Chapter two

Alex took slow, steady steps into the large lobby of his father’s firm; Cromwell & Partners. As he made his way to the elevator, a thousand thoughts flashed through his mind. He had a fair idea why his father had summoned him, but still, he wondered. Was it about his recent absentmindedness… or had Mr. Smith changed his mind?

  His thoughts were cut short by the familiar voice of his personal assistant, Eileen, calling out from behind him.

  “Alex, you’re late. Your dad sent for you almost an hour ago. He’ll have my head if you don’t show up in his office now,” she scolded gently, straightening his tie and brushing an imaginary speck from his collar.

  There were always rumors about the two of them, whispers that they were having an affair. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Eileen was like the big sister he never had, though he actually had two younger siblings, twins still in college, who adored and looked up to him. They’d worked together since he became an attorney nearly seven years ago, and she’d looked out for him ever since.

  “I’m going in now,” he said with a small nod.

  “Knock,knock”

  “Come in,” came his father’s deep, measured voice.

  Alex tapped lightly on the glass-paneled door and stepped inside. The familiar scent of whiskey greeted him. Everything in the room was sleek, sharp, and expensive the kind of space that didn’t need to announce power; it radiated it.

  The walls were lined with framed newspaper covers and plaques, each perfectly aligned. CROMWELL WINS ANOTHER LANDMARK CASE. NEW YORK’S LEGAL ICON. THE MAN BEHIND THE CITY’S BIGGEST DEALS. The bold headlines caught the light as Alex walked past them, each one whispering reminders of a legacy that left no room for failure.

  A sleek brown desk anchored the room minimalist yet commanding. Behind it sat Mr. Cromwell, dressed in a charcoal suit that looked as though it had been tailored to his authority. A half-full glass of amber whiskey rested beside his laptop, untouched. He sensed trouble, his father only drank whiskey when there was trouble or he was extremely happy 

  Before Alex could speak, a calm, graceful, and unexpected voice broke the silence.

  “What took you so long, Alex?”

  He turned sharply. His mother sat on the cream sophisticated sofa in the corner of the office, legs crossed, posture elegant yet firm. She wore a white long dress that screamed “Elegance.” He had always admired his mother’s style right from when he was a child. 

  “Mom?” he said, brows rising. She almost never came to the firm. The last time she had was two years ago on a surprise visit. This clearly wasn’t one of those.

  “I almost thought you weren’t coming,” she said with a faint smile. “You’re never late. Sit down, son. Your father and I need to discuss something with you. I had to come in because things are getting out of hand.”

  He sat in the black leather chair opposite his father staring into the white ceiling. For a long moment, the room was still. Then, his father’s voice broke through the silence.

  “Starlife Incorporated called a few hours ago,” Mr. Cromwell said, his tone steady but his eyes clouded with quiet defeat. “They’ve decided to terminate their contract with us by the end of the month.”

  Alex froze. His heartbeat quickened, and a heavy silence pressed down on him. Starlife was their biggest client, with countless subsidiaries also under contract. Their influence had drawn other major companies to the firm. Losing them could mean the end of everything.

  After a long pause, he managed to speak. “But… Dad, I could go and see them. Maybe we could come to an agreement.”

  His father gave a weary sigh. “You think I haven’t tried that?”

  It was the third major client they were about to lose since the scandal broke.

  “Okay,” Alex said quietly, looking between his parents. “What do we do now, then?”

  “You need to agree to Mr. Smith’s offer,” his mother said, breaking the silence.

  “Mom. No, no, no. There are other ways to fix this,” Alex said, his voice rising with frustration.

  “Well, son,” she replied calmly, “the CEO of Starlife and Mr. Smith are old friends. If we sign Mr. Smith as a client and accept his offer, one word from him to Starlife’s CEO will be enough to save this firm.”

  Alex ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. “Mom, it’s not that simple. Finding his daughter who’s been gone for who knows how long and bringing her back to him? She’s an adult. She made her choice. And how do you expect my girlfriend to take this?”

  His mother’s eyes narrowed slightly at the word girlfriend. Her disapproval was no secret. She’d always said Emily was only after his money, but Alex refused to believe that. Emily loved him. She had to.

  He and his mother went back and forth, his voice rising and falling but his mother’s voice steadily calm until his father finally spoke calm, heavy, final.

  “Alex,” he said, his voice quieter now, almost breaking, “our family is depending on you to do this. He didn’t ask you to marry her, just to find her and bring her back. My legacy everything I’ve built over the past forty years depends on this one decision.”

  Alex stared at him, stunned. His father’s hand trembled slightly as he lifted the glass of whiskey to his lips. His father was the strongest man he knew, dealt with every situation so gracefully. He had never seen him like this before. 

  His chest tightened. In that moment, Alex realized he was standing on the edge of two worlds his father’s legacy on one side, and his own sanity on the other.