"Hey", I greeted Charlie.
She was in her study at home like she usually is around this time of the night. Danika made it clear that there was no use for me and Ri to talk to Charlotte without reading all the files she gave us so I didn't even see her at work today.
"Hey Chrissie." She greeted back.
I was standing right outside her home office. I was waiting for her to explain why she would put me on her team. I was waiting for her to tell me she knew it would make me suffer and that's why she did it, but she did no such thing. She just typed away on her laptop while at least a dozen books and files lay open on the table.
"Something I can do for you?" She asked after I stood there for a while.
Ritika and I already concluded that we won't be sleeping tonight, but I'm curious to know if Charlotte will be staying awake as well.
"Why am I on your team?" I decided to bring it up first. "You and I don't get along and everyone knows you and Lucas are engaged. No good can come out of me being your junior associate. Everyone will think there's nepotism involved."
She nodded her head slowly while still typing away. She didn't bother looking up at me even once.
"I chose you because you're good." She said absentmindedly. "And I think I can make you better, the way I did in Highschool. If you're on my team, you'll be working on the most complex and expensive cases. You'll be in meetings with people who have the power to make this country's economy rise and fall. I thought you'd want that."
"I-", I finally stepped inside her office, "I don't see the two of us getting along and working with you makes it seem like I'm getting special treatment because you're about to marry Lucas."
She stayed quiet, still typing and not sparing me a glance.
"Okay then." She smiled and looked up at me. "You're not on my team anymore. I just sent an email to Danika. She'll give you the details for your new team tomorrow morning."
...
What the hell?
"Are you for real?"
"Yea." She started paging through a few files. "There are twenty junior associates and nineteen of them begged to be on my team. Why should I beg the only junior who hates me to come work for me?"
"Char-"
"I told you." She cut me off. "I'm done trying to understand what's your problem with me. I see you as my little brother, but you've never seen me as a sister or treated me like one. I'm done trying to prove my intentions to you, Christian. Go and tell the other juniors that you asked to be removed from my team. They'll all thank you for giving them an opportunity to get a golden ticket."
I was still too shocked to say a word.
She wasn't supposed to do that. That's not how our bickering works.
She insists on something. I keep saying no, but she still forces whatever she wants on me. Then I pass my exams with flying colours or end up being voted to be the president of the most important clubs in school or ... something f*****g good happens and then we repeat our bickering again.
She never just lets me wander out in the world alone.
She cares too much about me to let my stubbornness get in the way of helping me. That's how she's always been.
"Time for bed." My brother's voice suddenly boomed in the study room.
"Just give me one more hour." She started typing faster.
"Nope." He started walking to her desk while I stood in shock. "It's 10pm. We agreed no more late nights."
"For-" He picked her up before she could finish.
"You'll thank me for this tomorrow morning." He chuckled while he carried her out of her office.
I watched him carry her all the way to their suite. Despite her initial protests, her head was already burrowing in the crook of his neck and her arms were wrapped around his neck.
I still can't believe she removed me from her team just like that.
What's gotten into her?
She and Lucas are acting so weird nowadays. When he moves, she moves. She was always obsessed with him, but it's too much nowadays. It's like she can barely function if he's not touching her or holding her and the Charlotte I know would never let Lucas stop her from working.
What the hell is going on?
****
"Christian Greyson - New work assignment: Patrick McVey (Banking and Taxation)."
She was serious. This email that Danika just sent me is proof that she was serious last night.
"A spot opened up in Charlotte Ericsson's team!" Marcus screamed while we got coffee. "Soon, you'll all be talking to Ms Ericsson's newest junior associate!"
"You're lying!" Someone else grabbed a coffee from the counter in the cafe and ran to keep up with him."Is she looking for a third junior?"
"No." Marcus laughed. "Mr McVey told me little Gresyon here asked to be removed from her team. He and I are switching!"
Ri looked at me with confusion and disbelief on her face. We spent the entire night going back and forth on all our reading. We laughed, complained, but ultimately it wasn't as bad as we thought once we figured out how to tackle the work. She summarised the first six files and I summarised the remaining six files.
I didn't tell her about what happened because I planned on fixing it before something like this happened. If Danika had been in this morning when I arrived, I would have told her I sent her an email explaining that me being moved to another team is a huge mistake.
Those files we got were enough for me to know Charlie deals with the most interesting cases. Banking and Taxation will be nothing compared to this.
"You're leaving Ms Ericsson to go work in Banking and Taxation?" She called me out infront of everyone. "I thought we're a team Christian. You're going to leave me to work with a duche like Marcus? No offense, Marcus." She added.
"None taken." He shrugged. "I'm a jerk and I have no shame in it."
"He's not going to join Char- I mean Ms Ericsson's team and I'm not joining Mr McVey's team!" I corrected the little group that was getting coffee. "There's been a misunderstand and I'm going to fix it as soon as I see Danika."
I dragged Ri back to the office while they stared and Marcus snickered.
"Why are you dragging me with you!" She said angrily. "When you f****d up you didn't include me. Why do it now?"
"Because we're a team!" I refused to stop marching back to the office with her hand in mine. "I messed up, but I'm going to fix it, okay?"
She scoffed, but at least she didn't try to stop me.
"Hey little grasshoppers!" Danika beamed once we entered her office. "Christian you're on the wrong floor. You should go to the fourth floor before McVey gets in. He's grumpy."
"There's been a mistake." I tried to explain.
"Charlotte Ericsson doesn't make mistakes." She said with a bright smile. "I received her instructions last night that you no longer wish to be on our team. She told me you don't want to work with her. Are you saying she lied?"
"No."
She was still wearing that smile on her face, but there was a f*****g dangerous glint in her eyes that told me to tread carefully.
"Then you should go."
"Let me just speak to Char- I mean Ms Ericsson."
She c****d her head to the side and that bright smile of hers immediately fell off her face.
"Who are you to demand to speak to a partner?" She asked in a cold tone. "Do you know that while you were getting that coffee and complaining to me about something you requested, Charlotte sent me three two hundred page reports that she wrote and that have to get reviewed? Who are you to demand her time?"
I looked behind me.
Ri had slithered out of Danika's office. I couldn't blame her. I'm the one who screwed up. I shouldn't get her into trouble as well.
"I'm sorry." I tried my best not to plead too much. "I made a mistake. I want to stay on this team. Please."
"Okay!" She smiled again. "Charlotte said you would probably backtrack from your tantrum. However, in case it isn't clear, you should know we're very unimpressed with you after the little stunt you pulled. If you can't control your emotions, then you should quit right now. If you ever waste this team's time because you feel insecure or because of whatever teenage emotion you haven't resolved yet, then you're fired."
I swallowed nervously while she walked back to her desk.
"Leave, grasshopper." She said with a huge smile again. "You have about fifty files waiting for you with instructions from Charlotte."
********************************************
Lauren's POV
FIVE YEARS AGO
I've only ever seen Charlotte Ericsson freeze in terror once in my life.
We were in sixth grade and a huge Korean man came marching towards her with so much anger in his eyes that we thought his head would start blowing steam.
By that point, she had become somewhat invincible despite everyone knowing she was abandoned by her parents. Actually, her being poor and an orphan seemed to propel her status. Apparently someone with her background was never supposed to excell so her achievements were that much more remarkable to everyone.
They all seemed to overlook that the Greysons were doing all they could to keep her fed, clothed and in school even though her parents were clearly against it.
I remember her father being extremely tall with a gut as big as the moon. Even at the tender age of twelve, I knew that man was probably going through a rough patch in his life. Besides having the big belly, he was wearing a black shirt that was covered in stains and shorts and flip flops that have seen better days. His mouth was carrying a cigarette, leaving his hands free to beat his daughter. At least that's what it looked like he would do once he reached Charlotte because one of his hands was already balled into a fist.
I have no idea how a man who looks like him got on the school premises, but I knew in that moment I'd pay all the money in the world to have it happen again. I just wished there were more people to witness this man charging towards his daughter like an angry bull, while she stood ... too afraid to move.
He was about to reach her and snatch her out of our lives forever, but a boy with blonde hair and green eyes suddenly lifted the little brown girl and whisked her away. It happened so quickly that I wondered how on earth he was able to do that.
Lucas hid her from her father long enough for security to come get the man.
"I will never let him hurt you ever again." I heard the boy whisper to the girl as I passed by a corner. "What are best friends for?" He tried to cheer her up.
The scene sickened me so much that I wished I could call that burly man back and tell him where his daughter is hiding. However, he was already gone and Charlotte was in Lucas' arms, which means not much could be done to get to her.
"Lauren .... " His melodic voice snapped me out of one of the best day dreams I've had in a while. "Are you even listening? You need to focus."
"I'm listening!" I grabbed his hand. He has such huge hands and they're so warm. "I swear I'm listening."
"Then what did I say?" He strategically let go of my hand by making it seem like he needed to get something out of his bag.
"Uhm..."
He rolled his eyes, but started laughing when I pouted because this work is genuinely so painfully boring. I don't understand how it's interesting for him and how it's so easy for him.
"Well you better go review everything tonight." He started packing his books and I swear my heart started constricting just thinking of him being away from me.
"I will!" I tried to please him. "You're working so hard to help me out. I won't let you down, Lucas."
"It's not about me." He gave me that gentle smile of his. "Do it for you."
I nodded in agreement. However, I know there's no way I'm doing any of this for me. I'm doing it all for him. I'm in this university for him. I'm studying this hellforsaken degree for him. I followed him here. I would follow him anywhere.
"Hey babe", he answered his phone.
"Of course I didn't forget. I watched entire trial yesterday. I promise." He shook his head while looking at me. He definitely didn't watch whatever she's asking him about, but I guess he's lying to spare her feelings.
"You're going to be ten times the lawyer he is." He teased her and waved a hand at me.
He was leaving me again, but it would be the last time because I think know how to make Lucas stop looking at Charlotte. I think I know how to get her out of the way without dirtying my hands. I'll get her father to come put her in her place, the way he tried to do in sixth grade. And this time, I should make sure Lucas won't be there to carry her away.
Aksara