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The other few businessmen I have chatted with have been nice enough, telling me that in any other circumstance, they would hire me in an instant. But the fact remains I am a Cole, and my father is currently wanted for one of the biggest cases of fraud the country has ever seen.
It is most certainly not good for business to be associated with me at this time.
My eyes travel to the pile of invoices sitting on my desk, the ones I have been ignoring. I am not usually someone who doesn’t pay accounts when they are due. My affairs are, for the most part, up to date and papers filed neatly away. But this batch is marked with ‘OVERDUE’ in red ink, making it obvious I am not as in control of my life as I once was. As a woman who has had to do things on her own her entire life, being in this position leaves me feeling sick.
My bank account is nearly empty and the office lease is paid up for another week. I have put the coffee machine up for sale online, and I have already canceled the cleaners and my business insurance. With what I have remaining, I plan to pay out what Cindy is owed.
I sip the coffee, and it is perfect as usual, even if the man who makes it is an arrogant thorn in my side.
“Good morning,” Cindy greets me quietly as she walks in with her notepad, a coffee, and a tray of freshly baked brownies—my favorite.
“Oh, you didn’t have to!” I say to her, standing to help her with the tray as she takes a seat opposite me, ready for our usual morning catch-up.
“Well, we lost Symons, Catcher, and Sycamore yesterday, so I thought we needed chocolate.” She gives me a sad smile.
I sigh, offering her a sad smile in return. I don’t have the energy to fake it anymore. “Thanks, Cindy.”
“And I saw this at the newspaper stand this morning…” The look on her face is one of remorse, and I glance down at the newspaper she is handing over to me.
The front page has a large photo of my father, one which I think was taken a while ago. He is in his business suit, fat and happy, with a young blonde on his arm, who is wearing a tight red dress that would work better as a t-shirt, and they both are stepping into a limo. The headline is in big black bold letters.
Disgraced Business Man Gone Underground: Where are you, Brian Cole?
My eyes quickly read through the article. It doesn’t mention anything new, just that he is a fraud, owes various people millions, and hasn’t been seen since my brother's funeral, all of which I know, as I have been interviewed by the FBI multiple times now about his whereabouts. My eyes stall on the paragraph at the end of his article.
Brian Cole’s sole surviving daughter, Emilia Cole, was one of New York's most up-and-coming corporate lawyers until her father’s criminal activities came to light. However, her father’s activities have tarnished her reputation, with our sources saying she is now needing to find a new career, her lifestyle no longer feasible in the current climate.
“Oh my God...” I whisper out as my body falls back into my seat. Sure, the newspaper has written about me before, but it has all been how estranged I have been from my father, showcasing the distance I have kept from him. This article today has sealed my fate. No one is going to want to work with me ever again.
“Oh, Emi, I know. It’s tough, but you are one of the best young lawyers in the city, if not the country. Surely people will see that?” While her loyalty is heartwarming, her expectations of other people are way off.
“I have called everyone I know. I am just not sure what else to do,” I say to her, my eyes showing her how sorry I am for letting her down.
“I know this is not the best time to ask, but do I need to be looking for a new job, Emi?” Cindy asks, and the bite of brownie I just took feels like sludge as it travels down to my stomach. Cindy was my first and only hire. Everyone else I have paid on retainer, and I let go of them a few weeks ago, but Cindy was all mine from the start. I feel terrible she is going to be out of a job.
“Cindy, I am so sorry...” I watch her grab a brownie, taking a big bite as well. Decades ago, before Cindy had kids and her job at the diner, she was a law clerk. She has a great eye for detail. Her skills came through within weeks of me hiring her, so I know law is where she really wants to be.
“It’s okay, I think I can cancel Europe and get most of my money back,” she says glumly.
“Are you sure there is nothing we can do?” she asks me, her eyebrows high in question. My gaze flicks to the note sitting next to my coffee, then back to Cindy.
“There is one opportunity, but I haven't made up my mind on whether to take it or not,” I say to her honestly, still trying to weigh up the short-term gain for the long-term pain.
“Does it have anything to do with the dashing young man who brings you coffee each morning?”
“You’ve seen him?” My eyebrows rise in shock. Clearly his visits haven’t been as inconspicuous as I was hoping.
“Yes. I usually see him each morning on his way out. He seems nice enough, always polite, and he is pretty easy on the eyes too,” she says with a hopeful smile, and she perks up a bit. Seeing her happy again gives me warm fuzzies. Having not had a mother figure in my life, Cindy does a really good job of filling some of that void.
“He also dresses impeccably well, and I see him talking to Antonio downstairs a lot too, so he is obviously friendly.” I don’t have the heart to tell her he is actually more like a snake, slithering along the perimeter of my life, waiting to strike.
“Yes, well, he does appreciate good coffee,” I grumble, acknowledging his only rewarding attribute.
“Maybe you should take his job? What other choice do you have?” she presses, her tone hopeful.
“There is a bit more to it than that, unfortunately.” I’m not sure how much detail to tell her. “He operates on the other side of the law to what we usually work with.”
“Ooohh...” she says with a nod, tight-lipped as she takes in my dilemma, sipping her coffee quietly.
