A/N The title can be a symbol for love - and for that game we all love to play where there can only be - one winner.
Myka and Helena's outfits can been seen on Twitter at ManhattaniteNYC
XOXOXOXOX
Irene Frederic slid the standard termination package across the table to Adelaide Nathanson. In most firms, the treasonous employee would not be invited back. Given the sensitive nature of her job, the woman was obligated to attend this exit interview.
"Dr. Nathanson, I am required by law to tell you that given the nature of your termination, all benefits have ceased as of yesterday. Any further requirement on your part will have to be paid for out of pocket by you. You will not have access to your office. Any personal items will be packed and sent to an address you provide us once all company property has been returned and secured," Irene said in a very calm, professional manner.
Adelaide opened the packet and closed it quickly. She bent down, retrieved her work laptop, and purposely slammed it on the table. On top of it, she returned her entry key card, work phone, and tablet. She crossed her arms and looked at Myka.
"Dr. Nathanson, it is Wells Corp's decision not to pursue any legal action against you…. at this time. Your non-compete clause goes into effect immediately and that means you cannot work for a firm in the same capacity for a year," Myka said calmly.
"I know what a non-compete clause is. I have a PhD," was the first thing the offender said.
Eileen watched as Myka smiled slowly, unfazed by the outburst. "What you may not know, Adelaide, is that Wells Corp is prepared to file a libel suit against you if you misrepresent the events of this transgression which you brought upon yourself."
"You mean if I tell people that your crazy boss broke into my apartment?" Adelaide spat across the table.
"Oh no, any break in to your apartment should be reported to the police. Was this a forced entry? Items stolen? Witnesses? Fingerprints? Anything?" Myka asked, leaning across the table and staring at the woman.
"No," the doctor confessed.
"Well, as I was saying," Myka said looking over her notes. "You are required by your contract not to speak to the press about the nature of your work here at Wells, but do feel free to discuss how you stole information from us and offered it to a competitor in exchange for a job."
Myka closed the file in front of her, annoyed at the woman's smugness. "Oh and remember, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act provides Wells Corp protections against unauthorized access to their computer systems. Under the CFAA, both the former employee and the new employer can be sued if, either separately or together, they seek to gain a competitive advantage through unauthorized and improper theft of information from the former employer's computer system. "I'll be sending a copy of that to counsel at Grayson Inc.," Myka said seriously.
Adelaide frowned at Myka's words. Grayson had already pulled her job offer last night. Now she had to worry that future potential job offers would be tainted as well.
"And what are you in charge of? My farewell party?" Adelaide said to Eileen.
If this had happened months ago, that tone of voice from a once esteemed colleague at work would have disturbed Eileen very much. But this was not that Eileen. This woman was smart enough to know that she was surrounded by sharp, intelligent women who had risen to the top of their professions. She knew she could learn a great deal from each and every one of them. And she had.
"Dr. Nathanson, in a few minutes, Mrs. Frederic, Ms. Bering and I will leave this office and go back to our work. By meeting with you, we will have completed another task required by our jobs. You, on the other hand, will leave as a thief, a fraud, accused of misconduct,….." Eileen started.
"I don't have to listen to this ….," Adelaide said.
"I am not done," was the response that met her words.
Mrs. Frederic looked down the table at the woman who had just uttered those words. She watched as a small smile crawled across Myka's face in response and gave into her own urge to do the same.
"Throwing away an opportunity to work here is your choice, Dr. Nathanson. One that I will never understand. But you attempted to do us harm, and that is unacceptable," Eileen said.
"I did this because you people refused to recognize my contributions, my loyalty," Adelaide said, the wind gone now from her sails.
Eileen looked directly at her. The young executive in training had given her part in this a great deal of thought and it was obvious to her senior colleagues that she had. Her voice was even, her body language calm, and she never looked away from the terminated woman who starting to feel the weight of her actions.
"A wise woman once told me that - loyalty is measured by conduct, not sentiment, Dr. Nathanson, and your conduct is unbecoming of a Wells Employee," Eileen said and then stood up.
"That's it? I can go?" Adelaide asked.
Myka and Irene pushed their chairs back and stood up. One might have watched this meeting and thought Eileen brought very little to the table. She had no packet in front of her to offer the woman and there was no real threat she could issue. And yet, the woman's consequence was handed over to her.
Eileen knew that Mrs. Frederic would explain that if the offender didn't return everything that belonged to the company, she would not receive her personal items. She knew Myka would explain that if she sought retribution, she would be sued. What did that leave for Eileen to cover? The terminated employee wouldn't care what Eileen thought.
But she might care what the fellow 53 staff members of her department thought.
When Adelaide opened the door to walk out of the conference room, those 53 people lined the hallway. The woman gasped and stopped in her tracks as she saw the faces of people she worked with for years turn and look at her. Adelaide was so surprised that they were there, that it slowed down her gait as she looked at the people – disappointment and disapproval in their eyes and on their faces.
Adelaide felt the weight of that as she walked through the human hallway.
"Why did you do it, Adelaide?" was the most common question. "How could you do this?" "I thought we were friends?" came from a few very saddened staff members. She remained unable to speak all the way down to the first floor where she was escorted out of the building by Wells Security.
"Loyalty may be measured in deeds, but disloyalty is measured in the people you let down," Eileen said to Myka and Irene. She walked back to her desk.
"I'm going to enjoy working for her," Irene said as she left Myka in the waiting area.
Just then, the conference room door opened and Helena emerged from her on-air appointment. She smiled at Eileen, but never said a word. Myka followed the Brit into her office.
"Well, that went well I think," Myka said, wondering how curious Helena was about it.
"As I expected," Helena said and meant it.
"I was thinking of going home after work and then meeting up with Bridget," Myka said. She wasn't staying to update Helena as much as she was giving her time to ask her how the meeting went. Wasn't Helena curious about how Eileen did?
"Oh yes, I will have to change as well," Helena thought out loud.
"All those people out there…?" Myka finally said, not able to take it anymore. "That was all Eileen's idea."
"Pulling 50 people away from their work?" Helena asked and suddenly Myka didn't like sharing the information.
"To make a point…," Myka tried, but Helena seemed unimpressed. "God, you are tough." Myka wanted Helena to applaud Eileen's first attempt at this.
"I have to be," Helena said, sitting down in her chair.
"You can be nurturing …..and tough. Well, of course you're nurturing," Myka said trying to choose her words.
"Myka, baptism by water is nurturing. Baptism by fire is what makes leaders," Helena explained.
"Is that why you were so tough on me when I first came here?" Myka asked.
"Oh darling, I was tough on you for all sorts of reasons. Most of them legit," Helena said unapologetically.
"What does that mean?" Myka said, sitting down in the chair in front of the big desk.
"I test anyone who comes through that door. I don't care what your résumé says; it's what do you want to do and what you can do. I hire talent and potential. And I will uncover that potential before you waste too much of my time. Your skill was readily accessible. But you….," Helena stopped and looked right into Myka's eyes. "….you captivated my heart and held it for ransom. That never happened to me."
"Not even a little with Gorgeous George?" Myka teased, coming around and leaning back on Helena's desk.
"Poor George," Helena said of the man's wasted trip.
"I love you Helena Wells," Myka said, suddenly feeling very possessive. She ran her fingers down Helena's hair.
"I love you Myka Bering," Helena answered back, leaning into Myka's hand that touched her cheek.
"I'll see you later," Myka said, unable to resist kissing Helena.
Helena smiled and gazed at Myka's form as she left her office. Eileen called her and told her Ted Grayson was on the phone. He had tried to reach her several times since last night. He knew he had screwed up by trusting Adelaide and now he looked like a fool. He was more concerned that he had stirred the Hornet's nest – and the Queen would strike back.
Helena told the assistant to come into her office and only took Ted's call when Eileen sat down.
"Ted Grayson, I wish I could say this was a surprise," Helena said into the speaker phone.
"Helena, do you have me on speaker? Take me off, please," Ted said, already embarrassed.
"Don't be ridiculous, Ted. I have Miss Sullivan with me. She's in training, you know. And I thought this would be a wonderful example of how competitors speak when one of them has his tail between his legs," Helena said and Eileen watched her every move. Helena seemed calm as she walked to the window overlooking Times Square and answered Ted.
"Helena, I have withdrawn the offer to employ your former disgruntled employee. I want you to know, I made it perfectly clear I never wanted anything secret that would harm Wells Corp," Ted said. He had been up all night trying to figure out how to rectify this situation. The public humiliation was one thing, but the industry scrutiny he would receive as a result of this would be unbearable.
He could sustain being Helena's competitor, not her enemy,
"You needn't confess your remorse to me, Ted. I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't be embarrassed by such a blunder," Helena said matter of factly.
Ted expected Helena's sharp retorts. "Let's keep this in perspective then," he suggested.
"Oh Ted, I believe I've analyzed the situation quite well," Helena said, taking her seat. "You thought you were standing on high moral ground because you didn't want company confidences, Ted. Just information that would perhaps, throw me off my game?"
"A little friendly competition," Ted tried and patted his forehead with the monogrammed white handkerchief.
And then Eileen saw it happen. The transformation from Helena allowing Ted to speak, to Helena who was going to exact her punishment.
"Ted, you thought you could take advantage of a weak link within Wells Corp and perhaps, for that, I should thank you. But you believed you could infiltrate my company; gather something that you could use against me in an effort to gain something. You made so many mistakes in doing this, that I don't have the time to list them all for you. But I will tell you this Ted, your provocation will not go unanswered. You may wake up one day very soon to find you are in the midst of a hostile takeover …and Ted?" Helena said slowly.
"Yes?" the man answered and Eileen could tell he was drained.
"I can be very hostile," Helena said and disconnected him. "This is why fortress walls are not made out of links," the CEO said to Eileen.
Eileen listened carefully.
"Was your meeting a success?" Helena asked her protégé.
"Yes," Eileen said, because she believed that her hall of shame was effective.
"You felt it was justified to take fifty employees from their work so that they could watch the traitor in their midst leave the building?" Helena asked.
"Yes, I did," Eileen said because she had given it a great deal of thought. "I wanted people to learn that what they do here affects everyone."
"That's an expensive lesson don't you think?" Helena asked to make sure Eileen knew there was a time money value to everything.
"I think it was invaluable," Eileen answered.
"OK," Helena responded and Eileen took that as her cue the meeting was over. A slow smile crept across Helena's face as she watched the woman leave. "Miss Sullivan?"
"Yes?" Eileen asked, stopping in the doorway and looking back.
"Good job," Helena said and went back to her computer.
Eileen slowly closed the door behind her, leaned on it, and took a deep breath. Had they handed her the keys to the City, Eileen Sullivan could not have been more pleased than what those two words did for her.
She had done a good job …..for Helena.
Helena and Myka rushed home, past the press that waited for them outside work and then at the townhouse.
"I do wish you were coming with me," Helena shouted from one aisle of the closet to another aisle where Myka perused her choices.
"Me too, Helena, but I'm sure the Mayor wants to flaunt your friendship to all his constituents," Myka shouted back. "So how many fundraisers and charity balls does one have to attend to pay back for tunnels these days?"
Helena heard the question, but chose to ignore it. Myka wouldn't like the answer. Instead, she concentrated on her dress for the evening.
"I hope you don't mind that I am wearing something a little sheer this evening," Helena said as she slipped on her Stella McCarthy Belinda mesh insert gown. The long black gown had a rounded neckline, short sleeves of the mesh material that ran down the sides of the dress, exposing the Brit's very ivory skin and an attached train in the back. Surely this would get Myka's mind off her questions.
"Of course not," Myka shouted back as she got dressed in her Alexander McQueen mesh paneled stretch jersey top that exposed her skin at various openings from her shoulders, down the arms and across her chest and stomach. "As long as you don't mind mine," she teased as Helena rounded the corner and stopped.
Helena stared at Myka's high heel shoes and slowly worked her way up the leather pants to the peek-a-boo shirt until she hit Myka's green eyes. "That is …..that looks very nice on you," Helena said, standing there looking stunning in the long dress.
"Thank you. You look beautiful," Myka said, checking at how much the side panels revealed. "It's a good thing I trust you."
The women went downstairs and got ready to leave.
"I will be home by ten," Helena said, kissing Myka. Myka inhaled the familiar smell of Chanel N°5.
"I will see you then," Myka said, returning the kiss before she went outside with Helena. Pete was taking Helena to the Mayor's function, but Myka insisted on taking a cab downtown.
Bridget arrived early and ordered a bottle of Dom Perignon, which was waiting in the bucket of ice for Myka to arrive. Bridget had reason to celebrate, finally getting Helena the deal she wanted. She couldn't reach Helena and she couldn't tell Myka, but that wasn't going to stop Bridget was celebrating.
Bridget knew the minute Myka arrived by the whispers and head turning of the other patrons, all of which the lawyer was charmingly oblivious to. The investment banker stood up and hugged her friend when she got to the table and then they sat across from one another.
"I love that outfit! So this is what lawyers look like when they're not sporting suits," Bridget teased.
"Very funny," Myka said to her friend.
"It is good to see you, Myka," Bridget said, reaching across and touching the woman's arm. "How was your vacation?"
"It was great. Really good to get away," Myka said. "How is Sarah?"
"Oh she's good. Got some fashion show thing going on and she's all nervous," Bridget said smiling. The large watch on her wrist moved up and down as she poured the champagne into the glasses.
"About the show?" Myka asked.
"About everything. Lord that woman is insecure. Can you imagine looking like you and feeling insecure?" Bridget asked noting the uncanny resemblance to Myka. "How is Helena?" Bridget asked.
"Like you don't know," Myka said smiling.
"Actually, your girlfriend wasn't taking my call tonight. She's not upset you're out with me, is she?" the business woman teased.
"Ha, no not at all. Hey, thanks for getting this reservation. I know you must have gone through a lot to get it," Myka said of the impossible to get into restaurant.
"Oh it was no trouble at all. Do you want to know how I did it?" Bridget asked.
"Sure," Myka said, thinking it would be a great place to bring Helena to.
Bridget leaned over the table and motioned for Myka to do the same. Then she whispered – "I used your name."
"What?" Myka asked in total disbelief. "My name?"
"Yes, your name," her friend answered. "Here's to us," Bridget said to Myka.
"To us," Myka said and took a sip.
"You don't even notice people noticing you, do you?" Bridget asked amazed.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. If anyone is looking, it's because of …. you know," Myka said, meaning her association with Helena.
"Don't sell yourself short Myka. You've come a long way since I first met you. And not because of Helena either," the woman said. Myka loved how Bridget's southern accent seemed to come out more, the more she relaxed. "I agree that woman could have anyone she wants, but she wants you. And don't forget, you chose her too. Let's face it, Myka, your girlfriend may be stunningly beautiful, but she is stubborn, difficult, acerbic, not to mention an obstinate person. Not everyone could put up with her," Bridget said, refilling the glasses.
"Really?" Myka said, her eyebrows raised letting Bridget know not to push the adjectives about Helena.
"Don't get me wrong, I love her. She pushes me like no one else and I love it," Bridget said raising her glass to Helena.
Myka smiled at her friend because she knew Bridget had a sincere respect for the Brit. All this talk of Helena made Myka think about her and she was unaware of the smile that covered her face.
"And look at you. I list all these terrible things about your girlfriend and you sit there with the silliest grin on your face like you can't wait to get home and see her. It's adorable. I'm surprised the rest of the world doesn't hate the two of you," Bridget said.
"Are you quite done?" Myka said, the color of her cheeks now bright red.
"Did I mention she's stubborn?" Bridget laughed and had to cup her mouth so as not to dribble out her drink.
Myka burst out laughing at her friend. It was impossible not to have a good time when you were with her. For a serious minded business woman, Bridget Cummings never took herself, or life, too seriously.
Andrew opened the car door for Irene Frederic even though she tried to beat him to it. Handpicked by Pete, the young man was assigned to Irene Frederic for an indefinite period of time. She practically cursed when she saw him and huffed and puffed from the back seat, insisting that she didn't need his services and thanked him all the same. By the time Andrew reached the house in Queens, he had heard every reason she didn't want his assistance and how the entire matter would be rectified once she spoke to Helena tomorrow.
"Now Mrs. Frederic, Ms. Wells has instructed me to inform you that someone is waiting for you inside your residence," Andrew said, having listened very carefully to Helena's and then Pete's instructions.
"Someone? Someone who?" Irene demanded, but was met with a smile that said he couldn't say anymore. The woman grumbled all the way up the front steps and unlocked the door to her house, all the time promising she was going to set Helena straight first thing tomorrow.
"Ridiculous," she muttered as she walked and saw what was waiting for her.
"Now don't freak out, Mrs. F," Claudia said from inside the woman's living room.
Eileen smiled coming from the kitchen and it was obvious she was preparing something.
"What? Why?" Irene asked the familiar faces that weren't supposed to be there.
"We're sorry, Mrs. Frederic. Ms. Wells insisted that we be inside when you got home," Eileen said, moving to the small dining room where she set the table for three people.
"What are you doing here? She wants you to have dinner with me?" Irene asked.
Claudia walked to a chair and picked up a small duffel bag. "We're staying the night."
"What? Oh this is simply ridiculous. You don't have to …," Irene tried.
"We want to," Eileen said and Claudia agreed.
"Does she think I was born yesterday?" Irene asked, throwing down her flat pocketbook on the chair. The two younger women exchanged knowing looks that Irene couldn't help but notice and it prompted her to ask – "What?"
"She said you would ask that very question," Eileen said amazed at Helena's clairvoyance skills.
"And when you did, we were to say….," Claudia said looking at Eileen.
"That… you weren't, but your heart was," Eileen said, repeating Helena's words verbatim.