Pressure!
1047 Words
After Diane left the office and after a further weakening call with her mother, Fate walked out of her office, peeping around to ensure that she did not come in contact with Leo Valerius.
It took all the strength that she had to not cry considering everything that was on her plate.
She had just dealt with an assault by her boss, Leo Valerius, the man she previously had a crush on, and now she had to start thinking of how to clear her father’s debt so that they did not lose the farmhouse.
Her father had died the year before, and there was still a fresh feeling of loss around them, but she recently noticed that her mother was just getting used to him not being around by letting the activities on the farmhouse give her joy and occupy her mind.
Plus the thought of renting another house?!? No! They could not lose the house!
She had some savings, but they were not going to go too far. She lived a very humble lifestyle but even with that, her savings could only do so much.
Stepping out onto the street, Fate paused a bit and looked at Thorne tower. She was thinking of Julian Thorne’s offer.
She had given herself some time to ponder it and had ultimately decided against taking the offer because she wanted no part of the beef, especially if it put her job on the line.
But the stakes are different now. She would do anything to keep the farmhouse.
Fate looked away from the two towers before her, she was exhausted.
She hailed a taxi to go home. A day that had been going well, becoming one with an extremely difficult ending was not something she had prepared for.
She would have to make a decision, and whichever one she chose, it had to favor her. She would go through her work contract when she got home to see if there were any loopholes that she would use as her excuse.
***********
Fate sat on her small bed, the sound of the evening wind the only sound she could hear clearly.
Spread out before her was her employment contract with Valerius House.
She circled Section 8.4: Conduct and Termination. She then pulled out a fresh sheet of paper and began to write.
If she was going to take such a risk she had to do it in a way that protected her.
It did not matter that Julian Thorne wanted her help to take down Leo Valerius, she would have to ensure that he was going to have to pay for the privilege.
She would feed him the secrets of Valerius Holdings.
She would give him the access codes, the offshore account numbers, and the evidence of malpractice of Valerius House under Leo’s leadership.
In exchange, she wanted the deed to her farm cleared, protection in that case that she got caught even though she had no intention to be caught.
She intended on leaving on her own terms. She looked at her reflection in the darkened window. Her eyes were red-rimmed from the crying, but the tears had stopped.
Leo Valerius had played with the wrong one and he was going to realize a little too late.
She picked up her phone and dialed Julian Thorne's number.
Julian Thorne
Julian watched Valerius House from Thorne Tower. He was thinking about Fate. He had waited the whole week expecting her to call him, but she surprised him. There was no contact from her.
Fate Mason was an anomaly in his world. She was quiet, efficient, and possessed a loyalty that Leo Valerius did not deserve.
Julian had seen the way Leo had acted towards her —humiliating her before the group of men there — he wanted her to feel small, and he knew it was only a matter of time before the girl realized she was working for a monster.
Julian Thorne took a sip from the glass of neat scotch forgotten in his hand. His gaze was fixed on the glowing logo of Valerius House across the street.
Then his phone rang.
Julian did not rush. He set his drink down, adjusted his cuff links , and picked up the device. An unknown number. The first thing he heard was:
”Good evening, Mr. Thorne. This is Fate Mason, I would like us to talk about your offer.” She paused before continuing,
” I have my own terms.”
Julian allowed himself a slow smile. Relief! He would connect the smile to nothing but the feeling of relief.
He paced back toward the window, watching the lights of the city flicker uncontrollably.
"I was beginning to think you were no longer interested in what I had to offer, Miss Mason."
There was a pause at the other end followed by a heavy, weighted silence that spoke volumes of the trauma Fate was currently suppressing.
“I had to give it a lot of thought,” she said, her voice gaining strength.
“But I have reconsidered it and I want us to talk about it and come up with a new agreement with my terms being taken into consideration.”
Julian’s eyebrows arched. He liked terms. Terms meant she was negotiating, and negotiation was the first step toward ownership.
"How about we talk about and negotiate on our agreement tonight? What are you doing tonight?" Julian asked, his voice dropping to a low, commanding rumble.
“I do not think I am ready for a meeting tonight, Mr Thorne. I just wanted to confirm our agreement,” Fate replied, her mind about the trauma she had experienced in the filing room.
“It does not have to be a meeting. You sound like a good night out could help and, so, we can disguise and have an outdoor meeting.”
She thought about her mother and the farmhouse, the fact that it was an outdoor meeting made her feel relief.
“Where do I meet you, sir?”
“My driver will come and get you. All I need is your address.”
“Okay, Mr. Thorne, I will send that to you after this call. I will see you soon.” And then the line went dead.
- Writer
