Second Ave Offices: Labor Day (WLW)

Session #1

Rose tapped her foot along the floor of the outer hall within her mother's lawyer's suites and stared at the door, willing it to open so this could be over and done. She felt a hand on her leg and glanced at its source, finding Maya fully engrossed in her files on her lap. She absentmindedly consoled her fidgeting without even looking up as if she'd done it thousands of times, which made Rose wonder just how many others felt this agitated before civil proceedings.

She calmed her tapping and took the opportunity to look at how put together Rose was after visiting the restroom back in her office suites before leaving to venture to another building entirely. They'd met there and carpooled over, but when Rose first arrived, Maya was still in the middle of getting ready. She had her clothes on, but was still getting her hair and makeup done after an apparent late night. More concerned now as she watched her glance over the settlement proposition, Rose stood up and crossed her arms.

This drew her attention and she voiced her strife. "Do you usually show up late to meetings?"

Maya turned her lips into a harsh line as she closed her file and pat the seat beside herself. "I'm sorry I had a late start, but I wasn't able to change until I got to the office. Please, sit and I will explain." Rose did and angled her body toward her. "Someone I dated before my...break from cases showed up at my loft and I had to make sure he didn't stay this morning. That meant driving him home, so I gathered my things to get ready when I got to the office. It was very unprofessional and will never happen again. You can count on me."

"Well...is your friend alright?"

"He...got the message last night and shouldn't be a problem much longer if at all."

This worried Rose, but in a different way. "What do you mean by problem?"

The door of the Attorney's office opened and they both startled before Maya stood up. "Yes, are you all ready?" The receptionist nodded and held open the door as they made their way inside, leaving Rose bereft with wander over whether or not Maya was safe in her home. After she asked for a good two part lock for her loft and office doors and hearing she had a problem with some guy, her mind reeled with possibilities. Rose sat down next to Maya at a round table and felt all eyes across it were on her. "Hello, my name is Maya Joshi, the niece of your late husband's lawyer. I'm representing Rose Johnson."

"Reid Gilford." Maya shook the opposing lawyer's hand over the table and he curled his top lip as if caught in a wave of disgust. "Is that not a conflict of interest?"

"Not at all. Mister Johnson has passed and his affairs have been handled. He is no longer a client of my aunt, never was for myself and furthermore, I resent the comment." Maya sat up straight with her arms atop the table, her head held high. It was quite bewitching to watch and Rose sat hypnotized, still unable to spare a glance in her family's direction. "Now if we are done discussing the obvious, why not deal with the matter at hand. The division of Johnson Construction and its assets along with Mister Johnson's sizable fortune. Shall we proceed?"

Gilford sat down with a huff and unbuttoned his suit jacket before pulling out a pen with a rather dramatic click of its end. "Very well. Our proposal is half of everything for Widow Johnson and twenty five for each of the children."

"That would leave nothing for Rose and be at an entire disadvantage to my client. Absolutely not." Maya didn't flinch, hardly emoting through her stone-faced exterior. "Anything else? Or are you done wasting more of mine and my client's time?"

"That was the first proposal given by Mrs. Johnson. Weak, but we had to check." He opened a file and spun it around, pushing it out toward Maya as Rose could no longer keep her gaze fixed away.

This won't change anything, Rose. You're still my sister. That was the text her brother sent her early that morning and as she met his eyes, she found love shown back at her. Lucas sent her a sideways grin, though it didn't meet his eyes as his eyebrows arched. Having to restrict their sparse conversations to a strictly texting relationship since her mother finally allowed him a phone in high school left Rose more depressed the longer she looked at him. However, she wasn't the first to look away as Lisa turned his head with a hand atop it. Her sister glared at her and she quickly gazed at her hands in her lap, starting to tap at her foot all over again.