Pleading With The Golden Child

Adam Balmero sat in his study, tension hung in the air as the old man paced his office, fist clenched and eyes dark with rage.

He glanced at the wall clock, another hour had gone by and he knew that yet again, he had lost another million. His agitation grew, his strides became faster.

The desk behind him was littered with reports that screamed of one thing: failure.

He had just ended a heated phone call with one of his most trusted business associates. The conversation was brief and to the point, centered on the staggering financial losses the Balmero Company had incurred over the past few months.

It wasn't even a year since Posy took over from Thea but somehow in the last six months the company has incurred more losses than Adam had ever incurred even when he was just starting out! It was a reality he had tried to ignore, maybe Posy just needed time to adjust to her role but the numbers were now too large to dismiss.

Gina walked in with a tray of ginger tea and set it on the desk gently, a look of concern on her face.

“Whats wrong?”

“Losses! We lost one of our factories yesterday because Posy had signed to it in a shady contract! I’m losing millions of dollars every hour!”

Gina seemed horrified. “What?! It can't be! Posy couldn't possibly be that careless! There has to be some sort of misunderstanding…”

"It's not just the money, Gina," Adam began, his voice low and tight with a barely contained fury. "It's the reputation. Two new clients have pulled out of their contracts, and three others are threatening to do the same! Do you have any idea how bad that is for our image? Years of solid work, of building trust and credibility, gone. Just like that.”

Gina sighed. “Adam, please. She just needs time to find her footing. This is a new role for her. She's adjusting. Give her a chance.”

"A chance? How much of a chance do you want me to give her?" Adam retorted, his voice rising. "Another one hundred million in losses? Another two clients? She's not just losing money, Gina. She’s bleeding it! The contracts she signed are backfiring, and she can't even get a simple deal done without a dozen of her so-called 'advisors' looking into it for her. This is incompetence, plain and simple!"

Gina’s eyes hardened at his words. She had heard enough of his accusations.

“She is not incompetent, Adam. She’s just going through a rough patch, and all she needs is our support. She’s trying her best!”

“Her best? Is that what you call it?” Adam scoffed, the sound bitter and full of disappointment. "If I had Thea here, this wouldn’t be happening. She would have had everything under control within a week. Thea would have had a plan. She would have salvaged our reputation and probably earned us a few more clients. Not run them away!"

The mention of Thea hung in the air. Gina’s expression softened, a deep pain flickering in her eyes.

She had not seen Thea in months, and Adam had a firm rule against ever discussing her. Now, here he was, doing just that.

Gina's voice was now a low, pained whisper. “Please, Adam. Don't compare them.”

"Why not? Because Thea is a better businesswoman and Posy is not?" he snapped, unable to hold back the cutting words. “It's the truth, Gina! Thea is competent, and Posy… she’s your daughter. And you’re siding with her because of that. Because you’re her mother and you love her more.”

The words hung in the air, a chilling echo in the silent room. It was as if Adam had slapped her. Gina’s eyes filled with a searing, betrayed fury. Her face, which had been full of concern just moments ago, was now pale with disbelief.

“How dare you?” she said, her voice shaking. She stood up, her hand balled into a fist. “How dare you ever think that?! I love Thea as if she were my own. She is my daughter, Adam, just as much as Posy is. You have no right to say that. No right!”

Her voice cracked on the last word, and a tear streamed down her face. She turned her back to him, her shoulders shaking, and walked out of the room.

The door slammed shut behind her.

Adam sat there in the sudden, deafening silence. The rage that had consumed him moments ago was replaced by a hollow ache of regret. He had gone too far. He had hurt the one person who always stood by him, always tried to be the peacemaker.

But the reports on his desk still screamed of failure, and the image of his company’s name being dragged through the mud was a pain he couldn't ignore.

He stood up, walking over to the window, staring down at the garden. He had to do something. He couldn't let his company fall to ruin. He needed the one person who could fix this, the one person who could restore order and competence to his crumbling empire.

He pulled out his phone, his thumb hovering over the contacts. He had removed Thea’s number months ago, a foolish act of loyalty to Posy. But he had a network of people who could find anyone, anywhere.

He made a call.

"I need you to find Thea Balmero," he said, his voice cold and devoid of any emotion. "And I need you to do it now. Find her location. Her new number. I don’t care what it takes. By all means necessary."

He ended the call and stood there, his mind already racing with the plans he would put in place once he found her. He would convince her to come back. He would do whatever it took to save his company.

A quiet sound from the doorway made him turn but there was no one there. He sighed and settled back in his seat.

Posy, hiding behind a book shelf in the hallway, gritted her teeth in anger. She had overheard Adam's words.

Her father wanted Thea back, and she would be damned if she let that happen. Not after everything she had done to get rid of her.