Man snubs grovelling ex-boss who fired his stepfather over 'trivial' dispute - then begged him for work years later
A man has revealed how he got the ultimate payback on his stepfather's old boss by turning him down for a lucrative contract years after the boss had fired his stepfather over a petty disagreement.
Posting to Reddit 's Petty Revenge forum, the man detailed how the tables had turned spectacularly when he found himself in a position of power - and the former boss came crawling back.
'Back in 1997, my step-dad was the operations manager at a company that did telecommunications work,' the man wrote.
'He hired me to work at the company for the summer, but I ended up enjoying the work and made a career out of it.'
Just four months into the job, however, things took an unexpected turn when his stepfather was abruptly fired by the company's owner following a minor disagreement.
Despite this injustice, the original poster stayed on for another 18 months, citing his own frustrations with the company, including being underpaid and denied promised benefits, before moving on to a more promising role with a major telecommunications provider.
Eventually, he climbed the ranks and landed a position where he was in charge of hiring contractors - companies just like the one that had once employed him and his stepfather.
'One day I got a call out of the blue from the owner of the contractor company,' he wrote. The same man who had once sacked his stepfather now wanted to do business with him.
'He wanted to see if he could get on my list of approved contractors and was hoping we could discuss it over lunch,' the man explained, noting that such contracts typically ranged between $75,000 to $200,000 each, and that he handled 20 to 30 projects a year.
It was, in short, a potentially huge payday for the desperate boss.
'I agreed to a lunch date with the owner at a fancy restaurant I always wanted to try,' he continued.
Over lunch, the boss made his pitch, talking up his company's capabilities, its employee-focused values and its record of high-quality work.
'I mentioned that I used to work for his company and he clearly didn't remember my name. I also asked if he remembered the guy who hired me, and he said he did.
'When I mentioned he was my step-dad, the look of panic in his eyes set in. He clearly remembered him.
'I closed out the lunch meeting with a thank you for the food and an apology that my contractor list was full of more capable contractors, but would keep him in mind if something were to change. I never heard back from him again.'
The tale has since gone viral, racking up over 36,000 'upvotes' and sparking a flurry of comments applauding the satisfying twist of fate.
One commenter summed up the mood, writing: 'Be nice to the people you see on your way up. You will see them again on your way down.' Another added: 'Karma is the great leveler in life.'
The boss's reaction clearly struck a chord with many: 'The look of panic - you'll never forget that moment,' one user wrote, while another quipped: 'When karma drops off a nice meal on its way to do its thing, that's a double win.'
Some users were curious to know how the man's stepfather reacted to the poetic justice, only to learn that he had sadly passed away before the fateful lunch meeting.
But the man had shared the story with his mother, who 'got great joy out of it.'
'I just love the fact you're tight enough with your stepdad that you're more than willing to strike out for him,' one person commented.
The original poster replied: 'I lived with him since I was three years old, so for all intents and purposes, he was my dad.
'He is 100 per cent the person I try to emulate in my morals, ethics and how I carry myself. Sadly he passed away several years ago.'
Others reflected on the broader lesson behind the story, praising the man's sense of integrity. 'Karma is very real. Treat people fairly and (usually) it won't come back to bite you,' one person wrote.
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