The Merger

Chapter 1

The only exception is my assistant Imani, who outshines all on work ethic, determination, and support. Imani would buy a foam finger with my name on it in a heartbeat, and would even bedazzle it somehow.

A moment of silence makes my headache grow. I clear my throat. "Did your alarm clocks go off yet? Who the hell is giving our crisis report?"

"Oh, um, yes. Sorry, Talia," says Steven, head of client services. The balding man smooths the one hair on his head and crosses his arms in front of himself, as if it'll help provide a barrier of protection. "Ace pulled out this morning. They're going with another firm."

What the fuck?

My fists clench on the marble and I take in a sharp breath through my nostrils. "How the hell did that happen?"

"Colin said he'd found better interest rates elsewhere."

"And so he just dropped us without giving us time to match?" I scoff. "Alright everyone, this is a code red. You need to call your clients and make sure no one else jumps ship. We literally cannot afford to have anyone else pull out. I'll focus on Colin to make sure we get him back. Let's cancel this meeting for now and reconvene at the end of the day to discuss."

My chair screeches against the marble floor as I stand up. Fucking hell, how could my third biggest client all of a sudden drop? It doesn't make any sense. I briskly leave the conference room and give my assistant instructions as I pass by her desk outside my office, "Imani, please get me Colin on the phone."

"I'm on it!" Imani responds and immediately begins pulling up the number and dialing.

I continue into my office and take a seat on my desk chair, sighing and placing my face in my hands. I lean back as I wait for the call to go through.

The corner office is the nicest office I've ever worked in. The spacious room has large windows overlooking the Boston skyline and a seating area with white suede couches. Perhaps this week will be the last time I get to enjoy the space. My heart dips. All these years of hard work...all these years of proving that I deserve to be here...hangs precariously in the balance, ready to sink down the drain.

My thoughts move to my dad and brothers. What would they think about all this?

Then, I think about Gary. While I haven't seen him in over twelve years - an amount of time that should deem someone forgotten - he somehow crawls to mind whenever I'm faced with the possibility of failure. What would he say? Before my thoughts can spiral any further, they're interrupted by my phone ringing.

I quickly place the receiver against my ear and Imani's voice streams through. "Colin's on line one."

"Put him through." After a beep signals the start of the call, I clear my throat. "Hi, Colin. This is Talia from McAvoy Investments. How are you doing today?"

"Listen, like I told your assistant I don't really have time to talk. I'm about to head into the club to play a round of golf," Colin says in a reedy voice.

My eyes roll. If men in my line of work could procreate with their golf clubs, they would.

"Well I appreciate your time, but I heard the most startling news this morning that you're no longer with us. I assumed it was just a misunderstanding so I wanted to call and clear everything up."

"No, it wasn't a misunderstanding. I found better rates elsewhere. That's it. It's nothing personal."

"I just need five minutes of your time, Colin. I can convince you why our rates are the best in the long term."

"I'm sorry, I don't have time. I need to go."

No, no, no!

My heart pumps faster and I grip the phone tighter. "Wait! Let me meet you at the golf course. Which club are you at? Give me five minutes of your time to tell you why you're losing money without us. I promise you won't be disappointed!"