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My boss called me at 11 p.m. and said, « Come to the hotel with me tonight. If you don’t come, you’re fired—and don’t tell anyone. » I went… But when I opened the door, saw him waiting for me inside, and heard what he wanted, I couldn’t believe my ears.My boss called me at 11 p.m. and said, « Come to the hotel with me tonight. If you don’t come, you’re fired—and don’t tell anyone. » I went… But when I opened the door, saw him waiting for me inside, and heard what he wanted, I couldn’t believe my ears.
My boss called me at 11 p.m. and said, « Come to the hotel with me tonight. If you don’t come, you’re fired—and don’t tell anyone. » I went… But when I opened the door, saw him waiting inside, and heard what he wanted, I couldn’t believe my ears. 😳
At 10:52 PM, my phone rang.
I almost ignored the call when I saw my boss’s name on the screen.
Mr. Harrison has never called me this late before.
When I replied, he didn’t even say hello.
“Come to the hotel tonight.”
I suddenly sat up in bed.
« What? »
“Meet me there. You have thirty minutes.”
I laughed, actually, because I thought he was probably joking.
« Mr. Harrison, it’s almost eleven o’clock. »
His voice suddenly turned cold.
« If you don’t come, Emma, you’ll be sent home. »
I had a knot in my stomach.
I worked for him for six years. I never received a reprimand, I never missed an important deadline, and I never gave him any reason to threaten my job.
« What are they talking about? »
He fell silent.
Then he said something that scared me even more.
« Don’t tell anyone where you’re going. »
The conversation is over.
I remained frozen on the bed for a few minutes.
Everything inside me screamed not to go.
But I had rent to pay, bills to settle, and I couldn’t afford to lose my job.
So I got dressed and took the car to go to the other side of town.
Upon entering the almost empty hotel lobby, the receptionist looked me straight in the eyes.
« Emma? »
The blood froze in my veins.
« Yes. »
She handed me the hotel map.
“He said you would come.”
« Which room? »
“Upstairs.”
The elevator ride seemed endless.
When the door opened, complete silence reigned in the corridor.
Only one door, at the very back, let in the light.
I slowly approached them.
With every step, my heart raced.
I then noticed that the door was already slightly ajar.
« Mr. Harrison? »
No response.
I pushed the door further.
And I froze.
My boss was standing in the middle of the room, looking me straight in the eyes.
Two elegantly dressed strangers were standing next to him.
But that’s not what scared me.
A white dress was lying on the bed.
And next to it was a small velvet box containing a diamond ring.
Mr. Harrison took a step towards me and said:
« Emma, before you run away, you must hear what I ask of you. »
My hand gripped the door handle tightly.
And when he told me…
I thought I had gone into the wrong room.
Continued in the first comment👇👇‼️
I just stared at him for a few seconds.
My gaze moved from Mr. Harrison to the white dress, then to the diamond ring, and finally to the two strangers standing next to him.
One of them was a woman of a certain age who was holding a leather folder in her hands.
The other was a grey-haired man dressed in a dark suit.
I squeezed the door handle even tighter.
« What exactly are you asking me? »
Mr. Harrison bore no resemblance to the self-assured man who walked through our office every morning.
His tie was loose.
The face was pale.
And for the first time in six years, he looked scared.
« I need you to pretend to be my fiancée. »
I blinked.
« What? »
“Just for tonight.”
I really laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
« You threatened to fire me just so I would come here and pretend to be your fiancée? »
His face tensed.
« I shouldn’t have said that. »
« No, you shouldn’t have. »
I reached the door.
« Emma, please. »
There was something in his voice that made me stop.
He looked at the two strangers.
« This is Margaret Collins, my mother’s lawyer. And this is Reverend Keller, an old family friend. »
The older woman gave me an embarrassed nod.
In a way, that made the situation even stranger.
Mr. Harrison approached, but stopped a few steps away from me.
« My mother is upstairs. »
I frowned.
“Upstairs?”
« She is staying in a private apartment. She left the hospital yesterday because she refused to spend what could be the last days of her life there. »
My anger has subsided somewhat.
« What happened to him? »
« Cancer. »
His voice almost broke as he uttered that word.
I worked for him for six years, but I had never heard him talk about his family.
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My boss called me at 11 p.m. and said, « Come to the hotel with me tonight. If you don’t come, you’re fired—and don’t tell anyone. » I went… But when I opened the door, saw him waiting inside, and heard what he wanted, I couldn’t believe my ears. 😳
At 10:52 PM, my phone rang.
I almost ignored the call when I saw my boss’s name on the screen.
Mr. Harrison has never called me this late before.
When I replied, he didn’t even say hello.
“Come to the hotel tonight.”
I suddenly sat up in bed.
« What? »
“Meet me there. You have thirty minutes.”
I laughed, actually, because I thought he was probably joking.
« Mr. Harrison, it’s almost eleven o’clock. »
His voice suddenly turned cold.
« If you don’t come, Emma, you’ll be sent home. »
I had a knot in my stomach.
I worked for him for six years. I never received a reprimand, I never missed an important deadline, and I never gave him any reason to threaten my job.
« What are they talking about? »
He fell silent.
Then he said something that scared me even more.
« Don’t tell anyone where you’re going. »
The conversation is over.
I remained frozen on the bed for a few minutes.
Everything inside me screamed not to go.
But I had rent to pay, bills to settle, and I couldn’t afford to lose my job.
So I got dressed and took the car to go to the other side of town.
Upon entering the almost empty hotel lobby, the receptionist looked me straight in the eyes.
« Emma? »
The blood froze in my veins.
« Yes. »
She handed me the hotel map.
“He said you would come.”
« Which room? »
“Upstairs.”
The elevator ride seemed endless.
When the door opened, complete silence reigned in the corridor.
Only one door, at the very back, let in the light.
I slowly approached them.
With every step, my heart raced.
I then noticed that the door was already slightly ajar.
« Mr. Harrison? »
No response.
I pushed the door further.
And I froze.
My boss was standing in the middle of the room, looking me straight in the eyes.
Two elegantly dressed strangers were standing next to him.
But that’s not what scared me.
A white dress was lying on the bed.
And next to it was a small velvet box containing a diamond ring.
Mr. Harrison took a step towards me and said:
« Emma, before you run away, you must hear what I ask of you. »
My hand gripped the door handle tightly.
And when he told me…
I thought I had gone into the wrong room.
Continued in the first comment👇👇‼️
I just stared at him for a few seconds.
My gaze moved from Mr. Harrison to the white dress, then to the diamond ring, and finally to the two strangers standing next to him.
One of them was a woman of a certain age who was holding a leather folder in her hands.
The other was a grey-haired man dressed in a dark suit.
I squeezed the door handle even tighter.
« What exactly are you asking me? »
Mr. Harrison bore no resemblance to the self-assured man who walked through our office every morning.
His tie was loose.
The face was pale.
And for the first time in six years, he looked scared.
« I need you to pretend to be my fiancée. »
I blinked.
« What? »
“Just for tonight.”
I really laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
« You threatened to fire me just so I would come here and pretend to be your fiancée? »
His face tensed.
« I shouldn’t have said that. »
« No, you shouldn’t have. »
I reached the door.
« Emma, please. »
There was something in his voice that made me stop.
He looked at the two strangers.
« This is Margaret Collins, my mother’s lawyer. And this is Reverend Keller, an old family friend. »
The older woman gave me an embarrassed nod.
In a way, that made the situation even stranger.
Mr. Harrison approached, but stopped a few steps away from me.
« My mother is upstairs. »
I frowned.
“Upstairs?”
« She is staying in a private apartment. She left the hospital yesterday because she refused to spend what could be the last days of her life there. »
My anger has subsided somewhat.
« What happened to him? »
« Cancer. »
His voice almost broke as he uttered that word.
I worked for him for six years, but I had never heard him talk about his family.
See more on the next page
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