Betrayal

You could tell that he was getting ready to betray them because he was deeply into the process of convincing himself that they did not deserve loyalty.

He'd worked with them for around three years. During that time, he had drifted from one favorite to another; adopting a co-worker as his best new friend, then discovering flaws, and moving on to a new ally. In time, he'd alienated all of his associates. The bosses had given up on him much earlier but they overlooked his testiness because he covered it in their presence. He regarded them as targets for manipulation, not realizing that his efforts were transparent.

In his view, all efforts to reach out to him were twisted into negatives. Kindness was transformed into weakness. Collaboration became conspiracy. Even praise was seen as having an ulterior motive.

One day, he went to the senior managers and blasted the team, painting his boss and his colleagues in the worst terms. The senior managers thanked him, said they would take his remarks into consideration, and then did...nothing. His credibility had evaporated.

The resignation soon followed.

He came back months later and told people how much he enjoyed working with them.