During a weekly meeting, a new intern suddenly swapped the projection.

The screen lit up with my attendance records, and all my colleagues’ eyes turned to me.

The girl lifted her chin, a mix of arrogance and ignorance in her gaze, then slammed a stack of photos onto the conference table.

“Mr. Anderson, I’d like to report her! She’s been using the company car to shuttle her family around, treating company resources like her personal vehicle. This must be dealt with immediately!”

The room fell into an eerie silence.

I looked at the eager intern, feeling a trace of sympathy.

The “company car” she was complaining about was my luxury car.

Three years ago, I had lent it to the company for appearances in business settings. Yet, I never charged a cent.

The room felt heavy, like frost had settled over it.

It wasn’t cold inside, but a chill still crept over me.

On the screen, a photo of a white car gleamed under the light. It was parked right outside International Elementary.

The angle caught the exact moment I bent down to pick up a child, even the last digits of the license plate crystal clear.

The intern, Winnie Taylor, leaned forward with both hands braced against the table.

Her young face was practically glowing with the thrill of “standing up for justice” on behalf of the company. She stared at me as if she’d just caught a rat stealing cheese.

“According to the company vehicle policy, cars are for business use only. But Ms. Clark has been treating the company car like her personal vehicle, driving it to pick up her kid, going grocery shopping, even taking it home on weekends.”

Her voice was sharp and loud.

The next slide flipped to a spreadsheet.

“I did a quick calculation. For her daily commute and weekend use, that’s about 60 miles a day. With the fuel costs and depreciation, that’s at least a few thousand dollars a month.”

She turned to the man at the head of the table.

“Mr. Anderson, the company is in a transition phase right now. We need to control costs, but management is treating company assets like their own property. How is anyone supposed to accept that? This has to be dealt with.”

The boss, Noah Anderson, was my old classmate and the founder of this company.

Back when the business was struggling, he couldn’t even make payroll. I emptied my bank account and maxed out my credit cards to cover it.

Later, when he needed to keep up appearances in front of clients, I simply brought over my new car.

All I said back then was, “Use it. The company comes first.”

He used it for three years, while I paid for all the gas, insurance, and maintenance myself. When the driver was off, I was the one driving to the airport to pick up clients.

Everyone in the company knew that the car was mine.

Yet now, Noah sat there, frowning. His fingers tapped rhythmically against the table, his usual habit when weighing a situation.

“Ava.” His tone was so cold, it was like he didn’t know me at all.

“Is what Winnie said true?”

I looked at him, and something in my chest suddenly hollowed out.

True?

Three years ago, when he asked to borrow the car, he said, “Once the company makes money, I’ll get you a new one.”

A year ago, when the company ran out of cash, I even mortgaged the car to pay employee salaries. He’d patted my shoulder and said, “This car saved the company. It’s all thanks to you.”

Yet, he was asking me this?

I lifted my gaze and swept it across the room.

Just a few days ago, Trevor from Marketing drove this very car to pick up his father from the hospital, even bragging about “the company car” on social media.

Now, he sat there with his head down, typing, pretending not to see anything.

Macy at the front desk borrowed the car every month to go for drives. At that moment, she looked at me with pure disgust, like I was some unforgivable criminal.

So in the face of interest, feelings really were worth nothing.

“What do you think, Mr. Anderson?” I asked, my tone calm.

Noah turned his head away from me.

“The evidence is right here. Ava, even if you’re my friend and one of the founding team members, rules are rules. Public and private must be kept separate. That’s the bottom line.”

He paused for a moment, then added, “Hand over the car keys for now. From here on, the vehicle will be managed by the administration. As for the costs Winnie calculated, Finance will verify them, and they’ll be deducted from your salary starting next month.”

A victorious smile spread across Winnie’s face.

“Mr. Anderson handled that well! I think Ms. Clark should also make a public self-criticism in front of the company.”

Noah glanced at me, hesitating briefly.

“That won’t be necessary. A company-wide email notice of criticism will do.”

A notice? Deduction? Taking the car?

I looked at that familiar face, yet it felt like I was staring at a stranger.

It was clearly my car.

However, I didn’t explain or slam the ownership documents onto the table.

Because by now I understood.

Winnie wanted to step on me to climb higher. Noah wanted to use this opportunity to fully take the car into the company.

Three years was enough time to create an illusion and for people to believe that something had always belonged to them.

Slowly, I stood up. Then I took the car keys out of my bag and placed them on the table.

The metal hit the surface with a crisp sound.

“The keys are here. I accept these decisions.”

I looked at Noah, the corner of my lips lifting slightly.

“I hope this car continues to bring the company good luck.”

Clearly, Noah hadn’t expected me to be this straightforward. He froze for a second, and then his expression visibly relaxed.

“Ava, it’s best that you handle it this way. I have my difficulties too.”

Winnie immediately grabbed the keys, clutching them tightly as if she were holding onto her future.

“If you’d cooperated earlier, this wouldn’t have been necessary. Why wait until I reported you?”

I looked at her, and all that remained in my heart was a trace of pity.

She didn’t understand the weight of that key.

Winnie thought she had gained power.

In reality, she had only lit the fuse.

This company will soon be finished.

…

Half an hour later, a company-wide notice quietly appeared in everyone’s system.

The title was especially eye-catching.

[Notice on Disciplinary Action Regarding Director Ava Clark’s Misuse of Company Vehicle.]

The body of the notice laid out my “violations” in full detail.

The long-term occupation of a high-end company reception vehicle for personal use, such as commuting and daily errands. It was a serious violation of company asset management policies, and a negative example to others…

I sat in my office, listening through the glass walls to the low murmurs spreading across the open workspace outside.

“I never would’ve guessed. Ms. Clark always acts so cold and aloof, but turns out she loves taking advantage.”

“That’s a luxury car. She drove it every day to pick up her kid. That’s pretty bold, if you ask me.”

“I think she’s treated the company like her own home for a while now. Even Mr. Anderson isn’t that casual.”

“This cleanup is great. Winnie really did something this time.”

I lifted my cup and took a sip of coffee. The bitterness spread in my mouth, but it couldn’t cover the coldness settling in my chest.

Suddenly, the office door was pushed open without a knock.

Winnie walked in, holding a report in her hand.

“Ms. Clark, Finance has finished the calculations.”

She tossed the document onto my desk. “Based on the past three years of usage records, you need to reimburse fuel, depreciation, and toll fees for a total of 128,000 dollars.”

She stood there, looking down at me from across the desk.

“Mr. Anderson has already signed off. You have three days to pay in full. If you don’t, it will be directly deducted from your year-end bonus and equity dividends.”

I picked up the report and glanced at it.

The calculations were impressively detailed.

Even the trips I made on weekends to the dealership for maintenance had been listed under “personal use”.

“$128,000.” I let out a soft laugh. “Winnie, you’re pretty good at accounting.”

“Of course.” She lifted her chin. “Ms. Clark, I know you’re not happy about this. But rules are rules. If you’ve enjoyed benefits you shouldn’t have, then you have to pay the price.”

“Enjoyed?”

I set the report down and leaned back in my chair, looking at her.

“Do you know how much this car costs in insurance per year?”

Winnie froze for a moment. “Isn’t that covered by the company?”

“No. I pay for it myself. Fifty thousand a year.”

“And the maintenance?”

“I pay for that, too. Over ten thousand each time.”

Her tone immediately turned flustered. “T-That’s still your responsibility! After all, you’ve been driving it for so long!”

I continued, “Then, three years ago, who was the one who brought this car to the company?”

“Who even remembers that? It belongs to the company now.” She sounded impatient.

“Ms. Clark, stop bringing up useless things. Just pay the money. I’ve already taken the keys. From now on, if you need to use a car, you’ll have to submit a request for my approval.”

Her approval?

An intern who had been at the company for less than three months was approving the Operations Director’s vehicle requests.

The thought was so absurd that it was almost laughable.

“Alright.”

I picked up a pen and signed my name on the confirmation form.

“I’ll take responsibility for this amount.”

Winnie immediately snatched the paper away, a satisfied smile spreading across her face.

“Ms. Clark, knowing when to adapt is what makes someone smart. Oh, right, Mr. Anderson asked me to pass along a message.

“There’s an important client visiting next Monday. They specifically requested this car for transportation. Make sure you clear out all your personal belongings. No child seats, toys, or anything like that. It’ll affect the company’s image.”

“Got it.”

I agreed without hesitation.

She turned and left, her heels clicking sharply against the floor, as if announcing her victory.

I watched her back, then took out my phone.

I checked my account balance, then made a call.

“Mr. Carter, it’s me, Ava.

“I’d like to consult about a legal issue regarding a company occupying personal property, and recovering expenses that were paid in advance.

“I have all the evidence. I’ve kept every transfer record and every receipt.”

After hanging up, I pulled open the bottom drawer and took out a manila folder.

Inside were all the original documents for that car.

The purchase contract, the invoice, the tax certificate, and the vehicle registration.

The name on the registration was clearly written—Ava.

Three years ago, to help Noah keep up appearances, I let the company use the car. At the time, he even suggested signing a lease agreement, offering me twenty thousand a month in rent.

I had smiled and refused.

“Forget it. We’re all on the same team. The company’s just starting out, better to save where we can.”

So, in the end, nothing was signed.

I thought it was goodwill back then.

Now that I think about it, it was just a knife I handed over to myself.

Since they wanted to follow the rules and settle accounts, we’d settle everything, one item at a time.

I stood up and walked out of the office to the underground parking garage.

The car was parked in the boss’ reserved spot.

Winnie stood beside it, directing a few people from administration as they busied themselves around the car.

“Throw this seat cushion away. It looks tacky.

“And take off that hanging ornament too. It’s a mess.

“Get that box out of the trunk. Who knows if it’s personal items?”