Mr. Hughes smiled wider.
"Good, good. And what would you say are your strengths and weaknesses, Adam?"
Adam scratched his chin, feeling a little embarrassed.
"Uh, well, I think my strength is that I work hard, and I never give up. I always try to do my best.
As for weaknesses... I guess I’m not the most creative person. I stick to what I know, but I’m willing to learn."
Mr. Hughes chuckled. "Honesty is important. Thank you for being sincere."
Then he leaned toward Adam and said,
"Can you tell about the weaknesses of the other staff mbers and workers? I will be honest with you, as long as tell one weakness of everyone, I will give you the position."
Adam’s face changed. For a mont, he was tempted to spill the beans; however, thinking how it will take away many people’s jobs and how their weakness doesn’t affect the company in a negative way, he decided to shake his head and say,
"I don’t know."
Mr. Hughes stared at Adam for a long while before chuckling.
"Now, one last question. What would you do if things went wrong? If you made a mistake?"
Adam looked down, thinking hard.
"I’d admit to it. Apologize if I had to. Then, I’d try to fix the mistake and learn from it so it doesn’t happen again."
Mr. Hughes’s eyes twinkled. "Very good, Adam. You’ve always been reliable. Thank you for your ti."
Adam stood up, feeling much better than when he had walked in. "Thank you, sir."
As he left the office, Mike was waiting for him. "How’d it go?" Mike asked eagerly.
"Better than I expected," Adam admitted with a small smile. "Mr. Hughes was really nice."
"Of course, he was! You got this, Adam." Mike clapped him on the back again.
But as Adam walked back to his workbench, he noticed Adam Price standing nearby, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.
The young manager’s smile was gone, replaced by a cold, calculating look.
A bad feeling crept into his heart, but he decided to ignore it.
The feeling only intensified when Adam Price ca out of the office with a smirk.
Adam Waters stood near his workbench, wiping grease off his hands as he watched Adam Price moving around the shop, whispering into people’s ears.
It was weird.
The younger guy was smiling like he had already won the CEO position. Sothing about it made Adam’s stomach twist uncomfortably.
The workers glanced at Adam Waters now and then, so looking confused, others looking angry.
Adam had no clue what was going on.
Then, Mr. Hughes ca out of his office.
But he didn’t look happy like before.
His face was pale, and his shoulders were tense.
He walked over to a chair, sat down, and let out a deep sigh. Everyone gathered around, waiting for him to speak.
"Today," Mr. Hughes began, his voice shaky but clear, "I realized what money and ambition can do."
Everyone looked at each other, puzzled.
"I asked all of you a question during your interviews," Mr. Hughes continued.
"I asked if you could tell about the weaknesses of your coworkers. I wasn’t expecting everyone to answer honestly.
But what surprised was how many of you were willing to throw each other under the bus for the sake of a promotion."
The workers started murmuring to each other, so looking guilty, others just confused.
"I’ve heard so of the most shocking things today."
Mr. Hughes said, his eyes scanning the crowd.
"Things that have nothing to do with the shop’s performance or improvent. Just gossip, jealousy, and petty complaints."
He pulled out a piece of paper and began to read off nas.
"Rick, I was told you’re lazy and always take extra breaks. Sarah, soone said you’re clumsy and drop tools all the ti. Mike, apparently, you talk too much and distract the others."
One by one, Mr. Hughes called out nas and listed weaknesses. So people hung their heads, others shook their heads angrily.
But then Mr. Hughes looked straight at Adam Waters.
"Adam Waters," he said, his voice a little softer but still firm.
"I was told by one of your coworkers that you have kleptomania. That you can’t resist stealing coffee bags from the shop’s kitchen.
And though you are intelligent and hardworking, you have a habit of taking what doesn’t belong to you."
The room went dead silent. Adam’s face went pale. His hands trembled.
"What? That’s not true!" Adam protested.
"I... I never stole anything confidential or important! I might’ve taken a couple of coffee bags ho, but I swear I replaced them later! I never ant to steal anything!"
Everyone started whispering, their eyes locked on Adam.
Adam Price, who had been standing quietly near the back, suddenly stepped forward with a smug grin.
"It doesn’t matter if it was just coffee, Adam. A thief is still a thief. Who’s to say you won’t steal sothing important in the future?
Soone who steals small things could easily steal bigger things when given the chance."
The crowd started to murmur louder, and so people nodded in agreent.
"Yeah, if he’s stealing coffee bags, who knows what else he’s taken?"
"I’ve seen him near the tool room late at night before."
"What if he’s been pocketing cash, too?"
Adam Waters’s heart raced. His breathing felt tight.
He tried to explain himself, but the voices around him kept getting louder and louder. It felt like they were all turning against him.
Adam Price stepped forward with a sneer, pointing his finger straight at Adam.
"A pest like Adam Waters shouldn’t be allowed to stay in this company! Thieves like him ruin everything for everyone else.
If we keep him around, what’s next? Missing tools? Lost money? Important docunts stolen?"
The other workers started to chi in, their faces twisted with disgust and suspicion.
"If Adam Waters stays, I’ll quit!" shouted Rick, his face red with anger.
"Yeah! Who knows what he’ll steal next?" Sarah added, her eyes wide and accusing.
"He’s been lying to us this whole ti!" Jack’s voice cracked, his fists clenched at his sides.
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