Several times he defended me when our numbers weren’t great. Once he even canceled an important meeting just to help me close a deal that looked impossible. Over time I began to see him as more than just a boss. In a strange way, he felt like the older brother life never gave me.

Still, there was something curious about him.

In eight years of working together, I knew almost nothing about his family.

Michael rarely mentioned his wife, and even less about his son. Once he casually said he had a little boy, but that was it. No pictures on his desk. No family stories during company lunches.

One afternoon I asked him about it while we were having coffee on the office balcony.

“Hey boss,” I joked. “Are you hiding your family or something? We never see them.”

Michael laughed quietly.

“My family likes a quiet life,” he said. “They prefer to stay private.”

Then he smoothly changed the subject, and I didn’t push further.

Life went on like that. Work, targets, meetings. Every night I came home exhausted, but the moment I saw my son, everything felt worth it.

My son’s name is Lucas.