“Are you sure you want to do this?” 

Brianna’s question passed right through me as if I were a ghost. I stared off into nothingness, holding a pen, ready to sign my resignation letter.

“No. But I have to, Bree,” I confessed. Without me, Reynolds Industries would go up in smoke. All of my father’s life work destroyed by a bunch of greedy parasites.

“And what about Alex?” She asked. A pang of pain struck my heart as I heard his name.

I hesitated for a moment. Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself and blurted out the answer I had been practicing in my mind. “He can’t stop it. And getting away from him will do me more good than harm, believe me.” 

“If you say so,” She shrugged, avoiding the subject. Brianna knew me well enough to see right past that poorly constructed facade.

Throughout my life I both dreaded and longed for the day I would need to make serious decisions. The kind that had repercussions big enough to impact others aside from me. When the time finally came, I realized just how unprepared I was to deal with it all.

The crossroads before me split my path in two. Either let the ship sink or steer it away from the iceberg it would inevitably hit. It all seemed so easy in theory, but Alex complicated everything.

He’d known about the takeover for God knows how long. There could have been another way, one that wouldn’t involve going against everything I believed in. And yet that charming snake brought me into his lair and coiled up around me. Perhaps that had been his plan all along.

I needed to get Alex out of my system, whether I truly wanted it or not. Distance would help, and besides, I had my own issues to deal with.

A bright sun shone upon Manhattan, casting its warm blessing onto the unfortunate souls headed to work. 

I sat on the dirty bus, headed over to Harris Electronics for the last time. Alex was already there. Always the first to arrive and among the last ones to leave. Shame his work ethic wasn’t as decent when it came down to other matters.

The quick walk that separated the bus stop from my actual destination stretched my legs and gave me time to focus. I couldn’t hide the nervousness. Regardless, I had to be strong. In and out, no interferences.

The elevator ride felt like torture, each floor I passed adding more weight on my frayed nerves. I kept telling myself I was making the right choice, hoping I would eventually convince myself.

I stepped out and closed my eyes, gathering my bearings and mustering up all the strength I would need. A few deep breaths later I calmly headed towards Alex’s office.

Much like any other day I found him sitting on his chair, staring at his computer screen while nursing a glass of God knows what. His gaze rose to meet mine first, and then darted to the envelope I carried. His faint smile told a tale I already knew the ending of.

“So you’re really doing it,” He commented, leaning back on his chair. His voice deprived of its usual edge sounded weary.

“I have to,” I shot back, placing the envelope on his desk.

Alex nodded, deep in thought. The bags under his eyes suggested he hadn’t been sleeping too well. He closed his eyes and exhaled sharply, possibly preparing to give a speech he’d come up with, in case I’d decide to leave.

Instead, all I got was a meager “Fine.” It stumped me at first, but he continued before I could say anything. “So be it.”

“Thought you’d try to stop me,” I confessed, scratching my neck to hide my frustration and the tinge of pain that hit me right in the stomach.

“I wanted to, but you’ve already made up your mind,” He replied, looking up at me.

“Then do it, Alex. Stop me,” I hissed, anger mounting up inside of me. “Show me it wasn’t just sex! Show me this meant something!”

Our nights had always been full of passion. But was it love or lust I saw burning behind his eyes?

Alex cocked his head to the side ever so slightly, a hint of pain flashing across his face. “Would that really help, Lucy?” He queried.

I shook my head, though I wasn’t all too sure. Just one kiss, that’s all it would take for my walls to crumble to dust. I wished he would push me against the wall and kiss me, ravage and ravish me like he used to, just to show me he actually cared enough to stop me from doing something I clearly hated.

Alex didn’t move an inch, even as I walked out of his office for what I thought would be the last time. 

I felt completely numb.

The first part of that dreadful day was done with, at least. I promised myself I would take care of business first and then allow myself to react like a normal human being.

Alas, that would have to wait. I was well on my way to my father’s company when I called him to inform him I would stop by. He seemed surprised, relieved even. At least one of us was feeling good on that damned day.

The lobby looked exactly the same as it did the last time I was there, years before. The receptionist’s station stood near the entrance against one of the tall, marble lined walls. Everything about hat place screamed “tradition” rather than “innovation”, which I assumed to be among the issues that ultimately brought me there.

My father’s company was a direct competitor to Alex’s, though even at face value they were completely different. Harris Electronics was a monster of modern brutalist architecture, whereas Reynolds Industries had an antique chandelier hanging above the lobby. It certainly looked pretty, as did the rest of the building — a post war behemoth with strong European influences. Regardless, appearances can only get so far.

The elevators were a mix of gold plated metal and mahogany. Impeccably clean and slow as molasses, they climbed the sixty floors in what felt like eons as opposed to what I was used to. Still, I had to forget all about Alex. 

Much like the lobby, my father’s office didn’t change either. The same carpet muffled the otherwise noisy footsteps I took. The same old paintings judged my every move just as they did years before. He was a man of tradition, after all.

I’ll freely admit my father didn’t look too fresh. His advancing age and declining health were at fault, obviously. Nothing to do about the former, though it angered me to know he wasn’t doing much about the latter, either. 

Francis Reynolds, a man set in his own ways. Stubborn as a mule, too, which didn’t help. It made that conversation all the more surprising, given how it went.

He stood up, groaning, and took a few steps towards me. We both faked happiness, and it was far too easy to tell.

“To what do I owe the pleasure, dear?” He greeted me warmly.

“Dad, come on. You know the reason,” I replied as I sat on his desk. Just like I used to when I was little, the few times I visited him.

He sighed and erupted in a fit of coughing. It was worrying to see him like that, even if I still hadn’t forgiven him for using me as a chip in a poker game. He was still my father, after all.

“These damn vultures,” He croaked, wiping his mouth with the handkerchief he always kept in his breast pocket. “They’ll be the death of me, I swear!”

“I’ll take care of them,” I reassured him, hoping it would comfort me too. “Isn’t that what you always wanted?”

He scoffed. “I just want to leave this company in good hands, dear. You’re the only one I trust,” He declared, sitting back down with another loud groan. Perhaps my agitation was rubbing off on him too.

“Oh I’m very well aware of that.” It had been his main selling point for years. I just thought it would never work, and yet there I was.

“I knew you’d come around, Lucy! You’ve made your father proud,”He declared, a wide smile shining on his somewhat flustered face. The violent coughs always left him as red as a tomato.

I shook away the urge to slap him and forced myself to nod in agreement, albeit begrudgingly. Anyone would have been able to tell I wasn’t okay with any of that, but my father simply went along with it. His hands moved towards the intercom to call his assistant, ordering him to start making calls to summon all the people he’d need to pass on the torch to me. He didn’t care about the fact that I hated every single second I spent in that place, or that I dreaded the prospects my possibly miserable future held.

Francis Reynolds was a man set in his own ways.

Perhaps there was something wrong with me, given how most of the men in my life didn’t quite seem to care all that much about me.

Everybody had their eyes fixated on their own end goal, and barreled towards the finish line. I wasn’t sure I had even started the damn race to begin with. 

My father was far too old fashioned to connect with his daughter, especially after my mom died. I turned out fine, or so I liked to believe. I had an army of nannies raise me and replace her for most of my life, and my father had his job to take care of. I resented him for that, but loved him still. It was part of why I wanted to stay away from the family business.

And then there was Alex. My soon-to-be sworn rival and former “partner”. I seemed to gravitate around broken men, and my inner self wanted nothing more than to make them whole.

I remember trying to help Alex time and time again, but to no avail. All things considered, I should have stopped trying to be the hero in someone else’s story and focus on being the protagonist of mine. 

Being at the helm of my family’s company would be the first step, and hopefully the rest of the pieces would fall into place as I walked the same path I swore I would never take.