**The Cunning Advisor**
Emily stepped into the director’s office of the company where she’d worked for nearly two years.
The fifty-something man barely glanced up from the paperwork spread across his desk.
“Mr. Harrison, why was I made redundant?” Emily asked, her voice tight with hurt.
“Not just you. The company’s struggling—we’re on the brink of bankruptcy,” he replied, rubbing his temples. He’d faced this question too many times already, even threats.
“But you haven’t gone under yet, have you?”
“No, but profits have plummeted. To keep paying full wages, we had to let some staff go. Would it be fair if I kept you and laid off single mothers instead? As I recall, you were a temporary hire, covering a maternity leave. Any more questions?”
“Is there nothing else you can offer me?” Her voice wavered.
“I told you—we’re nearly bankrupt. Nothing personal.” He buried himself in his documents, signaling the conversation was over.
Two weeks later, Emily scrolled through job listings, sending her CV to every site she could. Interviews led nowhere—either her experience wasn’t enough, or they never called back. Her savings dwindled, rent day loomed, and still, no job.
Just as hope faded, a new ad caught her eye. She dialed the number immediately.
“Can you come in by eleven?” a crisp female voice asked.
“Today? Yes!” Emily replied.
“Take down the address…”
Emily checked the map and groaned. The office was miles from her flat, and she had less than an hour. She regretted agreeing so hastily but had to try.
She threw on her coat and dashed out. Rain poured. She doubled back for an umbrella—turning up soaked wouldn’t impress anyone. First impressions mattered.
At the bus stop, an elderly woman told her the bus had just left. Everything was against her today. Emily fought tears as her chance slipped away. Desperate, she stepped to the curb and stuck out her hand.
Cars splashed past. Finally, a silver Vauxhall pulled over. The young driver rolled down his window.
“Where to?”
Emily slid into the passenger seat and gave the address.
“That’s miles away,” he grumbled.
“Please, I’m late for an interview.” She met his eyes pleadingly.
He sighed. “Fine.”
“Thank you! Can you hurry?”
“Now she’s rushing me,” he muttered, shaking his head.
“What?”
“Relax, we’ll make it.” He swerved down a side street, avoiding traffic lights.
They pulled up outside the office with three minutes to spare.
“Good luck!” he called as Emily sprinted inside.
She burst into the right room at exactly eleven, flushed and breathless.
“You’re not late. Impressive. Clearly, you want this job,” said the woman in the sharp suit.
“Desperately,” Emily admitted.
Half an hour later, she walked out with a grin—then spotted the Vauxhall still parked outside. Heat rushed to her cheeks. She’d forgotten to pay him.
“I’m so sorry! I was in such a rush—” She fumbled for her purse.
“Don’t worry. I waited to see if you got it. Guessing congratulations are in order?”
“Yes! They hired me.” She beamed at her rescuer.
“Celebratory lunch, then?”
Emily hesitated but couldn’t refuse. He’d helped her land this job.
“Alright. You really are my lucky charm.” She climbed back into the car.
She liked him—now that she could actually look at him properly. Handsome, sharp-eyed, well-dressed.
Their romance blossomed. Two months later, she moved in with Daniel; six months after that, they married. The flat wasn’t his, though—a friend working abroad had loaned it until his return.
Eager to own a home, they took out a mortgage. With first-time buyer perks, it made sense. Daniel picked up extra shifts to pay it off faster.
Kids could wait. Emily grew up in a big family, wearing hand-me-downs from her older sister—even her brother’s clothes. She’d sworn her children would never face that. At twenty-five, she had time. Once the mortgage was clear, they’d try for a baby—one who’d want for nothing.
At work, Emily grew close to Sarah. Stylish but understated, Sarah’s pixie cut made her look younger. Emily was stunned to learn she wasn’t thirty but forty-two. She admired her openly.
“New Year’s plans?” Sarah asked as the holidays neared.
“Staying in. Mortgage payments mean cutting back.”
“Same. Just me this year,” Sarah said wistfully.
“Your parents?” Emily regretted the question when Sarah sighed.
“I can’t visit my mum. It’s… complicated.”
Fair enough. Emily couldn’t imagine being alone on New Year’s.
“Come to ours! Three’s a party,” she offered.
“I’ll think about it,” Sarah smiled.
At home, Emily warned Daniel.
“You mind?”
“Nah, invite her. But did you mention we’re keeping it low-key?”
“No, but she’s smart—she’ll bring something.”
Sarah arrived in a sleek dress, bearing champagne, smoked salmon, and fruit. The night was a blast. Daniel charmed them both, dropping Sarah home at dawn.
After New Year’s, Emily noticed changes. Daniel took calls in the bathroom. His phone never left his side. He crashed the second he hit the pillow—exhausted from work, sure, but he slept through weekends too. Their intimacy faded; outings stopped.
Doubt crept in. He was attractive—women noticed. She’d fancied him instantly. Was someone else in the picture?
She couldn’t recall when he’d started hiding his phone. Had he always done it? Meanwhile, men at work flirted with her. She shut it down, loyal to Daniel—but the unease grew.
“You’ve been off. Everything okay?” Sarah asked over lunch.
“Fine,” Emily lied.
“Your call.” Sarah shrugged.
Eventually, Emily confided her suspicions.
“You got comfortable. Men need challenge—the thrill of the chase. Shake things up. Change your hair, act distant, make him jealous. I’ll call some evenings—take it in another room. Let him sweat.”
Emily hesitated. “What if he blows up? We barely argue.”
“Your call.”
Still, Emily dyed her hair, went bolder with makeup. When Sarah called one evening, Emily excused herself to the bathroom.
“Who called you?” Daniel demanded when she returned. “Why hide?”
“Funny, I’ve wanted to ask you the same.”
“Give me your phone.” He held out his hand.
“Only if you give me yours.”
The fight erupted. Accusations flew. They’d never fought like this. Exhausted, Emily went to bed alone. Their marriage felt fragile—one more blow might shatter it. She regretted Sarah’s advice.
At midnight, restless, she crept to the kitchen for warm milk. Passing Daniel’s room, she spotted his phone glowing on the chair. She tiptoed in, unlocked it (their wedding date), and scrolled.
Her stomach dropped. Messages from Sarah—her colleague, her friend.
The puzzle snapped into place. After New Year’s, after Sarah had met Daniel. The late calls, the whispers—Sarah had orchestrated this. She’d told Daniel Emily was being courted at work, nudged him to watch his wife. Meanwhile, she’d coached Emily to play hard to get.
Sarah—flawless at forty-two, with a fifteen-year-old son stashed at his grandma’s. That’s why she hadn’t visited her mum for New Year’s. The son refused to see her. Emily had heard it in passing, pitied her, invited her over. Dug her own grave.
She woke Daniel early, phone in hand.
“Explain this. Why is Sarah texting you?”
“You went through my phone?!”
“Why haven’t you checked mine?”
“Let’s talk after work—”
“I set the alarm early so we could. Sarah lied to you, didn’t she? Said I had someone at work?”
Daniel glared. “You denying it?”
“Of course! I turned men down daily. Sarah told you to watch me, right? And told me to make you jealous. She’s the one calling me—and you! Why?”
“Why would she—?”
“Are you dense? She fancies you! She’s forty-two, with a teenage son—did she mention that?”
“You’re making this up to cover your tracks.”
“Ask anyone at work. We’re together all day—no one’s seen me flirt. She came into our lives, and now we’re at each other’s throats. Who do you trust—her or me?”
Daniel faltered. “I don’t get it. Why would she—?”
“Neither do I. But she wanted us apart.”
Peace returned. Sarah quit soon after—Emily exposed her, and the office shunned her. Once a liar, always a liarThe years rolled by, and Emily and Daniel—now parents to two children in their own mortgage-free home—would sometimes laugh about the time a scheming woman nearly tore them apart, but their love had only grown stronger for having weathered the storm.