"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?"

Yeah. Looking back, I felt kind of ridiculous.

Three years of being a generous fool, and in the end, what did I get? A five-thousand-dollar fine and a label that said I was "profiting off others."

I did not come from nothing. However, no one at the company knew that.

My father had always taught me to start from the bottom and to learn how to work with people instead of relying on family connections right away.

Three years ago, not long after I joined the company, we relocated our office to a remote tech park.

It was several kilometers from the nearest subway station. There was barely any public transportation, and ride-hailing services were almost impossible to get.

I saw how hard the daily commute was for everyone. Some people had to carpool, while others ended up taking unsafe, unofficial rides. So, under the excuse of "helping the company coordinate resources," I contacted a friend's car rental company and arranged for two shuttle vans.

To everyone else, I said it was a benefit I had helped secure for employees. I never mentioned that I was the one paying for it out of pocket.

As for Selena, she happened to live in the same apartment complex as me.

When she first joined, she used to stand by the roadside every morning waiting for a ride. Since we worked in the same department, I offered to take her along.

This went on for three full years.

She often ate breakfast in my car, leaving crumbs everywhere. I let it slide.

She would take off her shoes and do her makeup in the passenger seat. I did not say a word.

Sometimes, she even asked me to make a detour to pick up her boyfriend, who did not even have a stable job. I did not bother arguing.

Until last night, during that heavy rainstorm…

"Jennifer, swing by the Elmwood Mall, okay? Ryan forgot his umbrella," she said like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Selena, the rain's too heavy. That road is already flooding. My car isn’t built for tackling floods. I can't make it through, and I need to get back to bring medicine to my mom."

"It's not like giving her medicine a little later will matter," she said impatiently, waving her hand. "Jennifer, why are you being so stingy? You get all those transportation subsidies anyway. What's the big deal about helping out once?"

That was the moment I snapped. "Transportation subsidies? When has the company ever given me that?"

"Cut the act," she sneered. "Everyone knows you have a company fuel card."

The more I listened, the angrier I got. I pulled over right then and there, told her to get out, and drove off without picking up her boyfriend.

The next morning, that complaint letter landed straight on the administrative department's desk.

It accused me of using my position to take advantage of coworkers, of asking for benefits in exchange for rides, and even claimed I had misused company resources to run unauthorized operations.

The truth was, in those three years, the most Selena had ever given me was a box of nearly expired cookies from the office pantry.

I went back to my desk and slowly started packing up my things.

Not quitting. Just preparing to "make adjustments."

At five-thirty in the afternoon, it was time to get off work.

The sky outside was dark and heavy. Strong winds pushed the clouds low, and it looked like another storm was coming.

On any normal day, both shuttle vans would already be parked downstairs by then, lights on, waiting to pick people up.

However, today, the space outside was completely empty.

Selena rushed downstairs with her bag, looked around, then hurried back up to the office. Her voice was loud enough for the entire floor to hear.

"Jennifer! Where's the shuttle? Why isn't it here yet?"

I was finishing up my last email and did not even look up.

"Selena, do you not understand plain English, or did you just forget? I said this morning that the shuttle service is canceled."

"You can't just cancel it!" Selena snapped. "That's a company benefit. You don't get to decide that. What? Do you think you're the one calling the shots?"

Other coworkers gathered around, all talking at once.

"Yeah, Ms. Smith, it's about to rain. We can't get a ride out here."

"Even if you're upset, you can't mess with everyone's commute like this."

"Exactly. Selena reported you, not us. Why are we the ones getting dragged into this?"

I looked at their familiar faces.

Teresa, the sales rep who was six months pregnant. I had asked the driver to reserve the front seat just for her so she could sit more comfortably.

Carson, the new intern fresh out of college. He often worked late and missed the last shuttle, so I told the driver to drop him off right at his door.

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.”