21!You can't play both sides!

ZARA

Just for a second, just for a tiny second I let myself feel something I thought I buried years ago, but I can't feel like this again. Not right now.

I shoved him away, my breath ragged. My lipstick smeared. My heart was racing.

“No,” I said, stepping back. “This can’t happen.”

“You kissed me back,” he said, voice dark and proud.

“That was a mistake.”

He took a deep breath, ran a hand through his hair. “No, Zara. That was the truth.”

Suddenly the door burst open, and Vic walked in. 

“Everything okay?” She asked, holding a file in her hands. She looked between us- at my flushed face, at Matthew's guilty smirk, at our closeness.

“Everything is fine,” Matthew spoke before I could. “I was just leaving,” he said, and walked out immediately.

Vic watched him as he walked out then turned to look at me with confusion written all over her face.

“What did I miss?” She asked, and I rolled my eyes.

“Nothing,” I said, taking the file from her. “This is the presentation of our pro Bono policy?” I asked her, and she nodded.

“Yes, the shareholders are arriving in the conference room right now,” she said.

“Good, let's not keep them waiting then,” I said, and began walking towards the door.

“Are you sure everything is okay?” She asked, as she tried to keep up with me.

“No, Vic, everything is not okay. I kiss him,” I said, and she gasped. 

“No,” she said, as we got into the vicinity of the conference room. 

“It was nothing,” I stopped walking, and faced her. “It doesn't mean anything. I can get through the day without thinking about it,” I said, and she gave me a weird look.

“Are you sure you would be able to do that with him sitting close to you?” She asked, and I looked inside the conference room. “You didn't tell me he's a shareholder,” Vic Said.

“I didn't know myself,” I answered as we walked in. 

Many of the shareholders greeted me with a good attitude as I walked in. While others just stared at me with blank expressions. 

“What are you doing here?” I asked Matthew as soon as I got to my seat. He was seated adjacent to me.

“Matthew is a minority shareholder,” Monica said, holding his shoulder. He smiled, and held her hands. 

What's he doing, trying to make me jealous?

“Oh is that so?” I asked with disdain in my voice.

“It's exactly so, Zara. It's two to one now,” she kissed Matthew on the lips, and then turned to me.

I looked away trying not to remember our own kiss. “I hope this doesn't make you uncomfortable,” she said, and walked away.

Uncomfortable, Matthew said that exact word to me. So she really asked him to make me uncomfortable, and he went along with it. 

How could he? He knows how important this policy is to me, and for the future of Zenith Law Firm.

I coughed slightly, and faced the room. I have to nail this presentation. This is my first act as majority shareholders, and it needs to be a win. Everyone is watching.

I took a deep breath and stood up. My heels clicked against the marble floor as I walked toward the front of the room. My hands were slightly trembling, but I tightened my grip on the file and forced myself to breathe slower.

You’ve worked for this. You earned this. Focus, Zara.

I faced the long table filled with powerful eyes—some kind, some indifferent, some clearly waiting for me to mess up.

Monica took her seat, resting her hand on Matthew’s thigh like she was claiming a prize. He didn’t look at her, though. His eyes were on me. Quiet. Focused.

I opened the file, clicked the remote, and my presentation lit up on the large screen behind me.

“Good morning,” I began, my voice stronger than I expected. “Today, I present to you Zenith Law Firm’s proposed pro bono policy—a policy designed not just to serve our community, but to restore a piece of what this firm was built upon: justice.”

I paused and scanned the room. My eyes stopped on Monica. She was smirking.

Then on Matthew. He was unreadable now.

“This policy will open up new partnerships with nonprofit legal clinics, expand our reach into underserved neighborhoods, and dedicate 10% of our junior associates’ billable hours to pro bono work. All while keeping client obligations intact.”

I clicked to the next slide.

“And why does this matter?” I asked. “Because we are more than profit. We are a legacy. And that legacy means nothing if we don’t stand up for those who can’t afford us.”

A few heads nodded. A few raised eyebrows.

I saw one of the older shareholders, Mr. Fields, lean in, clearly more engaged now.

“The program will also allow us to receive significant tax deductions while increasing our standing in legal rankings that value social impact. It’s both a strategic and a moral move.”

I wrapped it up and turned back to the room. “Any questions?”

Silence.

Then a hand went up—Monica’s.

“Thank you, Zara,” she said, smiling. “Can you clarify how these nonprofit partners will be vetted? Given recent scandals, we wouldn't want Zenith tied to any controversial organizations.”

I saw what she was doing. Trying to poke holes. Trying to make me stumble.

“Of course,” I said calmly. “Each partner will go through a two-step verification process—one internal, one external—both monitored by the ethics committee. Which, as of this morning, I’ve requested to expand.”

There was another pause.

Then Mr. Fields cleared his throat. “I think this is exactly the kind of direction we’ve needed. I support it.”

A few others nodded, including two women I didn’t expect to.

Then Matthew spoke up. “I support it too.”

My heart skipped.

Monica turned to him, eyes wide. “What?”

He looked at her, then slowly back at me. “It’s smart. And needed. I vote yes.”

“You’re voting with her?” Monica hissed, trying to keep her voice low.

“I’m voting for the firm,” he replied, and my breath caught in my chest.

Monica's eyes burned through me, but I stood tall.

“Well then,” Mr. Fields said, adjusting his glasses. “Majority vote. The policy passes.”

A few claps echoed through the room. I let out the breath I’d been holding.

After the meeting ended, people stood and began to leave. I gathered my files quickly, not looking at Matthew.

But just as I reached for my pen, a soft voice beside me said, “You were amazing.”

I turned. He was standing there again, hands in his pockets.

“Don’t,” I said. “Don’t try to play both sides.”

“I’m not,” he said softly. “But I meant it. You were brilliant, Zara.”

“You were given an assignment by your fake girlfriend over there, to make me uncomfortable so I wouldn't be able to ace my pro Bono policy presentation,” I said, and his face fell.

“You know how important this policy is to me, and you went along with it anyway,” I whispered.

“I went along with it because I needed to save face with her. She has to think that I'm all in, besides I wanted you to feel how I feel,” he said.

“And what's that?” I asked.

“That nothing has changed between us, we are still the same people madly in love with each other.”

I scoffed, “Things have changed between us, you are with the enemy, and I don't want to have anything…. anything,” I repeated myself. “To do with you.”