Twentyfold Payback After a Potluck

When my colleagues find out that I'm pretty good at cooking, they start organizing dinners at my place. Lucy Holt, one of the junior accountants, suggests that we split the groceries evenly between us. As a result, I don't think I can reject their request without being rude.

On my last day of work, the group gathers at my place for one last meal.

"You're such a good cook, Jess! We'll all be transferring you 500 dollars later. It's just a token of our appreciation," Lucy declares with a bright smile.

But the very next day, she sends me a message.

"Hey, Jess. You know it's illegal to operate an unlicensed catering business from your home, right? Your house will get sealed off for further investigation. More importantly, the value of goods has passed the threshold of 10,000 dollars, which means the fine you'll have to pay is probably going to be about 20 times that amount.

"Since we worked together, we decided not to report you to the authorities. We'll just settle this matter privately. All you have to do is give us the fine you would've had to pay instead."

This is how I realized that, combined with yesterday's meal, the total amount they've given me for groceries thus far is exactly 10,001 dollars.

The moment Lucy Holt, a junior accountant, came into work today, she started flaunting the new handbag she'd bought to everyone.

All of our colleagues looked on in envy, exclaiming over how rich she was. Once her vanity was adequately stoked, she giggled and said, "Soon, you'll all have the money to buy one for yourself!"

She proceeded to place the luxury handbag on her desk before turning around and grabbing my arm.

"I heard you're resigning, Jess. Why don't we have a dinner gathering one last time?" she cajoled. "After all, this means we won't be able to enjoy your cooking anymore."

I agreed to it and asked everyone to come up with a list of food they'd like to have so that I could make the preparations in advance.

This time, I planned on cooking up a feast. Apart from Lucy's favorite, steak, I decided to make some seared halibut, a rack of lamb, some light appetizers, and a salad to go with everything.

These were dishes that everyone complimented when I'd previously made them. Although it was a bit of a hassle to cook everything for just one meal, I figured it was fine since this would be my last time doing it for them.

Lucy hugged me the moment she heard me say yes to her request.

"You're amazing, Jess! You know, with your culinary skills, you could easily become a chef at a fine dining restaurant!"

Chuckling weakly, I eased her away from me. I wasn't quite used to having such close physical contact with her.

Maisie Gardner, my good friend, picked me up from work. When she saw the menu I'd jotted down on my phone, she recalled all the times I used to cook for my colleagues.

She couldn't resist grumbling, "You're about to leave this job anyway. Why are you still entertaining their demands? It's not like you need the money you get from them splitting the grocery bill with you.

"It's exhausting to cook for so many people, and what if something goes wrong? They'll even come after you for that."

She kept rambling on about it. Being in the restaurant business, she had seen her fair share of scammers who targeted food businesses. She was worried that my colleagues would take advantage of me as well.

"Once you've worked your last day, come over to my place for a few days and get some proper rest. Stop being a chef for free for other people."

Since it was going to be the last dinner I'd be making for these colleagues anyway, I didn't think anything could go wrong. It would just be a final meal before parting on good terms.

I did promise Maisie that it would be the last time. I wouldn't be doing this anymore in the future.

…

At work the next day, Lucy came running over to my desk.

"Jess! I've spoken to everyone about the dinner," she said.

Although her voice wasn't all that loud, it had attracted the attention of some of our colleagues nearby. They all chimed in, saying they were going to enjoy a good meal at my place this weekend.

Lucy gave me an extremely long list of food.

"I've asked everyone what they feel like eating, Jess. You can just cook according to this list, so you don't have to worry about picking the menu!"

I skimmed the list, and immediately, the first thing that caught my eye was the request for truffle-baked lobster. I barely managed to keep my expression neutral.

"Some of these dishes are quite complicated to make, Lucy, and the ingredients aren't cheap, either—"

Before I could finish speaking, Lucy started pouting. "Jess, are you implying that you're worried we'd be freeloading off you?"

I instinctively denied that.

Lucy gave me a puppy-eyed look and said, "Once you're gone, Jess, we won't be able to eat your cooking anymore, so we just want to try some things you haven't made before.

"Don't worry about it. We'll be splitting the grocery bill evenly between us, just like we always did before."