I Was So Desperate to Impress My New Boss That I Paid a Man and His Kid to Pretend to Be My Family, but I Had No Idea How It Would End – Story of the Day

Work has always been my top priority. I’d spent my whole childhood watching my parents tear each other apart, and I swore I’d never end up like them.

So I chose a different path. I chose a career. I chose myself. And everything had been going just fine, until one moment flipped it all upside down.

Our company got acquired, and we had a new boss. No one had seen her yet. No one even knew her name.

But one day, her assistant showed up. She stood in the middle of the office and cleared her throat loudly.

“Hi, I’m Amber. I’ve got a message from upper management. Our new boss has always put family first, above business. She believes that’s what made her successful. She’s currently looking for a deputy who shares those same values, someone who’s a strong family person first and foremost,” Amber announced.

Everyone started murmuring. Most of us were either single or not officially married, and honestly, it was a pretty strange requirement for a job.

“So tomorrow’s Family Day at the office,” Amber continued. “She wants to meet everyone’s families. That’ll help her make her decision. Thanks for your attention,” she said and walked off.

“What the hell was that?” I muttered to my coworker Lucy.

“No idea. But I guess I better find someone to pretend to be my husband, fast,” Lucy joked.

I laughed. It really did sound like a joke. But then I thought… why not? Why not actually hire someone to play my husband?

I could use the promotion, and it’s not like the new boss was gonna come over to my place and double-check.

The plan could actually work, so I decided to go for it. After work, I headed to the local theater, hoping to find an actor.

But after tugging the door handle a few times, I realized it was locked. I started knocking like crazy, hoping someone might hear me. I needed to hire someone, and I needed to do it fast.

“The theater’s closed today,” a man’s voice said. He was walking past, holding the hand of a little girl.

“Do you work here?” I asked.

“Yeah. I’m a composer,” he replied.

“No, you’re my lifesaver,” I blurted, and he raised an eyebrow, clearly unsure what I was getting at.

“I need a man to pretend to be my husband. Just for one day,” I explained.

“I’m not an actor. I write music,” the stranger answered.

“Close enough. You watch actors all day, right?” I pushed. “Is that your daughter?” I asked, nodding toward the girl.

The little one stepped in closer to him. “Yeah, she’s my daughter,” he said.

“That’s perfect! Please, just for a day, pretend to be my family. I’ll pay you,” I begged.

“How much?” he asked.

“Name your price,” I told him.

“Ten grand,” he replied.

“Deal,” I said and stuck out my hand.

“Are you serious?” the man asked.

“Dead serious. I really need this,” I insisted.

“Alright then,” he said, shaking my hand.

His name was Max. His daughter’s name was Luna. I took them to a nearby coffee shop so we could get to know each other a bit.

It honestly felt like a first date. We were throwing out random questions to break the ice.

Luna was sharp for her age. She caught on fast. She even called me Mom as we said goodbye.

I could only hope the plan would work. Because I couldn’t afford to mess this up.

The next morning, I picked up Max and Luna and drove them to my office. Before we got out of the car, I turned to face them.

“You guys remember everything we talked about, right?” I asked. “We’re a happy family, we live together, spend a lot of time as a unit.”

“Yeah, yeah, we got it,” Max nodded.

I looked over at Luna for confirmation.

“Will you buy me ice cream?” she asked sweetly.

“If everything goes well, I’ll buy you as much ice cream as you want,” I promised.

“Yaaay!” Luna squealed. “Thanks, Mom!”

“It’s honestly kinda scary how fast she slipped into character,” I whispered to Max.

“She grew up around actors. Not surprising,” Max shrugged.

“And her real mom?” I asked quietly.

“She died giving birth. It’s just been me and Luna ever since,” he said.

“I’m sorry,” I murmured.

“It’s fine,” Max replied gently.

We got out of the car and headed inside. The office looked like it had been hit by a party tornado. Balloons, flowers, posters, even a kids’ play area, though there were only three kids total, including Luna.

Lucy rushed up to me. “Who the hell is that? Where’d you find that hot guy?”

“That’s my husband, Max. And over there’s our daughter, Luna,” I said, pointing at Luna already playing with the other kids.

“You sneaky little thing,” Lucy grinned.

A little while later, Luna asked me to give her a tour of the office. I happily agreed. I could talk about work all day long.

We walked around as I explained every department, skipping over the boring stuff when I noticed she was zoning out. Eventually, she said she was too tired to keep walking and reached her arms up.

“Seriously? It’s not like we’re hiking. We’re literally just walking around the office,” I teased.

“Mooom! Carry me!” Luna yelled.

“Alright, alright,” I gave in and picked her up.

Then I heard something coming from the main hall and walked over to check. A woman in her sixties stood on the stage. Stylish, confident. She had to be our new boss.

“Oh, shit,” Max muttered.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Nothing. All good,” Max said and smiled when he saw Luna resting in my arms.

Her name was Margaret. She gave a short speech about how happy she was to meet us all and how lovely everyone’s families looked, even though she’d hoped to see more people with actual families.

And then Margaret started walking, straight toward me. I realized it way too late.

“Max. Didn’t expect to see you here today,” she said.

“Yeah. I’m here with my wife, Erin, and our daughter, Luna,” Max replied, wrapping his arm around my waist.

“I didn’t know you’d met someone. Or had a daughter,” Margaret said.

“You didn’t know much about me in general,” Max replied.

“You made that choice when you walked away from your family,” she snapped.

“You know who she is?” I whispered to Luna, and she shook her head.

“My family walked away from me the moment I refused to follow their plans,” Max said calmly.

“Let’s not argue. I’m genuinely happy you have a family now. And such a lovely one too,” Margaret smiled tightly.

“Actually, I have a little proposal. My new house isn’t ready yet, and I hate staying in hotels. How about I live with you guys for a week? It’ll be a great chance for Erin to show she’s promotion material.”

Max and I just stood there with our mouths hanging open. Before he could even respond, I jumped in.

“Of course! We’d be happy to have you.”

“Great. Just give me the address. I’ll come by tonight,” Margaret said and walked off.

“We didn’t agree to this. How are you gonna pull this off?” Max asked in a low voice.

“Who even is she?” I asked.

“My grandmother,” he muttered.

“You’re… like, rich?” I blinked.

“My family’s rich. I’m a theater composer. Take a guess what I make. But that’s not the point. How do you plan on us living together for a whole week?”

“I don’t know, okay? I have a one-bedroom apartment. We’re not all fitting in there. I’ll rent a house,” I told him.

“We were supposed to fake this for one day, not move in together!” Max protested.

“I know! I’ll pay you more. Name your price,” I begged.

“Alright,” he agreed reluctantly.

I asked Lucy to cover for me at work while I got everything ready. Thank god I knew a real estate agent who managed to find a fully furnished house, with a kid’s room, in just a few hours.

Max and I spent the rest of the day photoshopping fake family pictures and printing them out to decorate the place.

That evening, Margaret’s driver dropped her off at “our” house, and the performance began.

That whole week was no joke. Sleeping in the same bed with a stranger felt weird at first. But if I’m being honest, I got used to Max and Luna.

We made breakfast together. Max would meet me at the door after work. I read Luna bedtime stories every night. It felt like… a real family. I’d be lying through my teeth if I said I didn’t care about them. I did. A lot.

One night, Max brought out his guitar and started playing for me. The melody was beautiful. We sat on the porch while I listened, completely taken in.

“You wrote that yourself?” I asked, and he nodded.

“I haven’t been with anyone since Luna’s mom passed,” Max said out of nowhere.

That caught me off guard. “Why are you telling me this now?” I asked softly.

“Because I think I’m starting to feel something for you. And I can tell you feel it too,” he said.

“But we’re just pretending to be a family,” I reminded him.

“We don’t have to pretend anymore,” Max whispered.

“I haven’t dated anyone in four years. My career’s always come first,” I admitted.

“Because you’re afraid to get hurt,” Max said.

“Yeah. And I’m scared I’ll hurt someone I love. I grew up with parents who fought nonstop. I never want to put anyone through that, especially not Luna. She deserves the best,” I told him.

“I’m willing to take that risk,” Max said, then pulled me in and kissed me.

It was so unexpected… but it felt so right.

Unfortunately, the good didn’t last. The next morning, as I was getting ready for work, I saw Margaret in the kitchen. She looked furious.

“Don’t bother getting dressed for work,” she snapped.

“What? Why?” I asked, confused.

“Because you’re fired,” she said coldly.

“For what?” I asked, my voice shaking.

“But—” I started, but Margaret cut me off with a wave.

“I value family above everything. What you did was low,” she scolded. “And this house, this isn’t even yours, is it?”

“No,” I admitted quietly.

“Exactly. That’s why you’re fired,” Margaret said.

“What’s going on?” Max asked as he walked into the kitchen.

“She knows everything,” I whispered.

“That’s right. Thought you could fool me?” Margaret sneered. “You two clearly don’t respect the meaning of family.”

“Funny how family values didn’t matter when my own parents threw me out and you said nothing,” Max shot back.

“You just had to be a good son and things would’ve been fine,” Margaret retorted.

“You’re just like them. You only care about appearances. You don’t give a damn about real family,” Max snapped.

“How dare you!” Margaret yelled.

“Get out,” Max said sharply.

“You…how dare…” Margaret stammered.

“Now!” Max barked, and Margaret stormed out.

I leaned against the table, tears running down my cheeks. “I got fired,” I whispered.

“I’m sorry,” Max murmured, gently rubbing my back. “My family’s great at making people miserable.”

“It’s okay. I’ll find another job. I was due for a promotion anyway,” I said.

Luna wandered into the kitchen, still sleepy. “What’s for breakfast?” she mumbled, wrapping her arms around me.

“Whatever you want,” I told her, and she smiled.

“You sure you’re okay?” Max asked.

I nodded. “Yeah. I’ll be alright. I’ve got you guys now.” I looked up at him. “You’re not leaving… are you?”

“Nope. You’re stuck with us now,” Max said, then leaned in and kissed me.

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