My exchange with the girl in red at the conference had been edited and spread online by Benjamin’s competitors. It quickly went viral. The public had been dissatisfied with Benjamin for years, and this was the spark that ignited the powder keg.
Benjamin’s company launched a PR campaign, but his users had been burned by him for too long, and it had little effect. He lost a massive numb- er of users, his stock price plummeted, and he had trouble securing funding. Maya told me many investors were preparing to pull out. Benjamin started ambushing me more and more frequently.
His face was gaunt, with dark circles under his eyes that never seemed to fade. “Cynthia, do you hate me this much? At a critical time like this, you really won’t help me? I know I was wrong. I was so wrong. Please, come back.”
I turned to leave. “Your apology is just so I can help you make more money, This has nothing to do with me. This is your karma.”
I left the country and returned to complete my internship.
I heard that after struggling for a while, Benjamin’s company went bankrupt. He couldn’t handle the blow and jumped from the eighteenth floor.
Maya asked if I wanted to come back for his memorial service, to see him one last time.
I shook my head.
To bid farewell to the old dust and step into the new dawn.
He
and I would never have to see each other again.
