The Million-Dollar Penalty

1
All because I smoked a cigarette in the designated smoking area, the new Vice President docked my department's million-dollar bonus.
The moment I stepped into the smoking area and lit up, you posted a no-smoking policy in the company-wide chat. Are you targeting me on purpose?
Yes, she said with a smug grin. "I'm making an example of you."
"Fine, punish me. But the department bonus isn't mine alone—it belongs to the whole team. You can't punish them for what I did."
"Why didn't they report you? They deserve to be punished right along with you!" she shot back, her voice sharp and merciless.
"Fine," I said with a faint smile. "I accept the punishment."
Then I immediately applied for my annual leave. A day later, the entire company was in a desperate frenzy, trying to find me.
…
"Lia, the company just issued a no-smoking policy, and you're already flouting the rules! This is outrageous! As a penalty, I am hereby announcing that your department's entire quarterly bonus is revoked!"
The new VP, Vivian Shaw, clicked her stilettos across the floor and stormed into the smoking area, her voice echoing with indignation.
"What no-smoking policy?" I asked, a half-smoked cigarette still between my fingers, my face a mask of confusion. "Did you just say you're docking our department's entire one-million-dollar bonus for the quarter?"
"That's right! The entire million-dollar bonus is gone!" Vivian deliberately raised her voice. Her shout jolted my colleagues, who were napping at their desks in our office, wide awake. They all stared at me in disbelief.
This quarter, our product design department had pulled countless all-nighters to land a massive contract, bringing in over a hundred million in revenue for the company. The Chairman himself had personally approved the million-dollar bonus.
Today was payday, the end of the quarter. Our bonuses were supposed to be included. And just like that, with a single sentence from Vivian, it was all gone?
"First thing this morning, I posted the new company regulations in the group chat," she snapped. "The very first rule is a company-wide ban on smoking to protect the health of our employees. You're a department manager. Don't you even read company announcements? Now, put out that cigarette!"
"I walked into the smoking area and lit my cigarette before you posted that rule in the chat. Are you targeting me on purpose?" I opened my phone. The timestamp on her post was just moments after I'd stepped outside. It was perfectly timed.
"Yes, I am!" she declared, a triumphant smirk on her face. "I needed to make an example of someone."
"Your product design department, and especially you, its manager, have been strutting around this company like you own the place for too long. Since you're so eager to stick your neck out, you're the perfect one to sacrifice to establish my authority." Vivian preened, theatrically wafting away the smoke I'd exhaled.
"Ms. Shaw, this is a designated smoking area. I wasn't smoking inside the main office," I stated, my voice even and calm.
Our department was the busiest in the company. We were constantly working overtime, and design work is mentally draining. Everyone on my team smoked. To accommodate us, the Chairman had given us a corner office with an attached terrace specifically for smoking, ensuring the smoke never drifted into the rest of the building.
I had even paid out of my own pocket to install a high-powered, imported air purifier in our office and stocked up on smoke-eliminating spray and mouthwash. I made it a strict rule for my team: before leaving our office area, you spray down and use mouthwash. We did it to avoid bothering colleagues who were sensitive to smoke, and in all the years, there had never been a single complaint.
"Isn't the terrace company property? Did you not read the rule? The ban is company-wide!"
"Ms. Shaw, did the Chairman approve this penalty?" I knew she was targeting me, so I had no choice but to bring up the big boss.
My team and I had just pulled an all-nighter to finish the designs for a new client, finally securing the deal. We were all exhausted, practically dead on our feet, sleeping at our desks without even having had breakfast. When the official workday started, two other colleagues who were still awake and I had come out to the terrace for a smoke to wake ourselves up. They'd finished theirs and gone back inside to rest. I had a meeting coming up, so I lit a second one for a final jolt of energy.
I had already seen Vivian hiding nearby, spying on our office through the glass. She had deliberately waited until I was alone to make her move.
"The penalty notice has already been signed by the General Manager. See for yourself!" she said, shoving a document in my face. "And in a few minutes, I'll be sending out a company-wide email to publicly censure you!"
So, she wasn't even pretending. She'd had the penalty notice drawn up and signed before she'd even "caught" me.
"Ms. Shaw, I was the one smoking. It was my violation. Fine me, I accept it. But the department bonus isn't just mine. You can dock my portion, but you can't punish the entire team for my actions."
"Why didn't they report you? They deserve to be punished right along with you!" she retorted, her tone merciless. Then she leaned in close, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Let me be honest, Lia. I'm doing this so they'll all resent you for losing their money."
"Such a clever plan, Ms. Shaw. Fine. I accept the punishment." I paused. "Just don't come to regret this." I took one last, long drag from my cigarette, crushed the butt under my heel, and blew the smoke directly into her face.
"Lia, this is obviously a setup! Are we just going to take this?"
"No way, Lia! We can't let that bitch Vivian walk all over us! You have to go to the Chairman!"
"Are you an idiot? The Chairman is in Europe for a conference. Vivian deliberately waited until he was out of the country to pull this."
"My bonus... I promised my wife I'd buy her a new bag with it. Damn it!"
After Vivian had strutted away, my team gathered around me, fuming.
Of course, I knew it was a setup. The fact that she had a penalty notice signed by the General Manager, Mark, was all the proof I needed that they had officially declared war on me. Mark was a portly, greasy middle-aged man. On a business trip once, he'd tried to get me drunk and then used a spare key card to get into my hotel room in the middle of the night. Fortunately, I was prepared. I used a self-defense move that nearly cost him his family jewels, and he had scrambled out of my room, whimpering. He'd held a grudge ever since.
It was no secret that Vivian was Mark's mistress. In her paranoid little mind, she had convinced herself that I was also his mistress and therefore her rival. She'd been spreading vicious rumors about me for years—that I'd slept my way to my position, that I'd had orgies with clients on business trips, that I'd performed stripteases on dining tables, that she'd personally seen me at a clinic getting an abortion.
But Vivian's plan to turn my team against me was a spectacular failure. Everyone in the company knew that the product design department was the most unified team. There were two reasons for that. One, my skills were undeniable, and under my leadership, they produced outstanding work. Two, I was fiercely protective of my people. I fought tooth and nail for every benefit and every bonus they deserved. They made good money with me.
"Everyone, calm down. What's there to be afraid of?" I said, a cool, confident smile playing on my lips. "Vivian is coming after me. She thinks she can grind me into the dust? In her dreams."
"I promise you all, you will not lose a single cent of that million-dollar bonus. If the company refuses to pay it, I will cover it myself."
The colleague who had mentioned his wife's bag blushed and scratched his head. "Lia, that's not what I meant..."
"I know. You all worked your asses off this quarter. You earned that bonus, and Vivian Shaw is not going to take it from you."
"Alright, you've all been up all night. Go home, get some real sleep. Come back in tomorrow." I started ushering my team, with their dark circles and bloodshot eyes, towards the door.
"But Lia, Apex Holdings is coming tomorrow to review the final designs! We're not finished yet!"
"Yeah, Lia! Vivian just set you up. If we all leave now, she'll just use it as another excuse to come after you."
Their concern was genuine. "Don't worry. I've got this. There won't be any problems. I'll handle the finishing touches. The Chairman approved a flexible work schedule for our department, remember?"
With my insistence, the entire team finally went home.
Moments later, Vivian posted the official penalty notice in the company-wide group chat. She also sent a mass email, with my name, Lia Vance, in bold and enlarged font, ensuring no one could possibly miss it. The email concluded with another bolded sentence: "This company has a zero-tolerance policy for secondhand smoke. Lia Vance has deliberately flouted the rules, showing a blatant disregard for the health of her colleagues. This is both foolish and malicious. Any further infractions will result in immediate termination."
"A million dollars, just like that? Vivian is playing dirty with Lia."
"Serves her right! The design department gets the biggest bonuses every year. Why should they get so much when the rest of us get so little? Let's see how arrogant that slut is now!"
I had just walked into the restroom when I overheard two women from another department gossiping.
"You. Out," I said, glaring at the one who hadn't been speaking. She scurried away, head down.
Smack!
I grabbed the other woman by the hair and delivered two sharp slaps across her face.
"Lia! What the hell! You can't just hit people!" she shrieked, clutching her cheek. But when she met my cold, murderous gaze, her bravado vanished.
"Get out."
From the restroom, I went straight to HR and submitted a request for my annual leave. I hadn't taken a vacation in three years. It was about time.
"Lia, this request needs to be signed by Ms. Shaw," the HR manager said, looking at me with an apologetic, knowing glance. "That's another one of the new rules she implemented today."
"Fine."
I took the form and went directly to Vivian's office. "Ms. Shaw, I'm taking my annual leave. I need your signature."
"Lia, I thought you were here to resign," she said, a wicked smile playing on her lips as she took the form.
"I'll resign after my vacation. You win, Ms. Shaw. I can't compete with you. I'm too humiliated to show my face here anymore."
"I just want to use up my vacation days and get a little extra pay. You wouldn't deny me that small comfort, would you?" I kept my head down, feigning a look of defeated resignation.
"Oh, Lia, you can't resign!" Vivian giggled. "If you leave, who will I have to torment?" She scribbled her signature on the form with a flourish.
I snatched the paper from her without a word and turned to leave.
You idiot, I thought. Let's see how long that smile lasts.
I packed my things, making sure to lock the box of premium Cohiba cigars—the Apex Holdings CEO's favorite—in my desk drawer. Then I turned off my phone and began my vacation.
"Lia, the CEO of Apex is furious! He's threatening to cancel the contract! Mark is freaking out and screaming at us to find you immediately." My team member, Leo, was laughing as he spoke to me on my backup phone.
"No rush," I said calmly. "I have thirty days of vacation. We'll talk when I get back."
"Lia, you won't believe this. Mark started calling us into his office one by one, trying to turn us against you. He promised to immediately reinstate the quarterly bonus for whoever could find you and get you to come back. The old bastard is really desperate. I heard the Chairman called him from Europe and chewed him out. Told him that if the Apex project falls through, he'll be held personally responsible."
The next day, as I was lounging on a beach chair, smoking a cigarette and watching the waves, Leo called again.
"And?" I asked.
"Don't worry, our department is solid. I'm keeping an eye on things. No one gave him your backup number. We all told him your main phone is off and you're not responding to any emails or messages. We have no way to contact you." Leo was still chuckling, clearly enjoying the chaos.
"Good. Let them sweat." With that, I hung up.
"Lia, the Chairman flew back from Europe. This thing has really blown up," Leo reported that evening. "Mark has been trying everything to appease the Apex CEO—sending women to his hotel, showering him with gifts—but the guy isn't biting. He left a final message: he wants to see you within three days, or the deal is off. Then he flew back to the capital. When the Chairman heard Mark couldn't handle it, he flew straight to the capital himself, presumably to beg for forgiveness."
"Understood. Keep me posted," I said, lying back on my plush hotel bed and turning on a movie. Vacation was bliss.
"Lia, the Chairman is back, and he looks like he's about to kill someone. The whole office is dead silent. Mark and Vivian look like naughty schoolchildren. They've been coming to our office a dozen times a day, trying to get any information about you. They're in a total panic. You should see the look on Vivian's face. It's worse than a funeral."
"Oh, right, the important stuff! The Chairman came to our office too. He said our quarterly bonus has been fully reinstated. It's already in our accounts. Did you get yours?"
"And then... he asked us, almost begged us, if anyone could get in touch with you. Lia, is it time? Is the pot boiling?"
"Should we give him your number? I think it's time to come back. If we really lose the Apex contract, all our hard work will have been for nothing. What do you think?" Leo called again the next morning.
"Alright, I'll call the Chairman now. When I get back, I want to see the look on Vivian's face."
After hanging up with Leo, I dialed the Chairman's number.
"Lia! You've finally surfaced! I was about to have a heart attack!"
"I've gotten to the bottom of this whole situation. It's all because of those two idiots, Vivian and Mark. I've already given them a severe reprimand."
"Lia, please come back. The Apex project... only you can handle it. Their CEO, Mr. Sterling, will only work with you. If you close this deal, I'll double your department's bonus. Two million dollars. What do you say?" The Chairman's voice was laced with anxiety.
"Chairman, I can come back. But this business with Vivian... are we just letting it go?"
"Of course not! Her reckless behavior has caused a massive problem for this company. I will punish her severely. And as for how... I'll let you decide. You call the shots."
"Alright. In that case, I have a few conditions."
"Lia, name your price! Anything you want! Just get back here and lock down this Apex deal. I'll agree to anything!"
The Chairman was truly desperate. The Apex project would bring in over a billion in revenue, with profits in the hundreds of millions. As the owner of the company, he wasn't about to let that slip through his fingers.
"Okay," I said. "I'm on my way back."
"Chairman, I want a public apology from Vivian Shaw. To me, and to my entire department."

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