Fin

I now realize that Caius misled me. I joined the conspiracy to fire Julius to better the company, but I realize that Caius' intentions were different. He wanted the job that Julius was going to get. Caius acted out of jealousy. He came into my office today, just after I had come to this realization. We had a huge argument. Before he could say a word, I blamed him for the whole mess we are in. I attacked his selfishness and jealousy. Every flaw he has came under my scrutiny. I realize now that it was this same type of scrutiny that Caius exhibited when trying to convince me that Julius needed to be fired. I guess that I needed to convince myself that I momentarily hated my friend. Caius was helpless against my onslaught of insults. The only defense he could offer up was that a true friend would ignore his flaws. Finally he told me that he would turn himself in if I no longer wanted him as a burden. I immediately stopped ranting and begged him not to. During the silence, an email came in.

Caius motioned for me to read it. It was from corporate. "All emails will be read today at approximately 11 AM to search for evidence in the investigation of the firing of Julius Caesar." That was in two hours. I told Caius to gather our remaining followers. We were able to reconcile on the news of the email search. Once our few remaining followers had gathered in my office, I broke the news. I told everyone that unless all incriminating emails were gone by 11, we would all be fired. We split into two groups, one led by Caius, one by me. My group began searching for emails, while Caius' group began destroying physical evidence in the office. After searching for nearly two hours straight, I was told that all emails had been destroyed. I sent a messenger, John Titinus, to tell Caius the good news.

An hour later, as I searched for emails, a new memo came from corporate. "Two employees turned themselves in today and admitted to being part of a conspiracy to fire employee Julius Caesar. One employee, Mr. John Titinus, admitted to being a messenger for members of the conspiracy. Titinus admitted to passing messages to Caius Cassius, a longtime employee. Mr. Cassius revealed that he had been the planner behind the conspiracy. He also told company officials that assistant branch manager, Marcus Brutus, gave the authority for the dismissal. Caius admitted to giving Brutus false information and pressuring him to fire Julius. Caius cited the reason for revealing his role in the plot as being to protect his friend, Brutus, who he called 'a victim of my scheme' in the event that evidence was found pointing to him." I was speechless. How could this have happened? I sent the message to Caius saying that the emails had been destroyed. Why would he turn himself in?

With Caius and Julius gone, my two best friends in the company were gone. I felt lost and alone. I didn't know if I could find the will to continue covering my tracks. I didn't think it was in my conscience to continue when my friend Caius had sacrificed himself to protect my name and my job.

I picked up the phone, and called the company operator. I asked for the leader of the investigation. When he picked up, I politely introduced myself. He was shocked to hear me calling. My conscience was eating away at my, and I began to talk. I revealed everything. I told him everything I knew. He listened patiently. When I had completed my rendition of the saga that had taken place over the past several days, I hung up. I wasn't interested in his response to my story. He could do what he wanted with the information I gave him. With that burden having been lifted, I grabbed my jacket and drove home.

For the past three days, I haven't gone into work. Until today, I doubted that I even work there anymore. Portia has been very supportive. Without her, I doubt I could survive this mess. When I went out to get the mail today, I found a letter from Smith & Smith. I figured it was probably my last paycheck or something. I brought it to the kitchen table and opened it. I read through it while Portia read over my shoulder. The letter started off by thanking me for my admission. As it continued, it got even better. They were offering me my job back with the same pay. I was overcome with happiness. I could go back and work for the company I love. But then I started thinking. Maybe returning wasn't the best thing for me. Portia and I discussed it, and we decided that it was best that I look for a new job. I will miss Smith & Smith, but I cannot return after what happened. I called the branch manager, Mr. Jenkins to let him know of my decision. While he wished I would come back, he respected my decision. He told me that a plaque was being put up in the office to commemorate my achievements and honesty. I smiled. Mr. Jenkins also mentioned that in light of the recent events, he would remain in the manager position for another year. Even though I could never again work at Smith & Smith, I knew then that I had accomplished my goal. I had made Smith & Smith a better company.

Friend of the Enemy

Today I was faced with daunting task of explaining Julius' firing to the employees of the branch. I called a meeting in the boardroom with all the employees. As everyone arrived, I could hear people whispering about different things. As I stepped behind the podium, everyone became silent. I cleared my throat and began to speak. At first, I was unsure of what to tell the people. But as I spoke, I gained confidence. Words flowed straight from my head to my mouth. I told the employees that it was Julius ambition that was his biggest flaw. I said that he wanted to do too much with the company. He was trying to take sole control, which was against the principles of the company. Finally, I asked for anyone with objections to raise their hands. Not a single hand was raised. I stepped down from the podium, my mind filled with relief. I motioned to Anthony that he could come up and speak. Feeling confident and triumphant, I left the room and went back into my office. Having nothing to do, I took a look at my emails. The first was a memo from corporate. I was going to skip it, but it was labeled urgent, so I figured I'd read it. My jaw dropped. The email was labeled internal investigation. It said that an investigation was underway to examine possible corrupt motives in the firing of employee Julius Caesar.

Just as I finished reading it, Caius burst into my office. He told me that Anthony had turned on us. He praised Julius and turned the workers against the conspiracy. He warned that they were about ready to take our heads. Anthony had also told everyone that Julius had left a large amount of shares of the company stock and decided to split them among all the employees. Most of the office was in support of Anthony and Julius. Just by looking out my office window, I could tell that few people were happy with our actions. Caius' expression was grim. He looked over at my screen and shut his eyes, not wanting to believe what was happening.

Just as Caius opened his eyes, a new email came in. It said that new evidence had been turned up which pointed directly to several veteran employees, including Casca, Trebonius, and several other members of the conspiracy. The next sentence read, "These employees have already been terminated." I looked up in shock. I picked up the phone and placed all three men on a conference call line. I listened as their office phones rang. There was no answer. When the answering machine picked up, three identical voices simultaneously said, "The employee you are trying to reach is no longer employed at Smith & Smith Enterprises. Thank you for calling." Caius and I eyed each other nervously. We knew that everyone who had been revealed must have left behind some evidence proving their guilt. All we can do now is remove that evidence. Then it will just be Anthony's word against that of Caius and I. Then we will have a chance.

Action and Reaction

I left the office yesterday with a feeling I'd never had before: a feeling of power, of importance. It's not that my everyday tasks are unimportant, but I feel like keeping Julius out of power may be a turning point for this office. I'm positive that keeping Julius out of the managerial position means a secure future for our branch.

Today was the day to carry out the plan. Caius, Casca, Trebonius, and several other senior employees wrote a letter of dismissal to Julius. The letter mentioned several harassment charges that the members of the conspiracy had uncovered as we spied on Julius. The actual offenses were minor and would have only resulted in a waning at most, however in the letter, all of his actions were severely exaggerated. Julius would have no choice but to step down. Several of the higher-ranking men in the office are part of a board that voted on all major issues in the office. It works the same way Washington does. If the majority of the board votes for a given proposal, it is passed onto me. I have the final say. The board, which includes Caius, Casca, and Trebonius, voted unanimously to fire Julius. They all signed the letter. When they brought it to me, I signed my name. As my pen made its last stroke, I felt a burden being lifted off my shoulders. It was done.

The board members went to deliver Julius the letter as I watched on my computer through a security camera. As they presented Julius the letter, everything was quiet. He read through carefully. He became angry. I heard him mention how the charges were inflated and unfair. He began rifling through papers in his desk for his lawyer's phone number. In his anger, he began shouting the names signed at the bottom of the letter. As he read, I left my office and walked towards his.

As I neared the door, I heard him yell, "Caius Caius..." I turned the knob. As I entered, I heard, "Marcus Brutus." Julius' voice immediately dropped off after saying my name. He started at me in disbelief. "You too Brutus?" He paused. "Then I will leave."

As he said this, he stood up and walked out. The crowd parted to let him past. We looked out the window as he entered his car, and sped off. There was still work to do. This had to be explained to the other workers. As I walked out of my office, I bumped into Julius' best friend, Anthony.

"Where did Julius go?" he asked.

I told him that Julius had been dismissed. His face sank. He insisted we tell him why. Caius shoved the letter into his hands. As he read it, I saw his face take on a look of skepticism. I interrupted and snatched the letter out of his hands. I told him that we had our reasons. A horrible feeling of guilt spread over me. I'm a terrible liar. However, his reaction erased my guilt. He accepted our excuse. He vowed to not reveal the contents of the letter. His only request was to say a few words about Julius when we revealed the news. It was incredible. It was a perfect victory.

Falling Deeper

1/24: As I suspected, Caius has continued to pick at Julius' every flaw. He comes up to me almost every fifteen minutes to point out minor mistakes Julius makes. I think he is somewhat distressed about my lack of enthusiasm toward taking action against Julius. I've always maintained that I don't think Julius is a perfect candidate for the position, but it's not as if Caius is either.

I'm not too worried about Caius alone, but I'm really beginning to become worried about how other people are responding to Caius' attitude toward Julius. I've overheard some conversations that are starting to scare me. Just yesterday I saw Caius huddled over in the break room whispering to two longtime employees, Cicero and Casca, two of the other senior employees who are eligible for the promotion. I only caught a few words, but I saw him point to Julius who was standing in the adjacent room. The only two words I could make out were "fire" and "Julius". Either Caius is planning on burning the office down, or he, Cicero, and Casca are plotting to get Julius fired. Julius' job is at least safe for the present time, since I could overrule any attempts to fire Julius unless they come from corporate.

I feel like something is going to happen. I'm leaving this post incomplete. I will come back tomorrow and finish it.

1/25: When I went home yesterday, I thought everything was under control and the trouble would blow over. That was until I came into the office today. I came in as always at exactly 8:35 in the morning. I walked over to my office and draped my jacket over my desk chair. I turned on the computer and began to read my email. I scrolled through the usual memos from corporate until several emails from coworkers from the office caught my eye. The first was from a new employee in accounting. "It will never work” it read. I was puzzled. I read the next line. "It must be fixed." I stared at the cryptic words until finally the meaning came to me. It was saying that Julius as branch manager will never work. And it was telling me to fix it. I sat back for a minute and rubbed my temples as I went over what had just happened in my head. Finally I focused my attention back to the computer screen and read the next email. It was exactly the same, but signed by a different coworker. I looked through the list of email. There were 20 different messages from the low-level workers in the office. Interns, janitors, rookies, even some of the less successful veterans; they had all sent an identical email. I knew what I had to do. The people of Smith & Smith were telling me that Julius could not lead the office, and I could not ignore their wish. I have to turn to Caius. I know now that he is fighting for a good cause. I must join him, and Julius must fall.

Torn

I'm torn. I now must choose between two friends. I need to decide what is right for our office. It's a long story, but I must tell someone.

My supervisor at Smith & Smith, Mr. Jenkins, has announced to us that he will retire in two weeks. I will miss him greatly, but he will also leave behind a huge job opening. Many coworkers originally thought that I would replace him as I am the second in command and have many of the same privileges. I am quite satisfied with my current position and do not wish to receive the promotion. I love this company more than everything in the world except my family. I don't think I belong at such a major leadership position. I always have the best interests of Smith & Smith at the front of my mind. I just don't think that me leading the Concord branch is the best thing for the company. Several of my assistants from this branch are vying for this position. My two best friends Caius Cassius and Julius Caesar are both intent on getting the promotion. Although the official word from the boss is that there is no front-runner, everyone knows that Julius is almost guaranteed to get the job. In fact, I saw Mr. Jenkins approach Julius in private and tell him that barring major changes, Julius will be managing the branch. No one but me saw or heard their conversation, but I fear that Caius is beginning to get worried about the status of his promotion. Succeeding in this company means the world to him. I doubt he would take it well if he lost the promotion.

Thus I was unsurprised when Caius nervously approached me today regarding the job. He came to me while I was in the break room and called me off to the side. It was what he said to me that has left me torn over my two friends. Caius started by pointing out and picking at several of Julius' flaws. He tried to convince me how he is too ambitious and will try to take sole control of the company. He continued to tell me how he and I are Julius' equal in business skills, yet he receives better treatment. Some of his points were somewhat valid, but he seems overdramatic in some of his accusations. I don't think Julius should lead our branch, but I don't think he is any more flawed than Caius. Julius is ambitious, Caius is jealous. That's just the way they are. However, I have taken what Caius has said into account and will be carefully watching Julius' every move to see if all that he said is true. However, company rules state that I cannot take any action until I have legitimate proof that Julius is causing harm. I do have the power to fire him if I choose, but I cannot fire my friend. It is just too impossible a thought.

Portia says we are eating dinner soon, so I will have to end here. However I can be sure that this situation will not rest when I arrive at the office tomorrow. Things like this never do.