Reddit Stories - BETRAYED_ UNCOVERING the Secret Scheme DRAINING My Paycheck for Luxury Escapes_

Episode Date: September 27, 2025

#redditstories #askreddit #aita #betrayed #secretscheme #paycheckdrained #luxuryescapes #dilemmaSummary:In a tale of betrayal, a Reddit user uncovers a secret scheme that has been draining their paycheck for luxury escapes. The dilemma they face leaves them questioning trust and financial security.Tags:redditstories, askreddit, reddit, aita, tifu, betrayed, secretscheme, paycheckdrained, luxuryescapes, trustissues, financialdilemma, personalfinance, relationships, deception, uncoveringsecrets, financialsecurity, moneymanagement, luxurylifestyle, financialwellbeing, loyaltyconcernsBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/reddit-stories--6237355/support.

I hope you enjoy this story. Realize my supervisor was covertly financing her partner's lavish vacations with funds deducted from my pay. Therefore, I collected proof of their relationship and informed the Human Resources Department. Greetings, all. I need some advice. I recently discovered something shocking at work, and I don't know what to do about it. I spoke to a few of my friends and they thought I should keep quiet and not say a word about it.

I did not take that advice and it seems like I am in deeper trouble now. Let me give you some background first. I am Melissa 33F. I am a software engineer. I work at a mid-sized tech company. I've been there for about five years now. My job is pretty stable and I've always been happy with my work. There's no stress or too much work.

My team ends up closing the projects to the client's satisfaction and our superiors. can not ask for more. I also get along with my colleagues, and I have a good relationship with my lead manager, Sarah. Or at least I thought I did. We had a recent job interview drive when our HR interviewed close to 200 people to find the right person for a role in my team. I also sat down with her to narrow down the resumes and give calls to deserving candidates. We are flexible like that. We like to help each other out wherever possible, but only when our tasks are done for the day. I came across Tom's resume, 28M. He is very good work experience with some of the leading tech companies in the country.

I was surprised about why he would want to apply with our company if he worked with them. But, I shouldn't be judging someone without knowing their story. I didn't want to do that, so I told my HR that Tom might be a good fit. My HR was happy to take his interview and he was hired. It took about one week for the other two new employees to join, but Tom started coming to the office within two days. What's more strange is that the team threw him a grand welcome party because Sarah insisted. I assumed that when other employees also join, they will be receiving the same welcome. But after a week, they were given their work kit and that was all.

I let it go. Tom was more talented than the others, so maybe the company wants to take special care of him. It did not go unnoticed that Sarah was the most the one with more excitement when Tom joined. Our team members also started discussing about the same in the office cafeteria. But we all thought that Tom would be assigned some big project so they are trying to help him settle in first. Let me tell you a little bit about Sarah, 37F. She has been with the company for over 10 years now. She was a very hardworking person and her work paid off.

She was given promotions more frequently and is now our lead manager. There's also office gossip that she's always the favorite because she is related to the C.O. But, I personally feel that Sarah has so much to offer to the company. She is the face of so many projects. We receive a lot of suggestions from her and our work becomes more easier when she guides us. I don't blame people giving her more preference than the other managers. She brings in a lot of money and it is only fair that people give her credit for the same. I got along with Sarah really well.

We had our lunch together, we share smoke sometimes when we take a break from work. She is a joyful person with a very happy energy. She doesn't poke her nose where it is not necessary. I even looked up to her in a lot of situations. But I cannot say the same now. After the other employees joined, the work picked up pace. We were very busy with multiple projects. Tom proved to be an asset.

Within a month, Sarah announced that Tom will be going to Maldives to take care of a project with a client. As far as I was aware, we had no client in Maldives. We assumed, maybe it could be a new client and they want to motivate newcomers to take up responsibility. Our team lead insisted that he will join Tom on the trip. but Sarah refused. She said Tom can take care of it himself and there's no point in my team leads work getting disturbed. We all agreed and gave Tom a nice send-off. He stayed there for a week.

We had no communication with him. No details about the new project were shared with us. We were also neck-deep in work so we paid no attention to what Tom was doing in Maldives. After 12 days or so, we hear from our team lead that Tom will be going from Maldives to Hawaii. for a follow-up project. We do have a client in Hawaii, but another team member of ours always took care of the details there. She was confused why Tom was suddenly replacing her. Sarah assured my colleague that this was in no way a replacement.

Tom was anyways out of the country so he can handle the travel and take care of things. Apparently, he did really well with the Maldives client. Even the CEO is happy to know that we managed to grab the big fish or that's what we call the high-paying clients. My colleague was disappointed because she always did her best to keep the client satisfied. Even the client was comfortable with her. With Tom in the picture, she felt like her work was being discredited. We all motivated her to not think negatively and look at things at the bright side. Now, she is free to accept new projects and explore more challenging tasks. Maybe, the company has something new to offer to her. With that, she started feeling a little.

little less sad. A month after the newcomers joined, we received our paycheck. I received my pay stub and noticed that my salary was lower than usual. At first, I thought it was a mistake. I checked my previous pay stubs and realized this never happened to me. There are a few tax cuts that may change the numbers a little, but this is huge. A few thousand dollars. I was confused and worried. I needed that money to pay my bills and take care of my family. Being a single mother, the pay cut can affect my lifestyle. I will have to compromise on a lot of things every day. But, I thought the company may have made the changes for a reason and did not approach the HR. No one else seemed to have a problem. I kept quiet. There is no use of making a scene about it. Also, I was worked lesser than usual that

month. My sister was getting married so I took a week's leave of absence. I never did that before. I didn't have the need. I thought maybe because of my leave they cut my pay. The next month, the same thing repeated. I noticed some changes at work. Tom started going on business trips to holiday locations like Bali, among others. The other newcomers did not receive the same treatment. They stayed in the office, did the work that is fit for junior workers and received a pay that is much lesser than Tom's. It was not just me, a few of my other team members also had pay cuts that month. We all gathered in the cafeteria to get ourselves a cup of coffee.

That's when we discussed the issue and realized that the pay cuts were not just my problem but the others also received a lesser pay the previous month. I decided to talk to Sarah about it. She'd definitely know something about it. Before rushing to the HR, if I could get a work with her, maybe, the issue could be solved. Well, that's what I thought. Sarah seemed surprised and said that she was not aware of this change. She promised that she would look into it.

A few days later, she told me there was a mistake in the payroll system, and it would be fixed soon. I trusted her and waited for the next paycheck. But the problem continued. My salary was still lower, and Tom was still going on the same. those trips. I started feeling suspicious. Why was my salary being cut while Tom was enjoying these luxury trips? I decided to do some digging. I talked to some colleagues in the HR department and checked our company's expense reports. What I found was shocking. It turned out that the money for Tom's trips was coming from the salary cuts of a few employees, including me. Sarah had

authorized these cuts without telling anyone. I couldn't believe. it. I felt betrayed and angry. She lied to my face that she didn't know anything about the new change while authorizing these trips that don't seem to hold any value to the company. Tom hardly visited office anymore. Even when he is not on those trips, he sits at home and doesn't show up to work. No one says anything about it. Because Sarah used to defend him that after such tiring trip, the young champ deserves a break. When other people on the team go on business trips, they are given a one-day leave for rest and they used to come back to work the following day. It is more and more evident that Tom was indeed being set free from his professional responsibilities.

Sarah is giving it to him. Why would Sarah do this? Why was Tom getting special treatment? Also, we don't hear about any developments in Tom's projects. That's not how things were before he showed up at the workplace. Everything was very open and available to all employees. If Sarah lied to me, I should go ask her why she did it, right? It involved my hard-earned money. I had to cancel my kids swimming and aerobics classes because of the lack of funds. If this goes on, I will have to make several changes that are not fair to me or my child. The others may not find this to be a huge problem.

They have their partners at home whose salaries may balance the cuts. They did not say a word but I couldn't do the same. Also, Sarah lied to me. I took Sarah's time and questioned her again. This time, she was defensive and tried to downplay the situation. She said the trips were important for business and that I would be compensated later. But I didn't buy it. Something didn't add up.

If they were planning to compensate me, why not discuss the change with me before they put it into effect? Should I not be knowing about the change in my salary? Why were only a few of us affected? Why was Tom the only one going on these trips? I asked her the same and she got angry. She said I shouldn't be interfering with the decisions of the superiors. That is not how corporate system works and I should be aware of it after spending a good

portion of my life working. Well, should I be aware? Because, in my professional career, I've not seen managers sending a single employee to holiday destinations and calling it a necessity. a team party that weekend. We decided to visit a pub near our office. While we sat down and ordered our drinks and food, someone mentioned Tom. Everyone started talking about his strange trips. A few of us also told how we think that maybe our salary cuts are funding his trip. We all decided to dig deeper. We happened to invite one new joinee from the HR

department to join us. She hangs out with us in the office so we thought we'll include her too. While we were talking about Tom, she seemed very uncomfortable. While we were leaving, I asked her if something was troubling her. She initially refused but the guilt was very clear on her face. I assured her that I won't let her name come out and requested her to help me. I also told her how I was being unfair to my child because I cannot afford his classes. She gave in when I mentioned my kid. What she told me shocked me so much that I had to take a break to digest it.

Tom and Sarah are dating each other. They've been together even before Tom joined the company. We have strict policies at workplace. A couple cannot work on the same team. If you are married, one of the partner will be assigned to a different team. More importantly, if one of the partners is in a higher work position, the other partner cannot work under them. Sarah kept it all a secret.

I asked the girl from the HR department if she was sure. Because Sarah is married and I don't think she'd cheat on her husband. They seem pretty close. The girl laughed and said loyalty is just for the show. Look at Tom. He is so handsome and well-built. Why wouldn't a lady want to sleep with him? I became very sad. My salary was funding Sarah's extramarital affair. The result is that my kid is not able to attend his classes like before. I have to see him sit disappointed at the house while his friends went to the classes every day. Just imagine how angry I must have been. It wasn't just about the money anymore. It was about the betrayal and the unethical behavior. Sarah was using company resources to fulfill

her personal desires. And Tom is also to be blamed. He knows what is happening and taking advantage of the situation to enjoy luxury trips at the expense of others. I felt I felt trapped. I wanted to report this to HR, but I was scared. I also didn't have any proof. The HR girl wouldn't come out in my support. She already made it clear that she won't be involving in any of it. She is new and her career may be affected. Yes, she is right. Sarah had a lot of power in the company. Tom also earned a reputation for having a bad temper. I didn't know how he would react if he found out I was investigating him. I was also worried about my job. What if Sarah decides to teach me a lesson? What if I lost my job? I had a child to support, and I couldn't afford to be unemployed. I can walk up to the HR

office and place my doubts on the table. I know they would take it seriously and investigate even if Sarah is related to the C.O. But, Sarah will hear about it. She will target me. What should I be doing? What do you? What do you? people think. Should I go tell the HR manager that such practices were happening at the workplace? Or should I keep quiet and let it go? I can also look for another job and silently leave the company. But the change will be hard on me. I also got used to my work environment here and leaving a company that I served for five years is not easy. It's been six months since Tom's first trip. He has been on six already. I don't think it is going to stop anytime soon.

Sarah is not scared of anyone finding out. I must appreciate her for the bravery here, but her personal interests are against me. What should I do? Can you please give me some suggestions? Did any one of you experience the same or maybe similar situations at your workplace? How did you deal with it? Update 1. Thank you so much for your suggestions. I took them into consideration.

I waited another three months to see if Sarah, and Tom would slow down. But, they did not. By this point, everyone in my team was angry and frustrated. Even my team lead started seeing smaller numbers on his pay slip. I did not tell them anything about Tom and Sarah's affair. I didn't want to get in trouble. They did the digging on their own and found out about it. They asked me if I would join them to the HR office. I was hesitant and said I needed time to think. They were okay with letting me decide. I should thank them for that. If they would have forced me, I seriously don't know what I would have done. My daughter kept asking me to buy her these pretty shoes for about two months now.

I used to make up reasons and refuse. That night, she burst out crying saying how I don't take her out for fine dining anymore. Her classes are cancelled. I won't buy her the shoes. She accused me of not loving her anymore. I felt really bad. I love my kid. I cannot let her think that her mother doesn't love her. That is the motivation I needed to say yes to my team. You remember I told you about my colleague who used to take care of the Hawaii client? She took the whole fuss to her heart. She indeed dig deeper than the others and found out very disturbing things.

There is a reason Sarah sends Tom to these locations. She likes it when Tom goes to these places and sex chats with her from the exotic locations. gets a thrill out of it. They enjoyed this virtual make-out session or something and Sarah loves it. During all these months, there were several times when I felt powerless and anxious. Every time I saw Tom, I felt a mix of anger and fear. He would come back from his trips, talking nonstop about the amazing places he visited. And Sarah would act like nothing was wrong, praising Tom for his hard work.

When you're trying to do the right thing, the universe will help you. I guess that is what happened to us too. We were looking for some solid proof to report Sarah. This was very necessary. We all knew they'd let her off with a warning and probably fired Tom but she'd still be here. And what's worse, she will target all of us and make our professional environment very disturbing. I got the proof. One day, I overheard a conversation between Tom and another colleague.

Tom was bragging about his latest trip to Dubai. He mentioned how easy it was to get Sarah to approve the trip. He said something about Sarah being so desperate and how he could get her to do anything he wanted. That's when I realized how manipulative Tom was. He was exploiting Sarah's attraction to him and using it to his advantage. And Sarah is not a baby that she can't understand what's happening with her. She is letting it go because she is getting something in return. When I had the chance, I pulled my phone out and recorded the conversation.

I ensured it was a video and not an audio because then Tom and Sarah would argue that we tried to mimic Tom's voice. I didn't want to take any more chances. My team members and I met up in our team leads house and discussed how to proceed further. We came to the conclusion that it is finally time to expose their affair to the HR department. This meeting happened two days ago and we are planning to go to our HR manager tomorrow. I don't know what will happen there but I'm hoping for the best. Let's wish that this doesn't backfire on my face. Update 2.

Hello, came back to give you an update on what happened with the HR manager. We all took the record of our pay stubs, emails from Sarah, and the other evidence that I recorded. We scheduled a meeting with HR and presented all the evidence. He was shocked and assured us they would investigate. I felt a bit relieved in the morning but in the comfort of my room now, I am anxious. What will happen next? Will they call Sarah and Tom and talk to them about it? Will they call of us together and discuss things right in front of them?

I am very scared but there's no point in worrying while lying on my bed. I should wait and see what happens. Update 3. It's been two weeks since we raised our complaints to the HR manager. We received a call today. The HR manager wanted to speak to all of us. While we were going to his office, we crossed Sarah and she seemed like she was crying. She glared at us and stormed off without saying a word.

We just looked at each other's faces and silently walked to the cabin of our HR manager. The HR told us that they had conducted their investigation and found that my claims were true. Sarah and Tom were both suspended pending further action. The surprising part was that Tom ratted out Sarah. He was so scared that everyone will blame things. on him. He said Sarah manipulated him into doing it and if he didn't agree she threatened that she'd end his professional career. He said that she used her extensive professional network as leverage and said she'd never let any other company hire him. That's absolute BS. He is an

equal partner in this whole thing. Just because he is under the scanner, he pushed Sarah under the bus. If word of this scandal should come out, no one would ever hire him anyway. But we are a mead-sized company, we don't have the time or energy to focus on spoiling someone else's career. It will be difficult, but if Tom steps out, he will eventually find a job. I cannot say the same about Sarah, though. HR assured me that my salary would be corrected and that I would receive back pay for the months I was underpaid. He also thanked us all for bringing the issue to their attention.

I was scared for nothing. It has been a tough few months, and I'm still processing everything. Finally, I will be able to buy those shoes for my daughter and also send her back to the classes. Update 4. I thought things would be over once Tom and Sarah got what they deserve. But it only took few days for the office atmosphere to get affected. After HR suspended Sarah and Tom, there was a lot of gossip in the office. People had so much to say about what had happened.

Some people thought it was just a payroll mistake, while others suspected something more serious. I kept my head down and tried to stay out of the rumors. People were on edge, wondering if they would be next. Morale was low, and productivity dropped. I felt guilty for causing this disruption, even though I knew it wasn't my fault. I had done the right thing, but it didn't make the situation any easier. But it had to be done. Sarah and Tom couldn't have kept going at our expense.

Sarah and Tom's suspension was extended as they were not cooperating with the HR team and were simply blaming each other without accepting that they made a mistake. The office felt strange without them. Sarah had been a big part of our team, and her absence was noticeable. Tom's absence was less impactful, well, obviously because he was never present. But some people still talked about him. Many of my colleagues expressed concern for Sarah, saying she had always been a good manager. I have to agree with that. She was indeed very good. Others were angry and felt betrayed by her actions. I am one of them.

But the show must go on. We cannot concentrate on Sarah and let our work efficiency reduce. We are all doing good now. I still feel weird, but I guess I will get over it with time. Thank you so much for all your suggestions and words of support. I was able to gain the courage to do the right thing with your help. Thanks a ton.