Chapter 80 – Winners and Losers
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"I'll be late getting back tonight. I have a meeting with the executives from the recruitment division. I've got to make a good impression... my new team of analysts could really use a helping hand."
"That's fine. I'll be here."

"Things aren't looking good for the Chosen Ones right now. The economy's in a slump, and our competition's getting stronger. We're going to have to make some cuts. We might even have to lay off a few sales reps."
"How horrible."

"Some of our distributors are complaining that we're not as delivering as fast as we used to. I think we need to find a way to keep them on board... and I've got the perfect plan."
"You always do."

"The man in charge of the lab is retiring in three weeks. It's the perfect opportunity for me to take over. No one's going to question my qualifications. Not when Elder Presence himself is backing me up."
"Yeah."

"There's a huge backlog of orders and we can't keep up. We need more equipment, we need more acolytes, and we need to get our shrinkage problem under control. Can't afford to miss our target delivery dates."
"Guess not."

"We've been having a lot of trouble with the Pit Razors. They've started headhunting our salespeople and putting pressure on our clients to dump us. If this keeps up, it's gonna put a real dent in our profits..."
"Sounds bad."

"...and he knows how to handle a crisis. He's the one who handled the negotiations with the Devils of Evil. He practically saved the entire organization. I'd kill for an employee like him. And they're still trying to get rid of him. It's seriously messed up."
"Uh huh."

"I'm getting a bigger office. Yep. Planner's really moving up in the world. It's a corner office on the thirty-fifth floor. Great view of the city. Pretty impressive. I got a nice, big, comfy chair. And a door I can open and close with the push of a button. I bet you can't wait to see it. Hehehe!"
"Whatever."

Planner spent almost all her time on work that had no relation to any actual function of her job. She was a shameless careerist who used every bit of energy she had to advance and expand her professional interests. Her coworkers complained about her, but no one was willing to risk standing up to her directly. Instead they avoided her, worked around her, prayed she would disappear, all to no avail. The blonde little cutie with icy blue eyes wasn't going anywhere, and she was utterly unfazed by the complaints of losers who were too stupid to recognize a winner when they saw one.

Planner was very good at getting her way. She took credit for things she had no hand in and things she knew nothing about. Her mistakes became other people's mistakes. Her problems became other people's problems. She lied, repeatedly, shamelessly, with a wave of her hand and a polite smile on her face. And she got away with it every time because, well, she was smart.

The newly created research division was Planner's greatest masterpiece, a tool to systematically claim credit for other people's accomplishments while shifting responsibility far, far away from where it really belonged. Her position as its head didn't give her direct control of anything; she just told other people what they were supposed to do and left the execution up to them. Since she wasn't responsible for producing or selling anything, she had no goals to meet, no performance standards to satisfy, and no results to measure. All the same, she thought up plenty of fun little projects to occupy her time with, most of which were entirely useless and unneeded.

In theory, the research division was exactly the kind of thing Planner hated the most: an incubator of inefficiency where people worked themselves to exhaustion while accomplishing nothing useful, an unproductive little pocket of power sucking energy from the rest of the organization like a tick drinking blood, a bloated bureaucratic waste. But Planner didn't feel a shred of guilt. The research division was a necessary evil, a means to an end, the first step in a grand plan to transform the Chosen Ones into an unstoppable machine with Planner as its de facto leader.

Ghost Wolf learned all about Planner, her goals, her methods, her strengths and weaknesses, the people she manipulated, and the dark secrets she guarded with a terrible intensity. He saw her grand schemes unfold before his own astonished eyes. No one seemed to notice that something strange and sinister was happening in their midst. No one seemed to care that they were being used like pawns. They only saw what Planner wanted them to see.

It didn't really matter what Ghost Wolf knew. It didn't matter what his instincts told him, what he saw, what he suspected, or what conclusions he drew from what he observed. He wasn't in control of anything anymore. No matter how much Planner disgusted him, made him furious, or filled him with dread, he had no choice but to obey her. She owned him and she was free to use him however, whenever and wherever she wished.

Planner was very fond of her perfect little puppet. She didn't pay any mind to his constant grumbling and whining about how much he hated her. When it came down to it, she was the one in charge. A little rude remark here and there, the occasional dose of bitter sarcasm, some sharp comments or cutting looks... it was more amusing than anything else. A winner like her loved hearing the complaints of losers like him.

"You don't look so good. Are you okay?"
"Yeah..."

"I know just the thing to cheer you up! We're having an office party tomorrow night to celebrate Spirit Life Day. You should come. They've put together some really cute decorations this year. I'm sure you're bored not having anything to do, right? It'll be fun!"
"Ugh. 'Spirit Life Day?' I can't believe you're forcing people to waste their time on something so stupid."

"If you really just want to sit in my apartment all night by yourself while I'm out having fun, that's perfectly fine with me. You can use my laptop if you want. And I have plenty of books. Books on strategy, leadership, personal development, marketing...."
"You know, I do think I'd rather stay home. Thanks anyway."

"Suit yourself. Let me know if you change your mind."
"Hmph."

"I need your help with something tonight. We're holding a training seminar for a new client. This one's a toughie. It's a brand-new account... if we screw up, we could lose the contract. Can you help me practice my presentation?"
"Yeah. Fine. We should stop at the store on the way back. We're almost out of laundry detergent."

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