Standing at the door, wearing a Housekeeping Supervisor’s uniform, holding a clipboard, and raising an eyebrow—was Mommy Rose.
Sheila’s mother.
His mother-in-law.
Gary had completely forgotten that his mother-in-law had been promoted as Head of Housekeeping at that very hotel just a month ago.
Gary went pale. From flushed with excitement, he turned ash-gray. His body went cold.
“M-Mommy…” Gary whispered.
Mommy Rose slowly lowered her clipboard. Her stare pierced straight through Gary’s soul.
“Gary?” Mommy Rose asked calmly. “Last I heard, you were in Tagaytay. Since when did your seminar fall under my jurisdiction?”
Suddenly, Trixie shouted from the bathroom. “Babe! Is the steak here yet? I’m starving!”
Trixie stepped out, wearing only a towel.
She saw Gary standing stiff.
She saw Mommy Rose at the door.
“Who’s that, babe?” Trixie snapped. “The laundress?”
That was when the volcano erupted.
Gary glanced at the window. They were on the 4th floor. If he jumped, he’d probably just break something—not die. For a split second, he seriously considered it. He’d rather face concrete than his mother-in-law’s wrath.
“L-laundress?!” Mommy Rose repeated.
She stepped into the room and did not raise her voice. She slammed the master key card onto the table.
“Gary,” she said coldly, “don’t jump out the window. Insurance doesn’t cover stupidity.”
She grabbed the radio clipped to her waist.
“Security, proceed to Room 402. There are two unregistered pests here. Escort them out. Immediately.”
“M-Mommy, please, let me explain—” Gary pleaded, dropping to his knees, nearly kissing her shoes.
“Don’t call me Mommy! And you,” she pointed at Trixie, “get dressed. Our towels are too expensive to be worn by someone as cheap as you.”
As the two shakily got dressed, Mommy Rose took out her phone.
She video-called Sheila.
“Hello, Ma?” Sheila answered, holding the baby.
“My dear,” Mommy Rose smiled and turned the camera toward Gary, who was crying in the corner. “Look who I caught ‘attending a seminar’ here—with his assistant.”
Sheila’s eyes widened on the screen. “Gary?! You bastard!”
After ending the call, Mommy Rose faced Gary.
“The room service bill will be charged to your card. The early checkout fee too. And your annulment with my daughter?”
“You’re paying for that as well.”
Security arrived and dragged Gary and Trixie out while other hotel guests stared from the hallway.
Mommy Rose stayed behind in the room. She picked up the wine Gary had ordered, opened it, poured herself a glass, and took a calm sip.
“Hm. That is good,” she murmured.
“Tastes like justice.”
The next morning, the lobby of Hotel Amor buzzed with whispers.
By sunrise, everyone—from the front desk to the housekeeping staff—already knew the story of Room 402.
Gary sat alone in a cramped motel across town, staring at his phone. His credit card notifications kept piling up:
Room Service Charges. Early Checkout Fee. Damage Deposit.
Then came the one that made his hands shake.
“Transaction Declined.”
At the same moment, Sheila posted a single photo on social media—no caption, just a signed document on a marble table.
ANNULMENT FILED.
Within hours, Gary’s office called.
Trixie, the “assistant,” had already been terminated after Sheila sent the hotel CCTV footage and billing records to the company’s HR department.
As for Mommy Rose, she became an instant legend at Hotel Amor.
New staff were told the story during orientation:
“Always knock properly,” the supervisors would say.
“And never assume you know who’s behind the door.”
A week later, Mommy Rose personally escorted Sheila and her baby into the same hotel—this time for a peaceful staycation. The suite was complimentary.
Sheila stood by the window, holding her child, finally calm.
“Ma,” she said softly, “salamat.”
Mommy Rose smiled, straightening her uniform.
“A mother’s job,” she replied, “is not just to raise her children… but to protect them from the wrong people.”
That night, as music played softly in the hotel lounge, Mommy Rose passed by Room 402.
She didn’t stop.
She didn’t look back.
Some doors, once closed by truth, never need to be opened again.