It could destabilize the entire family.
Friday morning arrived far too quickly.
When Emily entered Richard's office, she immediately saw a folder sitting on his desk.
Her full name was printed on the front.
She stopped.
Richard looked up.
“You're early.”
“You have a document with my name on it.”
“I do.”
“What is it?”
“Not yet.”
Emily stared at him.
“What does that mean?”
“It means you'll know this afternoon.”
That answer did nothing to calm her.
She spent the rest of the morning working while imagining every possible explanation.
At four o'clock, Richard finally came downstairs.
Something about him looked different.
He wasn't wearing his usual suit and tie.
Instead, he wore a simple shirt and trousers.
“Let's go,” he said.
Emily followed him outside.
“Where are we going?”
“Somewhere quiet.”
They drove for approximately ten minutes before arriving at a small neighborhood park.
The afternoon was warm.
Children were playing nearby.
People were walking their dogs.
Nothing about the setting looked like the location of a corporate firing.
Richard walked toward a bench beneath a large tree.
He sat down.
Emily remained standing.
“Sit, Emily.”
She finally sat beside him.
Her heart was pounding.
“Mr. Bennett,” she said quietly, “if you're going to fire me, please just say it.”
Richard looked at her for several seconds.
Then he spoke.
“As of today, you no longer work for me.”
Everything inside Emily seemed to stop.
She had prepared herself for those words.
But preparation didn't make them hurt less.
“Why?”
“No reason related to your performance.”
“Then what did I do?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why are you firing me?”
Richard folded his hands and looked toward the trees.
“Because I need to make a change.”
Emily felt tears beginning to form.
She thought about all those years.
The late nights.
The sacrifices.
The loyalty.
Was it really ending like this?
Then Richard turned toward her.
“I can keep you involved,” he said, “but only under one condition.”
Emily looked at him.
“What condition?”
His next sentence made her completely misunderstand what he was asking.
IMAGE 2 — Placement
A realistic photograph of an older European businessman and a young European woman sitting on a wooden park bench having a serious conversation, with natural afternoon light and a quiet green park behind them. Emotional but not melodramatic.