Chapter 221: Max's Revenge Plan
It must be said that Sheldon's expertise did keep Ron busy for a while, but with the help of Raj and Walter, the construction of the reactor was progressing much faster than originally expected.
Yes, Walter is Walter White, the infamous meth cook "Heisenberg" who once dominated the Albuquerque drug trade. Because of his cancer diagnosis and Hank's intervention, Ron had decided to give him a second chance.
However, all the profits from his drug operation were confiscated by Ron as restitution, leaving only enough for his medical bills and a job as a "scientific consultant."
Now, Walter had been discharged from the hospital, and his treatment was going well. It was time for him to get back to work and pay off his debt to society.
"Well done," Ron said approvingly, looking at the small reactor that was beginning to take shape. "If you can get my reactor powering my facility before Christmas, I'll consider giving you a performance bonus."
"That shouldn't be too difficult. Any physics grad could handle it. Next time, I hope you can offer me some chemistry-related work. After all, I am a chemist."
"No, your last job was as a high school chemistry teacher, and now you're working as a scientist. You should thank me. Otherwise, no legitimate company would be willing to hire someone with your background," Ron replied bluntly.
Was Walter White's situation tragic? Absolutely, but tragedy doesn't excuse criminal behavior.
"Fair enough," Walter said, looking down dejectedly. If possible, he still wanted to establish himself professionally—a way to prove his worth. This was the last shred of dignity for a man whose family had abandoned him. Ron, feeling somewhat sympathetic, walked over and patted his shoulder.
"If you have time after finishing the reactor, maybe you could set up a lab in the basement and research new explosives or something. If you can improve our ordnance effectiveness, I'll give you a substantial bonus. Of course, putting your name on the patent would be fine too."
As someone learning the ropes of management, Ron found that incentives were quite effective motivational tools.
Walter was genuinely moved. "By the way, Boss, I received a delivery for you today. It was hand-delivered by a brunette with... considerable assets. I kept it discreet from the others and left it on your desk, tucked inside a folder."
Walter said this considerately. He assumed Agent Giselle was Ron's serious girlfriend, so, drawing on his experience as a married man, he kept it confidential for Ron.
Unfortunately, he didn't realize that Ron didn't have just one girlfriend—or rather, he had several.
"That should be from Max. You did well, but next time you can be less secretive. I have multiple relationships, and everyone's aware of this situation. You might need to get used to it," Ron said casually, leaving Walter stunned as he headed back to his office.
Under the folder was an envelope containing a single sheet of paper. There were no words on it, only what appeared to be a photograph of something resembling a peach. Ron was puzzled and decided to call Max.
"Hey, this is your friendly neighborhood screwup Max. What can this loser do for you today?"
It was obvious that Max was not in a good mood.
"It's me, Ron," Ron said, holding Max's letter up to the light. "I heard from my staff that you sent me something? Honestly, I'm a bit confused about what it is. Is it a peach? Maybe a bagel? It just looks a little more provocative than your average baked good."
"Gee, thanks Ron. That's my ass. Caroline and I photocopied it last night in the office. Pretty sweet, right? I have my own office access now!"
"Congratulations, but you don't sound particularly thrilled about it?" Ron asked with concern. He hadn't seen the two waitresses since he dealt with Deckard Shaw, and it felt somewhat awkward.
"Oh, it's fantastic, absolutely fantastic. Did you expect me to say that? Damn Caroline! She turned what was supposed to be a temporary gig into a permanent position! And she's planning to ditch our cupcake business entirely! She completely sold out our dream!" Max's voice was seething with anger.
"Honestly, this is the first time I've heard you use the word 'dream.' It seems Caroline has really influenced you," Ron said with a relieved smile.
"Hey! The point right now isn't about my personal growth, it's about Caroline, okay? She took that corporate job. She betrayed our dreams!"
"So what's your plan? Are you going to take a similar position? I bet Caroline could help you land something better, maybe with health benefits."
"Thanks, but I'm not taking some soul-crushing corporate job. I'll keep making cupcakes, even if she bails," Max said determinedly, while Ron began to have second thoughts.
Frankly, the corporate world was a better fit for Caroline's skill set. Especially with the trust fund money Mr. Channing had left behind, her life would definitely improve. A stable career seemed like the logical choice.
But it seemed unfair to Max.
Max was the one who took Caroline in during her darkest hour, and Caroline's business vision had completely rekindled Max's hope for turning her life around. Ron knew the dedication and effort Max had invested in this venture—far more than Caroline realized.
"What did Caroline say exactly?"
"She said: 'It's not that we gave up on the cupcake dream, it's that the dream gave up on us and blew up in our faces,'" Max complained. "You know, lots of things blow up in my face, just like that time you were in Caroline's bathroom."
"That's just part of adult life. You clean it up and move on."
"Yeah, that was quite the experience," Ron nodded, remembering. "Okay, I get it. So what's your move? Do you want me to have another talk with Caroline?"
"Talk? Hell no, I need to teach this prep school princess a lesson!"
Ron's interest was suddenly piqued. "A lesson? I'm intrigued. How exactly do you plan to do that?"
"Ron, do you know where I am right now?"
Without waiting for Ron to respond, Max provided her own answer: "I'm sitting in Human Resources. I'm about to file a sexual harassment complaint against Caroline."
"That's brilliant. You're absolutely diabolical," Ron said admiringly.
As everyone knows, despite America's reputation for being progressive, workplace sexual harassment is taken extremely seriously. Any complaint can result in immediate termination, and even presidents aren't immune—just look at what happened with Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky.
"So, after you file your complaint against Caroline, want to go somewhere and celebrate?" Ron suggested they could work out together.
"Why the hell not?"
(End of Chapter)
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