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No Reimbursement for You

No Reimbursement for You

Short Story · Emotional Realism
By:  Coconut Scared of ColdCompleted
Language: English
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Synopsis

Face Slapping

Workplace

Feel-Good Story

Plot Twists

Bias

Regret

Celia Johnson, my boss's sister-in-law, joined the company as the finance director and announced that all reimbursements must strictly follow the standards. I spent an entire week running around for the company and finally closed a five-hundred-thousand-dollar deal. Because the client had used two extra packs of paper towels, the per-person amount for their meal ended up eight dollars over the limit. Celia folded her arms, glanced at the reimbursement form on my desk, and sneered. "Five hundred and eight dollars?" "Yes. Last night at The Peak Restaurant, where we closed Richard's deal. Zack was there too," I explained patiently. "Eight dollars over the per-person limit. Not reimbursable," Celia said coldly. I tried to reason with her. "This was a special case. The client is high-level, and the deal amount is large, and Zack personally said it would be fully reimbursed last night." She returned the reimbursement form to me. "I don't care who said that. Don't think closing a five-hundred-thousand-dollar contract lets you ignore company rules. Reimbursements must all follow policies. Everyone will follow them to the letter." I took a deep breath. I knew arguing with her head-on would get me nowhere, so I called Zack directly. Zack said, "I did say it would be reimbursed, but I never said company rules could be ignored. It's just five hundred. And you still get commission from closing the deal. You young people need to have perspective." I stopped arguing. I turned around and refused the delivery containing the hard copy of the five-hundred-thousand-dollar cooperation contract, smiling as I explained, "Company rules say all cash on delivery packages must be refused. "Also, today is my last day here. Starting tomorrow, I work for Richard's company. As the client, I will be setting the rules this time."

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Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I listened to Zack Smith preach and replied on the phone, "Alright, Zack. I'm the one who misunderstood the rules and lacked perspective. I'm sorry for causing this problem. Rest assured that from now on, I will follow company policy exactly."

Director Celia Johnson from Finance gave me a scornful laugh. "You really think you're that important? If you genuinely can't stand losing that 500 dollars and you insist on reimbursement, I can deduct it directly from your sales bonus this quarter. That bonus comes from the company, anyway. Everyone wins. Isn't that perfect?"

I had fronted money for the company, but now, they wanted to offset it with my bonus. I ground my teeth furiously. "Then we'll handle it according to company policy!"

Celia was Zack's sister-in-law. She had always believed reimbursements meant taking advantage of the company. I was the top performer, so my reimbursements were frequent and could get quite large, so she especially resented me.

I took the reimbursement form back to my desk. Alicia Brown, who usually got along with me back in my department, stared at my expression and asked in disbelief. "What happened, Lisa? Didn't Zack say it was fully reimbursable last night? I can't believe Celia is still doing this."

I tried to force the anger in my chest down. "That didn't do anything. Zack said we had to follow company policy."

Alicia froze. "Policy? What kind of damn policy can block a reimbursement for the person who brought in a project worth five hundred thousand dollars?"

I tried to force a smile. "The per-person amount went over the limit by eight dollars. Zack told me to have perspective."

Alicia's voice cracked. "Because it went over eight dollars per person? They're refusing to reimburse the five hundred dollars for that?! And that's Zack's attitude?"

Her face hardened with anger on my behalf. "They used you to bring in five hundred thousand dollars, and now they toss you aside for just five hundred dollars and lecture you about perspective?! This company is heartless!"

The door to the Finance department swung open as Celia walked out with a cup in hand, shooting us a sharp, hostile look.

Just as I opened my inbox and started working, a message hit the company group chat.

Zack wrote: [No individual, no matter how outstanding their performance, can stand above company policy.]

[Certain high-performing colleagues have recently shown concerning signs. They take credit arrogantly and treat company policies as shackles. They claim the company has mistreated them and even spread negativity in the office, affecting team morale.]

[I hope everyone puts their energy into the positives and stops nitpicking personal gains and losses. Most importantly, don't encourage bad habits!]

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9 Chapters
Chapter 1
I listened to Zack Smith preach and replied on the phone, "Alright, Zack. I'm the one who misunderstood the rules and lacked perspective. I'm sorry for causing this problem. Rest assured that from now on, I will follow company policy exactly."Director Celia Johnson from Finance gave me a scornful laugh. "You really think you're that important? If you genuinely can't stand losing that 500 dollars and you insist on reimbursement, I can deduct it directly from your sales bonus this quarter. That bonus comes from the company, anyway. Everyone wins. Isn't that perfect?"I had fronted money for the company, but now, they wanted to offset it with my bonus. I ground my teeth furiously. "Then we'll handle it according to company policy!"Celia was Zack's sister-in-law. She had always believed reimbursements meant taking advantage of the company. I was the top performer, so my reimbursements were frequent and could get quite large, so she especially resented me.I took the reimbursement for
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Chapter 2
No names were mentioned in the company group chat's text, but everyone knew it was aimed at me.I leaned back in my chair, my chest heaving rapidly. I opened the message again, and I replied, "Got it."Then I opened the company handbook that the company had issued when I first started and studied it line by line.We had to follow the company policies, right?I was the top salesperson. Did they think they could do this to me and get away with it?I stopped joining small talk with coworkers and stopped volunteering for extra work. I only finished my workload. Every spare minute went into reading that handbook.Zack was very pleased with the result.That afternoon, Zack called me into his office, and his expression turned serious. "We have something urgent that we need to deal with. There are some issues with a client's project in Blueport City, and we need someone to go there immediately. That client is difficult, but I don't trust anyone else. I thought it through, and it has to
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Chapter 3
Celia pointed at me, and her hand shook violently. She was so angry that she could not get a single word out.The meeting room went dead silent.Zack looked like he was about to have a heart attack in front of the entire staff, but he could only grit his teeth and accept the receipts that fully complied with company policy before forcing the words out one by one through his teeth, "Reimburse her."Celia leaned in close to me and hissed, "Just you wait!"After the meeting, I noticed coworkers who used to be friendly with me had started to keep their distance.Alicia texted me in secret: [The few coworkers who hung out with you all had their reimbursements blocked by Celia. She kept dropping hints about staying away from the wrong crowd and not picking up bad habits from them.]I could feel anger boiling inside of me. Coming after me was one thing, but she was punishing everyone around me, too?Meanwhile, an important potential client came to visit, and he specifically asked to se
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Chapter 4
Something stirred in me, but I skipped past Richard's prompt with a joke. "I still haven't gotten the bonus from your deal. If I jump ship now, I would be taking a huge loss."Richard smiled. "Let's make a bet. If you don't get the bonus for this deal, you'll consider what I just suggested. How does that sound?"When it was time to pay, I pulled out the company card. That was the sales department's card for entertaining clients, as long as they didn't go overboard.The charge failed.I called the bank, and they said the account was frozen.By policy, an account like that would not be frozen unless the department was dissolved or there was a major violation. This was clearly aimed at me.I forced down the urge to smash my phone and called Celia."Ms. Johnson," I started, my voice icy. "Why is the sales department's card frozen?"Celia replied calmly. "The company is conducting a financial risk review. All non-essential spending accounts are temporarily frozen. This is a normal p
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Chapter 5
Zack laughed wildly at me."Hahaha! Have you lost your mind?! You're spouting nonsense now!" Zack pointed at me, laughing so hard he almost doubled over, tears nearly spilling out. "Who do you think you are? Richard's company is not some charity. You think they would want you? Someone we rated as incapable?! What kind of daydream is this?"Celia charged out of the Finance Department the moment she heard the commotion and jumped in, her voice filled with disdain. "Exactly! She can't handle the pressure and finally snapped! Client? You set the rules? If you're quitting, just pack your things and get out! Stop embarrassing yourself here!"They worked as a team, trying to humiliate me, when Zack's phone suddenly rang in his pocket.He pulled it out with irritation, but the moment he saw the name on the screen, his face turned into a nervous smile.He faked a cough and answered, his voice becoming overly warm. "Hello, Richard. Yes. I was just about to contact you. I heard the contract
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Chapter 6
Everyone went silent in the office, waiting to see what I would do after Zack had blown up.I nodded, my expression unreadable. "Yes, Zack. You were good to me before. Back when the company had only seven or eight people, you taught me step by step and gave me many opportunities. I have always remembered that, and I have repaid that kindness. I worked day and night, closed deal after deal, helped the company survive, and helped it get to where it is today."My gaze scanned the long timers nearby. One by one, they lowered their heads, as if remembering those hard years."But Zack," I said, looking at him. "What about after the company grew? When the company went from seven or eight people to seventy or eighty, when the office moved from a cramped old place to a premium skyscraper, when you went from just Zack to Mr. Zack Smith…"I asked, slowly and clearly. "Ask yourself, how are you treating me now? Aren't you treating me like a tool you can use whenever you want and then toss asid
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Chapter 7
I watched Zack and Celia panic, unsure of what to do, and it felt deeply ironic.The very individuals who typically exerted control through policies and authority were the first to feel fear when the rules started safeguarding the vulnerable.I did not want to drag this out over severance. My value was not measured in a few months of pay.I set my box down and called Zack, looking right at him some distance away.Zack froze when he saw it was me, then answered.I spoke calmly. "Zack, this is Lisa. There are a few details that need final confirmation about the contract between your company and ours. Richard has authorized me to handle everything."Ignoring the look on Zack's face, I continued. "Bring your company seal and come to our office tomorrow. We'll sign the contracts in person. I'll be waiting."Everyone held their breath, watching the turnaround occur right in front of their eyes.Zack's expression was filled with anger and humiliation. He wanted to refuse, but he did n
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Chapter 8
I compiled everything into a report and submitted it along with the evidence to the company's legal department.The department acted swiftly, issuing a formal letter to Zack's company. It shook them for a while, but it did not erase the malice.Zack and Celia simply became even more concealed and vicious. They would test the contract's limits, exploiting information gaps and loopholes in the process to keep sabotaging the project.The project slid into a state where nothing was clearly illegal, but real progress had become painfully slow.I poured in massive time and energy, patching the holes they had deliberately created, until I was mentally and physically drained. I realized that as long as the project remained under Zack's control and as long as they carried resentment, it would never be delivered smoothly. It would even endlessly drain our resources.If this continued, it would not only consume me, but it would also burn the company's time, manpower, and business opportuniti
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Chapter 9
My chuckle clearly set Zack off as he snapped, "What are you laughing at?"I slowly said, "I'm laughing because you've exhausted every scheme and used every trick in the book just to snap one of my branches. But you've forgotten that behind me now is an entire forest. And you've hollowed out the roots holding up your own company."I ended the call without giving him a chance to say anything.What Zack got next was not a notice that Richard's company had switched project contacts.It was a formal notice from Richard's legal department, followed immediately by a call from Richard himself.The call was on speaker, and Richard and I were in the meeting room.On the other end, Zack spoke with the hopeful tone of someone expecting to be calmed. "Richard? Hello? I heard your new project ran into some difficulties; that's really unfortunate. But don't worry, we'll fully cooperate regarding the follow-up execution of the previous five-hundred-thousand-dollar project on our end. So, for the
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