When Annie’s five-year-old son got very sick, she took a week off from work to care for him. But when she came back to the office, she was in for a shocking surprise: a police officer and a pair of handcuffs.
You might think that ten years of hard work would make you indispensable to a company, right? Well, that wasn’t the case for me.
Let me tell you what happened.
I had been with the company for a decade, starting as a marketing intern right out of college and working my way up the ladder. I got only modest pay raises along the way.
One day, my son Kenny was hit with a severe illness. His fever soared, and he couldn’t stop throwing up. Naturally, I was incredibly worried.
I couldn’t leave him with just any babysitter. I needed to be there for him, keeping an eye on him and taking him to the doctor if needed.
So, I decided to call my boss and explain the situation. I hadn’t used any of my leave for the year, so I thought it wouldn’t be a problem.
I left Kenny resting in his bed and made the call.
“Hi, Mr. Williams,” I said when he answered. “My son is very sick, and I need to take a week off to care for him. I haven’t used any of my leave yet.”
There was a long pause, and then he exploded.
“Are you serious, Annie?” he shouted. “We have our annual general meeting in two days, and you’re leaving me in the lurch? I need those marketing reports!”
“I’m sorry, Sir,” I replied. “But I can’t come in. The reports are already done—I emailed them to you yesterday morning.”
Without another word, he hung up.
I didn’t dwell on it too much; Mr. Williams had a habit of being impulsive and rude.
The next week was spent taking care of Kenny. After a few days, he started to get better and was back at school.
When I returned to the office, I was greeted by a creepy scene. Mr. Williams was sitting in my chair, clapping his hands slowly with a cold smile on his face.
“Welcome back, Annie,” he said. “I have a surprise for you.”
Before I could react, a uniformed police officer walked in, holding handcuffs.
“Annie Mills,” the officer said in a stern tone. “You have the right to remain silent…”
My heart pounded, and my legs felt weak as he read me my rights.
“What’s going on?” I gasped, trying to breathe.
“Annie, it turns out you don’t have a son,” Mr. Williams declared. “You’re going to be punished for your deception. Well played, but you’ve been caught.”
My mind was racing. I had no idea what Mr. Williams was talking about. Of course, I had a son. I was a single mother because Kenny’s father had left when he learned about the pregnancy.
As I was led out of the office in handcuffs, I couldn’t understand how things had gone so wrong.
In the police car, I pinched my wrist to make sure I was awake.
At the station, I was denied a phone call, and the officer gave me menacing looks.
Thrown into a grimy holding cell with dark, moldy walls, I felt desperate. My neighbor was supposed to look after Kenny after school, but beyond that, he only had me.
After what felt like hours, another officer walked past my cell.
“Please,” I begged, running to the bars. “I need to make a phone call.”
She agreed and took me to the pay phone. I called my best friend Mia, who’s a lawyer. I knew I couldn’t afford her, but she was my only hope.
“Mia,” I said urgently, “I’ve been arrested. I need your help.”
Mia came to the station right away and was allowed to see me immediately.
This is where things began to turn around.
Mia took my case without hesitation.
“There’s something fishy going on here,” she said after talking to a few officers—some of whom argued loudly.
Eventually, she managed to get me released, and I went home to Kenny. Then Mia started her investigation.
It turned out that Mr. Williams had set the whole thing up. He had bribed the officer to arrest me. According to our company’s rules, if an employee is arrested or suspected of a crime, their contract is terminated, and the company claims any unpaid salary.
In my case, that meant my unpaid wages.
“Are you sure?” I asked Mia when she came over, explaining everything, including the emails from Mr. Williams to the officer.
“Yes,” she confirmed, helping herself to some dinner. “It’s all sorted. Mr. Williams will face consequences.”
I breathed a sigh of relief.
Mia had saved me from prison without charging me a cent, and Kenny and I were forever grateful.
To avoid a lawsuit and repair their reputation, the company gave me $40,000 as compensation, admitting that Mr. Williams had acted alone.
Even though I spent only a few hours in the holding cell, it was enough to scare me deeply. I’m grateful for Mia’s belief in justice, as I would still be waiting for answers and justice without her help.
Now, I work with Mia, handling her firm’s marketing and PR needs whenever needed. It’s a stable job where I feel secure, and most importantly, I can provide for my son without worrying about my employer.
Has anything equally outrageous ever happened to you at work?
