Chapter 42: Giving Up the Regularization Assessment
I followed my coworker down to the coffee shop on the ground floor. We sat in the same spot where I'd met with Sabrina not long ago.
She introduced herself first. "I'm Elaine York. We're in the same intern cohort at DI."
I exchanged names with her, but alarm bells started going off in my head. I knew nothing about her, yet Elaine had specifically sought me out for help. Obviously, this wasn't random.
To avoid any misunderstanding, I gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry, just need to reply to a work message real quick." She smiled understandingly and gestured for me to go ahead.
I pretended to type a reply, tapping out a few lines for show. Then I quietly switched screens and turned on my phone's voice recorder. After setting everything up, I casually placed my phone face-down on the table.
"So what do you need help with?"
Elaine looked up at me, hesitating. She seemed really tense.
I kept my tone gentle. "Tell me what it is first. I can only help if it's something within my ability." That was me setting boundaries upfront. If she needed something I couldn't do, then obviously I couldn't help.
After I said that, Elaine's expression grew even more complicated. "Catherine, did you get your internship evaluation results?"
I nodded, wondering where this was going.
"How'd you do? What was your score?"
Watching her try to act all friendly, something in me resisted. Was this about the probation evaluation? I sidestepped her question. "Not that great. Barely passing, I guess." I smiled modestly.
Relief washed over Elaine's face. My brow furrowed.
"My evaluation wasn't good either," she said. "HR told me if I don't place in the top five this time, I won't get an offer from DI."
I raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Wasn't that how it should work? DI was a company, not a charity. They weren't going to keep someone who couldn't cut it. Why waste resources on someone who couldn't add value?
I kept those thoughts to myself—seemed a bit harsh to say out loud. "Try not to worry too much. Just focus on preparing for this evaluation. DI isn't your only option, you know. Maybe something even better will come along."
I offered casual reassurance.
Elaine slammed her hand on the table, dead serious. "No. DI is my only option."
I flinched. She was that desperate?
"So why did you come to me?" I asked, trying to stay patient.
Tears started streaming down Elaine's face. She looked at me with watery eyes. "Catherine, please. I'm begging you to help me. My family's dirt poor. I barely escaped that toxic situation. If I can't stay at DI, I'll have to go back home. They want to marry me off to some guy thirty years older than me. I don't want that."
My brow furrowed. "How am I supposed to help you?"
Everyone had their struggles—circumstances beyond their control, words they couldn't speak. I admired that she had the courage to ask a stranger for help. I turned it over in my mind and decided to help her as much as I could.
Of course, I had my own conditions and boundaries. Like not accepting any cheating on the probation evaluation.
Then Elaine revealed her real agenda. "Catherine, would you be willing to drop out of the probation evaluation?"
I froze, staring at her blankly. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "What did you just say?"
Elaine repeated herself. This time I was sure. She wanted me to drop out of the evaluation. But why? I asked directly.
"Elaine, DI's evaluation process seems pretty fair to me. Is there something about the rules you don't understand?"
"No," she said flatly.
Seeing I genuinely didn't get it, Elaine explained. "You don't know? There are only six people in our intern cohort."
It clicked instantly. Oh. DI's evaluation required placing in the top five. But with only six interns total, that meant only one person would be cut. If even one person dropped out, everyone else would automatically qualify for full-time positions.
My expression went cold. Looking at red-eyed Elaine across from me, I felt my sympathy evaporate.
"Did you only come to me, or did you ask all four of the others too? Elaine, if you asked everyone, I'd at least respect that you're being fair about it. But if you targeted me from the start, then I'm going to disappoint you."
I got it all out in one breath, eyes locked on Elaine. Unfortunately, she let me down. I caught the flash of guilt on her face. Disgust curled in my chest.
"I get that you want to stay at DI, but why can't you earn this opportunity through your own work?" I tried reasoning with her, hoping to appeal to whatever conscience she had left. Wanting success wasn't wrong. But you couldn't use your rough circumstances as an excuse to treat others as stepping stones.
I kept my eyes on her, my tone sharpening. "Elaine, since you're asking me for help, let me ask you—what do I get out of helping you? Or better yet, what are you offering me in return?"
She blinked like she'd just woken up, staring at me wide-eyed. "Catherine, are you seriously expecting payment for a favor?"
I laughed coldly. "I'm a person, not a saint. We didn't even know each other before today. Why would I help you for nothing?"
She fell silent.
After a long pause, Elaine looked at me with disgust. "You're really selfish."
The words hit like a punch. My instinct was to retreat.
But Nicholas's encouragement echoed in my mind. [Catherine, you don't have to live for other people's opinions. You're already enough.]
I stopped retreating and shot back without fear. "If you're not selfish, and you don't think you can pass the evaluation, then why don't you drop out yourself instead of asking me to?"
She clearly hadn't expected me to push back this hard. Her face flushed bright red.
"You know why I came to you instead of the others?" Something seemed to occur to Elaine, and she looked at me with sudden smugness.
I watched her silently.
A victorious smile curved her lips. "Because you don't measure up to them. I looked into everyone. The others all studied abroad, and their families have business connections with DI. But you? You've got nothing."
"I heard you used to be the Rosewood family's daughter. Now you've been kicked out. Catherine, you're homeless anyway. Why can't you just help me?"