A Tortured Life - S01 E09

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A Tortured Life - S01 E09

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 9

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Episode 9: A Tortured Life

Leo stood outside the tall iron gates of Sarah’s house. The flowers in his hand felt heavy now. The words of her father were like a cold wind blowing through his soul.

He had thirty days. Just thirty days to do the impossible. He had to earn enough money to buy a house. He had to earn a promotion that usually takes a person ten long years to reach. In the world of big business, a Junior Analyst is like a small seedling in a giant forest. It takes a long time to grow into a big tree. But Leo did not have a long time. He had one month.

If he failed, Sarah would be married to a man she did not love. If he failed, the wealthy suitor would take her away forever. Leo looked at his phone again.

The mysterious message told him to go back to where it all began. But Leo knew that the real answer was not in the past. The answer was in how hard he was willing to work right now.

The next morning, before the sun even thought about rising, Leo was at the front doors of the Vanguard Corporation. The city was still quiet. The birds were not yet singing. The streetlights were still glowing. Leo did not have a key to the front door, so he sat on the steps and waited. He opened his laptop and started to study. He studied the local market. He studied how people in the city spent their money. He studied why some businesses failed and why some succeeded. He wanted to know more than any manager in the building. He wanted to be the smartest person in the room.

When the security guard arrived at 6:00 AM to open the building, he was shocked to see Leo.

"You again?" the guard asked. "You are now an analyst, Leo. You don't have to be here this early. The bosses don't come in until 9:00 AM."

Leo smiled. It was a tired smile, but it was brave. "The early bird catches the worm," Leo said. "I have a lot to learn."

Leo became the first person to arrive every single day. He did not just do his own work. He helped others. If a senior manager had too many papers to read, Leo offered to summarize them. If the coffee machine was broken, Leo fixed it. He showed a kind of "availability" that no one else possessed. Most people in the office wanted to leave as soon as the clock hit 5:00 PM. They wanted to go to parties or go home to sleep. But not Leo. He stayed. He worked through his lunch breaks. He worked through the weekends when the building was empty and dark. He became a ghost in the office, always there, always working, always ready.

High up in the top corner of the building, there was a large office with dark glass. Inside that office sat Mr. Sterling. Leo did not know this, but Mr. Sterling was not just a grumpy old man with a silver car. He was actually the Chairman of the whole company. He was the man who owned everything. Mr. Sterling watched Leo silently. He watched the security cameras. He saw Leo arriving in the dark. He saw Leo leaving in the dark. He saw Leo helping the other workers without being asked. He saw that Leo was not just working for a salary. Leo was working for his life.

Ten days passed. Leo’s eyes were red from lack of sleep. His suit was starting to look a bit wrinkled because he spent so much time in his office chair. He missed Sarah so much it felt like a physical pain in his chest. He wrote her letters every night, but he did not send them. He did not want to get her in trouble with her father. He kept the letters in his desk drawer. They were his fuel. They were the reason he kept going when his body wanted to give up.

On the fifteenth day, the manager of the analysts called Leo into his office. The manager was a man who liked to take credit for other people’s work.

"Leo," the manager said. "You are working very hard. But you are a junior. You need to slow down. You are making the other workers look lazy. Just do your job and go home."

Leo looked the manager in the eye. "Sir, I have a goal. I am not trying to make anyone look bad. I am just trying to be the best I can be. Is there anything else you need me to do?"

The manager huffed and sent Leo away. But Leo did not slow down. He worked even harder. He began to look into the "local market" reports. He noticed that the big investors from other countries did not understand how the small shops in the villages worked. They did not understand the people like Mama Grace. Leo knew those people. He grew up with them. He understood their hearts. He began to write a secret report, a blueprint that explained exactly how to make the company grow in the small towns.

Twenty days passed. Leo had only ten days left. He looked at his bank account. He had earned a good salary, but it was not enough to buy a house. Not even close. He felt a moment of panic. Was Sarah’s father right? Was he just a small fish that would never be big enough? He thought about the wealthy suitor. He imagined the suitor buying Sarah a giant palace. He felt small. He felt like he was losing the race.

But then, he remembered the fire. He remembered the silver car spinning toward the children. He remembered the board room. Every time the world tried to break him, he had found a way to stand up. He went back to his desk. He did not sleep that night. He drank black coffee and worked until his fingers were stiff.

On the 25th day, a huge rumor went through the office. A group of very powerful foreign investors was coming to the city. They were from a very rich country across the ocean. They wanted to invest billions of dollars, but they were worried. They thought the local market was too risky. They thought the people in the small villages would not buy their products. If the Vanguard Corporation could not convince them, the deal would fail. If the deal failed, the company would lose a lot of money, and no one would get a promotion.

The lead presenter for the deal was a man named Mr. Harrington. He was a very famous speaker. He had a loud voice and wore very expensive suits. He spent days preparing a speech with giant colorful slides. He did not talk to Leo. He did not talk to anyone "below" him. He thought he was the star of the show.

Then came the 29th day. The most important day.

The foreign investors arrived in a fleet of black cars. They walked into the big conference room. They looked very serious. They had their own lawyers and their own math experts. Mr. Sterling and Mr. Vane were there, looking nervous. This was the biggest deal in the history of the company.

Just as the meeting was about to start, a crisis hit.

A secretary ran into the room, her face pale. "Mr. Vane! Mr. Vane! It’s Mr. Harrington! He has fallen terribly ill. He is in the hospital. He cannot speak. He cannot come to the meeting!"

The room went completely silent. Mr. Vane looked like he was going to faint. "But he has the presentation! He is the only one who knows the details! Without him, the investors will leave! They are already looking at their watches!"

The lead investor, a man with a very sharp suit and a white beard, stood up. "We did not fly across the world to wait. If you do not have someone who can explain the local market to us right now, we are going to sign a deal with your rival company. You have five minutes."

Mr. Vane looked around the room. He looked at the senior analysts. They all looked at the floor. They were too scared. They did not know the details like Mr. Harrington did. They were afraid of failing in front of the Chairman.

Then, Mr. Sterling spoke. He had been sitting in the corner, watching everyone. He looked at the door.

"Where is the boy?" Mr. Sterling asked.

"What boy, sir?" Mr. Vane asked.

"The Janitor-Analyst," Mr. Sterling said. "The one who stays until midnight. The one who knows the village because he was born there. Bring him in."

Leo was in the basement, helping a junior janitor fix a broken mop. He still helped the cleaning crew because he never forgot where he came from. Suddenly, two security guards burst into the room.

"Leo! The Chairman wants you! Now!"

Leo did not have time to change. He was wearing his work suit, which was a bit dusty. He had a pencil behind his ear. He was rushed up the elevator and pushed into the giant conference room. All eyes turned to him. The rich investors looked at his dusty shoes. The senior analysts looked at him with jealousy.

Mr. Sterling looked at Leo. "Leo, the lead presenter is gone. These people want to know about the local market. They want to know why they should trust their billions of dollars with us. Tell them the truth."

Leo looked at the big screen. He looked at the investors. He felt a rush of adrenaline. This was it. This was the 29th day. If he won this deal, he could ask for anything. If he won this deal, he could get the house. He could save Sarah.

Do you think Leo should tell the secret answer, even if it might get him in trouble with the managers?

Why do you think Mr. Sterling chose Leo instead of one of the senior managers?

If Leo wins the deal, will Mr. Vane give him enough money to buy a house in just one day?

How would you feel if you had to give a speech to the most powerful people in the world with only one minute to prepare?

The Moment of Truth!

Leo is one answer away from the breakthrough of a lifetime! Will he save the company and win the heart of the girl he loves, or will the pressure be too much for the boy from the village? The clock is ticking toward the 30th day!