\u201cWhen my CEO asked why I was quitting, I quietly placed my latest pay stub on her desk.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire Sterling glanced at the final number.<\/p>\n
$312.64.<\/p>\n
For several seconds, she didn’t speak. Her eyes moved from the number to my face, then back to the paper.<\/p>\n
Finally, her expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cGet Finance and HR up here,\u201d she said, her voice suddenly cold. \u201cI want Derek Vance and Blake. Now.\u201d<\/p>\n
I had worked at Sterling Robotics for six years as a field systems engineer. I repaired industrial machines, traveled to manufacturing plants at ridiculous hours, and handled emergencies that nobody else wanted to touch. When a production line failed at midnight, I answered the phone. When a client threatened to cancel a contract, I was the one who flew out to fix the problem.<\/p>\n
I loved the work.<\/p>\n
What I couldn’t love was the way my paycheck kept shrinking.<\/p>\n
My name is Ethan Cole. I was thirty-four, raising my six-year-old daughter, Lily, on my own after my divorce. Every dollar mattered. Rent, groceries, school expenses, electricity, childcare\u2014there was always another bill waiting.<\/p>\n
When I first joined Sterling Robotics, my salary was enough to support us. I wasn’t rich, but I could pay our expenses and put a little aside for emergencies.<\/p>\n
Then the deductions started.<\/p>\n
At first, they were small enough that I assumed they were ordinary adjustments. A change in insurance premiums. A correction to tax withholding. A payroll processing issue.<\/p>\n
But the amounts kept changing.<\/p>\n
One pay period, my deposit was hundreds of dollars lower than expected. The next, another deduction appeared. When I asked payroll, I received a generic explanation about adjustments and pending reconciliation.<\/p>\n
I contacted HR.<\/p>\n
Blake, the HR manager, assured me that everything was being handled.<\/p>\n
\u201cPayroll systems can be complicated,\u201d he told me. \u201cGive it another cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did.<\/p>\n
Then another.<\/p>\n
And another.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, I was still working overtime, covering emergency calls, and driving to client sites before sunrise. I missed Lily’s school performance because a robotic assembly line had failed at a factory three hours away. I missed a Saturday picnic because a client threatened to shut down an entire production facility if we didn’t restore the system.<\/p>\n
Lily had stopped asking whether I’d be home for dinner.<\/p>\n
She had learned to ask whether I thought I’d be home before bedtime.<\/p>\n
That hurt more than I admitted.<\/p>\n
One evening, after I returned from a twelve-hour shift, I found her asleep on the couch with a drawing resting on her chest. She had drawn the two of us holding hands beneath a bright yellow sun.<\/p>\n
At the bottom, in uneven letters, she had written:<\/p>\n
Daddy, please come home early.<\/p>\n
I sat beside her and cried quietly.<\/p>\n
The next morning, I opened my banking app and saw the latest deposit.<\/p>\n
$312.64.<\/p>\n
I checked it again, hoping I had misunderstood.<\/p>\n
I hadn’t.<\/p>\n
My rent was due in four days.<\/p>\n
That was when I decided I was finished.<\/p>\n
I updated my r\u00e9sum\u00e9, contacted two former colleagues, and drafted my resignation letter. I didn’t want to leave the job I loved, but loyalty couldn’t keep the lights on. I packed my belongings into a cardboard box and printed my latest pay stub.<\/p>\n
Then I requested a meeting with Claire Sterling, the company’s CEO.<\/p>\n
I had met her only a handful of times. She was known for being demanding but fair, and she had built Sterling Robotics from a small engineering firm into a major industrial automation company.<\/p>\n
When I entered her office, she looked up from her laptop.<\/p>\n
\u201cEthan. What can I do for you?\u201d<\/p>\n
I placed my resignation letter on her desk.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m leaving, Ms. Sterling.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked surprised.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeaving? Why? Is it another offer?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it the travel? The hours? If there’s a problem with your assignment, we can discuss it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I shook my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love the work. I don’t love being unable to pay my bills.\u201d<\/p>\n
She frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
I slid the pay stub across her desk.<\/p>\n
She glanced at it casually at first.<\/p>\n
Then she saw the deposit amount.<\/p>\n
$312.64.<\/p>\n
Her face went white.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs this your entire paycheck?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s what landed in my account.\u201d<\/p>\n
She picked up the document and studied every line. Her eyes narrowed as she moved down the page, stopping at deductions I had never fully understood.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis doesn’t make sense,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n
I shrugged.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ve asked payroll. I’ve spoken with HR. I’ve been told to wait. I’ve waited for months.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire looked at me again.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me something, Ethan. Has anyone else seen this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPayroll and HR have seen the complaints. I don’t know whether anyone has actually reviewed the deductions.\u201d<\/p>\n
She pressed a button on her desk phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cGet Finance and HR up here. Derek Vance and Blake. Now.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood silently while she examined the pay stub again.<\/p>\n
For the first time in months, someone was looking at the problem instead of asking me to be patient.<\/p>\n
The office door opened a few minutes later.<\/p>\n
Derek Vance, the finance director, entered first, followed by Blake, the HR manager.<\/p>\n
Derek wore his usual confident expression, carrying a leather folder beneath his arm. Blake looked mildly annoyed, as if he’d been pulled away from an important meeting.<\/p>\n
Claire didn’t offer them seats.<\/p>\n
She slid my pay stub across the desk.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of you had better explain why this employee’s money is disappearing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek glanced at the number.<\/p>\n
His expression changed immediately.<\/p>\n
It wasn’t confusion.<\/p>\n
It was recognition.<\/p>\n
His eyes flicked toward Blake, then back to the pay stub. His fingers tightened around the leather folder.<\/p>\n
Claire noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cDerek,\u201d she said slowly, \u201cyou look as if you know exactly what this is.\u201d<\/p>\n
He swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’d need to review the payroll records before making any conclusions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou’re the finance director. Review them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blake stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire, there may be an innocent explanation. Ethan’s compensation has several components, and payroll deductions can\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStop,\u201d Claire interrupted. \u201cI don’t want a speech about how complicated payroll is. I want to know why an employee who has worked here for six years is receiving $312.64.\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cEthan, you can stay. I want you to hear the answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek lowered his eyes to the pay stub again.<\/p>\n
Then he made a mistake.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose funds should have been reconciled months ago,\u201d he muttered.<\/p>\n
The room went completely still.<\/p>\n
Claire leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat funds?\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek’s face drained of color.<\/p>\n
He had just revealed that the missing money wasn’t a surprise to him.<\/p>\n
And when Claire asked him to explain where it had gone, he looked directly at Blake.<\/p>\n
That was when I realized the problem might be much bigger than my paycheck.<\/p>\n
\u201cBlake,\u201d Derek said quietly, \u201cyou told me the authorization was legitimate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blake’s expression hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t know what you’re talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth of you will stop speaking in riddles. Derek, explain the funds.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek opened his folder, pulled out a spreadsheet, and placed it on Claire’s desk.<\/p>\n
\u201cSix months ago, Finance identified a discrepancy between the payroll system and the employee payment records. Several employees had deductions labeled as voluntary benefit contributions and recovery adjustments. We were told HR had obtained the necessary authorizations.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom whom?\u201d Claire asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cBlake’s department.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blake shook his head. \u201cThat’s a misrepresentation. The system automatically generates certain deductions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome deductions are legitimate,\u201d Derek replied. \u201cBut these aren’t matching the supporting documents.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire tapped my pay stub.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd this employee?\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cEthan’s file has been flagged repeatedly. The amounts deducted from his gross pay don’t correspond to the records we received. His net pay should not be this low based on his salary and the hours recorded.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt my stomach tighten.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen where did my money go?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody answered.<\/p>\n
Claire turned toward Blake.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Ethan authorize these deductions?\u201d<\/p>\n
Blake adjusted his tie.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’d have to check the files.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have been responsible for HR for four years. You should already know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can’t recall every individual authorization.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen let’s refresh your memory.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire picked up the phone and called the company’s internal audit director. She instructed the director to preserve the payroll records, restrict changes to the relevant systems, and begin an independent review. She also asked legal counsel to join the investigation.<\/p>\n
No one was allowed to alter or delete records while the review was underway.<\/p>\n
Derek looked increasingly uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
Finally, he spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe deductions were routed through a third-party payment account. The account was supposed to handle approved employee benefit contributions and payroll corrections.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSupposed to?\u201d Claire repeated.<\/p>\n
Derek nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe vendor’s records don’t match the amounts deducted. I raised that issue earlier this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire’s eyes sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened when you raised it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was told HR had documentation. I approved the reconciliation based on that representation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you personally verify the documentation?\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire’s voice became colder.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you have questions to answer, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
He lowered his head.<\/p>\n
I sat motionless, staring at the paper that had brought me into the room. Six years of hard work, missed birthdays, emergency repairs, and sleepless nights had been reduced to a handful of unexplained numbers.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you telling me someone has been taking money from my pay?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
The internal audit director arrived before either man could answer.<\/p>\n
Her name was Priya Shah. She had worked at Sterling Robotics for nearly a decade and was known for being thorough rather than dramatic. She reviewed my pay stub, asked for my employee number, and requested permission to compare my payroll records with the company’s timekeeping and payment systems.<\/p>\n
Within an hour, she had identified a pattern.<\/p>\n
Several deductions had been entered under codes that appeared to represent voluntary contributions and payroll adjustments. Some had no matching authorization forms. Others referenced documents that could not be located in the official employee files.<\/p>\n
My case was not isolated.<\/p>\n
Priya found discrepancies affecting multiple employees, although the amounts and circumstances varied. Some had received partial corrections. Others had complained repeatedly and been told to wait.<\/p>\n
The third-party account had received payments that were substantially higher than the documented benefit contributions it was supposed to collect.<\/p>\n
And some of those payments had gone to a business whose ownership and relationship to the company needed further investigation.<\/p>\n
Priya looked up from her laptop.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to examine the vendor’s ownership records and the approval chain before we draw conclusions. But there is enough here to justify an immediate formal investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo it. And nobody is to retaliate against employees who reported concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blake shifted in his chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is becoming unnecessarily adversarial. These are administrative discrepancies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Priya turned toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdministrative discrepancies don’t explain missing authorization forms, inconsistent records, and payments that don’t reconcile.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blake said nothing.<\/p>\n
Derek finally admitted that he had approved several payment batches after receiving assurances that HR had verified the deductions. He claimed he had not known where the unexplained amounts ultimately went. However, he acknowledged that he had failed to investigate the discrepancies thoroughly when they first appeared.<\/p>\n
His responsibility was not erased simply because someone else might have misled him.<\/p>\n
Claire ordered him to cooperate fully with the review.<\/p>\n
Then she turned to Blake.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are being placed on administrative leave while the investigation proceeds. You are not to access the payroll systems or contact employees about this matter outside the formal process.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blake stood abruptly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can’t do that based on a single employee’s complaint.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire pointed to the documents spread across her desk.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is no longer a single employee’s complaint.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me with open resentment.<\/p>\n
For months, I had been the employee he could dismiss with a reassuring email. Now, with the records in front of the CEO, he couldn’t make the problem disappear by telling me to wait another pay cycle.<\/p>\n
He left the office without another word.<\/p>\n
Derek remained behind, pale and silent.<\/p>\n
Claire asked him to turn over his relevant records and cooperate with the audit. Then she looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cEthan, I owe you an apology.\u201d<\/p>\n
I wasn’t sure I’d heard her correctly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don’t owe me an apology for the deductions,\u201d I said. \u201cYou didn’t make them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. But I run this company. You reported a serious problem, and our systems failed to resolve it. You should never have had to bring your resignation letter to my desk just to get someone to look at your pay.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time that morning, my anger gave way to exhaustion.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn’t want to quit,\u201d I admitted. \u201cI wanted to keep doing the job I was hired to do. But my daughter needs a home, and I can’t pay for it with promises.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire’s expression softened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is your daughter’s name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLily. She’s six.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes she know you’re leaving?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked down at my hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knows I’ve been working a lot. She keeps asking me to come home earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire was quiet for a moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen let’s make sure this company doesn’t take any more from your family than it already has.\u201d<\/p>\n
She did not ask me to withdraw my resignation immediately. Instead, she arranged for payroll to review my records urgently, with any undisputed wages corrected as soon as possible. She also asked HR to ensure that employees with unresolved pay discrepancies received clear explanations and a proper way to challenge them.<\/p>\n
Priya continued investigating.<\/p>\n
Over the next several days, the evidence became clearer.<\/p>\n
The unauthorized deductions had been introduced through a combination of misleading payroll codes, weak approval controls, and documentation that did not support the amounts being taken. Some of the payments had been directed to an outside vendor whose invoices and ownership connections raised serious concerns.<\/p>\n
Investigators found evidence suggesting that Blake had submitted or approved records that falsely represented certain deductions as authorized. The review also uncovered communications showing that he had discouraged staff from escalating complaints.<\/p>\n
Derek had not created every questionable entry, but his approvals had allowed payments to continue despite warning signs he should have investigated.<\/p>\n
The company referred the suspected misconduct to law enforcement and retained independent legal counsel to assess its obligations. Both men remained subject to the formal process, and neither was declared guilty simply because the internal investigation had uncovered evidence.<\/p>\n
For me, the most important discovery came on the fourth day.<\/p>\n
Priya called me into a meeting room.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’ve completed the initial reconciliation of your payroll,\u201d she said. \u201cYour net pay was reduced by deductions that were not supported by valid authorization. We’re calculating the exact amount owed, including any applicable corrections.\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned her laptop toward me.<\/p>\n
The records showed that the discrepancy had accumulated across multiple pay periods. The total was far greater than I had imagined.<\/p>\n
I stared at the figure.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was money I was supposed to have received?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. Subject to the final reconciliation, that’s the amount currently identified as owed to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought of the bills I’d delayed paying, the groceries I’d put back on the shelf, and the evenings I’d spent worrying about whether I could afford Lily’s next school expense.<\/p>\n
I thought of all the times I had wondered whether I was simply bad at managing money.<\/p>\n
I wasn’t.<\/p>\n
I had been trying to support my daughter with a paycheck that had been improperly reduced.<\/p>\n
I pressed my palms against my eyes.<\/p>\n
Priya waited until I was ready to speak.<\/p>\n
\u201cWill the other employees get their money back?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe company is reviewing every affected account. Each employee’s situation will be handled individually, and corrections will be made based on verified records.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Because I wasn’t the only person who had been told to be patient.<\/p>\n
Other employees had families, rent, medical bills, and children waiting at home. Some had worked overnight shifts to keep the company’s machines running. Some had never complained because they feared being labeled difficult.<\/p>\n
They deserved answers, too.<\/p>\n
Within weeks, the company began issuing verified payroll corrections. The full recovery process took longer because some payments required tracing through the outside vendor, and the legal investigation continued.<\/p>\n
Claire announced stronger payroll controls, independent approval checks, and a confidential reporting process for employees. She also made it clear that anyone who retaliated against workers for reporting pay concerns would face disciplinary action.<\/p>\n
Derek resigned before the internal review was complete. His cooperation became part of the continuing investigation, but the company did not quietly erase his role in the failed approvals.<\/p>\n
Blake remained under investigation. The evidence was passed to the relevant authorities, who would determine whether charges were warranted.<\/p>\n
I didn’t celebrate either man’s troubles.<\/p>\n
I wanted my wages restored, the wrongdoing addressed, and the people responsible held accountable through a fair process.<\/p>\n
Most of all, I wanted to be a father who could come home.<\/p>\n
A week after my meeting with Claire, I sat at the kitchen table with Lily. She was coloring a picture of a robot with enormous purple arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaddy,\u201d she said, \u201care you going to work tomorrow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, sweetheart.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face fell a little.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut will you be home for dinner?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the drawing, then at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. I’ll be home for dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n
She studied me carefully, as if she wasn’t sure whether to believe it.<\/p>\n
\u201cPromise?\u201d<\/p>\n
I reached across the table and held her little hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cPromise.\u201d<\/p>\n
That evening, I made the decision I should have made sooner.<\/p>\n
I accepted a new position with a smaller engineering company that offered more predictable hours. I gave Sterling Robotics the notice required by my employment agreement and made arrangements to hand over my field assignments professionally.<\/p>\n
Claire asked me once more whether I would consider staying after the investigation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI appreciate what you’ve done to address this,\u201d I told her. \u201cBut I need a life outside work. I need to be there when my daughter looks for me in the audience at her school events.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand. I wish we had listened sooner.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo do I.\u201d<\/p>\n
My final week at Sterling Robotics was bittersweet. Several colleagues stopped by to thank me for speaking up. One technician told me he’d been questioning his own pay for months but had been afraid to raise the issue.<\/p>\n
I told him the truth.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou shouldn’t have to be brave just to get paid correctly.\u201d<\/p>\n
On my last day, Claire handed me a letter confirming my employment history and thanking me for my years of service. She also told me the company would continue correcting the payroll records and pursuing recovery of improperly diverted funds.<\/p>\n
I left the building carrying the same cardboard box I’d packed on the morning I resigned.<\/p>\n
But this time, I wasn’t leaving because I thought my work had no value.<\/p>\n
I was leaving because I had finally decided that my life mattered as much as my job.<\/p>\n
That evening, I arrived home before Lily’s bedtime. We made pancakes for dinner, even though it was a Tuesday, and she covered hers in so much syrup that I had to wipe the table twice.<\/p>\n
Afterward, she climbed into my lap.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou’re home early,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you come to my school play next week?\u201d<\/p>\n
I kissed the top of her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn’t miss it.\u201d<\/p>\n
And I didn’t.<\/p>\n
The investigation at Sterling Robotics continued for months. The company recovered some of the improperly diverted funds, worked through outstanding employee claims, and strengthened its financial controls. The authorities continued examining the evidence involving the suspected fraud.<\/p>\n
I never learned every detail of where the money had gone, and I didn’t need to know every detail to understand what had happened to me.<\/p>\n
My paycheck had been a warning.<\/p>\n
My resignation had been the only way I knew to make someone listen.<\/p>\n
And that small number\u2014$312.64\u2014had forced a powerful company to confront a problem it should have caught long before an exhausted father walked into the CEO’s office.<\/p>\n
I used to believe loyalty meant staying until the job was done, no matter what it cost me.<\/p>\n
Now I know loyalty has limits.<\/p>\n
A company can deserve your hard work. It can deserve your professionalism. It can even earn your affection.<\/p>\n
But it never deserves your silence when your livelihood is being taken from you.<\/p>\n
And no paycheck should ever cost a child the chance to have their father home for dinner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
My CEO Saw My $312.64 Paycheck\u2014and Immediately Called Finance and HR \u201cWhen my CEO asked why I was quitting, I quietly placed my latest pay stub on her desk.\u201d Claire … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":48170,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-keang007"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/readupdatemystory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/readupdatemystory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/readupdatemystory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readupdatemystory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readupdatemystory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=48200"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/readupdatemystory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48200\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48201,"href":"https:\/\/readupdatemystory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48200\/revisions\/48201"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readupdatemystory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/48170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/readupdatemystory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=48200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readupdatemystory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=48200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readupdatemystory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=48200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}