Have you ever interviewed for a job that offered you the chance to make a direct impact on others’ lives? Have you ever been inspired by the passion and drive of an individual as they shared their business’s journey, overcoming obstacles and achieving triumphs?

Hey there, my name is Matthew Williams and On October 3rd, 2025, I had an interview with a man (now my former boss) that inspired me to want to be better by helping those less fortunate, to think outside of the box and imagine ways I could level up my drive and ambition. His level of excitement and high energy felt almost part life coach and part TED Talk while being completely down to earth relatable. He projected this image of himself as an upbeat, contagiously positive, businessman who had developed connections with people that helped to elevate him to where he was. The reassurance and empowerment he claimed to constantly shower on his teams throughout his businesses gave me hope and optimism about the potential growth and success that I could achieved by of accepting this new opportunity through his job offer.

He had a diverse range of businesses, including an event planning company, a forensic accounting business, a nonprofit that helps individuals released from incarceration find their footing, and a media production company. Some people might think that operating that many companies wouid be a red flag, but I grew up with a father who had a locksmithing company, a restaurant, a security company, and an arcade and miniature golf course. So the prospect of potentially working for someone that had multiple business operations reminded me of my childhood and honestly sounded incredibly exciting. Additionally, I have ADD/ADHD, and I believed that by being challenged by working on multiple projects and learning the necessary skills to do the job and then taking the time to master them could significantly improve my offerings as a person and level up my quality of life.

On a side note… My father was a former police officer and he strongly believed in living by example and being a good role model for our community. He also believed that by providing others with a second chance at life through mentorship and education and just helping to get them on their feet that it helps them avoid the potential for recidivism. So that was something that spoke to me about one of the nonprofit that my old boss said he operated.

Considering all these positive factors, I felt incredibly grateful for the opportunity to grow and develop in this role.

During the interview, I was informed that I would be working as an executive assistant for his assistant, who is also a 1/3 owner of their business. My start date was going to be Wednesday, October 8th. One of the most striking things he mentioned was his deep appreciation for his employees and how they were like family to him. He inquired about my financial situation and my short-term and long-term goals. I explained that I was actively working on restructuring my debts and that I had urgent obligations that required immediate attention. Additionally, I expressed my willingness to start working sooner if that was a possibility or if there were any tasks or projects that needed my assistance. He assured me that I would be working for him and that I would be paid as a contract worker, as Joyce had not yet completed my i9 form or onboarded me. He also mentioned that he could help me find jobs that aligned with my skills and that I could come in early on Tuesday mornings.

So, I started my job early on Tuesday, October 7th. My boss was showing me how to use the new phones he had ordered. Unfortunately, they didn’t work, so I spent two hours on the phone trying to get them to pick up. The first hour was frustrating because they didn’t answer, and the second hour involved getting codes to update the operating system and reprogramming the phones to their previous settings. The new phones didn’t have a migration tool, so it was a manual process.

In addition to dealing with the technical issues, I also took care of administrative tasks and listened to my boss talk about his interest in purchasing a Polestar vehicle. As the day went on, I started to feel like I was working for someone who was extremely eccentric, arrogant, and quite pleased with himself—kind of a narcissist. He would scream and yell at people and cuss at them on the phone. He even did this to vendors I would be dealing with, interrupting my calls and the business I was trying to conduct on his behalf because his patience level was practically zero.

I wished he had shown respect to me and the customer service providers I would be dealing with, but I was only able to work for that kind of treatment because I was getting a check on my first day and receiving my paycheck at the end of the day was my top priority. He printed the paycheck himself and gave it to me, which was for $892.78. He told me to keep track of my hours until I was onboarded and in the system.

I agreed, but then I noticed that my name was misspelled on the check. I told him, and he printed up another one. This time, the amount on the check was $887 and change, which I don’t understand why he had altered. I looked over the check after he printed it because he seemed to want to check it out instead of just confirming the information on the screen was correct. This time, the amount on the check reflected the correct amount of $892.78. It appeared to be accurate. Therefore, on October 7, 2025, around 8:30 pm, I deposited my paycheck of $892.78 into a Wells Fargo ATM. Since the bank was closed, I wanted to deposit my check as soon as possible to pay off my debt restructuring payment and other essential bills.

Around 10 pm that evening, I finally headed home. I was still excited about the job because it gave me a sense of purpose and fulfillment. Although I didn’t like the way he spoke to me, I also thought that maybe this is how people with money or bosses of multiple businesses talk to their employees. If I was an executive assistant to him, I should expect that. So, I swallowed my pride and looked forward to working the next day.

The next day was October 8, 2025. I was working to complete some tasks that had been started on Tuesday, but he wanted to create a completely new list of activities that essentially canceled out what we had been doing. We were supposed to find a corporate apartment for one of the lawyers representing his forensic accounting company and ensure it was ready for her arrival in Phoenix from the east coast on Friday. I followed his lead and tried to keep up with what seemed like a haphazard time management approach. I thought maybe this is how a brilliant mind operates, and his event planning skills were simply extraordinary. I always rooted for him to succeed and excel, even if I didn’t fully comprehend the logic behind some of his behaviors and actions. I figured it must be beyond my pay grade.

So, the next day, which was October 9th, I arrived at his home office, where I had my interview on the 3rd and had been working on the 7th, 8th, and then it was Thursday, the 9th. When I walked into the house on Thursday, it was in a state of disarray. He had informed me that he had given a cashier’s check to the house owner for $600,000, which was in escrow while they conducted due diligence on the property before closing. However, I discovered that the rental payments that were being made to the owner while he resided in the house, even though it was under contract, had not been credited to her account. Consequently, he would need to move until all the necessary paperwork was completed so that she could have at least tenants paying rent until the house closed.

So, he ends up renting a U-Haul and I’m packing his office supplies and personal belongings into large plastic tubs to load onto the U-Haul and presumably to his new apartment or office. Guess where he’s moving into? Turns out, he’s moving into the corporate office that the lawyer of his ex-girlfriend was supposed to be moving into. At this point, I still haven’t fully grasped whether he had been planning this all along or if it was a situation where he needed to act quickly. I don’t think that way; I just thought we needed to ensure he had a place to stay, which was my responsibility.

That evening, on October 9th, while in the leasing office of this new apartment complex, I received a notification from my bank informing me that my paycheck from Tuesday, the 7th, had been returned from my bank account with the note “refer to maker.” This caused my bank account to go negative by $856.67. He was sitting right next to me when I received the notification, so I asked him what it meant. He explained that when a returned check says “refer to maker,” there must have been an error on his end. He assured me that as soon as we finished in the leasing office and moved his things into the apartment, he’d take care of it.

That was the moment I felt unsafe and fearful, questioning what was truly going on with him. Was I being used, scammed, or tricked? Despite my concerns, I wanted to trust him because I needed my money, but I also genuinely wanted him to be a good person.

The next day, October 10th, I planned to take an Uber to his new home office. However, I couldn’t because my account was almost $900 negative. It was absurd. So, I thought if I informed him that I couldn’t afford the Uber and needed a ride to work, he’d rectify the hot check situation or at least cover the cost. I wasn’t working for free, especially from someone who disrespects me, talks down to me, makes me feel inferior, curses at me, and, from what I’d witnessed, can’t even tell the truth.

The day went by, and then he said he’d pick me up because he needed to take some things to the U-Haul storage place. Since he obviously needed my help, I hoped he’d fix the check, transfer money into my account, or resolve the issue. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. I kept my word and helped as promised. Afterward, I was supposed to be dropped off at my house, but he wanted my help moving more furniture and things at the home office. I took care of that too.

Finally, a friend came to take me home, but just before he arrived, I asked him one more time, “What are you going to do about that check?” He replied, “You’re going to have to wait. I can’t deal with that right now. I have other things to deal with besides you, and I can’t just jump at your command!”

It sickened me by how he treated me. I’ve had stomach pains and anxiety for weeks now and It makes me sad and feel guilty for even having to tell you about all these negative things. But since short stories aren’t my specialty and details are quite important when talking about someone taking advantage of another and not messing with their financial wellbeing and livelihood.

Since October 10th, he’s had one excuse after another. He’d say he’d have the money the next day, but then he’d say it was the next day. Then, he started saying it was a debit card instead of a check, which I was supposed to receive from my hours worked. That doesn’t make sense because I have to fix the check first, and those hours would have actually paid me more than he had for the position he gave me. He then said that since I was getting paid that way, my paycheck wouldn’t arrive until the 24th, or that my debit card wouldn’t arrive until the 24th. He tried to explain biweekly pay, which I already knew, but that wasn’t the agreement we had made. He kept leading me on, making me believe I’d be getting paid. After the 24th, he kept telling me he’d drop it off at my house. I stayed at home multiple times after the 24th, waiting for him, but he never showed up. It’s all documented, but I don’t want to see every text message. It’s crazy and sad. This whole situation has made me feel depressed and distrustful of people. It makes me feel like there are horrible people out there who will screw you over when you believe in something positive. I’ve never had a situation where someone wrote me a hot check and then continuously messed with it. I’ve never been written a hot check in my life.

Without getting the authorities involved, I gave him every opportunity possible to pay me what he owes me. I truly was naive to believe that he would come to his senses and pay me. Well, I have since snapped out of just hoping for the best and have started taking actual steps to move forward with what the law says to do next. So in Maricopa county here in the great state of Arizona one has to send a “Demand for Payment Notice Letter - Form A” through certified mail and once they get the letter the clock starts and they have 12 days from its receipt to pay in full otherwise “the holder of the check may turn over the dishonored check and all other available information relating to this incident to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office for criminal prosecution.” Today it has been exactly four weeks to the day since he gave me the hot check for $892.78 and today I filled out the form required and sent it certified mail and will wait for what I’m guessing will be 14 days before I can take the next step and contact rhe attorney’s office if need be.

I have been applying to various jobs and actually have an interview set for Friday for a customer service rep role that is remote. I’ve also had other task-based jobs that I’ve done, and temporary personal assistant work but I’m wanting and needing a more permanent full time position. Of course, being an artist, painting and creating remains my biggest passion but having a more steady stream of income is what is best for my ADD/ADHD. I’ve been trying to sell my art online, but it was easier when I was younger and didn’t mind being a starving artist at times if I didn’t have sales coming through… so that has definitely been challenging.

When I got the job I was so excited and I felt like I was ascending high above the times where I struggled and felt depressed. Having to deal with the disappointment of having your hopes and aspirations be blown up to bits has been like when you get the wind knocked out of you on the playground or in football and now I’m realizing that I need to ask for help with getting back up onto my feet and I need not to be embarrassed of that. Even if it terrifies me to have to ask for the help.

I have bills that’ve accumulated for four weeks, one bank account ( Wells Fargo ) is negative by -$856, and another bank account ( desert financial ) that’s negative -$325 and that they told me would be charged off and closed because I haven’t had income coming in. Both accounts being negative prevents me from using Zelle which is the only way the property management company accepts payment for rent which is $1215 and was due on the 1st with my share being $607.50. I’ve got a debt restructuring plan that is $342 due and is due in two days. Then I have electricity $75 , insurance $300, internet $55, gym $40, cell phone $102 and a few other bills but I’ll not even mention those because I just remembered FOOD $200.

That’s what I am needing help with ASAP. I’ve been writing this thing out days stressing posting it and putting myself out here like this but I’ve gotta be brave and I’ve gotta move forward. I appreciate your time and hope I was clear. If you have any questions where I could explain anything to more clearly feel free to contact me. I love y’all thank you.

Matthew Williams