The Ladder Test

“Welcome,” Ms. Tan’s voice cracked like chalk on a blackboard.

“Five of you have been chosen for the rarest of chances—Chief Officer.”

The room was small, air thick like wet paper.

Five employees—James, Clara, Yusof, Irene, and Daniel—sat in rigid chairs, eyes darting like knives.

The challenge was simple in words, impossible in practice.

A climb—not of floors, but of loyalty.

The first round was harmless: balancing accounts, spotting errors.

Everyone smiled, but every “mistake” landed exactly where it hurt most.

Papers went missing. Figures blurred.

Accidents? Nobody believed that anymore.

The staplers echoed like drums of war.

Soon, the real games began.

Confidential files had to be recovered.

Each marked in red—like open wounds.

Clara stumbled once.

Yusof “misfiled” something twice.

Trust vanished faster than ink drying on the page.

The final test arrived.

Two rooms. Two survivors.

One document—doctored, poisonous.

Sign it and rise.

Refuse and fall.

Daniel saw Clara’s shadow lift a pen.

He hesitated.

She did not.

Ambition always moves quicker than conscience.

When the doors opened, Ms. Tan held the same signed paper.

Her own signature stared back at them.

The message was sharp:

There was no promotion.

Only proof—

That loyalty dies first, long before success.

The ladder ends, where trust breaks.