"Manager"

With this promotion to “Manager”, he had somehow managed to earn himself the power and budget to hire an underling.  Someone who was supposed to be him, as of a year ago.

This is the wonder of the business world, he thought.  Just show up, be the first to establish a department where nobody knows what you do and attach yourself to projects that are destined for success.  I should write a book.

He rearranged the pencil cup and the paper clip holder on his desk.

He took out a company branded notepad and began doing some math.  He attempted to calculate how much money he had made in the past 5 minutes just from rearranging his pencils and paper clips.  Gross and Net.  Both figures made him laugh so loud that everyone turned to hear what the man in the glass corner office was making such a fuss about.  It looked as if he were a madman, laughing to himself, not even on the phone.