"Matilda, seriously? It's barely a thousand bucks. What fraction of your salary is that? Do you really need to nickel-and-dime everyone like this?"
"Be generous for once. Think of it as building goodwill. Don't throw away an opportunity like that."
I nearly choked on a laugh at her twisted logic.
So refusing to bankroll their coffee habit made me cheap, and somehow I was supposed to thank her for the privilege?
I turned straight to the delivery guy.
"I didn't place this order, and I'm not paying. Find whoever ordered it and collect from them. If they won't pay, call the police."
Mercedes's expression flickered, and a thin edge of threat crept into her voice.
"Matilda, have you lost your mind? Calling the cops during work hours? Are you trying to ruin someone's career?"
"We all work in the same department. We see each other every single day. You humiliate everyone today, how do you plan on showing your face tomorrow? And just so you know, I placed this order as a department event. The manager already signed off on it."
I narrowed my eyes.
"The manager signed off on it?"
Mercedes's confidence swelled back.
"I told him this morning. He even said I was great at boosting team morale, and that someone with your salary should've been treating everyone ages ago. If you refuse to pay now, it's not just my face you're slapping. It's the entire department's."
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."