Plot twist: they are all secretly seventh graders in their parents' clothes

Excuse me, but even if there WAS a cupcake left, why is OP's coworker the one that is entitled to it? Cheek, much?

This is where white lies are good "Sorry, I miscounted, there are no extras."

I would have said oh I just made 24. I figured a few people wouldn't want one. Definitely don't put his name in it, or drama ensues. I would feel weird if someone offered me something but didn't want me to take it.

I'm wondering what OP would have done had he not turned it down? That would mean someone else wouldn't get a cupcake. And if OP didn't want to come across as an a*****e then they should have kept their mouth shut about the whole thing and just left the cakes in the kitchen for everyone to fend for themselves. Now I feel like this person is attention-seeking and rude.

Talking out both sides of her mouth. "I love baking" then "I didn't have time to make an extra cupcake and didn't want to waste." Anyone who has worked in an office knows food never goes to waste and you should have just made a few extras anyways. I am always suspicious of people who bring food to the office and don't eat their own goods.

She's kinda the AH for how she went about it. She took a risk by offering Leo a cupcake expecting him to reject it. What was her plan if he accepted and now she is going to be one short? When she lucked out with his refusal and another coworker asked her for it she should have said she ate it herself and not explained why she only baked 24 cupcakes for 25 people. Everything about her story wreaks of planned childish intent. Oh, and her choice of actually saying, "vomited blood" instead of the Actual Chinese meaning for it tells me that Leo is Chinese and she is being bigotted as well. Her "practical reasons" for only baking 24 do not hold water with me either. The third round of baking is no big deal when you make enough batter and icing. It only takes about 20 minutes at 350 to bake cupcakes and maybe 5 minutes to ice an extra 12. Hardly an inconvenience and nothing compared to the drama she has created for herself by not baking extra.

I have a coworker who acts like I'm not in the room even though they look directly at me. Never did anything to them but they act like I'm bothering them when I call their extension to ask a work question. They can walk by me multiple time and never say good morning. Then when someone is around, they say all nice things and compliment me. So fake. So I know what this person is feeling but I still would not leave them out even knowing they won't take a cupcake. Be a better person and let them show their colors.

I think the OP has flavoured this up to make herself look better. I hate any form of bullying and it's funny how the one person she didn't want to have a cup cake didn't get one. Saying that she 'offered him a cupcake' doesn't wash with me. How horrible, glad I don't work in this clearly toxic environment. The question is, who will they pick on when Leo leaves?

Leo was being passive aggressive. If he wasn't willing to accept a cupcake the first time it was offered then he doesn't get a cupcake later. However, OP should NOT have told the colleague WHY there were no cupcakes left. Obviously she is aware of office gossip? But the real reason is the issue between her & Leo is private & should remain so.

She shouldn’t have been baking her own bday cupcakes anyway. In my office, one person bakes a cake for the bday person and the others but snacks :) . Also, the fact that he’s the type of person that wouldn’t accept a cupcake from her, but would eat it from the fridge, makes him the AH.

OP should just have skipped the whole 'make cupcakes for the office ' thing and saved themselves the drama

25 people in office and 24 cupcakes. I don't know but maybe 24 employees plus OP. So if Leo took a cupcake, then OP wouldn't get one. That seems not an AH, besides they asked Leo and his excuse is so AH (I would have if OP left me alone. What a baby). But telling that to coworker makes OP an AH. Even tell them, I made just enough and if there was an extra, I am taking it.

26 people and they were able to create rumour from situation, where were witnesses? There is a.**..e somewhere else in crowd. There is obvious frustration between 2 colleagues (you don't have to be buddy to everyone) and this is how they handle it... quite toxic.

I am guessing she offered him one assuming that if he did take it, then she just wouldn't have had one herself. Assuming he would reject it anyway it would make sense to just risk giving up her own. If I were her I would have said "sorry I ate his already since he refused it" idk how the coworker asked for the rejected one but also was told/ told people he didn't get one. How greedy though is the co-worker who thought they should not only get another cupcake, but spread a roomer after not getting one. I also find it weird that no one did anything for her. She had to bring them cake for her birthday.

FURTHERMORE, How abt just 'NO'. Why do we even HAVE to give ppl excuses and backstory and context ETC?! 'Can I have that cupcake that EVONE just got ONE of and I feel entitled to?!??!' "NO". SIMPLE, SUCCINCT AND TO THE POINT!!!

NTA: It wouldn’t have mattered if she mentioned his name or not. Without explaining why there were only 24, the others would’ve gossiped saying that she didn’t bake enough for the whole office. I think your coworkers are all AH because you shouldn’t have been baking your own cupcakes for your bday anyway. In my office, one person (not the Bday person) bakes a cake for the bday person and the rest of us buy snacks and we have a little “party”. I’m most offended that he would’ve eaten her cupcake from the fridge but wouldn’t accept from her!

Seems to be a lot of cross cultural stuff going on here that westerners like me aren't getting. Leo uses traditional Chinese phrase. OP is worried about loss of face. Leo also seems to be worried about loss of face in his comment of coming round to getting the cake later - there seems to be a problem with him accepting food from OP possibly due to their history or maybe the office hierarchy. OP bakes cakes on her own birthday rather than the other way round. Not sure we can comment about a-holery unless we understand the cultural context.

I live and work in Taiwan, and for the most part, my co-workers are friendly and share. And I'm from Hawaii, so we always share regardless of whether or not we get on with someone in the work environment. It's petty of you don't. Due to the fact that I make more $$$ than my Taiwanese co-workers, they tend to leave me out and not notify me when there are food/drink offerings for us to take in the meeting room. They'll just all come back with arms full of goods and no one cares to tell me to go help myself, so I don't ask them and I don't go. I just leave them to their petty behavior as that's not how I was taught to treat others. Some co-workers will walk around the office and share with others and skip me, I always notice certain co-workers will leave me out and some will always offer to me. However, I share with my co-workers often and make sure to offer to every single.on of them, because that's how I was raised. Even if some of them pass me by, it proves I'm a friendlier person.

YTA. I had a cake business. Cupcakes, cakepops, 8 tier wedding cakes w gold leaf. Making cupcakes is not expensive! Flour, sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, maybe cocoa if they're from scratch. Butter, sugar, cream cheese for icing. Making 3 dozen cupcakes costs less than $20. Telling ppl you excluded the one person you gave bad blood with because of •expense, •oven space, •cupcakes trays, •he wouldn't eat it? She doth protest too much. ALWAYS make an extra 1/2 recipe & give generously or not at all.

Kinda funny and interesting to me how people don't prefer honesty , but rather a lie to make others more comfortable. How about the girl who gossiped and told EVERYONE about it ,making it a big deal. She was just honest about it . And honestly , she didn't HAVE to bake for anyone but she did, on HER birthday. People just love drama, I swear.

She should get a new job. She is young and obviously naive to office politics. The fact that it got around the staff shows that most people don’t like her, not just “Leo”. Sounds toxic.

You made things worse. You shouldn't say, you did not bake the cupcake in purpose. This will turn against you. Low diplomacy.

I bring breakfast/lunch certain coworkers all the time, and exclude the ones I don't like or don't know that well. This reminds me of teachers saying "do you have enough for everyone?" when you have a snack or drink or something. Those wereHER cupcakes that SHE made and she can distribute them however the hell she wants.

The OP is in Malasia, which likely has some cultural differences from my US experiences, and the economic situation may be a little different, too. So it's a little difficult for me to pass judgment without more context. But I think she assumed that he wasn't eating her food because he didn't like her. It may have helped if she had fished around after those times he declined to find out if he has an allergy or specific diet or something. She may have read the situation incorrectly, and he just didn't like the food, but would take it if she made something he liked. But, if he didn't take food because he didn't like her, then she may have missed an opportunity for reconciliation. If he was respectful and really would have taken a cupcake later, then maybe that means he was starting to soften towards her because she continued to be generous towards him despite his behavior.

I would have made 30 because everyone likes leftovers. If I only had 24 I would have set them out in the breakroom and sent an email to everyone. You snooze, you lose.

At the end of the day, they were being rude and unprofessional.

You are definitely the a**hole for needlessly perpetuating old drama. Leo might have chosen this moment to take a cupcake later and compliment you on your baking as a gesture toward ending your feud... but you'll never know because you're so petty. ALWAYS bring enough treats for everyone. It's a rule that we all learn in kindergarten. Grow the F up.

In office I worked we used to just leave cupcakes or whatever in the break room and tell others they are welcome to take some. Also I feel like OP is being very dramatic about how much effort they put in, they are saying they were making 24 cupcakes all night? I mean come on, it takes like 15 minutes to make batter and maybe 25 mins to bake each tray. Don´t get me wrong, I always appreciate when someone bake for others but when they are talking so much about how much time and effort it took, I just want to tell them not to worry about it next time.

NTA. No one is entitled to your efforts. Baking is not cheap. Why would you spend time and money on someone you don't like, and openly doesnt like you?

Had a similar situation once, but I wasn't being malicious about it: I baked a super great cheesecake, knowing that one slice apiece would be plenty (very rich, and slim slices were totally appropriate!), and I knew how many people were scheduled for that night (mn shift). BUT, when it came time to cut the cheesecake, there was one more staff member who I hadn't counted on being there---she'd been called in to work the second half of the shift because the night was going down the tubes (hospital ICU)--so I just "sucked it up," gave her my piece without calling attention to it, and watched everyone enjoy theirs. It was all good---I could bake one any time, and they were all a happy bunch of nurses for that...and nobody was the wiser that I hadn't thought about an extra RN being called in. I liked all of them, so it was worth it to give up one slice of cheesecake.

Sounds like a bunch of 5th graders🙄

YTA- Are they paying you pennies?!?! I bake cupcakes all the time and it's literally the cheapest thing you can bring to a party. Making it seem like it was so expensive to bake some additional cupcakes sounds crazy. Y'all need to grow up!

Next time just bake a cake and let everyone cut himself a slice!