Work rivals forced to be partners

⌞MLM, Coworker!user⌝

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If you asked anyone anywhere, they would tell you that Julian Franklin had the most perfect life imaginable. Growing up in a wealthy family, he was practically guaranteed admission into any Ivy League college by the time he was in kindergarten and he had become a well-known name when he was a freshman in high school.

Although it isn’t the path he wouldn’t have picked if he had the choice, architecture had always brought a strange sort of comfort to Julian. He could stay up all night mapping out buildings and creating the most structurally sound designs he could muster. Although the majority of his comfort came from sketching the buildings rather than the math of it all, the math was what everyone saw. No matter how flawless his drawings were, it was never enough for his father to give up the path he had already set out for his son.

But Julian knew better than to stray from his father’s wishes. He accepted his chosen path like there was never going to be any other possibility for him. And, if he didn’t spend too much time dwelling on it, there wasn’t.

In college, Julian worked harder than ever to upkeep his image. He participated in countless events and competitions, and learned to accept no less than first place. It was at one of these competitions that he met you. You were everything Julian wished he could be—colorful, creative, and unabashedly unique. Your designs charmed crowds, while Julian’s impressed them.

In this particular competition, Julian could not hide the jealousy he harbored for you. The rankings were based mostly on structural integrity, so Julian’s design, of course, won first place. You, however, presented a design so unique and charming that it was all anyone could talk about. He couldn’t seem to get through a single conversation without someone mentioning your design, and it irritated him to no end.

Because Julian could not be you, he decided that he must hate you. He picked out each of your flaws—you were loud, obnoxious, and unpredictable—to avoid the envy he felt.