I was scrolling through Reddit when I hit a trending post on r/jobs: [My son is interviewing for a summer internship at a corporate firm. What questions should I ask on his behalf?] The comments section was already tearing the OP apart. [u/JobHuntWarrior]: Wait, is it your interview or his? Does he not have a mouth? [u/CorporateDrone]: If he’s still attached to the umbilical cord, maybe he should stay home. A grown man should know what to ask. [u/HiringManager]: If these are my competitors, I’m feeling pretty good about my chances. The original poster (OP) got triggered immediately and started clapping back in the edits: [Edit: There are so many scammers out there! How can I rest easy if I don't go with him? You people are just jealous because you clearly don't have mothers who love you.] [Edit 2: Any legitimate company allows parents to sit in. We’ve accompanied our son to several interviews already.] I just laughed, shook my head, and locked my phone. At that exact moment, our receptionist, Jenny, rushed into my office looking like she’d seen a ghost. "Sarah, the 2:00 PM candidate is here early." She paused, her eyes wide. "And... he brought a whole tribe with him." 1 That Reddit post flashed through my mind. I looked at Jenny, skeptical. "You mean, like, his parents drove him and are waiting in the car?" Jenny shook her head, looking traumatized. "No. I mean the parents, the grandparents, the sister-in-law, and a toddler. Even the grandma is on a walker. They're all in the lobby." My stomach dropped. I’ve been in HR for years. I’ve seen helicopter parents drop their kids off. Usually, they sit in the Starbucks across the street or wait in the car. But a full-on invasion? That was a first. I frowned, checking my watch. "It's noon. Lunchtime. Put them in the guest lounge for now. Why are they two hours early?" Jenny looked like she was about to explode. "They showed up demanding service immediately! I tried to get him to fill out the application, but his mom kept interrupting me." "First she complained that he shouldn't have to give personal info before he’s hired. Then she screamed about why we weren't providing lunch since they traveled 'all this way' during noon." Jenny’s voice cracked. "Then she asked if I had a boyfriend. She said that even though being a receptionist is a 'low-tier job,' she’d 'reluctantly accept' me as a daughter-in-law." "With that short, potato-looking son of hers? The audacity!" I sighed, rubbing my temples. I hate dealing with these "failure-to-launch" cases. "I’ll handle it. If they’re this unhinged, I’m cancelling the interview." I stood up, but Jenny grabbed my arm. "Sarah, be careful. They aren't normal. They started recording video the second they walked in." "I told them it's against policy, but they refused to put the phones away." I nodded. understood. There are people who do this for clout—baiting companies into 'discriminating' against them to go viral on TikTok. I decided to play it cool. Ten minutes. In and out. Kill them with kindness, then show them the door. I walked into the guest lounge. The family was huddled around a young man, barking instructions as he tried to fill out the form. "Don't put your real number there," the dad said. "Put a fake one. What if they sell your data to scammers?" "And height? Why did you write 5'7? You have good posture. With shoes on, you're basically 5'10. Write 5'10." "Don't leave the experience section blank," the sister-in-law chimed in. "You watched your brother’s kid last summer. That’s 'Childcare Management.'" The guy, Liam, was sweating bullets. He looked like he wanted to disappear but didn't dare speak up. Meanwhile, the toddler was using the sofa as a trampoline. He knocked over a glass of water, soaking the application form. Chaos ensued. "Watch where you're going!" "I was busy helping Liam! It's fine, it's just water. They can still read it." "Liam, you're so careless! Why didn't you move the cup?" "Honestly, what would you do without us?" Liam buried his head lower, accepting the verbal beatdown like a statue. I stepped in to stop the suffocation. "Liam Patterson? I'm Sarah from HR. Let's head to the conference room." Liam looked at me with pure gratitude and shot up from his chair. But before we could take a step, his mother blocked my path. 2 "You must be the manager." She grabbed my hand, shaking it aggressively. "Our Liam just graduated. He doesn't have much experience, so don't ask him any tricky questions, okay?" The grandma, leaning on her walker, shouted from the couch. "My grandson is a genius! Ivy League Master's degree! Handsome, too! Honestly, you should just skip the interview and let's talk numbers." The dad nodded. "Right. I have a number in mind. You can just set up the direct deposit to go to my bank account." The sister-in-law (SIL) scoffed, crossing her arms. "Liam's brother is a VP at a major corporation. He knows all the dirty tricks you HR people pull. Liam has a Master's. If the offer is anything less than $100k, don't waste our breath." Wow. Where did they assemble this Avengers team of red flags? It didn't matter how talented Liam was. Hiring him would mean hiring them. He had zero independence. They gave me an out, so I took it. "Unfortunately, the budget for this entry-level role doesn't reach $100k. If that's a dealbreaker, I won't waste your time." The room went silent. "So... no interview?" the mom asked, stunned. I looked at Liam. "Since we can't meet the salary requirement, I wish you the best of luck in your search." Liam understood immediately. His eyes reddened. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it, defeated. But his SIL wasn't having it. "A company this big can't afford $100k? Why did you make us come down here? You're wasting our time on purpose!" "We took an Uber! That was fifty bucks! Are you going to reimburse us?" Grandma slammed her walker on the floor. "Fifty? What about my health? It's hot outside, I almost had a stroke getting here. You need to pay my medical bills!" I kept my face neutral. "I discussed the salary range on the phone during the screening. You accepted the interview based on those numbers. My time is also valuable. I'm not the one wasting it." "Please see yourselves out." They didn't budge. The SIL realized I wasn't going to be bullied, so she pulled the "Do you know who I am?" card. "Your company works with Sterling Corp, right? My husband is a senior executive there." "We were going to just ask him to get Liam a job, but we wanted Liam to do it on his own merit. We're giving you face by being here." The mom puffed up her chest. "That's right! My older son manages all their contracts. Aren't you guys bidding on a new project with them?" "One word from him, and your contract is dead." 3 I hesitated. Sterling Corp was our biggest strategic partner. We were in the middle of a massive bid that would double our profit margins. If this was true, it was a problem. I turned slightly and texted our Marketing Director. He replied instantly: "Sterling Corp? No one named Patterson in executive leadership. Procurement doesn't have anyone by that name either." I breathed a sigh of relief. Total bluff. "Are you the decision-maker or not?" The grandma banged her walker again. Thump. Thump. "Stop stalling! Call your boss!" I kept my voice calm. "We have a strict compensation structure. Since Liam is 'overqualified' and has such powerful connections, he shouldn't settle for us. Please leave." The SIL stepped in front of the grandma. "We came all this way. And you're kicking us out before even asking a question?" "Fine. We'll go. But you need to pay us $1,000. For the Uber, the emotional distress, Grandma's health risk, and the cost of printing the resume." "That's the 'friends and family' discount because of my husband's connection. Otherwise, I'm putting you on blast online." She tapped the phone hanging around her neck. "I've been recording since we walked in. I have footage of you discriminating against young talent and exploiting workers." The mom nodded smugly. "My older son taught her well. Pay up, or we ruin your reputation. Your new project with Sterling? Consider it toasted." I was done. I pulled out my phone to call security. Suddenly, a raw, guttural scream tore through the room. "ENOUGH!" It was Liam. "Do you want me to be unemployed forever?!" The family froze. Liam walked past them, trembling, and stood in front of me. "Sarah... Ms. Manager. I am so sorry." His voice broke. He took a deep breath, fighting back tears. "I really want to join this company." "Please. Just give me a chance to interview." 4 I looked at him, feeling a mix of pity and frustration. His resume was actually impressive. Ivy League, high GPA, difficult certifications. I had been excited about him. But this baggage? Seeing my silence, tears started rolling down Liam's face. "Ms. Manager, since I graduated... I haven't had a single real interview. They ruin it every time." "Just one chance. If I fail, I fail." His dad recovered from the shock first. "You spineless worm! Begging for a job? Have some dignity!" The SIL sneered. "Just let your brother make a call. Stop acting like a beggar." His mom started crying. "My baby, don't be upset! We don't need this trash job anyway!" Liam ignored them, staring at me with desperate, pleading eyes. I sighed. I’m too soft for this job sometimes. "Fine. But the interview happens in the conference room. Alone. No family allowed." Liam's face lit up. He frantically wiped the water off his resume and followed me. Behind us, the family stood there, jaws on the floor. "How can he go alone? What if she bullies him?" "Yeah, we need to be there to make sure it's fair." "Liam is getting rebellious. I bet he has a crush on that manager." "Hmph. She's cold. The receptionist was cuter." I ignored the commentary. Inside the conference room, Liam calmed down. I was right about him. He was sharp. Once the initial panic faded, he answered technical questions with confidence. His eyes actually started to shine. Then, a phone rang. Loudly. I keep my phone on silent. It was his. Panic returned to Liam's face. He fumbled to decline the call. Immediately, it rang again. Like a siren. "You can silence it," I said gently. Liam, flustered, just powered the phone off completely. Bam. The conference room door flew open. The mom charged in. "We agreed to keep the line open! We were listening! Why did you hang up?" "Why is the phone off now?!" 5 The whole clown car emptied into the room. "Yeah, if we can't hear, how do we know she isn't tricking you?" "You can't handle this alone!" "Did she make you turn it off? I knew it! Sketchy!" I looked at these people—these "experts" on life—and felt a headache coming on. "Get out," I said, "or the interview is over." Grandma shook her walker at me. "Why can't we watch? You made him turn off the phone! Are you trying to seduce him?" "Is that the only way to get a job here? Doing something dirty?" The mom sneered. "Desperate single women... always trying to trap young men. Is that standard HR protocol?" I looked at Liam. He had reverted to his "quail" mode—head down, silent. "Liam," I said sharply. "If you can't manage your own interview, you can't manage a job here." He looked up, a flash of shame in his eyes, but then he slumped. "It's no use... it's no use..." he muttered. I sighed. "Okay. Interview over." The SIL jumped in, phone camera pointed at my face. "I'm recording! Since you're done, give us a tour. We have rights." "Refuse, and I'll post this. 'HR Manager Kicks Out Family, Refuses Transparency.'" I almost laughed. I glanced up at the corner of the room. Our new 4K security camera with high-fidelity audio recording. You want to post online? I have terabytes of content right here. "Sure," I said, voice dangerously calm. "What do you want to know?" Thinking I had folded, they puffed up again. "That's better. Give us a good offer, and we might even say nice things about you online." "Right. The commute is too far. Does the company have a shuttle? Actually, just send a driver for him." "And food. Liam only eats organic, gluten-free, non-GMO meals. Don't feed him cafeteria slop." "And he's an introvert. He needs a private office. Corner suite preferably." Grandpa grunted. "Stop blabbering! Ask about the money!"
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "387563", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel