My Boss Fired Me For Being Late To A $100m Deal After I Saved A Kid In Danger. Then, He Turned Pale.

The Day I Chose a Life Over a Deal

“Making excuses is pointless. You’re fired. Submit your resignation by the end of the day.”

I was on my way to an important business meeting when I narrowly saved a child from being hit by a truck. I handed the unharmed child to his mother and hurried to the meeting, but I was 20 minutes late.

My boss, who had come with me, yelled at me.

“Do you realize how important today’s meeting is? Being 20 minutes late is inexcusable. It’s common sense to arrive 20 minutes early.”

I knew being late was my fault. However, I wished he would understand the situation instead of just getting angry.

“I’m truly sorry, but please hear me out. There was a child about to get hit by a truck.”

“So what? A random kid or a business deal, which do you think is more important? Someone who can prioritize doesn’t belong here. You’re useless.”

I was shocked and disgusted. He valued business deals over human life.

“Understood. I don’t need this kind of company.”

I decided to quit just as my boss had said. Little did I know my decision would later lead to his downfall.

The Company Divide

My name is Alex Simmers. I work for a bedding manufacturer. I’m in charge of selling beds at a major company that has a wide range of brands including beds, sofas, pillows, and cushions.

My parents used to suffer from back pain, but it eased after they switched to our company’s bed. Good bedding improves the quality of life. Knowing this through my parents, I wanted to bring quality sleep and a better life to as many people as possible, which led me to join this company.

I’m responsible for a large store that includes offices, but I also visit other stores and conduct business meetings as needed. Consulting with people who have sleep issues is interesting because of the variety of problems they have.

Later, when customers come back to thank me for helping them sleep better, it’s very fulfilling. However, lately I’ve been questioning my job.

Due to major furniture manufacturers selling cheap, good quality beds, there’s a divide in the company about future sales strategies. One faction believes we should continue providing high-quality beds, while the other advocates for selling more, even if it means lowering quality.

I, of course, want to continue delivering good quality products. There are plenty of cheap beds out there. I believe our beds should exist to make the essential human activity of sleeping more comfortable.

The New Manager

The company’s policy hasn’t changed yet due to this deadlock, but I can feel the profit-seeking faction growing. Sometimes I think I should just work for another furniture maker. Amidst this, a new source of stress appeared: the recently transferred Tomkins.

He’s part of the reform faction. Even though the company’s official policy hasn’t changed, he absurdly demands we sell three times as many beds regardless of their cheapness. Sales quotas should be based on current situations.

To increase profits without any basis or strategy, meeting a three-fold increase is impossible for us. His frequent disrespectful remarks, like “Just force them to buy,” show his lack of regard for customers. He only gives orders and does nothing to increase sales. He doesn’t even visit the store.

His constant focus on raising profits is another reason for my dissatisfaction. I often wondered why Tomkins, who lacks management skills, holds a managerial position.

A colleague chuckled and said, “It’s all about seniority here. Long service alone can get you a managerial role.”

Whenever we, the sales team, desperately secure contracts and increase profits, he arrogantly claims, “It’s all thanks to my guidance,” and sends reports to the headquarters overstating his non-existent achievements.

Conversely, when customers complain about being forced into purchases, he never faces the issue himself. Instead, he makes one of us deal with it, reporting that the employee lacked cooperation and inconvenienced the customer, shifting all the blame onto subordinates.

Working in such a company, I started to lose sight of what I was gaining day by day. I just wanted to spread the word about the quality of our beds, not push products indistinguishable from others onto unwilling customers. It seems like I’m working solely for Tomkins.

The 100 Million Dollar Opportunity

Amidst this, I learned from a hotel, one of my sales destinations, about their plans to build a large resort. If they could use our beds, it would be a massive deal.

When I proposed the idea, they even requested custom-made beds. There are still people who need our products. Elated, I was determined to make this deal a success.

When I reported this to the company, Tomkins quickly got wind of it and encouraged me with, “You better make it a success.”

I didn’t mind the support and earnestly replied, “I’ll do my best.”

But then he said something unbelievable.

“If this succeeds, my promotion is guaranteed.”

My enthusiasm deflated instantly. To him, getting our beds to more people is secondary. I’m just another pawn for Tomkins. No matter how hard I work for the customers or the company, it’s Tomkins who gets the credit, even though he only thinks of himself.

What am I working so hard for? These gloomy thoughts began to consume me. Then, the deal with the resort hotel became more concrete, and I learned that the estimate reached a staggering $100 million.

Given the large number of rooms and the desire to deliver a high-quality, comfortable base, this amount seemed trivial to the client. I had ambitions, too. If this deal went well, maybe other employees would re-evaluate the quality of our products.

We can make cheap beds of decent quality, but our brand’s beds are unique. If they understood this, maybe they would reconsider. For me personally, this was a major undertaking—a gamble on the company’s future.