No More Free Rides

Then there was Amy from admin. Her elderly parent was sick, and I had asked the driver to deliver medicine for her more than once.

Now, all of them were blaming me. Calling me "selfish" and saying I had "no sense of the bigger picture."

I shut my laptop and stood up, my gaze sweeping calmly across every single face.

"First, the shuttle vans are not a company benefit. I paid for them out of my own pocket. I have the contracts, the transfer records, and the invoices.

"Second, since Selena reported me for illegal operations, and the administrative department has already confirmed that and penalized me, then for compliance reasons, I have to stop this 'illegal activity.'

"Third…"

I turned to look at Selena, who had been yelling the loudest.

"You're right. I'm not the one calling the shots, so I'm also not obligated to keep supporting a group of ungrateful people."

With that, I picked up my bag and gave the car keys in my hand a small shake.

"Oh, and one more thing. Since my car is now considered 'misused for company purposes,' to avoid any further issues, from now on, whether it's on the way or out of the way, no one is getting a ride from me again."

I walked straight toward the elevator.

Behind me, Selena was still shouting, "Don't listen to her! She's bluffing! She must have pocketed the rental money and now she's making excuses to cover it up!

"Let's take this to management! I refuse to believe that no one can deal with her!"

As the elevator doors closed, I caught a glimpse of the rain pouring down outside.

Those two vans were never coming back.

The next day, the company's late arrival rate hit eighty percent.

The tech park was already remote, and furthermore heavy rain had flooded several roads. Ride-hailing queues were at least two hours long.

Before this, people could nap on the shuttle vans and arrive on time, even grab breakfast at the office.

Today, they all looked like they had just crawled out of a storm. Pants soaked with mud, faces dark and miserable.

Selena did not show up until ten-thirty. She was drenched from head to toe, her makeup ruined. The moment she walked in, she saw me sitting at my desk, calmly sipping a cup of hot coffee.

I had driven my own SUV this time. With its high ground clearance, the flooded roads were nothing.

"Jennifer!"

Selena stormed over and pointed a finger right at my face. "Are you happy now? The whole company is late because of you. This is a serious workplace incident!"

I set my coffee down and looked at her soaked, disheveled state, feeling nothing at all.

"They're late because they didn't plan their commute properly. What does that have to do with me? I clocked in at nine sharp. Perfect attendance."

"You…" Selena choked on her words, then turned to Wade. "Mr. Cooper, look at her! Someone who damages company morale like this should be fired!"

Wade looked completely overwhelmed.

Senior management had just chewed him out, demanding to know why most employees had not shown up and why several important client calls had gone unanswered. He had blamed the weather and avoided mentioning the shuttle vans.

This was because he had checked the financial records. There really was not a single cent listed for shuttle expenses.

"Um… Ms. Smith," Wade walked over, rubbing his hands together. His attitude was noticeably softer than yesterday.

"Senior management just asked about the shuttle service. You see, Selena may have gone too far this time, but we're all colleagues after all. Could you… maybe restore it for a few days?"

"Restore it?" I looked at him. "Mr. Cooper, has my fine been dealt with?"

"It's already… been deducted from your salary."

"And the formal warning? Has it been withdrawn?"

"Well… the notice has already been issued. It won't be easy to take it back."

I gave him a look, my voice turning sharper. "Then what exactly are you asking me to restore?"

I opened a folder and pulled out a printed sheet of A4 paper.

"These are copies of the rental contracts for the two vans, along with my monthly transfer records over the past three years. Mr. Cooper, please take a close look. The recipient is the rental company. The payer is me, personally.”