Where Did My Paycheck Go"

1
It was New Year's Day, and a message from my boss, Ms. Evans, pinged in the company group chat: paychecks were in.
But mine was the only one that hadn't arrived.
When Ms. Evans found out, she was cool about it. She just had me confirm my account details and sent the payment again.
Still, nothing.
My coworkers didn't believe me. Thankfully, Ms. Evans was willing to try one more time, right there in front of everyone, so we could all witness the transfer process from start to finish.
And still, my salary never hit my account.
That was the last straw for my colleagues. Accusing me of trying to scam the company, they practically ran me out of the office.
The moment I stepped out the front door, I was hit by a truck and killed.
Even as I died, I couldn't understand it. The transfer process was flawless. Why was I the only one not getting paid?
The next time I opened my eyes, I was right back where it all started: payday.
...
I stared at the zero balance on my bank statement, then at the stream of "1"s popping up in the group chat as my colleagues confirmed their payments. My mind was a tangled mess of questions.
The company had set up these bank accounts for us years ago; theyd never been a problem. Besides, in my past life, Id already had the bank run a full diagnostic.
The payments were all processed in a single batch. How could mine be the only one to vanish?
Sarah Evans was a generous boss. The fact that she had tried to pay me multiple times proved she wasn't singling me out.
So what in the world was going wrong?
As my thoughts raced, another message from Sarah popped up in the chat.
"If anyone has an issue with their pay, speak up now. This is your only chance."
I froze. My first instinct was to lie low and investigate on my own, to avoid repeating the same disaster. But if I didn't say something now, company policy meant I'd forfeit my salary for good.
My mortgage and car payments were due. I needed that money.
I had no choice. Steeling myself, I tagged Ms. Evans in the chat.
She quickly sent back a screenshot of the transaction.
"Chloe, there's nothing wrong on my end. See for yourself."
A coworker immediately jumped in.
"Chloe, Ms. Evans has never had a problem with payroll. We all got our money. It's probably an issue with your account."
A chorus of agreement followed.
I scrutinized the screenshot. It looked perfect. The money had definitely been sent.
I mumbled a few excuses in the chat and bolted straight for the bank.
Just like last time, the teller assured me my account was in perfect working order. But this time, I needed to see it for myself.
I transferred a few dollars from another card to my payroll account. The money appeared instantly. My account could receive funds just fine.
Next, I had them check the sender's accountMs. Evans's. No issues there either.
If the sender's account was fine, and the receiver's account was fine, where did the money go?
Could it have just gotten lost somewhere in the digital ether?
The bank teller looked at me like I was an idiot. "Ma'am, our systems have world-class stability and security. Nothing like that has ever happened. I'd stake my career on it. If both accounts are active, the transfer goes through. Period."
His confidence left me with no other option. I headed back to the office to talk to Ms. Evans.
She was in the middle of a call, but she waved a hand dismissively and told the finance department to wire me the money directly and sort out the cause later.
This time, I was smarter. I watched over the accountant's shoulder as she processed the transfer, staying on the phone with my bank the entire time to track its progress.
Having worked in finance before, I knew the transfer from our end was clean. I immediately asked the bank representative for an update.
A moment later, he confirmed it. "The funds have been successfully deposited into your account, Ms. Hayes." At the same time, a notification popped up on my phone.
I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. Finally. The money was mine.
But when I opened my banking app, I froze.
2
The balance hadn't changed. Not by a single cent.
I immediately called the bank back. The representative on the line sounded suspicious.
"Ms. Hayes, are you trying to pull some kind of prank? We literally watched the deposit clear on our end."
"Maybe a family member transferred it out?" he suggested. "Or it was used for an automatic bill payment? That's private information, of course, so we wouldn't be able to see those details."
I hung up, my brow furrowed.
No one else knew my account information. And even if the money had been moved or used for a payment, there would have been a notification, a record. It couldn't just vanish into thin air.
Just then, the accountant from finance called. "Did you get it, Chloe? If everything's good, come sign the payment confirmation form."
I had no choice but to tell her the truth.
As expected, she didn't believe me.
"Are you kidding me, Chloe? You were standing right here when I sent it. The bank even confirmed it landed in your account. And now you're telling me you don't have it?" Her voice sharpened. "You're not trying to pull a fast one just because Ms. Evans is generous, are you?"
"No, I swear!" I started to explain, but she cut me off, her voice dripping with impatience.
"Look, I don't have time for this. I sent the money. Whether you sign the form or not is your problem."
She hung up.
I just stood there, my heart pounding with a mixture of panic and confusion.
If it wasn't a system error, it had to be deliberate. Human intervention. But I'd always been careful, always kept to myself. I hadn't made any enemies. Who would go to such lengths to mess with me?
A client messaged me, and I had to shake it off and head back to my desk.
The moment I walked into the main office, I felt their eyes on me. Everyone was staring, their expressions a mix of suspicion and disdain.
Mark, the closest thing I had to a real friend at the office, sidled up to my desk, his voice a low whisper.
"Chloe, what's going on? Ms. Evans paid you twice. Why are you still saying you didn't get it? The finance department is furious, they think you're making trouble. Everyone's starting to think you're up to something."
My face flushed. "I don't know why, Mark, but I swear, the money isn't in my account. I'm not trying to cause problems!"
My voice was a little too loud, and the others heard me. A woman from accounting, Brenda, sneered from across the room.
"Oh, please, Chloe. We all use the same bank, the same payroll process. Why are you the only special one who can't get paid? Ms. Evans is a good person, but that doesn't give you the right to be a shameless freeloader. What does that make the rest of us who actually work for our money?"
Others quickly chimed in.
"Yeah, Chloe! Know when to quit. Don't push your luck!"
My face burned with shame and anger. "I am not a freeloader! I can show you my bank account right now!"
But Brenda just laughed coldly. "Save it. You probably spent it all on some boy toy and now you're trying to blame the company. Do you really think we're that stupid?"
A wave of mocking laughter filled the room.
I was pale with fury, about to tear into her, when Ms. Evans appeared in the doorway.
3
Without a word, she walked over and handed me a thick envelope.
"Chloe," she said, her voice firm. "Since you keep saying the transfers aren't working, here. This time, it's cash."
She paused, her eyes locking onto mine. "Count it. And let this be the end of it."
Clutching the stack of bills, I tried to explain. "Ms. Evans, I'm really not trying to..."
She held up a hand. "We're a team here. There's no need for this drama over a paycheck. Let's just drop it."
With that, she turned and walked away.
The others dispersed, though Brenda couldn't resist a parting shot.
"Well, I guess someone can't claim the company didn't pay her this time."
I ignored her, heading straight for the bank with the cash.
To be extra safe, I went to a different, more reputable bank. I opened a brand-new account, set a new password, and only then deposited the money.
Seeing the numbers finally appear on my balance, I felt a wave of relief wash over me. That night, for the first time in days, I slept soundly.
The next morning, I went to unlock a shared bike with my phone, but a notification popped up: Insufficient Funds.
I blinked, confused. My hands trembling slightly, I opened my new banking app.
Balance: $0.00.
A roar filled my ears, and the world went fuzzy at the edges.
The money I had fought so hard for, gone. Again. Vanished overnight.
What was happening to me?
I couldn't take it anymore. I went straight to the police station and filed a report.
The officer told me that financial cases were complex and required cross-agency verification. I would have to be patient.
I went home in a daze. I had just collapsed onto my sofa when a notification from Ms. Evans lit up the company chat.
"Everyone, apologies for the inconvenience. There's been an issue with the latest financial report, and we need everyone to return this month's salary. As compensation, your next paycheck will be doubled. Please transfer the funds back and reply with a '1' in the chat to confirm."
This had happened before, and Sarah Evans always made good on her promises.
One by one, the "1"s started flooding the chat. Soon, I was the only one left.
I stared at the screen, my blood turning to ice. I lived paycheck to paycheck; I had no savings. The salary Id just received had disappeared.
What was I supposed to return?
After a few minutes of silence, Ms. Evans tagged me directly.
"Chloe, this is time-sensitive. What's your status?"
There was no way out. I had to tell the truth.
The moment I did, the chat exploded.
4
A barrage of question marks flooded the screen.
Brenda was, as usual, the first to attack.
"Are you for real, Chloe? Ms. Evans gave you cash in front of all of us yesterday, and now you're claiming it just 'disappeared'?"
"If you're trying to scam Ms. Evans, just say so. Did you really think we'd fall for such a lame excuse?"
Others piled on.
"First you can't receive your pay, now it vanishes into thin air? This is getting ridiculous, Chloe."
"Look, we want to believe you. You've always seemed like a decent person. But you can't keep doing this."
I desperately typed out explanations, but my words were drowned in a sea of accusations.
Finally, a message from Ms. Evans cut through the noise.
"Enough. I'll cover it for you, Chloe. But this is the absolute last time."
I was flooded with gratitude and shame, apologizing profusely to her. After all, yesterday's fiasco had proven the problem was somehow with me, not the company.
Just then, my phone rang. It was the police. They had conducted a full audit of the banking systems but found no anomalies, no traces of hacking or unauthorized access. My accounts were all perfectly normal.
It was as if the money had simply ceased to exist.
From a scientific standpoint, that was impossible, of course. They told me they would have to dig deeper.
I hung up, my heart heavy with dread. But the nightmare wasn't over.
The next day, a major client needed to make a payment. There was an issue with our corporate account, so the standard procedure was for an employee to receive the funds personally and then transfer them to the company.
I was the only one on-site with a debit card. I tried to refuse, desperately explaining the bizarre things that had been happening, but nobody believed me. They thought I was making it all up. Cornered, I had no choice but to comply.
The moment the client's paymentseveral million dollarshit my account, I immediately initiated a transfer to the corporate account.
But in the blink of an eye, the millions vanished.
Everyone stared at the empty balance on my screen, their jaws slack with disbelief.
The shock lasted only a second before it curdled into rage, all of it directed at me.
"Chloe, you have some nerve!" someone shouted. "You'd steal millions right in front of us?"
"Call the police! We have to call the police and have her arrested!"
Surrounded by their furious faces, I felt like I was losing my mind.
Why? Why did any money that touched my accounts just disappear?
Just then, my phone buzzed with a new text message.
I glanced down, and my world tilted on its axis.
I finally understood.

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