The Pyramid Scheme

Margot stood by the water cooler, watching her reflection distort in the plastic bottle. At 47, she'd become exactly what she once swore to destroy: a corporate spy trading secrets for stock options.

'You're staring again,' Marcus said, materializing beside her with his trademark smugness. He peeled an orange, the citrus scent cutting through the office's recycled air. 'The VP position opens next month. I know what you're thinking.'

Margot hated how well he knew her. They'd been lovers once, before the corporate pyramid demanded they choose between ambition and whatever this was. Now Marcus ran the division she'd been hired to investigate.

'I'm not thinking about the promotion,' she lied, though her vitamin supplements sat in her drawer, untouched. Stress had been eating her alive. Three doctors, same advice: choose a different life.

'Margot.' His voice dropped. 'I know why you're really here.' He pressed something into her palm—a USB drive. 'They're going to fire everyone over 50. Starting with you.'

The water cooler hummed behind her. Suddenly, the corporate espionage wasn't a game anymore. She wasn't uncovering secrets; she was the secret someone else had been hired to find.

'Why tell me?'

Marcus's fingers brushed hers. 'Because some things matter more than climbing the pyramid.'

Outside, rain began to fall, and for the first time in years, Margot wondered what it would feel like to stop running.