People Share Their Juiciest “Success Is The Best Revenge” Stories

I don’t know about you, but I’m not really the type of person that seeks revenge. Honestly, I don’t even like to wish harm on those who’ve hurt me in the past. Although, I don’t necessarily hope they land the perfect career or win the lottery. The way I see it is, we live and we learn. We make mistakes, we say things we regret, and we do things without thinking at times. If someone wants to stoop low, I just hope that one day, they’ll be able to grow from that and treat people maturely, with honesty, and with respect in the future.

I will admit, though, that one form of revenge that feels good to me is becoming successful. It’s not always about becoming a millionaire to make your past bullies incredibly jealous of you or even getting a date with someone wildly attractive just to blow your ex’s self-esteem. Instead, success as a form of revenge, I believe, should act as a little lesson for those who have wronged you. In a way, it’s like indirectly saying, “You mistreated me, you hurt me, but in the end, the good people win, and the bad ones? Well, they get left in the dust.”

If the following “success is the best revenge” stories aren’t proof enough that the righteous prosper, I don’t know what is!

24. After I Left, Their Place Went Downhill, And I’m Better Off

They say when one door closes, another opens.

“Worked my tail off running a help desk as a contractor with no benefits for three years. Working approx. 70hrs a week. Granted a lot was telecommuting but still, it was a lot of work. I was told the whole time that I would get the position of manager because the customers loved how the help desk functioned. Got perfect on every performance review, and raises each year.

Time came for them to make the position permanent and they advertised and hired without my knowledge. Never asked me once to apply, and I was not looking for a job so I did not keep an eye out.
They hired from outside the company and I found out when they asked me to train my new boss.

Well, I obviously did not stay much longer, I gave them thirty days’ notice and trained the new manager as best I could.

I got the entire help desk ready for the transition, even spending countless hours building an idiot-proof knowledge base of how the place ran, of every aspect I could put down.

I left and went about my merry way, found out later that the new manager quit after three months, they went through six different managers in two years. Plus they lost half of their customers because they did not like the new help desk.

I, on the other hand, have been working for the same money, no overtime, full benefits with retirement for the university I grew up rooting for.

Karma can be a ***** sometimes.” Reddit user

23. I’m Still College Material, No Matter What You Say

“In 10th grade, I was taking an AP European History class. I wasn’t doing very well but both semesters out of the year I got a B in the class.

The day before our end of the year AP exam, I came up to my teacher after class and asked her for some last-minute advice because I was feeling nervous.

She said, “I don’t think you should take it tomorrow.
It’s a very long exam and it’ll take a lot out of you. I don’t think you can handle it.”

This took me by surprise because the class spent the whole year preparing for the exam.

The fee to take the exam had already been paid, and it was pretty expensive.

I kind of just responded like “What? I don’t understand.”

Then she said, “This class is designed for students who can handle studying at the college level. The exam is designed to test how well those students understand the material. It’s not for you.”

Obviously her response made me even more nervous, but I don’t know why I expected words of encouragement from a teacher who actively expressed her dislike for me the whole year.

I still took the exam and got a good score. It wasn’t a perfect 5 but it was a good score. Then I got accepted to every college I applied to, top tier choices included. I now attend a university with a large merit scholarship and hold a small management position at a marketing company.

So yeah, maybe I’m not Ivy material but I still proved myself to be college material.” Quora user

22. He Made Me Feel Like My Educational Success Was Nothing… Then I Did Even Better

“I was finishing my 2nd grade when my Dad suffered a major business loss and we went bankrupt, almost overnight.

He did not have the wherewithal to support his family and my Mom who had always been a perfect homemaker but was helpless in this situation. Consequently, we moved to our native village and I joined a government school.

I was a bright kid and after a month, my parents realized my education would suffer. Meanwhile, my paternal uncle offered to take me to his family until Dad had reestablished his business.

And thus, my parents reluctantly forced me to move in with his wife (my maternal aunt) and 2 kids, 500 miles away from them. Looking back, I am grateful my uncle took me in during those difficult times.
Now his two boys were in 4th and 1st grade and hence in direct competition with me.  But as I said, I was good at studies and thus started excelling in my exams.

That day my parents visited me, delighted to see me doing well. But naturally, my uncle and aunt were envious given that their kids performed average.

I took my report card to my dad for getting his signature on it. But he guided me to my uncle asking to seek his blessings first.

My uncle looked at the card, flipped it aside in envy and said something which still resonates in my ears,

“Anyone can finish second grade.

Come to me when you do well in higher grades.”

And he walked away, leaving me and my parents in tears.

I was shattered. But that same year, Dad found a job and we moved back to city. I took admission in grade 4 and continued studying hard.

Fast forward 7 years.

My 10th board examination’s results are out and I have topped my district – standing 3rd in the entire region.

When I was being interviewed for the school magazine and local newspapers and channels, I could dedicate my success only to a statement made 7 years ago …

“….come to me when you do well in higher grades.”

The next day, I sent my uncle a thank you note with the newspaper article quoting my dedication!” Aadesh Pratap Singh

21. I’m Successful Now, But Now She’s In Trouble With The IRS

“My wife of seven years had me served with divorce papers at my office.

She’d been in a downward spiral and was out of control. Not only had she been sleeping around with a list of people, but she’d also been spending money at an alarming rate, forged my name on bank loan documents, and set up house with one man she’d been screwing. She decided that she was going to come after the 50% interest I had in my family’s company.

I’d been given 33% prior to marriage, and inherited another 17% when my mother died.

She’d racked up tens of thousands of dollars in debt, much of which I had no idea about, and as a final act, rented a U-Haul in my name to use to move out of our house and then failed to return it on time… nice…

She hired an attorney known in Dallas for doing high-profile divorces and I had to hire a better one in kind.

This was 20+ years ago, and his rate was $350 an hour. His legal assistant was over $200 an hour, so I hired a personal secretary for 1.5 years and she assisted him and me (and his legal assistant) in creating boxes of documentation to refute all her crazy assertions.

When I was served with papers, I was smart enough not to open them and called an attorney friend.

She suggested that prior to opening the papers that I move all the money left in our joint accounts and shut down all the credit cards.

I did this immediately, and THEN opened the papers which included a restraining order that then told me that, as of reading the documents, I could not make any changes in finances, including my salary.
I had multiple witnesses to attest to what time I opened the envelope.

We went to mediation and I won on all fronts, as her accusations were INSANE and refutable. Thankfully, the only real asset that we had was my interest in the family business, as I was able to prove that our home had all kinds of structural issues and was not worth what she claimed. As the family business was property prior to marriage and the rest I inherited, her claim was denied.

After everything was said and done, I owed her around $45,000 (I can’t recall the exact amount, but it wasn’t any more than this), as I’d paid off my 50% on all shared credit cards, bought her 6 months of car insurance and packed up what crap she’d not been able to take the day she moved and rented a storage unit and paid 90 days of rent on it, and then sent her a certified letter as to where it was.

We were to meet at her attorney’s office a few days after the mediation; she failed to show up in time, which was normal for her as she had an “everyone can wait for me” attitude… Her attorney was beside himself… and was P*SSED. Here we are in this very upscale law firm, and she’s gotten around $45,000 in the mediation… She told them there was HUGE money involved and they were set to get a percentage.

An hour into the wait, he blurted out, “I hate this ****”..*. which caused me to smile, but I had to remind him that, while I totally understood and agreed, he was representing her…. his response was to inform me how much she owed his firm, and that they feared that she was going to screw them out of their fee.
HERE’S THE GOOD PART…

I looked at him and asked him if he’d like me to make the check out for the amount I owed her to his firm so I could leave.

He asked “Would you do that?” at which point I’m stupefied… I told him flat out that anything I could do to get him 100% paid and stop her from getting a dime was fine by me.

He accepted. I wrote the check, he disappeared and came back with a check for the balance. She called him telling him she was on her way, so I waited.

I was able to be there when she arrived, told her that I’d made a check out to her attorney and that I was leaving.
I had enough time to get to my car and make it to the front of the building to see her standing on the sidewalk bawling her eyes out.

In 20 years her life doesn’t appear to have been all that prosperous, but she’s still married to the guy she was sleeping with.

He turned out to be a major underachiever and has gotten in trouble with the IRS for attempting to refuse to pay taxes.

My life, on the other hand, came out GREAT! Remarried, successful beyond my wildest dreams, parlayed the family business into a much bigger business opportunity and doing very well.
She would have come out so much better off if she’d not forced me to spend over $100,000 in legal fees… oh well… as they say “Pigs get fat, hogs go to slaughter…” Rick Ferrara

20. While He Narrowly Avoided Prison Time, I Had A Thriving Career And A Hot Wife

“When I was about 25, I was playing in a band with two high school classmates.

All three of us were/are professional musicians. We brought in a guy who was about 5 years younger to complete the lineup. It took years for me to realize what a degenerate he was, and what a negative influence he had on the band.
Over the years he used our rehearsal space as a party spot, he and his friends vandalized the building and allegedly stole stuff.

He was an immature, raging alcoholic and druggie. Beyond that, he was moody and difficult to work with. From here on we’ll just call him the jerk.

With me being the de facto leader, and way more particular than the other two, it wasn’t long before I was the jerk’s enemy #1 and the BAND narrative was that “he and I didn’t get along” or worse, that MY controlling nature was actually the problem.

This was incredibly frustrating. The guy caused me SO much grief and stress I can’t do it justice here.
There were rumors later that he said he’d spit in my drink at gigs/rehearsal and other childish behavior.

So, one day the jerk showed up to rehearsal with a STUNNINGLY beautiful friend. I had an instant crush. The problem was that I had a g/f at the time. By the time I was single again the hot girl was, inexplicably, dating the jerk.

Oh well, musicians get girls. I watched her from afar.

We then spent months in the studio making a record. By the time tracking was almost done things with the jerk had come to a head. The other two guys saw that I’d made efforts to get along better with him and, much to my surprise given their passive natures, they both agreed that it wasn’t sustainable and that we needed to kick him out.

The look on his face when he realized that we all agreed HE was the problem and needed to go, was sweet enough.

We finished the record. I handled everything totally professionally and by the book, in terms of crediting him for any writing he did, etc. And was even incredibly gracious by listing him in a way that would save face for him and made it sound like he may have opted to just not gig with us anymore, but was a major contributor to the record (I listed him as an “also” member of the band).

He still told people that I “stole his songs.”

A while after we booted him.
I heard through the ********* that the hot girl dumped him. I called her and asked her out. Somewhat ironically, she later told me that when she was with him, his obsession with how much he hated me only intrigued her and made her think about me. She also told me that when he heard I’d asked her out he called her and was completely distraught over it as he’d always thought they’d get back together.

Anyway, she and I got serious. At one point we were having a holiday dinner at her parent’s house and a relative asked how we met.
Her dad chuckled and said, “Well, Dave was playing in a band with her ex-boyfriend and he kicked him out and stole her.” lol – Not exactly accurate but close enough 🙂

On another occasion, the jerk walked into a bar and she and I were there together.

To be honest, I kind of felt bad for him. I’d clearly won but I’m not a bad guy. I don’t revel in another’s misfortune.

Ultimately, the hot girl and I didn’t marry or anything. In fact, she broke my heart too. But it was an AMAZING ride. One you never forget. And I certainly got my revenge on the jerk.
15 years later and I have a thriving music business, a high-end recording studio in my home, and I’m married to an even more gorgeous gal who’s a doctor.

I heard that the jerk narrowly avoided prison time and ultimately landed in Colorado blowing glass, but is doing alright.

Sometimes good guys finish first.” David Kennedy

19. She Got Better And He Got Worse

“My ex got up and left without even informing me he was going. I didn’t realize it at the time but I was keeping myself in limbo in order to provide flexibility for him to pursue what he wanted, which was all kinds of f*cked up.

Since then I landed a solid job in my field, I adopted two animals, I got off antidepressants, I moved to a much better apartment on my own and supported myself comfortably for a long time until moving in with my current SO — with whom I share a great house. My current SO is a real, true partner and my biggest fan. He doesn’t have a selfish bone in his body, he can think more than a week ahead, and he’d never ask me to slow down or wait on anything I want to pursue.

We are talking about eloping to Mexico in a couple of years, maybe having a kid or two, and buying a bigger house.
I have a car, and savings, and go on a killer vacation once a year. I took up gardening and have a kickass backyard, I’ve made new friends, I’m learning to golf. I have become an exquisite cook. My boss seems to be grooming me to move up in my organization and I’m on track to retire before I’m 55.

Basically, I got my **** together, and I’m not looking back.

Meanwhile, last I heard my ex has bounced from dead-end job to dead-end job and has nothing to show for the last five years of his life at all.” snapkangaroo

Another User Comments:

“My ex broke up with me in a horrendous fashion that involved cheating and using me to get him into a great housing situation (we lived together) only to kick me out after I’d only lived there 3 months.

One of the major themes was that he wanted to “change” his life and “better” himself.

Well its 1.5 years later. He never finished his degree even though he only had one term left to do. He works in the same service industry job he had. His living situation is MUCH worse and more expensive (and he got kicked out in a similarly ***y** fashion as to what he did to me) his credit is in the dumps because without me there to foot the bill he took out credit cards.

Gal he cheated on me with left him after a few months.
In the last year and a half since my heart was broken into a thousand tiny pieces by that idiot, I’ve graduated, entered a wonderful graduate program mostly on scholarship, moved across the country, bought a new car, got a few thousand in savings, raised my great credit score, and I own a small business that pays my rent/bills and I put a few hundred away in savings each month.

Adopting a ******* kitten next week.

Sometimes when I go hike alone in the woods I raise my head and yell out into the forest, “WHOS LIFE CHANGED FOR THE BETTER, F*CKWAD?!”” Cat-Drama

18. The Girl Who Kept Rejecting Me Is Now A Single Mom, Meanwhile, I’ve Got A Beautiful Woman

“I am not a revengeful person, but it happened, unplanned, and without me doing anything.
When I was in 12th grade, I fell for a girl and asked her out several times.

Each time she said no. Finally, she told me she had a boyfriend and that is why she was turning me down.

I accepted the situation and moved on. Shortly after graduation, she let me know through a friend that she was available. I asked her out, she said yes, we dated all summer long.

It was the first time that I had a girlfriend. I had dated some, but she was the first one I went out with on a regular basis.

In the fall, I started at the local community college, and she started at the university.
She kept making excuses why she could not go on a date with me. I presumed she was busy with studies.

I showed up at her house one evening for what I thought was a date. She was not there. Her father said as an apology, that she never broke up with her boyfriend, he had just been away on a summer job.

Her father seemed embarrassed.

The worst part was all of her friends that we hung out with all summer knew what was going on and none of them said anything.

I was so hurt that it was almost two years before I started to date again.
I just did not trust girls.

Now the second half of the story.

About four years after the above, I was engaged to a beautiful, wealthy woman.

She was a bridesmaid in a wedding that took place in Beverly Hills. Blonde, blue-eyed, knockout figure, encased in a long formal gown, and when she got dressed up, she was drop-dead gorgeous. I was her escort for the event.

During the reception, one of the employees for the catering company kept eyeing me, which made me very uncomfortable as it was obvious I had a date.

After some time the woman came up to me and asked if I was John Roberts.
I stated, “Yes, but who are you?”

She got huffy and said, “If that is all I was to you, I am not going to tell you.” She turned to leave.

Something snapped in me. I did not like her attitude, I really had no idea who she was.

I took her by the shoulder, turned her around and said, “Who the **** are you?,” not nice but I was angry.

She identified herself as the girl above. I said, “Oh, hi, goodbye,” and walked away.

Later I found out from one of the other employees that right after she started at the university, she got pregnant and married the boyfriend.
It turned out he was a complete jerk, she divorced him and now was a single mother. She dropped out of school, never to get a degree.

I did not plan it, and even though it felt good, I still felt sorry for her.” John Roberts

17. Years After Her Abuse, I’m Thriving, And Her Life Is Worse Than Ever

“Mentally unstable, compulsive liar and world-class manipulator perfectly describes my half-sibling.

With more than ten years on me, she tormented, verbally abused, and blamed me for her mother’s failed marriage with our father.

Even when I was just a toddler, her bitterness and jealousy were so evident that a family member warned my mother never to leave me alone with her.
The family member had noticed my then 13-year-old sibling watching me with a “predatory stare.”

Some of my earliest memories are of the horrifying, self-mutilating stories she would tell me and the scars and fresh wounds on her arms that she would constantly flaunt.

Pity her if you must but do not think for one second that she didn’t receive the care she needed from our family. Numerous attempts were made to help her and every time she refused or got herself kicked out. There was no forcing her to do anything because there was no line she wouldn’t cross. She’d run away, hit people, throw things, and say anything she could to hurt the people around her.

She was so out of control that her tantrums became known as “hostage situations” amongst our family because of the way she hijacked situations, making everyone involved miserable as long as she saw fit. It didn’t matter where we were or what we were doing, she would throw public meltdowns that were hostile and terrifying to those watching. If she wasn’t happy, no one could be happy – not even strangers just minding their own business.

And this continued into adulthood.

My sibling had a sick obsession with attention. Victimizing herself became her purpose. No one was ever kind to her, no one ever helped her, everyone hated her, and everyone abused her.
She’s the kind of person who purposefully harms themselves out of spite and then blames their actions on other people. She’s the kind of person who shares that a friend passed away and then laughs about it.

She’s the kind of person who doesn’t just burn their bridges with people but demolishes them.

And for 18 years, I was forced to live with that person and endure that abuse. Her manipulating ways made me grow up feeling like a terrible person just for existing. As I got older she would threaten to kill me, beat me up, and several times she did hurt me.

It wasn’t long before I developed problems of my own.

In high school, I became anorexic and bulimic. The eating disorders got so bad, and I became so sick that I could not finish high school.

It was disheartening, but I got help. Although I had to enter treatment twice, I got back on my feet, earned my GED and began taking community college classes as a biology major.

Of course, she was bitter because she had had an eating disorder first, so who was I to take the spotlight away from her!

Last April she finally crossed the line. At the ripe old age of 28, she had moved back home, and her last stunt was so horrible that she was no longer allowed to live there.
It’s been almost a year, and I have not seen hide nor hair of her.

I could not be happier.

In the last nine months, my eating disorder has been quieter than ever, my academic performance has vastly improved, and my relationships with people in my life are wonderful.

I have weekly nightmares about her entering my life once again, but now that I am older I know I will never allow such a toxic person in my life again.

I feel bad that she is incapable of loving other people or developing a world larger than making problems for herself.

The fact is that she has a severe mental illness which she has never tried to ease and removing a person like that from your life does not make you a bad person.
Just because a person is ill or related through ***** does not give them the right to hurt you, nor does it require you to keep them in your life.

I wish her well and nothing but the best for the future, but I’ve given her 18 years of my life to hurt me, and I’m not ever letting her back in for more.

As far as I’m concerned, freeing myself without guilt or anger is most definitely the sweetest revenge.” Faith Paul

Another User Comments:

“Sounds like she might have a personality disorder. I have dealt with someone who had Narcissistic Personality Disorder and the level of chaos and dysfunction as well as it’s effects on you sound familiar to me.
If she doesn’t have Narcissistic Personality Disorder then it might be another from the Cluster B Personality Disorders, possibly Histrionic Personality Disorder.

You should read up on it as it might give you some comfort if you were more able to make sense of what you went through.” Rhys Maxson

16. My Aunt Doubted Me, But Now I Applied For My Ph.D.

“It’s an experience I am living right now, and it’s sweeter than I could ever have imagined. So I’m a soft-spoken, introverted South Indian girl born and brought up in a rural area who had no experience of living outside my state for a lengthy stretch of time.

I was educated in the best schools in the locality and was a good student my entire life, passing the 12th standard board exams with full A+. Sure, I had visited a lot of places across the country because my father was in the army and was stationed mostly in north India, but I was still considered as someone “innocent” and “without exposure” to metropolitan cities and their ways by overbearing relatives.

One aunt was particularly condescending as she lives in Chennai with her husband and her daughter, a studious engineering student a couple of years older than me.

I had an affinity towards arts in general and literature in particular from childhood and was one of those lucky sorts who got their parents’ complete support to choose their career path.
Therefore, I chose English for my BA, going against the popular trend of MBBS and engineering in the family.

I did not want to be confined to my locality alone and was actively trying to get into the best institutes in India, and my metropolitan aunt got wind of it. Over a lengthy phone call to my dad, I remember her “well-meaning” proclamation, of course, phrased a tad more unassumingly, “She can’t handle living in cities because she doesn’t have any exposure and will be swayed easily because of her village naivety.

What if she gets into the wrong company, gets a boyfriend and even starts using *****?” My dad just brushed her words aside and did not bother contradicting her because none of us thought it worthy of a debate at the time.
The only thing my parents told me was this. Just be the best at what you do and let your actions speak.

I was, unfortunately, unable to crack the national entrance exams to any of the central universities in India that I applied to that time and ultimately decided to go to a well-known college in my district for BA.

This lent weight to my aunt’s words. I had my dad’s ‘ward of defense personnel’ quota and could have gotten into any central university I desired through it, but I wanted to prove myself and my abilities and decided against it. I also was eligible for a hefty merit-based state scholarship, so it was not a bad choice to make at the time.
My high-flying aspirations were thus postponed for MA and this incredible urge to get into EFLU Hyderabad seized me entirely.

I remained patient and studied hard to avoid a repeat performance of my previous defeat, saved up all my scholarship money for later. During this time, I encountered several other well-wishers and teachers who underestimated me because of how soft-spoken and introverted I was. I did not bother correcting anyone. I graduated with a rank from the university.

After BA I wrote the entrance exams once again, and at last, lady luck grinned wide at me.

I cleared EFLU entrance with the highest score, cleared all the central university exams with high ranks and had my pick of the universities for MA.
That was a massive confidence booster and I decided to go with EFLU, my hereto elusive dream. I studied in Hyderabad against all odds as predicted by my well-meaning aunt, adapting seamlessly into the Hyderabad culture and making a bunch of awesome friends from across the world whom I can trust with my life.

I traveled abroad with some friends (to a northern neighbor of India) for a paper presentation, helped organize international conferences in my university, volunteered for animal welfare activities and eventually graduated with high marks. In all this time, with much difficulty, I controlled my country bumpkin instincts and managed to not touch *****, alcohol or cigarettes even once.
My aunt already got her answer, but she still subtly snubbed me well-meaningly in front of relatives saying that my academic discipline was not “as challenging as being an engineer” was, like her daughter.

I didn’t bother correcting her and her ill-founded assumptions.

Soon after college, without any formal coaching, I cleared the NET exam in English, one of the toughest competitive exams in India that makes one eligible for lectureship in colleges. I aimed higher and also applied for a Ph.D. in two leading IITs, hoping and praying for a positive result. I traveled across the country with a few of my ambitious friends to undertake rigorous entrance exams and interviews with 10+ member panels and got selected into both of the IITs.

Now I am gearing up to go to north India to join the best of the two. Chennai is eerily silent at this point and all the helpful advice has stopped. However, I’ll break the tradition this one time and go against my grain to say this- dear aunt, don’t judge a book by its cover!” Quora user

15. I Lived My Life As If I Didn’t Know Him Or What He Did To Me

“I know they say ‘a life well-lived is the best revenge’ but I disagree.

My ‘friend’ and ex started dating within a week of the breakup, with no word from either of them about it.
It became very apparent that he had been trying to break us up from the moment he met her 6 months earlier. I still loved her, breaking up was foolish and I accept my fault and responsibility. However I was very hurt by their actions and lack of… decorum, shall we say.

In any case, I decided that I had to ‘win’ the breakup. Everyone who has been in that position immediately knows that’s a very dumb idea. I always had to have more fun, be seen in public with the hottest and coolest girls, whether they liked or hated me. I always had to be on social media bragging about how cool life was and how amazing my friends were and more than anything else how cool and hot all the girls I spent time with were.

It took a long time to realize that I didn’t want to do what I was doing. I didn’t like on any level the ‘cool and hot’ girls I was hanging out with. And it needs to be said that I didn’t have a relation with any of them, I just wanted to be seen with them. I was going out and doing stuff solely to be ‘seen’, not because I enjoyed it.

Eventually, I realized that I was living my life to get back at them. Not because I wanted to do what I was doing, or because I was happy, but to ‘win’.
And that realization made me realize that I had wasted a lot of time, effort, money because of two people that didn’t deserve any of those things. Why should I care what they thought or felt? Because clearly it was not mutual.

I stopped caring about them. What they were doing, what they thought and how I appeared to them. I stopped caring. And life became immensely better!

I ran into my ‘friend’ at a bar awhile later and he said something along the lines of, ‘Mate! How are you? Sorry about everything, what have you been up to?’ (First time speaking for many years).
I could’ve been gracious, and pretended everything was fine.

I could’ve clocked him. I could’ve awkwardly danced around the issue. Instead, I said, ‘Who are you? What are you talking about? I don’t think we’ve met.’

And my friends, letting him know I don’t give a single hoot about him was 100x more satisfying than anything else I could have done.

I understand that, in a way, my decisions were still dictated by them. But by acknowledging that I could live without giving a hoot about them radically improved my life.

Everything that happened affected me greatly – I still deal with the fallout out.
But to be able to shrug it off now, means a lot to me!” Adeodatus McCormack

14. The Teacher Didn’t Believe I Qualified To Take A Prestigious Exam, But I Did

“Back in school, we had this teacher (Mrs. B) who had a ridiculous behavior of punishing students and at the same time embarrassing them in front of everyone by using her typical words and laughing at us while physically hitting us.

We were equally irritated by her as much as we were terrified by her.

I was one of those guys whom you’ll find constantly sitting down, i.e., down as in on the classroom floor near the blackboard.
Notorious for my indiscipline, I was mostly found either out of the class, or standing on the chair, or kneeling down. A part of them was due to Mrs. B who was really happy to make me kneel down after some of her abuses and accusations.

Yet I managed to get decent grades (like most of you, too) because the 8th standard was just nothing (compared to what was coming ahead.)

So those days we had the prestigious NTSE examinations scheduled to be held for the first time in 8th standard, instead of 10th. As usual, we all had enrolled for the extra classes, but we had no idea about the course, so we studied everything possible.

7 students were selected in the first round of our school, and I was one of them.

Now the extra classes became really specific, and Mrs. B used to teach us Biology. One day in class while I was busy looking outside the window, she came forward and slapped me. Then she began, “I don’t believe how this guy got qualified to write NTSE second round. Tell me the truth Chand.

What have you fixed with the examiners to make you get selected?”

I was utterly broken by this comment, and I remember staying back after class and crying on my bench. At that moment I think I got serious about what I wanted.
For the first time, I studied really hard, day and night. Result: Selected in the second round.

In those days NTSE had three rounds, with the third round being the dreadful interview round.

And it was the first interview of my life; by this time I had already entered into 9th standard.

After all preparations, hope, and expectations, I finally made through the interview and got qualified as NTSE Scholar 2007. There were a lot of celebrations and congratulations from friends, teachers, and family. But the first thing I did was walk to Mrs. B’s cabin in the staff room, and I took blessings from her by touching her feet.

She asked me what happened. I told her, “Ma’am I finally got through NTSE.”

She made a fuzzy expression, but then she also congratulated me. I felt a happy fire kindle inside me.

After this day she never pestered me again. This was my small but meaningful revenge by success :)” Sidhant Chand

Another User Comments:

“The happiness of clearing NTSE can be understood only by those who actually did it….one of the toughest at school level.” Manogya Ranjan

13. She Was Bullied Her Entire Life, Then She Became Famous

Lizzie is a true inspiration and a total sweetheart!

“This lady.

Lizzie Velasquez

She suffers from a rare congenital disease which impedes her to accumulate body fat.
She is unable to gain weight and has to eat many small meals throughout the day. She also has only one functional eye.

Her childhood and youth were filled with bullying, teasing, source of amusement and the default subject for pranks. She was left alone in almost every part of her life, never got invited to parties, no-one to share the depth of her feelings, very few friends.

She was bullied to the extent that she hated to wake up in the morning as she will have to face the school, again. The apocalypse hits her when some ******** made an eight-second silent YouTube video with the title of “ugliest girl in the world.” The video went viral within a few days and received hundreds of millions of views.
This is the type of comment she faced on the video:

“Lizzie please-Please, just do the world a favor, put a gun to your head and kill yourself.”

“Kill it with fire.”

“Is she a human being or a monster?”

People are constantly in dilemma over their looks, while here is an example where one girl was voted by millions as not only ugly but the ugliest girl.

Can you even imagine what type of pain she would have gone? Video going viral!!!!

We love to talk about the beauty of heart and purity of soul, but somewhere out there, this is the truth, the reality. The truth can suck everything out of you.
The truth of life that you are not mature enough to handle. The truth that we ignore to see, ignore to care.

The truth of rejection, the surety of rejection, each day, every day.

Now I won’t dwell further on the difficulty of her life and leave it to your imagination to extrapolate it.

But she had some other plans for her life. She didn’t want any of this. She never let her shortcomings define her. She realized that she is not the only one. She not only pledged to help herself but to all the bullied and rejected souls out there.

She decided that she will also live a normal life like others.
She will also have a family, education and a career. She has seen too much of sorrow that she wanted to motivate all the others who are going through such phase in their life. So this is what she pledged. She will write motivational books and be a motivational speaker. She will never let the people who called her “monster” define who she is.

She will fill her life with positive energy and use it as a flame to light others’ life.

And this is what she has achieved to date.

She has successfully published three books.

She is a well-known international motivational speaker. YouTube is brimming with her excellent motivational talks.
She graduated from college and her career path is full of opportunities.

This is how she answered the YouTube commentator, this is how she replied to the jerks who teased her, and this is how she retorted to the bullies.

They may now have to stand in a long queue to get her autograph and get a look at her.

Now none of them can say that they made such video.

They will give her an example of their coming generation.

A perfect example of revenge with success.

I got to know about her via a TED talk. Please have a look.” Awanish Pandey

12. He Told Me I Didn’t Deserve To Be An Engineer, Now I Make More Than Him

“I went to a newly started Engineering college in a small city.

I was a graduate of the very first batch of that college. I was average at academics.

This happened on a fine day when there was a misunderstanding between my project guide and me with respect to time to meet to show him the updates that he wanted me to do in the project. I was there at the stated time but he behaved very rudely and shouted at me loudly for no reason, in front of fellow students and staff.

I left there crying. The same eve my father called me and hearing my voice he came to know something was wrong.
I explained to him the whole story. The principal of our college was his friend so he called him and explained my scenario. The next day when my HOD (Head Of the Department) came to know about this and got very mad at me for not including him before going to principal.

I didn’t know that dad would directly speak to the principal. He yelled at me and used some very harsh and discouraging words. The words that did hurt me to the core were. “You don’t deserve to be called an Engineer!!” He went on to defame me in the whole institute.
I didn’t utter a word.

Fast forward…
Graduated.
No job.
I decided to go for an aptitude test in engineering.

Took a year drop.
Worked hard, every night those words kept buzzing in my ears and motivated me.

Results came. 99.20 percentile in test. Got admission into one of the premier institutes of the country.
Completed first-year M.Tech with 9.07/10.0 CPI.
Placement season started.
Placed at a very reputed MNC with a very good package.

I called the same HOD to tell him the whole success story.
He was shocked to hear. His first words were, ” Your salary is more than mine even after the experience I have.” He congratulated me.

The Revenge part:
After a few days, the same HOD called me to ask me if he can make me chairman of the Alumni Association of the college.
I gave an affirmative response.
I was the first speaker at the first-ever alumni meet of the college. My photo is also onto the top of the notice board now as “Successful Alumni”!

Actions speak louder than words. **** True.” Quora user

11. My Relatives Had No Faith That I’d Receive High Final Exam Scores

“My Mom took pain to help me in my studies.

But I disappointed her. When my final exam results arrived, everyone was shocked. They expected me to be a state rank holder.

But I ended up with just 937/1200.

One of my relatives called my Mom to ask for my marks. When she replied, she cut the call without even uttering an “Okay.”

During a family gathering, one of my Uncles teased my father saying, “Your daughter has poured water on your dreams” and laughed.

One of our family friends advised my father to get me married off to someone since I wasn’t good at anything.

My father just hung up his head in shame. He had no answers.

These people made me feel depressed. But I never gave up. Rather than academics, I started concentrating on extra-curriculars. Writing was my hobby, passion, and aspiration. I worked on more freelance projects.

I was not allowed to take up college placements owing to my final semester marks and grudges of staff.

I challenged them straight away that I will be the first person to get placed in my section.

I concentrated more on freelancing.
I applied for over 100 companies and got zero phone calls from any.

One day, I came across an ad from a product based company, requesting technical content writers. It was a full-time job.

I applied and got selected with a stipend of 10k since I was a student back then.

After that, my salary is double that of my stipend.

No one knew that I got placed. There were no classes conducted on final year, except for exams.

I cleared all the subjects.

I visited my college after 6 months of joining my office, as a full-time employee. The staff mockingly asked me, “So did you get placed or planning for higher studies?”

I just replied, “I am going to get my 6th-month salary.”

I will pay millions to get back that look on their face! Now I am the role model for all my relatives and family friends.

Success is indeed the best revenge!” Amrita Angappa

10. She Got Dumped Then Changed Her Life Around

“When I broke up with my abusive ex-fiancé, I lost loads of weight (through stress, but whatever), got a whole new wardrobe (because I needed it after the weight loss), got a new haircut, got the tattoo I wanted (that my ex said would make me look like a man), changed career, got a great job, almost doubled my salary, got several promotions, bought myself a car and a piano (he hated me having hobbies), took up dancing and got a mortgage by myself on a house in London.

He got unemployed and a horrendous haircut so awful that when I bumped into him I actually couldn’t help doubling over with laughter.” ConnieC60

9. My Uncle Thought I’ve Ever Become An Engineer… Until I Did

“This story dates back to the year of 1995. I was 5 years old. My dad had taken early retirement from the air force and had to live in the village. There was no electricity and only one school that was in bad condition.

We were a family of five and the only source of income was his pension, which was even less than what Levi’s jeans would cost now.
Clearly life was a struggle but we were quite happy with what we had. It was a joint family and Dad’s brothers were also living in the same house. They were doing business and were quite prosperous. They never shared a thing except for my grandmother’s medicine or other requirements.

So, essentially we were on our own.

I had just started going to my village school while my cousins were in some boarding school. It was an evening of March 18th, 1995 which happened to be my birthday also. I was jumping all evening with the plastic ball and bat I had got as my birthday present.
Due to all this, I was very tired but I had to sit with my father to complete my homework.

I was sleepy and in no mood to study in that dim lantern light. My father got impatient and scolded me. I could see the disappointment on his face.

Next to the room where I was studying (or feeling drowsy whatever !!) my cousins (they were on vacation) were also there with my uncle. Uncle heard my father scolding me and in his usual sarcastic tone he said: “You are teaching as if he is gonna become an engineer.” My father didn’t reply but from his expression, I could understand he was sad.

Then I asked him “Papa, what is an engineer?” He simply said, “An engineer is kind of some big successful guy.” After that I immediately got up, went to the window and said, “Uncle, you see one day, I’ll be an engineer.” They all started laughing and making fun. I came back with a long face. My dad hugged me and said, “Yes, my son you’ll be an engineer” and tears rolled off his eyes.

That was a turning point and this incident made a place deep inside my subconscious.

Fast forward, my dad got a job working the railways and we moved out of the village.
Conditions improved, life changed but my goal remained the same. Going through all ups and downs of life and defying all odds this is me in 2012, with a first-class distinction in Mechanical engineering and the award.

Giving an interview to some media person for the project we did.

I didn’t forget to send this picture to my uncle. I didn’t finish here. I moved abroad and did MS from one of the world’s best school of mechanical engineering with scholarship. Game is still on for someone else but first revenge has been served.” Sandip Kumar

8. It’s Impossible To Become Fluent In Another Language At My Age? I’ll Prove You Wrong

I think telling people that you can’t become fluent in another language as an adult is just an excuse lazy people make.

“I remember the moment when I moved to Canada for the first time. Everyone speaks English here, or French if you live in Montreal. Being a new immigrant, I wasn’t fluent in English. My accent was thick, my grammar was really bad back then.

People made fun of my English, my brother, sister, and some students at school. I was frustrated, to be honest. I was an introvert person, and I was very ashamed of my English.

I was the only student in my high school who speaks Indonesian which is my native language. Thus, I had no choice except that I had to speak English every day.
As a result, my English improved rapidly.

In Canada, I met a bunch of students from different countries who speak different languages. Most of my friends were also immigrants, mainly because I wasn’t confident to talk to Canadians who speak English as a native language.

It was discouraging. I also began my interest in learning other languages such as German, Mandarin, etc.

After approximately 2 years, my brother who was studying psychology at that time told me that it’s impossible to become fluent in another language unless if you start learning it as a kid. He said that his psychology textbook says that.
I was really mad at him. Surprisingly, my father supported his argument and told me to behave myself at that time.

However, I wasn’t discouraged.

After 5.5 years, I have managed to learn 5 languages other than English. I am pretty fluent in 3 of them now. It helped that I read a lot of books including  Dutch for beginners, written in Indonesian. My mom bought that for me when she went back to Indonesia for holiday. The second one is the bible written in Dutch.

It took me lots of hours.

I spent most of my time reading these books, watching videos on youtube, memorizing vocabulary on memrise, doing exercises on Duolingo, etc., instead of watching TV or playing video games.
It was worth it though.

Now, I can read the newspaper, watch movies in Dutch and German without subtitles, and I can understand spoken Mandarin pretty well, and I’m learning some Spanish. I also took an Italian course and got an A although I still can’t speak it at all.

No one criticizes my English anymore. Everyone knows me as the language nerd, and I have proven to others that everyone can learn a new language regardless of their age.” Audino Chen

7. She Was Bullied For Her Skin, Now She’s A Model

Now millions of people are in awe of her natural beauty!

“The story of Chantelle Brown-Young aka Winnie Harlow is a fantastic one.
I have got to know about her a while back when she became the face of Desigual, a Spanish casual clothing brand based in Barcelona, which I live nearby.

At the age of four, she was diagnosed with Vitiligo, an incurable condition in which the pigment is lost from areas of the skin, causing whitish patches; Winnie is black and therefore the dramatic effects of her condition are particularly accentuated.

Because we feed our children stereotypes (this is just my opinion of course) it’s no surprise that Ms. Harlow got bullied for the way she looked; her peers at school taunted her with cruel nicknames such as “cow” and “zebra” and she didn’t get better luck outside of school either.

The bullying was so bad that she was forced to drop out and be homeschooled and live a friendless childhood.

She didn’t lose her self-esteem, though. After an interview with a Toronto photographer who encouraged her to push her persona and her look, she started leveraging social media and she ended up competing in the 21st edition of America’s Next Top Model, run by supermodel Tyra Banks.

These days Harlow has over one million followers on Instagram, she’s the testimonial for Desigual, Diesel, and other top fashion brands and she’s been shot by worldwide famous fashion photographer Nick Knight, whose portfolio includes, among others, Kate Moss and Lady Gaga.
I wonder if any of her former classmates feel a bit of remorse and are teaching their children to value uniqueness and diversity over stereotypes.” Sabrina Deep

6. The Family She Destroyed Made A Complete Turnaround

“I’ve heard that phrase a lot in recent months, in reference to how I should be conducting myself mid-divorce.

I have to say, for the longest time, it felt like utter nonsense. “No, the best revenge would be to spray-paint profanities on her car and sleep with her best friend.” A lot of thoughts like this crossed my mind. No doubt. Until today.

8 weeks ago I started the paperwork.
The literal day I found out she’d been out sleeping with at least two people and leading me on and lying about it.

8 weeks ago. Last week, she moved into a house with yet a third man. They live together. Feels a bit fast, no?

While she was moving in, she made her parents, who are both old and weak and ill, come load up all of her stuff from my house, because when she left she took only her clothing. As I helped them load it all, both her mother and father started to cry.

Her mother spoke the words “…oh my God, my daughter…” and cried.
She said to me, “If you get the sense that we’re ******* angry, it’s not at you honey.”

Last week was also my week with our 8-year-old son. So he didn’t know they lived together. That he’d be living with mom’s new “friend.” He found out today. And when he did, he made her bring him back to me.

He told her he wanted me, and cried and yelled until she acquiesced. When she dropped him off she looked miserable, so sad and hurt. And good. She deserves it.

I begged her to stay. I pleaded with her to try counseling with me.
She refused. I quit drinking, lost 40 pounds, got onto a healthy sleep routine. She still refused. She had other things she wanted to do.

She took the good car and her clothes and left me and her parents with 10 years worth of her life to deal with. She uprooted my family when I was there, willing to do anything to make her love me again. She was out sleeping around, and my son and I were at home, crying.

But today, she walked into my house, my clean, tidy, organized house, and had to see her son run to me and immediately feel better.

She had to see me, thin and sober and energetic, take him in my arms and comfort him like she couldn’t. She had to drive away alone, and walk into her new house with her new man and know that it would never be like the family we had, the family she destroyed.

And my son and I ate a healthy meal together, and we brushed our teeth together.

And then I read to him from his favorite Goosebumps book and tucked him in for bed.

There has never, ever in my entire life, been an act of revenge so sweet. The feeling of pure, utter satisfaction, in knowing that no matter how awful she chose to be, I rose above.
I took the high road at every turn. When life got hard, I got better. And the whole world can see it.

Her parents can see it, she can see it, my son can see it, I can see it. And there is no one in the world who is ever crying about what I’m doing with my life.

I am here to tell you that living well truly is the best revenge. Are you sad, angry, hateful? Do you want to see the whole world burn, and is it her/his fault? Take that and turn it into something dope.

The sadness is my motivator to work out.
The anger my motivator to fight the hunger pangs and keep dieting. The hate, an incredibly good thing to remind me why I do not need a drink.

Just live well. No matter what happens, live well, and the world will see it. And it will not go unrewarded. Today I got an extra day with my boy. Very worth it.

Living well truly is the absolute best revenge.” PublicDomainMPC

5. Be A Terrible Boss? You’ll Owe Me A Lot Of Money, And I’ll Be Living My Best Life

“I worked for this small business IT Consulting firm for seven years. Owned and operated by a person we will call ***.
Fi*rst two years things were fine. Occasionally this guy would take things a little too far, he was just passionate about his opinion and always had to be right, so I’d always give him that.

I don’t have to agree but I saw his need and left it at that.

What I started to discover however is the turn over for the company is a couple of years and I began to realize why. The Boss (****), picks one worker and makes it his life’s work to make that person as miserable as possible. I’m guessing the reason, ego purposes?

For months I’d hear him shouting all the time at this one guy.

The co-worker after leaving the meeting would go back to his office from where I had a view and I could just see the stress and misery in his face. Till finally, I said to him, “what the **** man? He’s always giving you a hard time here lately, what did you do?”

He didn’t seem to know. He confided in me right there the level of **** he’s in and some of the things **** has said or done.

I couldn’t believe some of the details he shared on what **** both said and did. I felt things were embellished because people just don’t do some of the things he said.
I would realize much later he was telling the truth as crazy as it sounded.

A few months later he finally found another job and left. I talk to him a couple of times a year and he always said it was the best choice in his life he ever made.

****’s sights then narrowed on to me. I can take a lot. So for the next five years, I took it. He would insult me pretty much every day, each day more and more colorful. I didn’t really care or take it home with me so it wasn’t a problem for me, for **** I would learn it was.
Unrelated, five years in I put in my notice because he asked me to get a couple of certifications and if I did he would take care of me.

Once I did what was requested he backed out of the agreement and played coy. Once he received my notice a couple of months later he called me up within a minute, begged me to stay. It’s important to note he only asked for two certifications, I not only obtained those but an additional fourteen on top of that. Each time he would tell me, “Great job, you will be well taken care of.” He lied 16 times in total on this matter.

He matched the offer and increased my salary up another 15k. Not looking forward to starting a new job I decided to stay.

What I learned is I was a fool to do that and money isn’t everything. Go where you’ll be the happiest. Best life advice I can give after this experience.

He left me alone for a couple of months after that, he wasn’t in the office much either.

Then a day struck his fancy to start things up again only he ran out of material. My work is solid and he had no opportunity to criticize that.

The only method he had was bashing his ego and sarcasm around but he realized it had no impact on me.
Here is a brief snippet of any given day of what it’s like to be selected as his target.

He would communicate a problem he was having at length. Let’s say he complained about his cell phone. After he finished his story you would provide a helpful suggestion or advice from your experience. In turn, he would ask with an entitled and sarcastic tone if you were an expert on the matter and wanted to see those credentials. I learn fast, just never speak unless spoken to.

Any comment or insult he made I would respond without emotion and just say ok.
Because **** wasn’t able to get a rise out of me the old fashioned way he decided to create fictional content for a new direction.

Our small company would go out to eat as a whole, or just order in on Fridays. I ate half my sandwich and wrapped the remaining to take home.

He saw me with leftover food and claimed that I was taking home dinner on his dime. Any time there was any leftover, even a single French fry he’d be there with a magnifying glass for inspection to find any conceivable way to yell.

So on Fridays I started packing my lunch, I’d order a beverage and aside.
I’d finish the beverage and the side. Then eat what I brought, if I didn’t finish it he had no opportunity.

You could see his look of disappointment when he would scan my plate.

This went on a couple of weeks, he had no opportunity and couldn’t complain. He realized he failed again. So then he came up with the next item.

The Bathroom. I actually did a little research on and couldn’t find anything legally I could do. But anytime anyone would use the restroom he would blame me for the smell.

Instead of hello when passing on the highway he would say “Did you use spray” or “Did you light a match” as hateful as he could, but that was his normal.
It went much deeper than this, more then I care to share. But I honestly believe **** has a fetish on this topic which is why I looked into it legally. It was just always on his mind and a little too important to him, let’s just leave the rest unsaid.

I must have visually tipped him off I didn’t approve of this because he never got bored with it. However I did at least get him to stop asking about if I used the spray. Anytime I used the bathroom, even to take a p*ss I’d use the entire can of air freshener.
This wasn’t an easy task as I’d have to mask my face to empty that entire thing.

It takes a while surprisingly to empty an entire can in a session. One thing is for certain when I was finished, someone used the “spray” and **** was buying a new can. Took about five weeks but I think he figured it out spending so much on spray, he stuck to just asking about matches after that. He even provided them in the bathroom.

One day, we were out with a client.

The current topic at this moment was “what is your favorite meal? My answer was “hot wings, I could eat those every day!” **** jumps in, his comment “Just think how bad the bathroom would smell”.
Most at the table wouldn’t get the context and direction of that comment, but I knew. He did this in front of a client, in public, while people are eating.

I almost walked out.

Then I remembered he drove and it’s a long way back. Plus **** is over 60, what kind of person knocks out a senior? I had to chant that in my mind to keep control. I never get p*ssed but after years this was the last straw! I seriously pleaded with myself all day not to do it because I’d go to jail and he would win.

During this time period, he also started playing with my money.
Behind 4-5 months with reimbursement, a week late on paychecks, stuff like that. You ask where it’s out, he says “next week” you explain he already said that last week, then he’d play coy.

I finished out the day without reacting somehow. I took everything I had but I’m not going to allow this to be unanswered.

That was dangerous and too close. If he wants trouble, I’ll give it to him! I will get even in a lawful way, somehow.

Then the idea came to me that night, did my research and odds was in my favor that it could work. I’m just going to mirror him until he fires me.
When he fires me he will have to pay half my current salary of 65k until I get a new job.

You know what? I can live perfectly fine on 32.5k. Why not make him pay out of his pocket 32.5k for everything he had said and done? He would have to pay this over the course of six months or until I found a new job. So my goal was to make him pay me $32,500 to be exact over 6 months as restitution for what he said at that table.

I read up on all the rules in my state for Unemployment.
Each state is different. But basically, to qualify for it, it can’t be your fault if you were fired. So If I stood there and told him where to put it, that’s a no go. However, if I was laid off I would qualify.

So I hit him where it hurt first, his favorite thing in the world is meetings.

Because he loves to hear himself talk and take you to step by step through his thought process with a noble tone congratulating himself for his thinking and why his way is the best way. So I started speaking up and illustrated a more efficient way that cost less.
He would argue, sometimes red in the face mad. Especially if others in the meeting liked my idea.

He knew he was wrong but he would dismiss them and demand it be done his way.

I then started talking about him within earshot on purpose. I’d say things like “Make sure you perform that ***** way, takes longer but it’s better than him releasing the Kraken.” It would make everyone laugh, but it wasn’t a direct insult.

Trust me when I say this guy has a massive ego and I was counting on this for p*ssing him off.

I laid it on thick, in time it took its toll.
I knew it did because of what came next.

His retaliation was the kitchen sink, he had nothing so he started accusing me of things, then playing coy when it came to reviewing the details or facts. He would put words in my mouth, I’d state he was wrong and then he would tell me I was.

All he was doing was opening the door so he could play a revengeful sarcasm game. I know it’s a game so I decided to take his new toy away from him by just going along with whatever it is he said. Which further made him mad because what he was doing had no effect on me.
Fast forward six months, yes I’m STILL working here. But were only receiving a couple calls a day which are fifteen minutes each.

This was due to **** bad business discussions.

While I took delight knowing he was hemorrhaging money for months, I was hoping for a lay off to execute my plan. Nothing. I have to make him want to fire me, it’s the only way. I have to beat him at his own game while providing the illusion he is in control.

So I turned up the heat. I was asked to travel to a client by the 2nd in command.

I said, “I’m sorry man, I haven’t received reimbursement in six months for travel expenses and I just had my work cell phone service turned off. With the way business is right now things aren’t looking good, I’d be stupid to take on more expenses, and I’m owed over two thousand dollars as it is. Once that’s paid in full I’d be more than happy to continue on a week to week bases after reimbursements.”

That day *** had a meeting with me and set up a payment plan to pay the money back.

After three weeks it would be paid. So I said to *** “understood, after three weeks I’ll be on the road again, cool” just making sure he understood because he wanted to play games and not pay the amount in full *** is now going to pay me my salary for three weeks to do nothing until the reimbursement fee is paid.
Guy has several million-dollar houses, goes on vacations has a boat, etc.

Out of all the things I’ve done so far, this had made the most significant impact. Because I outwit him at his own game, it embarrassed him in the eyes of others. Why? Because the second of command was instructed to drive me anywhere I was needed. So I had my own personal Taxi driver for the few calls we had over the next two weeks.

Two weeks he paid two people, me and the admin to drive and watch me work. I was friends with the admin and he knew exactly what I was doing and he loved every second of it.
Then on the third week, three days until the final payment, it happens. *** enters my office and gives me the filmier demeaning dog wave gesture to follow him without speaking.

We sit down and he asks me what the problem is?

I told him the problem is he needs a new hobby. On one hand, you have someone sitting here that busted his a** for the last seven years, in the other your need to bash someone’s face in the dirt with your ego. The problem with me is I won’t conform and provide both.

He asked for some examples.

I said you know what I’m talking about and even if I did review them you’d play coy.
He then played coy about being coy, I laughed.

After a pause, he said if you feel that way why didn’t you speak to me about it? I reminded him that I did twice and both times you humiliated me for it and said: “This is I.T!” What the I.T Career that I’ve done the last twenty years had to do with his ego I’ll never know.

He responded with I’m behind the times, my work has been poor and out of the kindness of his heart, he gave me a raise after I demanded it. I responded with Ok.

Then he finally said what I wanted to hear “I want to call it quits”.
I remained professional and communicated I’m sorry things didn’t work out and spent the next two hours reviewing stuff with co-workers on how to handle certain things.

I shook his hand with a smile and left without saying anything negative. The fruit of my labor will do the talking for me shortly.

En route on the way home, I called family members to tell them the good news. Everyone was so happy for me. It finally happened.

When I arrived home I promptly adjusted the dates on the unemployment forms I had filled out already in wait and submitted them.

I called the state and confirmed everything was documented on my end accurately and now it’s the waiting game.
My plan wasn’t realized until my boss receives the letter in the mail about a week later stating he’s going to have shell out my Salary for the next six months or until I found a job.

Panicked at this point he realized what I set him up for.

So He claimed he fired me for poor work performance. The state said, ok prove it. In this state it’s the employers’ burden to prove it. My record had no blemishes and he couldn’t use a client because a number of people at any given client would vouch for me and the truth as they all liked me and appreciated my work.
Realizing the *** storm he’s in now I’m told from the admin friend he was on the phone with them quite a while twisting and turning the fake stories out.

Bottom line, the state needed to see documented verbal and written warnings, signed so he couldn’t fake them. He called his lawyer and his lawyer told him he’s screwed.

Later my boss told co-workers he felt bad for me that I couldn’t find work and he decided to give unemployment to me to save the face of his ego. That made official that his ego was effected, he didn’t want anyone to know the truth.

At this point he realized I got the better of him when I fought back and I won, big!

In a last-ditch effort, he lied about how much I made. The state sent me paperwork stating this fact and asked me to prove my salary. So I gave them copies of checks and pay stubs for the last six months. After that things went easy, he was flagged for lying which made the reaming steps effortless the state rep told me.

For the reason I was terminated I said “*** the owner made some poor business discussions that impacted the company losing business and clients.
He let me go as a business discussion, in his shoes I’d of done the same and understand.”

I wrote it that way for a reason. But *** didn’t realize why. I knew what his reaction would be. The state saw a down to earth guy that was honest and understanding on paper.

Then they saw ***s predicted response of being a ***, most likely yelling and of course lying. I had no doubt that would seal the deal simply on the evaluation of a character before the facts even entered into it.

His reaction being, his ego had to take it up the ***.
Once for failing as a businessman, another for me saying so on state paperwork, and lastly accepting that I got the better of him and all this time I have been coaxing him to make this move.

The only thing left to do is pay me, every single week. And his money goes to the state first then the state sends it to me, so he can’t play games with my money or the state is coming after him.

Over the next six months, I took that time to enjoy myself, pursue hobbies and lived life to the fullest on his dime as a reward for his comment.

Once the letter came to renew unemployment, *** would no longer have to pay or only a parentage I forget, the important thing to know is taxpayers would have to pay after six months, not ***. So I declined the renewal. Three weeks later I had a new job.

It was either that or knock him out during that lunch, It wasn’t easy, took work but I’m proud of the way I handled it.

I feel vindicated, it’s pretty rare the world is balanced, evil often wins. But not this time. This time it cost ***, 32,500 dollars to be exact. All in all, I can say 10/10 would do it again.
Due to his age, I can’t imagine that it would be a humbling experience at this point. But it was for me, money isn’t everything, there is only one thing of true value, your happiness.

A year later, I’m very happy now, I enjoy my new job and my new boss. I discovered myself again, who I really am. The goofy friendly guy, my light is no longer dimmed by a dark presence and I can be myself without punishment.” Divine_Squire

4. Now That I’ve Dumped You, I Have Everything Going For Me. You? Not So Much

“I did not realize my ex was narcissistic until I started reading up about his behavior and then suddenly so many pieces of the puzzle started falling into place.

It was not until the flaming ends of the relationship were falling around me that I suddenly started to realize he was also a flaming end of the piece of toilet paper someone shoved up their **** for a dare. I digress.

Anyway, we got together, fell in love and started living in my house. We both had children who then started living in mine, my ex’s, my ex-partner’s and his ex-partner’s houses.

It was one big happy family as we all live in the same neighborhood and they all went to the same schools.

This is important. I owned my own house which I bought and paid for myself.
He had his own house as a result of his eventual divorce from his wife. Cue, us living together for 8 years, getting married in the last 2 years – in my house and him renting out his house.

Now, trying to be smart and intelligent – I obtained a prenup safeguarding my house (worth 5 times as much as his house) against him. During this time [THIS IS THE BIGGEST *** UP EVER] we obtained a mortgage over my house for us to buy – do up and sell houses. This was all good – we did it a few times and then got busy with jobs and reduced the mortgage down to nothing and then left the account at zero, just in case.

Long story short – I found out the ***** had withdrawn $190,000 from the account over two years. Didn’t tell me, hid it from me, used it to prop up his failing business and bought everything expensive ****** thing under the sun. Spa bath, $2000 BBQ (who the *** wants a $2000 BBQ?), another car to fit all the kids into, phones, clothes – ***********.

I found out and the *** hit the fan.

This story of woe will not resonate with anyone who has not dealt with a narcissist. I found out the $190,000 had been taken out again MY house and not his (long story – legal stuff, too boring to describe) – that he would not have to sell his house to repay the money.
Okay, so how does this relate to a narcissist? It was all about CONTROL.

He controlled me through the money – he spent what was not his and throughout the relationship would always disparage my job that paid less (although I worked longer hours, but I love my job), put me down for being ‘stingy’ – I was good with money and told me I did not have good taste for not buying high-end items (you ****, that was MY money you were spending, **** ).

So, when I discovered his lying thieving sh*tty ways, he was furious – that I was furious.
Go figure eh? He eventually left after about 4 weeks – left without packing a bag, saying goodbye, left his dog, didn’t say goodbye to my children that he had lived with for 8 years – totally discarded. So I was devastated that; a) he had left b) I had no way of getting the money back he had stolen from the account again MY house c) left me with his ****** dog d) he had yet more power over me, haha *** you I’ll repay the money when I feel like it

This is the thing – he didn’t know that his house was protected by the prenup.

He told me he had spoken to his lawyer and they were sorting affairs, but his lawyer was crap.

He had left – I was being discarded, dismissed and it was the beginning of the smear campaign. I sent him an email asking him to tie up loose ends etc. Stated at the end that I wished him the best, I did not want it to end up this way and I had hoped we could have grown old together.

He took this as “Yay, I’m back!” and then started the worst hoovering in the known universe. I had realized he was a narcissist at this point and began reading everything I could get my hands on.
I realized what I was dealing with and with the help of amazing friends – pretended that for the 6 weeks that we were totally getting back together until he was persuaded to sell his house, pay off most of the mortgage account.

We were still living apart at the time – I said we could not get back together until his house was sold. My children were not involved except the eldest, who knew what was going on. All our friends were in on it – they all knew and helped and abetted me pretend the fake relationship.

My younger children had no idea, except my teenager who was wonderfully supportive.

“You can do this mom.”

He would say during our ‘re-courtship’ – “We need to talk about the loan at some point” or “My business is getting better, could you get an extension on the loan once the house is sold?” ***?

I would wax lyrical. “Once the house is sold, I can tell the children we are getting back together and how amazing it will be.” All the time back home I was dancing in the kitchen with my kids to Taylor Swift’s ‘We are never ever, getting back together’, while eating ice cream for breakfast.

Now, this is the good part – he thought he was coming over for a romantic dinner at my house two days after the house sale went through to celebrate ‘all we had been through together, as a couple’ – pass the sick bag.
The money went through – $130,000 – I did some swift bank transfers, debt transferred to me – then I have no connection to him anymore.

Just a huge ****** debt.

A day later I see him in the car,  he waved, I didn’t. He texts, I don’t respond. Feels good. I have my bags packed for a pre-arranged trip to a tropical island with two very good friends. He’s starting to ramp up the texts and calls. No response from me. Leaves me alone for 24 hours, great news to me *****!

My children go to their dad’s house for the week – my big burly nephew moves into my house to house-sit the dogs and then I’m away for the week.

Not before sending him a beautifully crafted, “Dear ‘*** you’ John” letter stating ‘yeah, Nah, it’s not me, it’s you.’  I’m on a jet plane and out of the country, Yeah Baby!. He turns up at my house, sees my darling nephew and ***s off again.

Then I get an avalanche of texts, phone calls and emails stating I am the worst person ever (Yeah, Nah!), I planned this for weeks (Yep!), everyone was in on this (Yep! Everyone hates you and you have no friends), you were the worst wife (Not really, had a look at your husbandry skills recently), how could you do this to me (easily, you stupid wankface), I hope you rot in **** (as long as it is as warm as my tropical getaway, no worries you stupid ***face ).

He pulled some *** when I got back – I phoned the police and now he has a potential protection order against him – but it’s all good, he’s gone quiet. I’m in therapy, have excellent security around the house and am feeling so much better.

So on the face of it, I walk away with a massive debt BUT! I am free of him and his constant put-downs, I have the whole bed to myself, I can do whatever I want when I want to, my friends are ****** cool and have been super ****** supportive and kind and gentle with me.

My children are great, the house has music playing, the dogs are happier, I’m sitting in my nightie in the living room typing this up having a glass of wine – with no judgment on my parenting, clothes, greasy hair, that the dishwasher is not empty but I.don’t.give.a.***.

Plus, I out-smarted a narcissist who tried to *** me over $190,000 by doing exactly to him what he did to me.

And I know he is sitting in his tiny, ***y little one bedroomed apartment in a crappy neighborhood, eating tuna out of a tin can. There is no stove, he told me this to get sympathy, wishing a great rock would fall out of the sky a smash me.
But he didn’t, neither did the rock. I hope he is crying into his crappy craft beer (which he probably can’t afford now), ruing the day he met me; no wife, massive debts, no nice warm house, no cool step-kids, no dog, no bank loan (I told them what he did – they were not amused, his credit rating is ***ed), no friends, holy *** now even I’m feeling sorry for the poor *****.” Reddit user

3. I Went From A Broken Environment To A Successful Finance Analyst

“My mom and I lived in a plywood shack until I was 7 – no electricity, hand pump for water, outhouse – all of it.

We had a couple of animals and ate a lot of eggs and drank goats milk from our goat, except when our one neighbor would sometimes let us milk one of their cows. My mom killed rattlesnakes for dinner, squirrels for stew, and we had a small garden to grow vegetables in. She met my stepdad when I was 7, and they were married in 3 weeks.

Life didn’t really get any better, except we had moved into town, into a trailer park, where we had electricity and running water at least. Of course, the trade-off was that he was an alcoholic that beat me, and didn’t work, so we didn’t really have any more money.
I got kicked out at 18 – somewhat of a blessing in some regards because at least the beatings stopped.

Of course, I was homeless and ended up falling in with a bad crowd because at least someone accepted me. I ended up becoming an addict, ran *****, occasionally sold my body for a fix. It was a pretty dark time really. A lot led to me pulling out of it, mostly some lucky breaks and the fact that I wanted out.

I moved into a homeless shelter, got clean, worked a few jobs – collections mostly, married an abusive guy because I thought that’s what love was, got divorced when I realized that’s what it wasn’t.

Went back to school and got a job at a credit union. I started making a bit more. Graduated with a degree in finance and was one of three people from my class hired at graduation. Now I’m a successful finance analyst for a Fortune 500 company in charge of billions of dollars.

Funny what a few years can do.” Reddit user

2. I Got Fired From A Bad Job And Lost My Woman, Now I Have A Great Job And Wife

“I had been teaching at my first job for about six months.

I was seeing a woman and it seemed pretty serious.
And after about a decade of false starts, my life was finally coming together nicely. Then in mid-March, my boss calls me in and tells me that he is firing me. He cited some things that we had talked about and while he did admit that I had improved in all the areas of concern he said he just didn’t think that I “had the fire for teaching in my belly.”

While dismissing me, this principal sites that one of the reasons I am being fired is my poor spelling.

It’s true, I am awful at it. This is bad for any teacher, but especially an English one.
The thing is, I am diagnosed with dyslexia. I don’t just say I have it because some teachers thought I wasn’t a good reader in the 4th grade. I am diagnosed with it. So what he had effectively done was fire me for a symptom of a diagnosed disability.

Now he could have fired me for no reason, that was in my contract, but the fact that he cited my spelling was where I could have fought it legally and probably won.

I tell the woman I am dating what happened and she tells me to sue the b*stard and fight for my job.
I ultimately decide against this because I don’t want to work at a place where I’m not wanted, and it would become impossible to find a job later if I had a reputation for suing.

I explain this to my girlfriend and she promptly leaves me because “I don’t put enough value” in what she said.

So I’m back at square one. No job, no woman, I’m basically pretty sure that I am going to be driving nails for the rest of my life in the desert sun.

So there’s the rags part. As for the riches- I get a job at a high school that has a reputation for being pretty rough in a new district.

I am required to go to a district orientation meeting for all of the new teachers. Long story short, (too late) my new (and current job) turned out to be amazing and I met the woman I married at the meeting. I’m happier now then I have ever been.” Spodson

1. Set Him Up With “Poor” Clients? Joke’s On You, He Just Sold A Car For CASH!

“My cousin’s company closed its location.

He took a “temporary” job as a car salesman at a local dealership. Obviously he was the junior (least seniority and least experienced person) on the sales floor. Early in this career, there were two men walking along the highway picking up cans.
They were dressed appropriately for roadside trash collection and had no other visible means of support. They had come on to the lot and were looking at some of the new cars.

The more senior salespeople decided to play a joke on him and went to my cousin and said that the two men had asked to have him test drive a few models with them.

My cousin, not aware of the prank went and spoke to the two men and accompanied them on a test drive of three fully-equipped brand new Hondas. After the test drives, the men chatted with my cousin and decided on the fully equipped silver Accord Ex.

They told my cousin that they would return at 2 pm that afternoon with the money to buy the car. My cousin shook hands with them and they left.

My cousin reported the gist of the encounter to his manager, with all the salespeople listening and snickering. When he finished his recounting of the encounter, they all burst out in laughter.

My cousin, however, got the last laugh.

At 2 pm sharp, the two men returned on foot in the same attire and asked my cousin to prepare the paperwork for them to sign. He took them into the finance manager. They told the manager that the didn’t need financing, they were paying with cash.
The manager asked to see the cash. They produced a roll big enough to choke a horse.

My cousin prepared the paperwork, they signed and drove off in their brand new silver Honda Accord.

There was no attempt at revenge for the intended prank, but the feeling was sweet for my cousin observing all the open-mouthed salespeople who thought they were putting one over on the noobie!

I always think the best revenge only comes if you are not seeking revenge!!” Quora user

Another User Comments:

“Were the two people actually trash collectors? Or was it that they were playing a joke on the employees of that showroom? :p” Pankaj Doltade

Reply:

“They were not in on any joke.

They were collecting roadside trash to recycle and make some money. Another lesson is “you cannot always judge a book by its cover.” Quora user

Nothing feels better than going from an unfortunate situation to getting to finally enjoy the beautiful life that you deserve! Share with us your “success is the best revenge” story below in the comments section.