When Annie’s young son got seriously ill, she took a week off work to care for him. But when she returned to the office, she was hit with a shocking surprise: a police officer and a pair of handcuffs.
You might think that after ten years of hard work and loyalty, a company would value you, right? Well, not in my case.
Here’s what happened.
I had been working at the company for a decade. I started as a marketing intern straight out of college and worked my way up, though my salary only increased a little over the years.
One day, my five-year-old son, Kenny, became very sick. His fever shot up, and he couldn’t stop vomiting. Naturally, I was extremely worried.
There was no way I could leave him with a 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 taken any of my leave for the year, so I thought it wouldn’t be a problem.
I left Kenny resting in bed and made the call.
“Hi, Mr. Williams,” I said when he answered on the first ring. “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 pause on the line, and then he exploded.
“Are you kidding me, Annie?” he shouted. “We have our annual general meeting in two days, and you’re abandoning me? 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; Mr. Williams had a habit of being impulsive and rude.
The next week, my focus was on caring for 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 chilling sight. Mr. Williams was sitting in my chair, clapping his hands slowly with a creepy 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, handcuffs in hand.
“Annie Mills,” the officer said sternly. “You have the right to remain silent…”
My heart pounded, and my body went numb as he read me my rights.
“What’s going on?” I gasped, struggling to breathe.
“Annie, it turns out you don’t have a son,” Mr. Williams declared. “You’re being punished for your deception. Well played, but you’ve been caught.”
My mind was spinning. 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 left when he found out about the pregnancy.
As I was led out of the office in handcuffs, I wondered where everything had gone so terribly wrong.
In the police car, I pinched my wrist to make sure this was real.
At the station, I was denied a phone call, and the officers glared at me with suspicion.
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 by my cell.
“Please,” I begged, running to the bars. “I need to make a phone call.”
She agreed and led me to the pay phone. I called my best friend Mia, who’s a lawyer. I knew I couldn’t afford her services, but she was my only hope.
“Mia,” I said urgently, “I’ve been arrested. I need your help.”
Mia arrived at the station and was allowed to see me right away.
Here’s where things started to change.
Mia took my case without hesitation.
“There’s something fishy going on here,” she said after talking to a few officers—some of them raised their voices in the process.
Eventually, she got me released, and I went home to Kenny. Then Mia began 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 contracts, 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 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 huge sigh of relief.
Mia had saved me from prison without charging me a penny, and Kenny and I were incredibly grateful.
To avoid a lawsuit and to fix 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 terrify me. I’m thankful for Mia’s belief in justice because without her, I’d still be waiting for answers and justice.
Now, I work with Mia, handling her firm’s marketing and PR needs whenever required. 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?