Six Months Ago
It’s not enough. Pushing away from my desk and throwing my glasses down on top of the numbers for the past quarter, I resist the urge to scream.
“This isn’t good enough Bec” I manage to keep my voice low, contradictory to the rage that’s growing inside me.
“I know this isn’t what you wanted to see Mia, but we are trying”
“Not hard enough” I huff, pinching the bridge of my nose in silent frustration.
“I need it to be bigger than this. What ideas have you come up with?”
I pray to god that she has something good. I need this firm to be more than just a high-street pit stop for divorcing couples. I want more. Granted those divorcing couples are always worth a fair few million, they aren’t anywhere near what I envision for Bellucci Law. I can hear the other law firms in London laughing at me, and I hate it. I’m done being laughed at. I want that top spot.
Clasping her hands together in her lap, and clearing her throat before starting, Becca has the answer that could change my life forever.
“Well, do you remember a few months ago we had an offer from Hadleigh Solicitors to buy Bellucci?” I narrow my eyes at her, if she’s even thinking that I’m giving up here she can leave.
“I’m not selling” I hiss through clenched teeth. It’s the last thing I want for Becca to leave. I need her, more than I let on sometimes.
“Is that what you want me to do? Give up? If that’s true then you know where the door is” I point towards it, in the off chance she missed it on her way in here.
“Mia. Don’t start being all bitchy on me. Hear me out” she snaps. Becca knows full well she’s the only person who can get away with talking to me like that, anyone else and I would have fired them on the spot.
I bite my tongue to stop the snarky come back I know is itching to escape. I’m far from finished with this company, and it’s my baby. Imagine this being your new-born and you might just understand how important it is for me. I created it, I nurtured it and know I’m pushing it to become better than I ever thought it could be.
“Fine” I reply on an inhale.
“Well, I know Hadleigh Solicitors are still looking to expand, I took the liberty of calling them”
“And?”
“David Hadleigh, the CEO is retiring in the next few months and his son Liam is taking over. I pitched the idea of a merger to them”
Merge? As in make the two companies One? Before my wayward thoughts can muster up reasons why this isn’t a good idea, Becca continues.
“I’ve put together some of their files for you to look at. The numbers look good, if not great. Some of the clients they have are big spenders Mia. David liked the new departments we have here and by combining the two companies we set to become a multi-staffed all round Law Firm. They specialize in Corporate and Business Law, and by combining our Criminal, Family and Media departments with theirs, I honestly think it could be truly amazing” she finishes with a slanted smile and hope filled forest green eyes.
“I’d be working with the son then?”
“Yes, I haven’t met him, but his reputation is firm in the industry. I haven’t heard any complaints about his work”
I poke my tongue into my cheek, crossing my arms as I think. There’s always a catch somewhere, always a ruse. I can’t yet put my finger on this one, but its bound to slap me in the face. I never wanted this, I wanted to make Bellucci successful on my own, I hate the idea of having to partner with someone else to achieve it.
“Stop it Mia” Becca admonishes me from her seat. I raise a questioning eyebrow at her and she huffs before coming to her feet.
“Look, I know this isn’t what you initially wanted. I get it. But listen to me when I say, this is a once in a lifetime chance to finally make your place in this world. How much longer are you going to look over your shoulder Mia? How much longer are you going to live in fear and panic that one day she’ll turn up again? If you do this” she points her finger to the ground, showing authority. “Then you get to have security like you’ve never had before”
I take a few minutes, gazing out of the floor to ceiling windows of my office. The world is dark, the jet-black sky shrouded by thunderous clouds. Lightening lights up the sky with thick flashes every few seconds, as rain pounds down on the window in sorrowful little droplets. Do I have another choice? If I want to take back what was wrongly taken from me all those years ago, I don’t see any other way. Becca’s words swirl around my head like a whirlpool in the middle of the Sea, making me slightly nauseous. London busies itself below my feet, and I wonder if she’s here, hidden beneath one of the domes of the hundreds of umbrellas on the street. The one person no who longer exists in my life. The figure who gave me breath, the poisoned air into my lungs, the pounding heart beneath my once shattered ribs. Does she think of me as I think of her? Does she wonder if I still care for her as any loving daughter should? Only I’m not a loving daughter. I turn around and look at my office, it’s not bad in comparison but it could be better. It has to be better. I realize then that my mother will never witness any of my success. Why? Because I said so. She is a woman – no. Not a woman, a person, so undeserving of the life of luxury after what she put me through. I will never let her break me again. Not if I have anything to do with it.
“Let me see those files”