Conflict of Interest

13. Flight

Hey guys! :) So here's another update, enjoy, and hope you like it! :) some major things are about to happen in the next few chapters, which I'll hopefully post up soon! :P I hope you enjoy reading this, and please vote and comment if you do! <3

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“I can’t go to this meeting. I have two case briefs that I need to finish by tonight in order to make the clients’ deadlines. This isn’t my client, Olivia; do I really have to be there?”

“Yes,” the woman across from Regina snapped, impatiently tapping her manicured nails on the wooden desk, “and you should learn to manage your time better. I don’t know if you’re familiar with this concept, but when the managing partner asks you to do something, you do it. So you’re going to this meeting, and I will see you in the front hall in five minutes.”

Without any further remarks, the brunette woman stood up sharply and left the room, slamming the door on her way out. Regina rested her head on her hands, her hair falling in a curtain in front of her face, and sighed deeply. She knew that there is no way she could disobey Olivia without getting disciplinary action in the firm – after all, she didn’t even have partner status and the owner’s word was pretty much law. Now she would have to come back to the firm and stay here until the morning hours to make sure that the cases were done on time. She knew that this was essentially Olivia’s way of punishing her, but until she won the Steinberg case, she had nothing to confront the other woman with.

She hurriedly snapped shut the screen of her laptop and placed it inside her briefcase. She knew almost nothing of the case – it wasn’t one of her assignments – so it was evident that Olivia was simply planning on humiliating her by bossing her around as a secretary and forcing her to take time away from her billable hours. She rubbed her temples with the pads of her fingers and slipped on her navy blazer, quickly putting on a coat of nude lipstick before exiting the office.

“You took your time,” Olivia commented snarkily, turning toward Regina as she walked into the front reception.

Regina discreetly glanced at the clock above Olivia’s head. It was exactly six minutes after Olivia left her office, but she held her tongue and followed the other woman out to the parking lot.

“Octagon Steakhouse,” Olivia snapped as she opened the door of her own car, “don’t get lost.”

Regina buckled her seatbelt and pulled out of the parking lot, twisting the knob of her music player to allow an upbeat song from the radio to fill the silence. She sang along, attempting to calm her nerves and irritation at the woman’s petty behavior and convince herself that it was simply a show of Olivia’s own insecurities. By the end of the ride, she was feeling slightly more cheerful, plastering on a smile as she walked in and told her name to the petite hostess at the reception.

“Right this way, ma’am,” the girl said as she picked up a menu and led her to a booth, which was already occupied by two middle-aged men and Olivia, who was currently leaning forward, her blouse unbuttoned appealingly and a smile playing on her lips. Regina forced another smile and slid into the booth beside Olivia, carefully resting her briefcase on the floor underneath the seat and extending her hand forward.

“Hi, my name is Regina Iverson and I am an associate at Foster and Williams,” she said, shaking the men’s hands, “I am very pleased to be helping you today.”

“Nice to meet you,” one of the men said politely, smiling back at her.

“Would you mind taking minutes of the meeting?” Olivia said in a saccharine voice, giving her a sideways look. “I would really appreciate it.”

“Of course,” she replied, pulling out her laptop. She was above giving the other woman the satisfaction of acting in an unprofessional manner in front of clients, no matter how much she riled her up. After ordering a sirloin and a salad, she continued typing out the details of a fraud and embezzlement case, occasionally glancing at her phone. After about forty minutes, her phone lit up with a call. She glanced at the name on the screen, her heart starting to beat slightly faster as she read the words “Damon Steinberg.”