Sebastian had always dreamed of working for Mootz Oil and Gas even though he was employed with an equally reputable oil and gas firm. So when he saw the job opening for the role of Director of the Downstream project, he knew he had to apply. After a grueling interview process, Matthew finally received the news he had been waiting for. He had been offered the job.

Mootz Oil and Gas was known for its high standards and excellent compensation packages. Sebastian was no exception. Along with his new role, he was given an entire building to live in, located in the heart of the city of Warsaw. The only catch was that 40,000 Polish zloty would be deducted from his annual salary to cover the cost of the house.

Sebastian didn’t mind the deduction.

He was thrilled to be living in such a beautiful building, and he knew he could make up the lost income with his excellent work performance. Plus, Mootz had promised him that if he met his targets, they would give him the building after 10 years.

Sebastian threw himself into his work which mostly entailed vetting projects and procurement. This led the staff of the company to nickname him the authenticator. He was determined to exceed his targets and impress the CEO and the entire board. He worked long hours and pushed himself to the limit. His hard work paid off, and he quickly became known as one of the innovative leaders in the business.

As the years passed, Sebastian continued to excel. He was promoted to Vice President and became a key player in the company’s success. However, as the 10-year mark approached, Sebastian began to grow anxious.

As much as he had been so focused on meeting his targets and impressing his bosses that he never lost sight of the promise of the company to transfer ownership of the building he lived in, for he had grown to love the building and share an unbreakable bond with every brick of it.

With only a few months left until the 10-year mark, Sebastian approached the CEO to inquire about the building and he was assured by the CEO that the company had already prepared the documents transferring ownership to him. Those few months to Sebastian’s 10th anniversary were his most productive and happiest moments in the company.

On the third day after his 10th year of working for the company, Sebastian was called into the office of the CEO, and as he opened the door expecting a chorus of claps and nods of heads from the entire board singing his praises to the heavens, only to be met with an aura of nothingness as the visibly distracted CEO

instructed him to affix his signature on all the copies of the deed of transfer and then take a copy along with the other title document related to the building he was promised. As he exited the CEO’s office, he said to himself, I guess I was the only one excited about this.

The next day couldn’t have come sooner as Sebastian rushed to the land registry office to finalize the paperwork. But to his horror, he found out that the land the company had built his house on was not theirs in the first place. Sebastian was shocked and couldn’t believe it. He had spent years fantasizing about a building that the company never owned.

Sebastian furiously badged into the office of the CEO regardless of whether a visitor or a meeting was going on in the office. He threw the worthless land documents on the table of the CEO as he pointed to the report from the land registry stating that the land on which his building stood was owned by someone else.

Waiting for the CEO to reprimand him for such rude behavior so that he could reply with an even more ungracious word, the CEO just smiled, opened the locker beside his table, and brought out a set of documents similar to the one thrown on the table by Sebastian.

He then turned to Sebastian and said, ‘I guess we all fell for the trick’. Sebastian was startled upon hearing what the CEO said and responded by asking the CEO what he meant by the statement. The CEO then informed Sebastian that the company never owned any of the lands she built on, including the office premises on which they stood. They all belong to the founder and former CEO of the company, he said to Sebastian. So you never really own the property, the CEO said further. As soon as the CEO was done talking, a deflated Sebastian slowly walked out of the office towards his own office pondering whether he should quit and lose the building he has become fond of or remain a slave to the establishment.

As soon as the CEO was done talking, a deflated Sebastian slowly walked out of the office towards his own office pondering whether he should quit and lose the building he has become fond of or remain a slave to the establishment.

Sebastian was devastated. He had sacrificed so much for the company, and now he had nothing to show for it. He was stuck in an apartment that he could never truly call his own, with a salary deduction that he could never get back.

He tried to put on a brave face and continue working, but he could never shake off the feeling of disappointment and betrayal. In the end, Sebastian resigned from his position and left the company, feeling as though his years of hard work had been for nothing.

As he packed up his belongings and left the apartment for the last time, Sebastian couldn’t help but feel a sense of sadness and regret. He had given everything to Mootz, only to be left with nothing.