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Prologue
Three Years Ago
As frustrated as Jeremy was by what he was hearing, he wouldn’t show it on his face. His father taught him the importance of two things when in professional settings – showing his expertise, knowledge, and confidence with a low tone to command attention and respect, and not showing his approval or denial of what a person was offering while they were speaking to shift the conversation in his favor.
The more people feel, the less they think—that was the Phoenix motto. Trials were like war, and Victor had trained in the art of war, giving those same lessons to his son. That was something Jeremy would forever be grateful for.
Violet had caught on by now, so she didn’t bother looking over at him while she gave her spiel. In their office hierarchy, Jeremy was considered her second in command. Jeremy’s best friend, Flex, was an extension of him. Quentin was usually the odd man out when it came to partner meetings, but he didn’t care, because he was over the associates' training and they often voted with him.
“We’re going to put this to a vote before making the other partners aware of this new change,” Violet said, rounding the long conference table and standing in front of the men.
Flex chuckled. “What’s the point of us voting, Violet? Regardless of what we say, you’re going to do what you want anyway.”
A soft smile subtly lifted the corners of Violet’s mouth. “And as managing partner, I have that right.” Her hand rubbed her slicked-back bun before her shoulders straightened and she cleared her throat.
“That’s true, but there’s a difference between right and wrong,” Quentin said, not surprising Jeremy. “You are managing partner and will have the final say, but I think what you’re doing is wrong.”
“I agree,” Flex said. “Removing the first three tiers of partnership leaves less room for advancement. A lot of associates came here not just because of our reputation but because of the advancement and no-ceiling financial opportunities. Going from a senior associate to freshman partner was an incentive that made them believe they had a chance of becoming a senior and named partner, eventually, maybe even managing partner. If we remove freshman to junior partner opportunities, a lot of lawyers will not have a real chance to advance. We have too many associates as it is, Violet. They’re more like assistants at this point. It’s simply not fair.”
Violet didn’t respond immediately as she considered his words. Her head bobbed as her palms rested on the table. A lot could be said about Violet, but she always did what was best for her firm. When Jeremy’s grandfather retired and made her managing partner, no one disagreed with his decision. They all had total confidence that she would always do what was best for the firm, including those who worked there and those who came for representation.
Violet hardly ever let her own desires or emotions get in the way of making the right decision. Her personal life never affected her work. She was logical, driven, and had the right amount of compassion to care for others without being taken advantage of. Up until now, Jeremy was proud she was his managing partner—but he was starting to have a hard realization when it came to Violet—and that realization was that she had no plans of allowing anyone to advance higher than her.
“How do you feel, Jeremy?” she asked, and all eyes were now on him.
“Honestly, Violet, I don’t care either way,” he admitted. “I’m less concerned about the advancement of associates and more concerned about the ceiling we as partners have.” Her shoulders slouched and she released a hard exhale as he continued. “Yes, a lot of associates came here because of the advancement opportunities. Is it fair to chop several partner positions? No. However, they aren’t forced to practice law here. If this decision is made and they aren’t happy with it, they can leave. Taking three tiers of partnership away decreases the amount of money we have to pay out and that puts more money in our pockets, so I’m cool with that.” Jeremy paused. “What I’mnotcool with is the fact that, since I became a named partner two years ago, you’ve promised me you’d incorporate a junior and senior managing or co-managing position, and you haven’t done that yet. I care about the advancement of the senior and named partners who are aimlessly devoting themselves to you and this firm with no clear and distinct plan for their future here.”
It seemed a deeper hush fell over the room. As if they weren’t even breathing.
Violet chuckled, piercing through the silence. “So being named or senior partner at one of the best Black law firms in the south is not good enough?”
“That’s not what I’m saying, and you know that. Don’t deflect.”
“Are you insinuating I’m not running this firm well?”
“I don’t insinuate anything; I’m very straightforward.”
Flex huffed and slumped down in his seat while Quentin’s head shook and hung. Jeremy continued, ignoring their theatrics.
“With help from us and the advisory partner board, you run this firm exceptionally well. But situations like this prove why we need someone else in a managing position. You hold a lot of power, and the bulk of changes implemented come from and benefit you. The fact that our votes have to combine to equal one of yours is ridiculous. It’s clear you aren’t going to leave or step down as managing partner any time soon, and I can respect that, but we need a co-managing or senior managing partner under you. That’s what you promised you’d implement when you got this position, and it still hasn’t happened yet.”
“Well, you might not care about the associates here, but I do,” Quentin chimed in. “We know she’s not going to make any of us her co-managing partner, so there’s no point in even bringing that up. What we can change is what we need to focus on, and that’s the fate of the attorneys giving their lives to this firm.” His finger poked the table for emphasis as he said, “Those partner positions cannot be removed.”
“The fact that you keep pushing this under the rug every time it’s put on the table is exactly why it’s not happening,” Flex spoke up. “If we can’t even agree on the importance of this, what reason would Violet or the advisory board have to take it seriously enough to vote on it?”
“You’re so concerned with the associates because they make you feel like a god around here,” Jeremy added. “You need to be just as concerned about partner advancement too. Or do you not care about that because if they advance and rank out of your control, you won’t have your puppets anymore?”
“Okay, that’s enough,” Violet interrupted, lifting her hands in surrender. “We’ll put the removal of partner tiers on the discussion panel itinerary for our next meeting with the advisory board.”
“And implementing a co-managing partner or junior and senior managing partners?” Jeremy checked.
“We’ll see,” was all Violet added before leaving the room.
Quentin wasn’t too far behind.
“You should’ve known she wouldn’t go for that,” Flex said as they stood. “Nice try, though.”
“Violet is a beast and she’s a damn good managing partner, but she’s going to have to give out those positions and promotions she promised. I agreed to five years as named partner at this firm, and that was out of respect for my grandfather’s wishes. If she doesn’t implement these changes in three years…”
