Happy Saturday!
Thank you SO MUCH for all your reviews! I'm loving all of your theories but I can't tell you if Rebecca will be trouble or not :)
What I CAN tell you is a) she isn't married, she just has a ridiculous double-barreled last name, and b) she's no relation to Jacob in this story.
Also, Edward will address a few of y'all's questions today.
Usual disclaimer applies - I still don't own any of it.
Team Momo wouldn't exist without Midnight Cougar and Alice's White Rabbit with their red pens, or without AGoodWitch, Driving Edward, Mel, Maplestyle, and Eternally Addicted who pre-read and tell me if I'm off my rocker or not.
LawyerWard is in the office today!
Chapter 19 - EPOV
That Sunday, at my parents' usual brunch, my father called Emmett and me into his study while Bella and Rose followed my mother into the conservatory.
Dad didn't waste any time after Emmett closed the door behind us. "We hired someone who was in law school with you."
I raised an eyebrow at Carlisle. "You're a week too late in your announcement."
"Oh. How?"
You had to love the man. He'd founded the firm, but sometimes he remained blissfully oblivious to what happened within its walls.
My brother noticed my impending sarcastic remark and cut me off just in time. "You forget his girlfriend reports to Alistair, Pops. What old ginger knows, Bella knows, too."
"Not to mention that preparing marketing materials for new hires is literally in her job description," I added. "I'd love to know why I wasn't consulted on this decision."
"Oh, well … you're on sabbatical. We thought … I didn't want to burden you with this, too." Carlisle's voice, tentative at first, grew hasty and apologetic by the time he finished speaking. As if he'd blurted out a canned excuse because I'd caught him red-handed.
"Being on sabbatical doesn't mean I resigned from the hiring committee. Or from the executive committee. I'm still a partner. Why did you go over my head?"
It was a first for my father; usually, I didn't question his business decisions, nor did I confront him so openly. However, this was an unusual occurrence. As a rule, we saw eye to eye when it came to the firm.
"I don't know why you're being so defensive. We were in a time crunch. Rebecca was being courted by other firms, and we wanted to secure her. I thought—I thought you'd be happy to hear we hired someone you knew."
From his perch on the arm of the wing-backed armchair, Emmett scoffed. "Oh, for fuck's sake. And I bet her federal judge of a father had zilch to do with the hasty decision."
Now more deflated than an empty sack of flour, my father crumbled, leaning against the back of his office chair. "It was a major consideration, yes."
"What's done is done. It would be detrimental for the firm to go back on our word. Let's hope this works out to everyone's satisfaction. But I have my doubts." I spit that out with Rosalie's words in mind—so far, she didn't have a kind assessment of the newcomer.
My parting salvo seemed to catch my father's attention. He raised his head, frowning. "What do you mean by that? Both of you. If you think I missed your silent commentary, Emmett, think again. Stop making faces and use your words. Out with it."
He threw his glasses on the desk, crossing his arms. Even in his relaxed Sunday attire of a sweater and chinos, he came across as a stern, inflexible opponent, which served him well in the cutthroat acquisition negotiations that made up a good chunk of his practice.
My brother turned toward me. "Want me to go first, big bro?"
I nodded. "Yeah, my evidence is all hearsay anyway."
My father scoffed at my comment.
"We're not in court, Dad. And I know the lady in question, though in passing. Does my opinion have no weight anymore?"
Carlisle raised his hands in a defensive posture. "Of course, it does. Please, tell me what you know."
Emmett slid off the armrest of the wingback and into its more expansive and stable seat. "I haven't met Rebecca yet, but I have some direct and indirect impressions. Rosalie had a one-hour meeting with her to go over HR policies. It took Rose two hours of kickboxing to exorcise the delightful Miss Black-Whiteley."
"Your Rosalie has a fiery temper," my father hedged.
Em didn't take kindly to his assumption. "But she knows how to behave professionally. After she'd kicked the punching bag into oblivion, she told me all about the meeting. Rebecca was haughty and impolite, and criticized every single piece of policy and procedure we have in place at CCM. She also had the nerve to say that she'd do as she pleased because she'd been given ample latitude by the partners, and hinted that Rose should accede to her wishes, or else."
"That's preposterous," I erupted. "Now I know what she meant."
"Who? Rose?" my father asked. Otherwise, he'd not reacted to Emmett's revelations. Yet.
"Yes. When Bella and I met with her to file the HR disclosure paperwork, Rose's last words were along the lines of, 'Is Rebecca going to be a problem for Bella?'"
"Oh," Dad said, running a hand over his jaw.
I frowned. "I don't know about Emmett, but we'd expected something more … eloquent, Dad. Any other person who claimed to have that kind of unrestrained power before they were even hired would get a swift kick in the nuts. Rules are rules."
"I agree with Edward, Dad. What good is it to have someone new to pick up the slack after Liam's departure if we're taking on board a newer, bigger, nastier problem? That kind of pretentious behavior sows discord among the ranks. We can't afford to lose associates because the Jenny-come-lately thinks her shit doesn't stink and flouts all the rules."
Dad's face grew a darker shade of puce, testament to his discomfort. "She seemed affable enough when she met with the hiring committee," he said with a shrug.
"Duh, Dad," Em retorted. "She had to charm the pants off the partners to get an offer. Now that she's getting her own business cards, she can show her true colors. I dread to think what she'll do to her secretary."
"And the rest of the staff and junior associates. What's Jamie's take on it? Did he like her?" I asked. After all, the newcomer would be working in my uncle's bankruptcy practice and in his department.
"He's been tight-lipped, but he didn't raise any red flags. I think he still feels guilty because of the whole Bamford debacle. It happened on his watch."
Em huffed. "He can't hide behind that forever. After all, until we received a bevy of complaints against Grabby, we didn't have anything substantive to dismiss him."
Dad nodded. "Yeah. It's not as though we can fire every associate with a less than stellar personality. Half of Atlanta's lawyers would be unemployed at that point. Bamford's billables were solid, his clients satisfied. But the way he behaved with all those women …" Dad trailed off, a disgusted expression on his face.
Before either Emmett or I could reply, a gentle knock on the door interrupted us.
"Come in!" Dad's cheerful answer belied the tone of our previous conversation.
A smile came to be unbidden when Bella's face peeked through a sliver of open door. "I know you might be busy discussing the national debt, but—"
"Food's ready?" Em asked, eyebrows waggling and an expectant grin.
"Yes, you little bottomless pit. Your mom sent me to collect you all," she answered.
"Well, we can't keep the ladies waiting. Boys? The discussion isn't over. Keep your ears and eyes open, please.
"Yes, Dad." Em's reply and mine came in unison, but I couldn't help noticing Bella's calculating stare at Carlisle's request.
The discussion was far from over.
Edward didn't like being by-passed for this decision, as a few of you correctly suspected.
I don't remember if I said this in an A/N already, but I finished writing this story a few weeks ago. In total it's going to be 51 chapters, and for now I'll stick to weekly posting so my team has time to edit the rest of it, and I have time to keep writing my next story: it's a RockerWard and it's called "Dreams Unwind".
More info on this and other shenanigans in my FB Group LaMomo's Lair - just type that in the search bar.
Until next Saturday!