After I Paid Off My Mortgage, the Intern Tried to Ruin Me

The words barely left her mouth before a colleague next to me, someone I'd always gotten along with, tugged at my sleeve.

"Matilda, just let it go. Mercedes isn't someone you want to cross. Her cousin's in admin, and the manager has her back. If you make an enemy of her today, she'll never let it rest."

"Why don't you just pay this time? Think of it as spending a little to avoid a lot of trouble."

It was my money. Since when did anyone else get a say in how I avoided trouble?

I thanked her for the concern, but I didn't waver for a second.

"I'll say this one last time. I didn't place that order, and I'm not paying a single cent."

"Whoever wants a drink can scan the code and pay for it themselves. Stop using my salary to make yourselves look generous."

The office went dead silent. The people who'd been scrambling to rip open the packaging a moment ago pulled their hands back like they'd been burned, lips curling in distaste.

"Who'd even want one? Eighty bucks for a coffee? That's insane."

Mercedes's face cycled between white and green. A few seconds passed, and then she laughed.

"Fine, Matilda. You've got backbone. Let's see if you're still this tough tomorrow."

The next morning, the break room was unusually crowded.

Mercedes spotted me and raised her voice on purpose.

"Some people love bragging about how they've already paid off their mortgage, but they can't even treat the team to an afternoon coffee run. Yesterday the whole department lost face because of her. I honestly can't figure out what goes on in her head."

Someone chimed in immediately.

"So what if she makes good money? With that kind of stinginess, who'd respect her?"

A cluster of them huddled together, snickering under their breath.

I set my bag on my desk and walked straight over.

"Are you done?"

The break room fell quiet. Mercedes didn't look the least bit guilty. If anything, she let out a deliberate sigh.

"Matilda, don't get the wrong idea. I'm not singling you out. I just think we're all in the same department, seeing each other every day. There's really no need to take things this far."

I looked at her, and the words came out dry as bone.

"Far? Spending my money to buy yourself goodwill. Now that's taking things far."

Mercedes's expression flickered.

"Matilda, that's a pretty ugly thing to say. I was trying to do something nice for the team. Everyone's been working hard, and I thought it'd lift the mood. But you? You made a scene in front of the delivery guy and embarrassed the entire department."

A few of the colleagues who'd been tearing into those bags yesterday jumped right in.

"Seriously, it was such a small thing. Why blow it up like that?"

"I ended up spending an extra hundred bucks, and my husband chewed me out for wasting money when I got home!"

I almost laughed from the sheer absurdity.

Nobody forced them to drink a thing. They didn't get their freebie, and suddenly they were the victims.

"So what you're all saying is, I owe you an apology?"

Conrad put on his best peacemaker face.

"Matilda, no need to be so harsh. Mercedes meant well. You're doing better than most of us. Would it kill you to look out for the team once in a while?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Then why don't you look out for them? Your numbers were the highest in the department last month."

Conrad's mouth opened and closed. Nothing came out.

Another woman picked up the slack without missing a beat.

"That's completely different. Conrad's got a family to support, a wife and kids. Not like you. Thirty years old and still single. If you're not the one treating, who should be?"

A cold weight settled in my chest.

In their eyes, being thirty and unmarried made me the easiest target in the room.

Mercedes watched the crowd rally to her side, and the triumph in her eyes was barely contained.

"Matilda, why put yourself through this? You already offended the whole department yesterday. If you still won't admit you were wrong today, the only person who's going to suffer is you."

"Trust me. All it takes is one word from me about you not being a team player, and the manager will make sure your performance bonus and your client list both take a hit this quarter. And when that happens, not a single person here will have your back."