone sharp. Someone whoโs already proven themselves under pressure.โ
โAnd you think Iโd work for you again?โ I asked, incredulous.
โI think,โ he said, โyou care more about doing meaningful work than holding grudges. But I understand if you say no.โ
The plane landed twenty minutes later. We didnโt speak again.
But as I walked toward the baggage claim, I pulled out my phone.
The text was short. Just two words:
Letโs talk.
That was a year ago.
I did take the jobโbut not for the reasons youโd expect.
Not because I forgave him. Not because I wanted revenge. But because I wanted closure on my own terms.
And you know what?
The new firm was different. Rylan was different. Still flawed, still blunt, but this time he listened. And he backed me up when I landed two clients he never thought we could get.
Iโve since moved out of my momโs house. I paid off my credit card debt. And next month, Iโm flying first classโon my own dimeโto pitch a global campaign I built from scratch.
Hereโs what I learned:
Sometimes, the apology never comes. But clarity might. And when it does, it changes everything.
Donโt let someone elseโs bad decision convince you youโre the failure.
Youโre not.
Sometimes we need to lose something unfairly to discover our true valueโand take it back on our own terms.
๐ฌ If youโve ever been underestimated or bounced back stronger than they expectedโฆ share this. Someone out there needs the reminder.
๐ Like if this hit home.




