As the meeting drew to a close Stephanie gathered her papers together, the last thing she wanted to do right now was stick around for Vince to try and talk to her because she knew her Father and she knew he wouldn't give up that easily.
Paul had paid attention throughout most of the meeting with only one small lapse of concentration when Vince was droning on about something from last week and his mind drifted to the events of the previous week in his personal life. Luckily when Vince drifted back onto the subject of that evening's show Stephanie elbowed him to bring his attention back to the meeting.
When the meeting ended all Paul wanted to do was get out of there and focus on things for the show later but unfortunately his luck was not in because as he stood up he heard Vince calling his name. Reluctantly he allowed Stephanie to leave as he made his way to the top of the table to talk with Vince.
He knew it was a long shot but for Vince it felt like a long shot that he would be able to help him but he had to try Paul, not that he thought he would or should try to talk any sense into Stephanie but maybe he would know something that he didn't. Calling the younger man's name he was a little surprised when he almost immediately turned and walked towards him but he really shouldn't have been because Paul was a professional.
Reaching his boss Paul really hoped that he didn't want to talk about Stephanie because he knew Vince wouldn't like what he had to say about it, "what can I do for you Vince?"
Watching as the last few people filed out of the room Vince walked to the door and pushed it shut, "I think you can guess what I want to talk about."
Paul's face fell when he realised that Vince did want to talk about Stephanie. Taking a deep breath he exhaled slowly, "Stephanie?"
"Exactly. When you found her last week did she happen to say anything to you about me?"
Looking down at his feet Paul shuffled his feet on the floor, "you really don't want me to answer that question."
His eyebrow raised and Vince looked at Paul oddly, "what do you mean that I 'really don't want you to answer that'? If I didn't want to know I wouldn't have asked."
"I know but it doesn't mean that you'd like what I have to say. Well more what Stephanie said than what I have to say. Vince right now Stephanie is incredibly hurt, she feels like the one person who she thought would always put her happiness first has betrayed her."
Understanding what Paul was saying but not actually liking it Vince was going to fight him on it, "I do want her to be happy and her happiness means everything to me but this is a business, I can't have unrest in the locker room."
Throwing his hands up in the air Paul had a feeling that things were going to go like this, "that's the problem Vince. In Stephanie's eyes all she sees is that you put the boys and the business above your own daughter and her happiness."
"What does she expect me to do? I can't take things back and just ignore how they feel just to please her."
"But you can ignore how she feels to please them?"
Vince was finally starting to understand and realise why Stephanie was acting like she was, he didn't think there was a way for him to make things better straight away but he was hopeful that over time things would get much easier between them, "okay so when you put it like that things like her behaviour and reaction do kind of make more sense. There's not a quick or easy fix to this is there?"
As much as Paul wanted to tell Vince that yes there was a quick and easy fix to it he knew he would be lying because there wasn't one, "unfortunately Vince I don't think there is because you're not going to be willing or able to give her what she actually wants. You are stuck between a rock and a hard place wanting to keep the boys happy but also trying to think of Stephanie's happiness. If you're lucky over time she will forgive you and things will get better between the two of you but until that day I don't think there is a whole lot you can do about it."
"What about what you want Paul? Do you want the same as Stephanie or do you not care enough about her that the fact that I have denied you permission to be together any longer means nothing to you?"
Paul knew deep down Vince wanted to hear him say that he didn't care because then in his mind it would justify the decision he made but he couldn't and wouldn't do that, "actually Vince I do want the same thing that Stephanie does. Unlike her I don't have the luxury of being able to blank or ignore you because at the end of the day you are my boss and my career is in your hands."
As Vince thought of the significance of what Paul was actually saying to him he didn't like it, "so you're saying that if I wasn't your boss and didn't have the power to fuck your career over you'd ignore me also?"
Deciding he may aswell be truthful with Vince whilst he could Paul nodded his head, "pretty much yes. If I can't have Stephanie then all I do have is my career and I can't lose both things. If I was given the choice between my career and Stephanie I would have chosen Stephanie every time but I wasn't given the choice. I'd better go though because I have to do some stuff before the show later."
Paul made a hasty retreat from the conference room before he said anything else that could lose him his job and all Vince could do was watch him leave and think about what he had said. The fact that Paul absolutely loved his job and had made it clear from the beginning that being part of the WWE was what he had wanted ever since he was little and to hear him say that if he had to choose between his career and Stephanie he would have chosen Stephanie every time was an incredibly sobering thought for him.
After leaving the conference room Paul shut the door firmly behind him before he leant on the wall. He had never told Stephanie what he had just said to Vince and he really hoped Vince didn't tell her either because the last thing he wanted was for Stephanie to find out exactly what he would do to be with her because he knew her and he didn't really want her to feel like she had to make a decision to make things easier for him. She was his world and the reason he smiled on his darkest of days but he just wished things weren't so complicated between them, he longed for the days when everything was easy and people weren't gunning for him.
Stephanie had left the conference room as quickly as she could not wanting to stick around to hear what her Dad had to say to Paul. As she re-entered the locker room she took her laptop out of its bag and started to boot it up but as she sat down in front of it she couldn't help but wonder what her Dad wanted to talk to Paul about. If he thought he could talk to Paul and get him to convince her that he was doing the right thing then he would be sadly mistake, nothing he could do or say right now would make things easier or convince her that she should forgive her Dad. Why should she care about his feelings when he didn't care about hers?
