A Storm Is Brewing

Persuasion

"Kyle has just scanned his card downstairs; he should be on his way up." Paula spoke from the doorway.
"Thanks, Paula." I smiled at her over the computer screen.

I had often thought about a day like today, especially when the Colin Coyle case was at its peak. A day that would see me resign from my job before the company had a chance to fire me. It used to be terrifying to think that I would ever be rejected in that way by a job I had devoted my life to. This day, though, I wasn't afraid. I wasn't worried about my future because I knew it included Leah, and that was enough for me.

I watched as Kyle stormed into the office, his face red from the stairs that he would've had to climb due to a malfunctioning elevator. He burst through the door to the square room that I occupied, and the rest of the office scrunched down behind their screens in fear of facing his wrath.

I informed Kyle that I would be resigning, his arrogance shining through as he told me that I would never secure another job that would give me the opportunities that this job had. In a way, he was right, I suppose. Lloyd & Sons had given me the opportunity to move closer to Leah and to focus on my relationship without an ocean in between us, but a huge part of growing older was recognising the parts of life that no longer served you. Kyle's intent that day was to make me believe that without him I couldn't succeed, but Leah's intent throughout that week was to make me believe that I could do anything I wanted, hers being the only opinion that mattered to me.

"You can't seriously believe that you can make it on your own." He scoffed.
"I'm not on my own, Mr. Lloyd. I will have a silent partner, an investor."

He basically laughed in my face as he began to realise that I was going into business with someone who had no legal experience. It was a risk; both of us knew that, but with my new-found confidence in my ability to succeed in my career and their confidence in my ability to run a business that they would invest in and make large returns, we were collectively confident that this was the right thing. Sometimes you have to take risks.

Kyle spat his words viciously as he told me that he would not require me to work my notice, something I had planned for anyway. I collected my things, thanked my former employees for their dedication and support, and exited the building one last time.

That night, as I did every night, I waited patiently for the evening call from Leah. Her comforting voice brought an unstoppable smile to my face as I answered.

"Soph."
"Hi Le, how was today?"
"Tough. How did it go with Kyle?"
"Great. I'm unemployed." I laughed.
"Only for a little while. Are you sure about this?"
"I am, but only if you are? I don't want it to get messy or ever get in the way of us." I began to overthink before Leah once again reassured me.
"I'm sure; I'm so proud of you. I always knew you were too good to work for anyone else anyway."
"I can't wait to have you home, Le."
"I can't wait to be home, to marry you."

God, those words still make my heart melt, even though I've heard them every day since that argument.

"No pressure for me to succeed then, if you're after a ring." I joked.
"Ring, no ring, big wedding, small wedding, honeymoon, or no honeymoon, I don't care. I just want to marry you."
"You better."

When Leah and I first discussed this, it was a definite no for me. Mixing relationships and business was something I had advised every client against, but Amanda helped me to see that this was nothing more than a business arrangement, and so long as there was a contract, I had no need to worry about matters of the heart.

Flashback

Evenings without Leah were boring, like really boring. I had no idea what to do with myself, hoping for some kind of motivation as I noticed the car lights beating off the window. It was a stormy evening, and although Amanda had said she would call to see me at the weekend, I hadn't actually expected her to do so.