Semua Bab No Reimbursement for You: Bab 1 - Bab 9

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

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

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

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

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