All Comments on 'Epiphany Pt. 02'

I'm going to wait a d see if he pulls the trigger on ALL of them and ends up the winner in a barrell of losers. The it will be a 5 I hope if not, the old single malt will have to do.

A bit of a mean trick a very short chapter to get us in the mood then shut down to early. Not happy as I was very looking forward to the rest and nowcdissapointed that again we have to wait. If it wasn't such a good story I'd tell you to fk off but you have me hooked I'm sorry to say. Not going to mark it though as its to short and I'm sulking.

a confrontation with the wife in the next chapter. It should have occurred in this chapter. Dragging it out isn't ramping up the tension and improving the story.

The dramatic impetus is needed to maintain interest.

I'd also seriously consider having at least one family member firmly and vociferously on his side. As it stands now, they are like evil cartoon characters with little semblance of reality.

That probably sounds hyper critical, but I'm enjoying the story so far.

So far so good.

Looking forward to the rest.

Still moving along nicely.

Boyd Percy

. . . in the third person, and it isn’t working well.

How does Linda not suspect that he knows about her affair when he moved into the guest room? And how does Sam simply lay down the law to his employees about having affairs? He might be able to do so for intracompany fraternization, but what business is it of his otherwise? This is something that puts his company in huge liability.

I found it an interesting situation, and readable in its own way, but it seemed to me to be a series of descriptions of scenes and situations rather than a story that flowed smoothly. What dialogue there was didn't seem to integrate well into the whole story.

It will be especially interesting to see how all those planned coming chapters are filled. It almost looks as though it could be finished off with one short chapter announcing the discovery and saying goodbye. If what has been intimated thus far, that Linda loves Charlie more than she loves her husband, she can't use the usual "It was only sex, dear" and beg to be allowed back into a loving marriage.

We shall see.

Lue

If it's written in its entirety post it as one story! Not multi chapter, this 'it might get stale' bullshit that another writer has used to break up bullshit story is just that bullshit. This 'chapter was nothing but filler.

I was afraid he was going to have a heart attack when he sat down on the bench, because he now knows things are even worse than he thought. Maybe he was neglectful of his own health and his family as his business grew, but his mother is a narcissistic bitch who has poisoned almost his whole family against him. What does his daughter want to talk about? Will he talk to his sister? He needs someone to show there is someone in the world who cares about him enough to share this burden with him. Will he still retire? I would love a scene where he crashes a family party and watches as his family and friend are served divorce appears, restraining orders, and maybe an alienation of affection suit. And being under such stress, he especially needs to update his will. Unusual in that it is usually the father who rejects his wife's lover's possible child, but in this case it was his mother. Maybe the father saw family traits in him? Maybe his mother never wanted to have any children from any man.

realy liking this story, its going just great, love how sam is sorting out his life and looking to sort out his enemies, but his wife is acting a bit blind, has no one talked to her about how sams reacting to his family,, well I guess she will find out soon, , looking forward to the next chapter ,, thanks for sharing

I've said it before and I will say it again!...So Far So Good! 5 Stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ WOOF!

Great story hope you see it through to the finish

Things are set up and the readers are anxious to see what happens next. The bad guys are beyond redemption. They are painted so dark there can be no reconciliation. His granddaughter is not really his since his daughter is Charlie's, (wink, wink) or is she? I thank you for not having a big titted secretary or a sister to the wife waiting in the wings.

Not bad, but I can't give in top marks for these reasons;

The first is that it is too narrative heavy. I am being told the story and not discovering a story. I am a big believer in that dialog best carries a story along. There is almost none her. It is just a series of block paragraphs after block paragraphs. Peoples interaction, especially in a story like this, should be front and center.

Next is you paint the protagonist as more 82 than 52. And the shower references get a bit old. He woke up - and took a shower. He worked out - and took a shower, He had a bowel movement - and took a shower. After establishing he showers we can pretty much guess when otherwise it just results in just what he had, a story that is more plodding than plotting. and he is so out of shape that I expect the final scene will have him dying of a massive coronary before he gets his revenge. I'm 66 and work out everyday for an hour and was a 40 year smoker and I'M in better condition than he. Dial it back a bit, okay?

I don't know how well the last bit is going to be. Frankly, there is no one here to root for as if the main character was as depicted, he is kinda getting what he could expect. And there is no one in his family on his side. They are all oxygen thieves using vital oxygen which could be better spent on others. I don't know if you meant it this way but everyone in his family is a functioning sociopath. No has the least amount of conscience. Is that really the way you see them? If so, just make it ground zero for a Sarin attack.

Looking forward to the next bit,

Regards,

C

Betrayed by everyone in a way I don't think Inhave seen before on LW. I really feel for the guy. Hope he gets redemption.

‘He walked...and swam’

A little more happened. He yelled at staff. He saw his grand daughter. He got a report and he moved to a hotel.

Not for nothing but did we need every 4 paragraph interlude about walking and swimming, particularly back to back?

I take that slightly back. You want to set a tone of dedication. I just think that the piece required a bit more happening.

Still intrigued

Not exactly erotic for me but I am enjoying the read anyway and looking forward to the next part. 'Somebody is going to feel some pain today.' I think most of us have ideas as to who.

Wives can be deceitful. Mothers can be bitches. How his daughter can teach her daughter to call her mother's fuck buddy grandpa is beyond me. That is a level of evil I hope I never see. The story is very interesting and compelling.

Pay no attention to those who say it’s too wordy. Can’t wait for the next chapter.

Forget the semantic 'anons' I like the details it gives the story a bit of depth. I am not a big fan of having to search for a story amongst verbal diarrhea! I am also happy to let the story blend into my own values and prejudices (Yes! we all have them) Keep the story going, I am anticipating an interesting conclusion. 5***** Thank you.

A bit slow now.

As one comment said, a lot of showering

and also a lot of water drinking.

It would be more fun reading about

what he's doing protecting his interests.

And shame on you HDK!

Every story can use a big titted secretary.

Or two ;).

This is still a very good story.

I'm really enjoying reading it.

Top ratings from me.

'Have to pull a sbrooks103x here, since so many random things kept popping up in my mind, as I was reading this chapter:

• "You might ask why Sam wasn't going to be the one to keep check on Linda's whereabouts."

No. I read the first chapter, therefore I know Sam's rich. It's one thing, if you're lower middle-class or under, to have to do your own investigating of a cheating spouse. But, if you have money? That would be just plain dumb. Leave the profession deal with it. That, plus the investigation also had to confirm who else in his family knew about the affair. So, once again... No, never needed to ask.

• "Sam also started to address his granddaughter's lack of affection toward him."

How exactly will Sam manage to have an ongoing relationship with Cinda, if he ends up stagnating Doug's career or even fired him, as he planned? Hell, given the feelings she expressed about her father later on, the mere fact that he is now ignoring her grandmother may be enough cause for Cindy to prevent him from getting any access to her daughter from now on.

• "In the morning Sam stayed home and met with the architect and the interior designer."

An excellent point made by SomeOneTwoThree in the previous chapter: why the hell does Sam needs or even wants to move in the apartment above his garage? Upon a divorce, which is definitely now the only plausible outcome here, he'll either sell the house and split the profit with Linda or give it to her outright as part of the settlement. Furthermore, if there's one thing this chapter made pretty clear, it's that he doesn't even like being there anymore! So why is he planning to stick around during the separation, since the Hilton or a rented condo would be better alternatives, and especially since there's no doubt his 'friend' and 'loving wife' will start fucking up a storm in his old resident the second he'll move in right next door? Where's the upside to such a plan?

• "A few were stupid enough to challenge him and found that Sam could continue to prosper without their help."

Welcome to lawsuit-city. You have to have cause to fired employees, and them fucking around on their spouses OUTSIDE OF BUSINESS HOURS doesn't cut it.

• "Sam just thought they were in a committed monogamous relationship but who was he to tell them how to live their lives."

Exactly, man - WHO ARE YOU!? It's OK to think that way when it comes to your most important subordinates, like Temperance and Delight, but not so for everybody else?

• "Later he got a text from Cindy asking him to stop and have a cup of coffee the next time he took Cinda out."

Unless this meeting she's asking for is to tell her father she doesn't want him to visit her daughter anymore, I genuinely have no idea why she would want a sit down with a man she thinks so poorly of...

• "... He needed to get dressed to meet with the investigator. He wondered about what he would find out."

Still wondering at this point, hey? No wonder Linda and Charlie managed to cuckolding him for so long...

• Mary Morse is, essentially, your typical, bottom-level cheating slut - instead of taking any responsibility for the demise of her marriage, she put all the blame of the fallout of her affair on her own, defenseless child, something even her husband didn't do. What really doesn't make a lick of sense, though, is Sam's complete unawareness of how much his mother despises him. You can close your eyes, on such things, as a kid, as a teen or even as a young adult... but for fifty-three years!? Again, how can we really be surprise he ended up being cuckolded for so long? When it comes to the people closest to him, the poor sap has a blind spot the size of the Grand Canyon...

• "James made similar comments about how gullible and naïve his little brother was. "

Sam's brother may definitely be an asshole... but, sadly, it's quite impossible to disagree with him there. By the way, given his approval of his mother's past behavior and his sister-in-law's current affair, it wouldn't surprise me in the least to learn that James is also stepping out on his wife, Deena. Right there, Sam - doesn't get any easier to get some payback on your scumbag brother.

• "He was sorely tempted to rain down hail and brimstone on his family but realized that some of his family might actually be innocent and didn't need to be hurt needlessly."

At this point, only Deena, Darla and Cinda seems to be unaware of the affair, and I'm only putting Cinda here, 'cause she's only three, and therefore doesn't know, nor would understand what an affair is!

• "... His private life was going to hell and quickly."

Correction: his private life IS in hell, and has been so for quite awhile now. Sam being totally clueless of it doesn't change at all that undeniable fact.

• "It had only been a week and he had found out that no one, with the possible exception of his sister, cared an iota for him."

... What happened to "some of his family might actually be innocent"? That line was written just a couple of paragraphs ago! Once again, the author put some mighty contradictory thoughts in his MC's mind, so no particular reasons...

• "Somebody was going to feel some pain today."

Such a thought is all well and good, but Farmers_Son made it very clear he has no interest in a BTB, so... Good luck with that, Sam!

My rambling nitpicking notwithstanding, I genuinely think this is a better chapter than the first one - more concise, less confusing. That being said, though... TWO PAGES!? The hell, author!? Nothing of actual significance ultimately happened here - we just have more confirmations of what we already knew, and some weak-ass justifications for it, at least from Mary's perspective. This really didn't need to be its own chapter - it could have seamlessly ended the previous installment without hurting the flow of the story at all. Actually, it would have improved it! For some reason, Farmers_Son felt the need to needlessly stretch the availability of his chapters. This could have been a solid trilogy... Now though, unless all chapters, from this point on, are at least five pages long, making it longer seems quite pointless.

No rating, 'cause story ain't over... but I will be there next time - gotta find out what crazy magic trick Sam will pull to be able to still be in Cinda's life when the shit hits the fan!

Please explain WHAT liability Sam is risking apart from the employee's resignation. A firing might be actionable without cause but advising employees that he doesn't like immoral people working for his company IS NOT ACTIONABLE! As far as 'Linda' not realizing Sam's attitude, perhaps she doesn't care knowing that disgusting family law that gives her a golden parachute in case of a divorce! A lot of women manage their activities knowing they are 'protected' by 'no fault' rules! Some of your comments are not only weeny but spineless and in keeping with 'Sam's' family's 'loyalties'!

By painting the family as having no redeeming characteristics, the story turns more into a fun fantasy than something based in reality. People are rarely be so black-and-white, as they are depicted here, but have elements of good and bad. That's what really provides the tension is understanding that even relatively good people can make bad choices.

All-in-all, it's a fun read, even as it is missing a bit of dialogue to really help build the suspense. We can assume that Cindy is not his daughter, nor is Cinda his granddaughter. Realistically, when he leaves, he may get his pound of flesh, but it doesn't sound like the rest of the "family" is going to miss him.

If this is five parts, I would expect the next three to be about him rebuilding his life and finding his soulmate pretty soon.

Small details like this take you out of an otherwise good story.

Bebop3, Chagrined, Leudon and Reed Richards made positive, reasonable, observations and suggestions on improving your writing in general, and this story in particular. My suggestion is that you carefully read their thoughts. I am waiting for the next chapter.

Either move it along (too much repetition) or make each chapter 10 pages or it will take 100 chapters to complete. Good story line but it's like getting 1 paragraph per entry. Stop the dragging.

Men who spend all there time making money. Then one day they wake up a stranger that no one knows in there family. Is it the wife and kids fault ? is it his yes and yes ! But to seem so surprised that they have a life without him I find that hard to believe . How many times did he spend his time working instead of spending time with his kids .How many lonely times did his wife spend without him .I find it hard to believe they never begged for his attention but he was to busy. But this family hates this man and they have bitter fillings for him so this tells me this has been going on for the whole marriage . Now he is getting old and what happened he woke up and Damn them it's all there doing and none of his give me a break. The wife smells trouble but still don't stop cheating. That shows her love has died for this man.

Reminds me of the ancient singing duo Patience and Prudence. I'd hoped that he could at least count on them, but does their admission of an extra-marital, doubly adulterous affair disqualify them also? Please don't leave him totally alone.

It may sound cliched; the thing is post-adultery it is only as bad as you think it is; so, he chose to overlook; understood the reason for her actions; knew she wasn't happy to cheat on him; she felt like shit, later, and he knew she would've killed herself, if he had left; he did the right thing; forgave her and saved her.

With his family getting together without him, they have to know that he’s on to them. They can easily compare notes of his recent behaviors and words. It can’t be hard to put two and two together. The real question is what do they have to say and do next? His daughter and son in law have means to support themselves, probably even if Sam fire him. His mother is fine financially and doesn’t care about him emotionally. His wife will be fine in any divorce and then she can be with Charlie full time afterwards. His sister is not mentioned in this chapter. She apparently knows what’s going on, based on her reaction in chapter one, but never let him know in anyway that something was amiss? What’s her stance on things? The only real reason that I can see Sam staying is for his granddaughter. If he leaves Linda, his daughter might cut his visits with her. So how does Sam determine what he wants out of this mess and what is he willing to sacrifice for it?

Simply awesome. Can't wait for the next.

The betrayal of a mother cuts far deeper. He still hasn't had time to process his anger towards his wife. At least he's aware that she's a loser, and a lost cause.

If I was him, I'd sabotage the ever loving fuck out of his mother's house. Small things that would ruin her home in a few years. A lot of nicer homes RELY very heavily on some smart and cheap fixes. It would be child's play to change an air damper, oops. Switch some wires to make sure the house runs on emergency heat during the winter. The mother might THANK him, until she sees how high her heating bills would be. We're talking 500-600 more a month.

Or he could get downright malicious. Open up a refrigerant valve, let some natural air in. Could be a cheap fix of only 400 dollars, or it could be a completely ruined system, costing 10,000 plus dollars. Mess with the condensate lines. Mold problems. Introduce termites under the crawl space. Literally every suggestion i gave would NOT be traceable back to him. That's how easy it is to do. You don't need to remove, or break anything.

Now, I love my mother. I'd never dream of hurting her. But if this monster was my mother, I'd prolly knee-cap the bitch. I love knee-capping. No one dies. The victim spends possibly years in recovery to walk properly, misses out on work and fun. And because it's not a death, no one seriously investigates it. The mafia had it right. Of course you do revenge cold.

you have me on the edge of my seat keep it going starting to get real good

Sam is moving to fast to end things and before moving his assets and money in a safer or hidden place . They all will fiqure out he knows and protect them self’s before he can enact any protections .

This feels more like a synopsis for a story, and not an actual story.

What a pit of vipers!

Intriguing tale of evil being discovered, personal growth and retribution.

I'm really enjoying it!

I NEED THE REST!!!

I have no desire to tell you how your story should go. It’s your story and so far I love it

you dont have to itemize his activities each and every day though. Also, how old are you? Calling Asians "oriental" went out of fashion in the 90's I believe. You have to be in y our lat 50's like I am to even remember a time when that term was used.

First, I agree with those who ask why isn't there ONE family member on his side, even if they're afraid/unwilling to speak up?

Why not ask Cindy about Cinda and "Grandpa Charlie?"

As for firing employees for outside affairs, I'm certainly no labor law expert, but I refer back to my comment on chapter 1 that ethics are critical in their line of work, and unethical conduct by an employee can have negative impact on the company. I don't know if he has a policy manual, but this is where one can REALLY be used, unlike most LW stories, since policies are designed to protect the business, so there could be a policy that would allow for terminating an employee under these conditions.

His mother blames the son that may have been the result of her cheating on the break-up of her marriage, NOT her cheating?

"Cindy added how sorry she was that Charlie wasn't her real father and that she felt Sam had never been there for her as she grew up." - If I remember correctly. while he may not have given his family as much time as he should have, he WAS there for all of her events and such.

Isn't moving to the guest room pretty much a giveaway that he knows/suspects her of cheating? His self-deprecating of his own attractiveness would require such a move.

"some of his family might actually be innocent and didn't need to be hurt needlessly" - As i think has been mentioned, I think his sister is the only possible innocent, maybe B-I-L?

For someone who is supposedly so concerned, Linda shows a marked LACK of concern.

Good story. Looking forward to more. Thanks for your hard work.

Two things:

• "A firing might be actionable without cause but advising employees that he doesn't like immoral people working for his company IS NOT ACTIONABLE!"

But it is IF he fired said employees. The court cannot and will not make judgement on whether or not affairs are moral or immoral - hell, it doesn't do it when it comes to the dissolution of a marriage, so why would it do it when it comes to a termination? They will only look at whether or not the employee did the job to the best of his/her ability, and said adultery affect the employee enough to affect his/her job performance, given then just cause for the employer fired the employee. If it doesn't directly, negatively affect his business, Sam cannot fired anyone having extra-marital sex outside of when he pays his employees. I don't even think it's legal for him to told to them about THEIR personal life - once again, if it doesn't directly affect his business, it's none of his.

• "I am also happy to let the story blend into my own values and prejudices (Yes! we all have them)"

Speak for yourself. I live by the wise words of W.C. Fields:

"I am free of all prejudice. I hate everyone equally."

I hope you'll take them as constructive criticism.

The first point is that there's simply too much "tell" and not enough "show". As I waded through paragraph after paragraph that started off with something like, "Then he did XYZ..." I began to lose interest and skip over those paragraphs. Since most of them were him exercising, perhaps I haven't created a problem for myself ... but I do wonder if something important to the story slipped past.

The second point is that I'm unconvinced about his actions with regard to his company. His actions with employees engaged in infidelity is on the border of getting him in trouble. While it's perfectly fine for him to take a moral stance and convey that to employees, you implied he was firing those who challenged him. If it wasn't a workplace romance, then it's legally none of his business and any punitive action would be grounds for a lawsuit. If I've misread, "A few were stupid enough to challenge him and found that Sam could continue to prosper without their help," then I guess ignore this one.

The third point is that he's let so many people know that he's fed up and not going to take it anymore that surely even those with only two brain cells would be starting to wonder what's going on. Particularly after he reveals that he's got a mole or some other manner of listening to conversations (his blowup with his mother reveals this pretty clearly). I doubt Linda became an accountant because she's an idiot. How can she NOT be wondering if he's found out when you couple it with all the classic "I've found out my wife is cheating so I'm getting in shape and cutting her off from affection" symptoms? Yet, you're still portraying her as clueless.

The fourth and final is one that may be explained in the later story but, if not, is a loose end. Presumably, Linda loved him before. Presumably, she raised Cindy in that environment. What would cause a daughter to become that disdainful of the father? He made it clear he wasn't an absentee father and didn't mistreat her. So, what gives?

Your family got tried of waiting on you to be a part of their lives.You make sure your at all of the important stuff.The thing is they need you for the little stuff too. Family takes time to turn to someone else for love Evan then they will still try for your attention and love. This is on the husbands head. The wife she should have gotten a divorce then a lover not cheat and still stay married. Why did it takes years after a grandchild before you realized you didn't have a family anymore ? You can't blame the kids for anything cut off wife and mom and siblings.

If it is an Employment at Will state they can be let go and no reason is needed. Of course a lawsuit may be filed and then it gets into whether or not Harassment or some other actionable claim is found.

.

looking forward to the next chapter

Covered more ground. This looks to be longer and more drawn out than it needs to be.

Look forward to see the monsters pinned to the wall. Stick it to them mate.

if its less than 5 pages combined merge the chapters

dont wanit any longer than the minimum required by the site

dont post the start of the story if you havent written it

too many days between updates and we all move on

In the time in between your stories, it's a welcome respite from the steaming piles of shit you write.

Kinda reminds me of those old monotone narrative PBS documentaries.

No conversations? They are more powerful than this narrative stuff.

Also, this story is typical LW fare: Husband is a wimpy, obtuse, out-of-shape guy who has multiple people who mocked him. Yet, he runs a multi-million dollar corporation in a dog eat dog world??? Seriously???

Still missing is the girly-man crying and vomiting.

This is the kind of guy in high school who used to get beat up a lot.

I hope this ends with this chapter so the author doesn't embarrass himself with a wimpy, cucky ending. How about a BTB to recover your manliness?

He was investigating and interfering in his employees’ personal lives off of the premises. Unless there is a superior/subordinate relationship within the company, it’s none of his business and even just saying that he doesn’t like it creates a hostile work environment.

There are many things that it’s just plain illegal to ask or investigate about applicants or employees. The most an employer can ask, and only after the employee has been hired, is how many dependents the employee has for health insurance, retirement programs and the W-4 form.

It is a good story and idea but seems to lack the written emotion. What being described is terrible but I don’t get the emote from the action or MC as I should. I am along for the reading ride so drive on and I will see where this is being taken.

Please do keep writing and I will keep reading.

You are wrong. If a person is an employee-at-will, as most non- union employees are, they can be fired at any time, at any reason, fair or unfair, unless the reason is in violation of the law - which means age, sex, national origin, religious or ( in some states) sexual orientation or identification. Beliefs, political, philosophical or other ( unless protected as stated above) are NOT protected. If it’s a private, non-union, business he can absolutely fire anybody if they support adultery, or if they have a tattoo, or if they have blue eyes or any reason not reasonably connected to a protected category (i.e., firing because you are kosher would be reasonably connected to being Jewish - not okay. And firing for wearing a burka would be same ( unless the burka presented a bonafide occupational danger, then it could be required to be removed in dangerous situations only).

Farmers_Son

Thankyou for submitting this chapter. I hope that Sam gives the bastards hell in his retribution. God only knows they deserve it. I don't see Sam as a cucked wimp. I see him as an innocent party who has been targeted by almost everybody around him as a money pump. He is a dude that proceeds cautiously with a planned approach to both his business and personal challenges. I look forward to the nest installment!

keep going make part 3 to where he finds the actual truth to every thing and gets his revenge

All states in the US are at-will states meaning a person can be fired for any reason at any time as long as it is not a protected reason such as sex, age, or religious discrimination, or a public policy reason such as retaliation for whistle blowing. Having an affair or cheating would not be covered by any of the exceptions to at will.

How old are you? It’s 2019 and you refer to humans as rugs. Do you also refer to black people as colored?

While I'm still enjoying the story, I'm beginning to think it might have been left unpublished until the whole story was finished; at which time the inconsistencies should become easier to see and the sticking points either edited out or rewritten.

It's still a good story but it needs an objective eye cast over it. Some of the points raised by your other readers are valid; particularly those relating to the industrial relations issues raised in your story.

I also have to agree with some of the other comments about your handling of the interaction between your protagonist and his wife and family members. They can't all be idiots. At least one or two of them must be starting to question why he is making the decisions he is making?

And, as someone has already pointed out, his wife must be wondering about his sudden change of character. She must be seeing a difference between his previous wimpy personality and his recent actions and be wondering if he has become suspicious about her adulterous relationship with their long-term friend.

Looking forward to chapter 3!

Take it where you want too. Go with it. And for the record, IBM back in the startup phase fired employees for adultery. So read your business history folks.

I am enjoying this so much that I hate the wait. I'm also happy that he is starting to take some punitive action starting with the bitch mother. Take out brother next then daughter and SIL. Save Linda and Charlie for last, but go nuclear on them. Great story.

Thanks for sharing.

Even if there was some sort of ethics/morality clause in the employee handbook, it would be unenforceable, at least in the US, as far as conduct outside and unrelated to the business.

Certain conduct outside of work that relates to the business, such as taking actions which cost the business money, could be firing offenses, but when you get to people’s private lives, you get on very shaky grounds. Ask yourself the obvious question: could a business fire someone for homosexual conduct outside of work? You already know the answer to that one: even in states where that isn’t specifically banned, it invites a major lawsuit.

An exception would be cases in which a government security clearance was required, but even in cases like that, if the adultery is known about, and is thus not blackmailable, it becomes difficult to fire for that.

. . . employee A is having an extramarital affair, and employee B finds out about it. Employee B spreads the word to employees C, D and E, and B, C, D and E ostracize A. Employee A could have a lawsuit against the company for allowing a hostile work environment to be continue, even if management had nothing to do with starting or spreading the story. The employees vulnerable to discharge are B, C, D and E, not A.

If this turns into a RAAC , I will place a Pox on your house and all your descendants !

So far tho , its a ripping good tale .

Must meet two standards. The treatment must be sufficiently abusive to interfere with an emploee's ability to perform his or her job AND it must be based on the employee being of a protected class or some other violation of law, such as sexual harassment or being a whistleblower. Cheating spouses are not a protected class. If co-workers who previously socialized with a cheater choose not to, as long as they continue to interact as required by their work they cannot be faulted for their behavior.

Ignore the nattering nabobs of negativity - enjoying the story. As for the comments about it being too narrative, it's his story from his perspective - doesn't require a lot of conversation. Looking forward to the next chapter.

Harassing a coworker over his sex life is sexual harassment.

There is a saying in poker that if you look around the table and you can't spot the sucker, then you're the sucker. This story would make a lot of sense if this guy is going through some kind of mental psychosis. How could everyone close to him be so against him?

His mom hates him since childhood, not because her husband cheated and forced her to raise his child out of the affair. But because she had an affair and bore the child. And even though the husband loved and doted on this child, she hates the child. Ok, let's assume the mom is mental, so let's move on.

His wife allows everyone to talk shit about him during the dinner. Set aside the cheating, but obviously she doesn't even like her husband at all, and even hates him.

His best friends obviously really dislikes him. Not just the cheating, but there is no remorse there and he obviously dislikes Sam.

His own daughter really dislikes him. It's one thing if the daughter knows about the cheating, but for whatever reasons she is staying silent. But the way it's portrayed, she is not only promoting the affair, but is totally against the father.

His granddaughter dislikes him. I don't mean because she calls Charlie grandpa, as the child is obviously confused, but when he goes to pick her up she doesn't want to be alone with him.

His brother hates him. Ok, I'm the youngest of 5 children and I have a loser brother who has always been jealous of my successes and has tried to undermine me. So one out of 5 one can see. But the 5 people closest to him hate him? That has to make one wonder what the hell is wrong with this guy, and what are the reasons people dislike him so much.

While these stories are great, because we can see the mental processes of a person going through something profound, we only get the story of one witness (the MC), and when something is so off, like it is in this case, we have to take what he says with a grain of salt. It's almost like one of these mass shooters writes his life story, and we read it before they commit their horrendous act. We read about how this or that person treated him badly. How his boss fired him. How his wife left him. How he was always beat up in school. And we feel sorry for him and think what horrible cruelty this person has gone through, but if the camera turns so that we get a purview looking at him objectively we get a picture of how creepy and weird the guy actually is and why everyone in his life reacted so strongly and negatively towards him.

So far I don't have enough info to say what, if anything, is wrong with this guy. But something is off when everyone who is supposed to be closest to you hates you and is conspiring against you. But if this was a real life story, and not an LW story, the odds would be that he is the problem. Of course, in the LW world men, especially white men, have the whole world conspiring against us, so in this case most likely it's the rest of them.

The boss does have the right to interject himself into an employees sex life IF he or she is breaking a written company policy regarding sex with other employees, especially subordinates. He essentially gave them a "Warning" with his talk and if they continue down the path they are on or start up again, then he will be forced to fire them. If he doesn't, he leaves his company open for lawsuits now that the cat is out of the bag, so to speak and he is aware of their actions. Personally, I would have picked a few of them and fired them for cause and made an example of the situation and how it will no longer be tolerated in the workplace.

Not dealing with a co-worker on anything non-work related isn't harassment.

As he made his way home and became very tired I was worried that you were going to write in a mild heart attack where the wife would become a caring spouse. Play this to the end as Sam works toward his planed goal.

In 39 US states your employer can fire you just for being LGBTQ, and there is not one single state in the US where an employer cannot make hiring, firing and promotion decisions based on the fact that you cheat on your spouse, are a lousy parent, get busted for DUI etc., on your own time. The only restriction is that distinctions cannot be made based on race, nationality, gender or other protected categories. IOW, if you fire people for doing something you think is rotten in their private lives, you need to fire everyone who does that something.

OTOH, the idea that you can sue employers for NOT acting against employees who do something rotten in their private lives is just nonsense.

So far you are writing a good, compelling story but some of the scenes are a bit on the slow side.

I'm waiting for the next chapter. Keep up the good work.

T.T.

1. One, whether legal or not, it is absolutely not Sam's job or business what his employees do with others off work as long as it doesn't affect their work. He needs to butt out of that stuff pronto. Not everyone shares his perspective and how does he know that they aren't having revenge affairs or just an open marriage or polyamory or hall passes or voluntary hot wife/vixen stuff or whatever?

2. As to why they all seem to hate him, I suspect that Mary simply infected them with her own biases, sooner or later.

Why the delay? You have an interesting story but could use an editor to eliminate fluff and add important information. You had Sam meet the investigator on Saturday but only went over the Tuesday meeting. What did his wife do the rest of the week? It is weird that she doesn't say anything when his mother, daughter and friend talk shit about him. Why doesn't she agree or stick up for him? Sam has too many enemies if you are accurately recounting his past with his family.

I'm afraid that you are going to add a chapter to show his wife knew about all kinds of shit he did against her and the rest of the family. If you do that you have been lying to your readers since Sam is being portrayed as an honest good guy. Why would he even consider adding an apartment to his house? He needs to move and start a new life. Please continue your story!

Just another writer who says the story is finished and then leaves us hanging.....bravo

You stated in your prologue of Pt. 1 that the story was written, and would be posted in consdecutive days - here we are Sept 4th and no part 3 etc. You guys are so full of shit, you dont have this written, do you? I voted again with 1* for that.

as quick as he can waddle them togther,,,let the game begin, TK U MLJ LV NV

So I look at the new postings and I see Part 3 with a Sept 4 date.

How does that crow taste?

Even though the premise is familiar. Hideous wife cheating and his whole family knows... Read that story before.

He has no right to interfere with his employees personal business.

Looking forward to more.

KB

Really he is in a terrible, even with people at work important to him.We did not hear about how the outing at with Cinda went on Friday afternoon, really attention to the reconquest of his granddaughter would be appreciated.

This is so sad, most depressing to find out what you thought was a loving family isnt.

The bitch Mary Morse, without knowing the sperm donor of her son Sam, hates him for her own whoring! Being a skank, she obviously condones and eagerly accepts her daughter-in-law Linda's whoring; gives her company!! Really sad for Sam. He needs to burn the lot financially and desert them.

How could any MAN reconcile with the amount of DISRESPECT and hate his wife and family have for him??!!

really went of the rails with this chapter.. your description of his own mother's behaviour is cartoonishly evil.. it's so infuriatingly bad that I Lol'd hard at their lunch convo..

Gettin' better! LP

How can one say it's getting better is beyond me. 2* at the maximum

His visits to church didn't last long.

destroy them all, ungrateful, immoral cheaters

Love this series - great work.

I wou have NO problem burning the whole family down...

Still meriting 5*, good burning all the family