Collision (Mature) *Completed*

Vivian

"You're kidding me!" Vivian's eyes widened so big they almost rolled out of her head.

"He's a good candidate, Ms. Dash." Mayor Goodson sighed as he leaned against the desk with his legs crossed at his ankles. His heavy torso poked above his belt and made his legs appear even smaller than they were. The grey hair on his head seemed to be running from his eyebrows and the hanging skin on his chin almost touched his chest.

"He's running for the Patriotic Unity Party, you know, the party that's against yours. Are you serious? We cannot endorse him." Throwing her hands up, she looked around at the others in the meeting for agreement. Like usual, they kept their mouths closed when it came to questioning Goodson. He was known to fire assistants at the drop of a dime.

"Barely. The man's a moderate and it'll be good for that get along bullshit the media loves." He shrugged. Vivian bit her nail as her mind raced with all the possible reasons Goodson would want to endorse an opposing party member. She made a mental note to do some digging later.

"Look people! Regardless of what you all think, I'm the boss here. You don't like something? Then quit." His eyes darted towards Vivian and she bit her lip to keep a smart remark at bay.

"Phoenix will be here at 6pm for a meeting with the team. If you're on my cabinet you can stay, everyone else is dismissed." Goodson walked around the desk to sit as multiple people shuffled out of the large office. Vivian was the lead manager on his cabinet so she often got to test him more than others.

"I'm off at 6." She made it known as she checked her watch for the time. It was almost 5:30 and she had yet to pick an outfit for Mackenzie's competition.

"If you want to keep your job, you'll stay till everything is done." He challenged her. They often butt heads but they both knew they made a better team than anyone else in the office. Despite this knowledge, Vivian still knew her place in a white mans network.

"Yes, sir." She grit through her teeth before taking a seat in front of the desk. Pulling her phone out, she quickly informed Brandon that she would be late or not make it entirely.

"Now, what I want from everyone in this room is a little bit of tolerance, huh?" Vivian couldn't keep the snort down at his statement.

"Something funny?" Goodson gestured to her.

"I just think it's funny to speak on tolerance while endorsing a P.U. Who was it again that said the bottom 12% should be euthanized?" Vivian questioned smartly. Her mother always told her she should have become a lawyer with how slick her mouth got at times.

"Ms. Dash, if you cannot work with the team on this one I will be forced to let you go. Do you think you could be an adult and do your job?" Goodson took a harsh jab at her. Vivian had always admired how quickly he was able to keep up with anyone's mouth. It was a quality that surely helped him secure his seat as mayor.

A knock on the door interrupted her response.

"Mr. Goodson, your 6 is here early. Would you like them back now?" Melina, the receptionist, spoke through the small crack in the door. Vivian felt her stomach drop before she shot up from her seat.

"Yes, that's fine. And just where are you going, Ms. Dash?"

"Bathroom." She spit out as she hustled into the hallway. The click of her heels gave away her rushed pace as she turned down a hallway to use the back bathrooms. It was a minimalist design of black, white, and grey titles and porcelain toilets.

Knots built in her stomach at the thought of seeing Micheal again. Would he recognize her? She doubted it considering how much she'd changed over the years. A small part of her felt shamed at the thought of not being as successful as she thought she'd be by now. The shame quickly bubbled over into overwhelming embarrassment thinking about how he'd look down on her.

The familiar ache for competition settled in her spine and her mouth watered at the idea of beating him for the spot of governor. Could she really run again? Did she even have the money for that?

Splashing her face with water, she pushed down her previously dormant competitive nature and fixed her skirt. Her hips flared out to stretch the material and she ran a hand over her stomach as she criticized her appearance. Taking a deep breath, she held her head high and exited the bathroom.

The closer she got to Goodson's office, the sicker she felt. It petrified her to think Micheal may have the upper hand on her. With a final lick of her lip and pinch to her thigh, she entered the office and softly closed the door behind her.

"There she is! This is my leading manager and assistant Vivian Dash." Goodson's voice filled with the familiar tone of pride as he introduced her to the room. She could hardly keep her lunch down as she eyed the all white, male dominated group now facing her.

The familiar look of disgust settled in the men's eyes as they took her in. Vivian held her head higher before eying each of them. It was almost like hitting copy/paste as they each held white skin, light colored eyes, and neatly combed back hair.

"The Vivian Dash?" Someone finally spoke, the voice ringing familiar in its tone. Her eyes shifted to see a man leaning against a filing cabinet next to Goodson. He stood taller than the rest with soft brown hair, a full beard, and a pair of dazzling blue-green eyes.

"Micheal Phoenix." She acknowledged. The lanky young man she once knew had been replaced by one of the most attractive men she'd seen. A sudden rage came over her at the idea of him growing into his looks better than she did. Vivian knew she was a catch with the brains to match but Michael seemed to be on another level.

"Well I'll be damned." He smiled, the pearly whites making her want to punch him even more.

"Always thought big shot Viv would be some top attorney, not an assistant." The look on his face let her know he still held the same competitive nature she did. Her mind couldn't process a response fast enough, his smirk solidifying his tiny win in the unspoken competition. Vivian could practically see the tally marks being checked.

"Yeah after two failed governor campaigns." One of Micheal's team members chirped in. Vivian nearly broke her neck to address the man who spoke- his own smirk fueling a sharp response.

"Better than two failed appellate court repeals." She smiled tight lipped after the remark. The room filled with a thick silence at the reference.

Gunther was a habitual drunk driver who'd been initially sentenced to life in prison after killing a family in an accident. The case was denied for repeal twice in appellate courts before his billionaire father stepped in to pay off the judge. His record was expunged and he continued his political career as if it never happened.

Vivian crossed her arms and focused her gaze on Goodson- his head dipped into his hands at the interaction. Unconsciously, she flickered her gaze to Micheal only to find him already staring at her. There was a look in his eyes she couldn't place but the familiar cheeky smile on his lips let her know she did good with her response.

"If everyone's done fighting, can we please get to our plans?" Goodson huffed as he look up at them with tired eyes.

"Go ahead, sir." Micheal spoke up like a class pet. Vivian began tapping her foot in annoyance. Everything he did sparked up a need to do something better.

"I was informing my team that I will be endorsing you for your gubernatorial campaign. That means we'll be working closely for the next 2 years on planning, structuring, and funding considering I'm your biggest endorser, no?" Goodson looked up at Micheal for confirmation, the cocky tone one Vivian was familiar with. Seeing Micheal grit his jaw bloomed joy in her spirit.

"Yes, sir. I really appreciate it." He spoke evenly. Vivian wasn't surprised at his snake like ability to make good with anyone despite distaste for their actions or words.
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