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Detective Spencer, along with the NYPD, arrived at Tate’s Advertising Agency. April greeted them with a skeptical look, and when the police showed her the warrant, she took them to the conference room, where Henry was in the middle of his presentation. Detective Spencer approached Henry and informed him he was under arrest.
"On what charge?" Henry asked.
"Grand theft, obstruction of justice, conspiracy, and so on. We have more than enough evidence to put you away," Detective Spencer said.
"Where’s your proof?" Henry asked again.
"To begin with, we found your fingerprints all over Miss McRae’s lost jewelry box. You also neglected to remove your fingerprints from the stolen jewelry. Do I need to say more?" Detective Spencer stated.
Henry said nothing. The evidence was clear. They caught him red-handed. "I need to speak to a lawyer," he said.
"That’s a good idea," Detective Spencer responded.
The officer arrested Henry while informing him of his right to counsel and asking him whether he understood, to which he nodded his head. Henry didn’t look at anyone and kept his head low as the police escorted him out. But out of the corner of his eye, he saw his co-workers staring at him, shaking their heads, when they found out what he had done.
Mr. Moore phoned Dan and apologized. He offered him his job back, and Dan accepted. He returned to Tate’s Advertising Agency and continued his work. It relieved Dan to be back at work, but his mind was elsewhere. He paid a visit to Henry in jail after work. When Henry saw him, he wept like a baby. He begged Dan’s pardon, doing his utmost to atone for his wrongdoing. He realized he was a fool to let his envy cloud his judgment.
"I know what I did to you was inexcusable," Henry said, "but I hope you’ll find it in your heart to forgive me for what I’ve done."
Dan said nothing and simply gazed at him. Henry saw that look. Was that sadness or disappointment in his eyes?
"But, Henry, even if I forgive you, you’re still guilty," Dan pointed out. "You committed a crime and then blamed me for it. How could you possibly do that? I treated you like a brother."
Henry gave him a pleading look. "Dan, please help me. I can’t stay in jail. I will die here. You know what it’s like inside. I’ll never make it. Dan, please. I swear I’ll never do anything like that again."
Dan remained silent and did not respond. He watched as the police took Henry back to his cell. Dan could still hear Henry’s horrific scream pleading with him.
Dan couldn’t sleep that night. He was thinking about Henry. He recalled their good times together before their friendship fizzled. What Henry did was a terrible crime, no matter how he twisted and turned the truth. There was no justification for Henry’s actions, but they had been friends for a long time, and he couldn’t bear the thought of sending him to prison.
He paid Camille a visit in her hotel room before she checked out the next morning. Dan begged her several times to drop the charges against Henry, but she refused. Camille finally accepted after much persuasion, but at a cost. She was a vengeful lady who thought Dan was dishonorable, since he defended Henry even though he knew what he did was wrong. Camille informed Dan that if he resigned from Tate’s Advertising Agency, she would drop the charges. She had no desire to work with him again. Dan couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
"I will give you until tonight to think about it," Camille said. "Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to make some important phone calls."
Dan didn’t have to be a genius to realize it was time to leave. It was pointless to talk to her. Camille had already decided.
***
"YOU WEREN’T A GOOD friend to Henry, so why would you jeopardize your job for him? Think about your future," Mr. Moore said when he learned of Camille’s request. She had called him shortly after Dan had accepted her terms.
"Believe me, Mr. Moore, I completely understand what you’re saying," Dan said. "What Henry did to me was horrible, but I can’t sit here knowing I put someone in jail, friend or foe."
"I’m sorry to see you go, Dan. You’re one of my finest advertising experts here, and you’re going to have a brilliant future in our company. You are in line to be the next vice president of advertising. The Board of Directors has already approved your promotion. On the other hand, Camille McRae has a multi-million-dollar account. She was adamant about terminating your employment with us right now. If she doesn’t, she’ll take her business elsewhere, and the firm can’t afford to lose her. Please reconsider and come back to work."
"I understand what you are saying, Mr. Moore. I get it, yet my conscience won’t let me sleep. I’ll pack my belongings right now."
"Dan, what are you going to do?"
"I’m not sure yet, Mr. Moore, but I’ll be okay. Don’t worry."
"Best of luck, Dan. I’m afraid I can’t even give you any referrals. Camille McRae will cancel her contract with us the moment she finds out."
Before Dan left Mr. Moore’s office, the men exchanged handshakes. When Dan said his goodbyes as he stepped out of the building, everyone’s eyes were filled with sadness.
Meanwhile, Henry was convicted of the crime, but imprisoned for a lesser length of time than usual because of Dan and Camille’s failure to bring charges. Dan knew everyone thought he was insane for standing up for Henry, rather than thinking about his own future. Camille was a powerful woman, and he realized his ambition of becoming vice president of advertising, or even just an account executive, was a thing of the past. Dan had made a tough decision, but he didn’t want Henry to serve any longer than necessary. He knew, deep down, that Henry was a good man.
They freed Henry from jail, and Dan left Tate’s Advertising Agency without severance pay or benefits, as Camille wanted. She was a vengeful lady who showed no mercy. Dan could have fought it, but he no longer cared. For what purpose? He knew he was going to lose.
Henry lost his job at Tate’s Advertising. When Henry found out what Dan had done, he felt ashamed. Dan sacrificed a lot, so he could get released. Henry learned an important lesson about resentment and vowed never to make the same mistake again. He returned to his hometown of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to be with his parents and slowly and cautiously begin a new life.
After leaving Tate’s Advertising Agency, Dan lived in utter solitude. He never left his apartment and had severed ties with the outside, and even Tessie could not contact him. Dan was certain she would never want to see him again, let alone marry him, now that he was unemployed. He dialed Mr. Harmony’s phone number many times, intending to accept his offer of a position in Paris, but hung up before Mr. Harmony could answer. Dan just couldn’t do it. He realized he wasn’t ready to start a new life without Tessie.
Dan sought work and had many interviews, but he had not heard from anybody. He discovered Camille McRae had something to do with it. With no money and no savings, he couldn't pay his rent and was evicted.
Dan held the last box in his hand as he glanced around the room that would have been his and Tessie's home once they were married. He told himself that he would improve his life better than ever, and afterwards he would return for her.
He had just placed the box in the back of his truck and was about to leave when he heard his name called.
"Dan!"
Dan spun around to see Tessie racing towards him.
"Where do you think you’re going? Are you leaving without me?" she asked.
Dan breathed hard, his voice shaking slightly. "I thought you didn’t want to see me anymore."
Tessie’s eyes widened. "What prompted you to think that? Why haven’t you answered any of my phone calls?"
"Tessie, you have no future with me. I’m a loser. I’m unemployed and homeless. What could I possibly offer you?"
Tessie saw his sorrowful eyes as she glanced up at him. They stood there for a long time, saying nothing.
Tessie broke the silence. "I don’t care if you’re rich or poor, Dan. All I know is that I can’t live without you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. We shall confront our challenges together. Don’t figure things out on your own. I love you, Dan!"
It was music to his ears. Dan grinned as he looked at her, before whispering in her ear. "I’m sorry for how I behaved, Tessie. I love you, too, and I’m going to kiss you the way I’ve wanted to kiss you for a long time."
Tessie thought she was floating on air after Dan kissed her. She reciprocated his kiss with all her heart. That kiss solidified their love and commitment to their future together.
***
TESSIE AND DAN ENTERED an elegant restaurant, where the manager and hostess greeted them and led them to a private dining room with a table near the window overlooking Manhattan and the East River. Candlelight lit the room. On the table, there were red flowers in a little vase as a centerpiece. Soft music flowed into the room as a young man dressed in white played the piano. Dan was about to seat Tessie when a server came in with a bottle of champagne and poured each of them a glass into a beautiful crystal flute.
Dan frowned, confused. "What’s going on?"
"I’m not sure. Uncle Dusty and Auntie Tilly just told me to meet them here. I never expected it to be so extravagant and romantic."
Tilly and Dusty walked in a few moments later. Tessie and Dan rose up and greeted them.
"What is this all about, Uncle Dusty?" Tessie asked, her face worried.
"Why don’t we all sit down so we can talk?" Dusty replied.
They all sat down as the server poured them each a drink of champagne, before excusing himself and leaving the room.
Dusty sipped his champagne before speaking. "I know you’re going through a lot right now in your life, Dan," he said. "You did a wonderful thing for your friend, even though he betrayed your trust. We know Tate’s Advertising Agency let you go, and as a result, you lost your apartment. We intended to speak with you sooner, but I had an emergency in Italy, so we had to get there quickly." Dusty sipped another glass of champagne. "Are you familiar with Mr. Melvin Harmony, the president of Harmony Food?"
"Yes, of course," Dan answered. "He had previously offered me a job heading his advertising team in Paris, but I declined. Tessie still needed to finish her nursing degree, and I didn’t want to leave her. Maybe I should have taken his offer, and none of this would have happened. What about Mr. Harmony?"
"While we were in Italy, Mr. Harmony made an appointment to see me. He was looking to expand his wine collection, and he visited my vineyard. We talked about many things, including his business. When he mentioned a brilliant account executive from New York, I remembered you mentioning Harmony Food at our first meeting. I knew he was talking about you. He spoke highly of you. He said you are an advertising genius, Dan, and you have the skill to promote great ideas for any campaign," Dusty said.
"That was nice of him to say," Dan said, smiling with pride.
"Mr. Harmony gave me a brilliant idea. We don’t want you to move to Paris. We want you and Tessie to stay in New York. Dan, how would you like to oversee our advertising department?" Dusty asked. "Tilly and I want you to be in charge of all our advertising initiatives. The bad news is that you will be in charge of many staff. It will keep you busy for a long time, that I can assure you of. In exchange, we would provide you with a six-figure starting salary, fantastic corporate incentives and amenities, and a pay increase in three months. Your schedule will also be flexible. You will likely be working from home to spend quality time with your bride," Dusty explained.
Tessie blushed as she said, "Uncle."
"Oh, my God! Is this for real? You’re kidding, aren’t you?" Dan exclaimed, almost frantically.
"This isn’t a joke, Dan. It’s all true," Tilly said, laughing. "You earned it."
"I’m not sure what to say, but yes, of course, I accept. Thank you," Dan said.
Tilly and Dusty exchanged smiles.
"That’s not all," Dusty said.
Tessie and Dan both stared at him with a grimace. "There’s more?"
Dusty took a white envelope from his coat pocket and handed it to Dan.
"What is it?" Dan asked as he took it from Dusty’s hand.
"Open it," Tilly urged.
Dan’s hand shook as he opened the envelope. His eyes widened. When he handed Tessie the check, she almost passed out when she saw the amount printed on it. It was a check for one million dollars.
"What does this mean?" Tessie and Dan asked in unison, their voices shaking.
"This is our wedding present for both of you," Dusty said. "With this money, you can now afford to move to a decent apartment while also planning your wedding."
Tessie’s cheeks turned a bright crimson.
"Dan hasn’t proposed yet, Uncle Dusty," she whispered in his ear. "And Mamma—"
"Shh," Dusty said softly. "I spoke with your mother last night. She gave you her blessing to marry. Unless the wedding happens sooner, your family will be here next month to meet you and Dan."
"What? Are you sure, Uncle Dusty? Is Mamma not mad at me?" Tessie asked.
"Your mother said you’re old enough to decide what’s best for you. Besides, she mentioned she was looking forward to having grandkids to play with."
"Uncle," Tessie choked.
"I’m at a loss for words, Dusty. You’ve given Tessie and me so much," Dan added.
"Plan your wedding, and we’ll be in the front row cheering you on," Tilly remarked.
"But Tessie isn’t ready to marry yet. She wants to get her degree first," Dan stated.
"Who says? Have you ever asked me? I'm capable of doing both, you know?" Tessie murmured, her mouth pursed.
"What exactly are you saying, Tessie? Do you want to get married now?"
Tessie said, "Yes, yes, yes, I accept," without waiting for Dan to ask.
Everyone burst out laughing.
Tessie’s eyes welled up with emotions of happiness as Dan kneeled down on one knee, grabbed a single red rose from the vase and grinned at her.
"Will you marry me, Tessie?" he asked.
"Yes, yes, yes, a million times, yes." Tessie broke out laughing. She took his hands and wrapped his arms around her, and they kissed as if they were the only two people on earth.
Dusty smiled and scratched his head as he gazed at them, before proposing a toast to the newly engaged couple.
"To Tessie and Dan," he exclaimed as he raised his glass.
Everyone held their glasses high in the air.
"To Tessie and Dan," Tilly repeated.
"Cheers!" they said, as their glasses clinked.
Tessie and Dan screamed with excitement as they looked into each other’s eyes. They couldn’t believe it. All their hopes and dreams would soon become reality, thanks to Dusty and Tilly.
Dusty suggested Tilly get some fresh air after a delicious meal. They strolled along the beach holding hands, listening to the waves crashing on the shoreline.
"Thank you, Tilly, for the great present you gave Tessie and Dan. We may not be related, but her mother has treated me as if I were her own son. They are my second family. What you did for her meant a lot to me."
"You mean what we did for them means a lot to both of us? I know Tessie means a lot to you, and I want to make sure they’re off to a good start in the next chapter of their lives. Tessie and Dan deserve to be happy. If I can help others through my private foundation, why shouldn’t I help those close to us?"
Dusty drew Tilly close to him and kissed her. Tilly reciprocated his kiss, filled with more passion as she relaxed in his embrace. They then ran around the beach like children, until they collapsed on the sand, laughing.
It was a night they would never forget.
***
