No More Free Rides

"Ms. Smith, a complaint has been filed with HR. You have been accused of misusing your personal vehicle for unauthorized commercial activity."

The administrative manager dropped a printed copy of the so-called joint complaint onto the desk, a faint, knowing smile on her lips.

The company had decided to issue me a fine, placed a formal warning on my record, and revoked my performance bonus for this quarter.

I stared at the handwriting on the complaint, then let out a short, incredulous laugh.

I recognized it instantly. It was Selena Rogers.

The same coworker who had been hitching rides with me to and from work every day for the past three years.

It was all because of last night's storm. She had insisted I take a long detour to drive her to the mall so she could pick up her boyfriend, and I had said no.

Then, in the break room, Selena's voice carried loud and clear.

"Jennifer, I didn't have a choice.

"We have to keep work and personal matters separate. The transportation stipend from the company isn't for you to make extra money."

Around us, coworkers glanced over, whispering and pointing, as if they had completely forgotten how eager they once were to ask for a ride home.

I took a slow breath. "Fine. I accept the company's decision."

Then I pulled out my phone and made a call.

"Mr. Wallace, I won't be renewing the lease on those two vans.

"Yes. The ones that have been picking up and dropping off the admin and sales teams every day, free of charge."

For three years, I had been the easygoing one, paying out of my own pocket every month to lease those vehicles so my coworkers could treat it as a perk.

If that was now considered unauthorized business activity, then from this day on, everyone could figure out their own way to get to work.

I hung up, and the smile on Administrative Manager Wade Cooper's face froze instantly.

"Ms. Smith, those two vans you just mentioned… what's going on with that?"

I folded the disciplinary notice neatly and slipped it into my bag, keeping my tone calm.

"It's nothing. Since the company has decided that I've been engaging in unauthorized operations, I won't be driving my own car anymore.

"As for the 'unofficial vehicles' I personally paid to rent, I'll cancel those too. Wouldn't want them affecting the company's reputation."

Wade frowned.

"Wait. Are you saying those two vans that pick up and drop off employees every day… you rented them yourself? Weren't those a company benefit?"

"A company benefit?" I let out a soft laugh, my gaze drifting toward the people peeking in from outside the door.

"Mr. Cooper, you've worked in Finance for more than a day or two. In the past three years, has there ever been a single entry in the books for 'employee shuttle rental expenses'?"

Wade froze.

He had never seen such an expense.

However, like everyone else, he had simply assumed it was a standard company perk, or maybe part of some administrative budget that was not publicly disclosed. After all, those two brand-new shuttle vans had shown up like clockwork every day, waiting at the subway station and outside the office building. Rain or shine, they had been running for three full years.

"About that… Ms. Smith, that doesn't seem possible. Renting vehicles like that isn't cheap."

"It isn't," I said lightly. "Six thousand a month for one van. Twelve thousand for two. Toss in driver salaries and fuel subsidies, and it comes to a little over twenty thousand a month."

I picked up a pen from the desk and spun it lazily between my fingers. "Over three years, that's a total of seven hundred and twenty thousand.

"And that doesn't even include my personal car, the one Selena Rogers reported. The gas and wear and tear from giving people rides along my route? I paid for all of that myself."

The office fell completely silent.

Just moments ago, Selena had been loudly accusing me in the break room of "profiting off coworkers." She stood at the doorway holding her coffee, her expression stiff and uneasy.

I stood up and smoothed out my blazer.

"Since the complaint clearly states that I've been 'misusing my personal vehicle and engaging in unauthorized operations,' it's only fair that I make some adjustments.

"Starting this afternoon, the shuttle service will be fully canceled. From now on, everyone can figure out their own commute."

Without sparing Selena another glance, I pushed the door open and walked out.

Behind me, I could hear Wade frantically flipping through financial records, along with Selena's slightly panicked voice trying to explain, "She… she has to be bluffing. Who would spend that much money just to give coworkers a ride?"