"Don't give me that excuse." She took a step closer. "Do you have a problem with Nelson?"
I didn't answer.
She let out a cold laugh.
"Terry, be honest with me. Are you jealous of him?"
"Jealous of what, exactly?"
"His degree. His talent. The fact that I put him in a key position the moment he came back."
Kate's voice dropped a few degrees.
"Your attitude in that meeting made it perfectly clear you didn't want him to succeed."
"You think I couldn't tell? The second he started his presentation, your whole expression changed."
"I know you were picking his work apart in your head. You just held your tongue for once."
I didn't argue.
She took my silence as confirmation, and her tone hardened with certainty. "Terry, I know you think highly of yourself. You've been with this company for years, put in the hours, put in the work, and you figure nobody measures up to you."
"But Nelson is different. He has a graduate degree from a top university overseas. His expertise speaks for itself."
"No matter how much he rubs you the wrong way, you don't get to humiliate him in front of the entire team."
"Humiliate him?" I almost laughed. "I didn't say a single word. I got up and left. How is that humiliation?"