Alicia

As I left Tech Security, I felt as if I was walking on cloud nine. Not only had I gained a big client, but my income was secured for the next three months. I could finally get the bank to ease off my back a little. My phone conversation from a few days ago I had with my sister Erica came to the forefront when I told her about my meeting with the bank.

"Wait, you're having some financial issues with your company? Did you forget that our dad is an accountant?"

I hadn't forgotten but Erica seemed to have forgotten that I hadn't spoken to him in almost two years. He thought I was foolish to start up my own marketing firm. He thought I was foolish to go into marketing period. It was the final straw that broke the camel's back. To go to him now would be to only admit that he was right. And I could not give him that satisfaction.

"Dad's not interested in solving Hope Digital's financial problems," I told her. "He's probably praying it goes belly up so I would give up and come home."

"You're still his daughter Alicia. Believe it or not, he does care about you."

Her reproof stung, but I held on to my convictions. Dad made it clear long ago that he did not approve of the path I chose only because it wasn't the one he had chosen for me.

Another thing that was putting a damper on my good mood vibes was the fact that I had to work with Patrick Kinesman. I hoped that I had made my intentions clear on where I stood with our work relationship. It will only be for three months after all. Nothing I couldn't handle.

Since it was still early, I headed back to my office to get a head start on the project. I texted Cameron the good news and asked if she wanted to celebrate tonight back at the apartment. The satisfaction of faxing over the contract to my bank was indescribable.

Monday rolled around and I went back to my office all bright eyed and bushy tailed. An email comes in from Patrick with the "tweaks" he wanted me to implement. When I opened the email, my heart dropped. These weren't "tweaks" but full-blown changes to my whole marketing plan. Did he not hear a word of my presentation? Apparently not.

I slammed my forehead onto my desk as I tried to figure out what to do. I needed this client, that was a fact. And I was not confident enough that my contract was as air tight to reject his changes without him walking out. I groaned out loud. On days like these I was glad I didn't have co-workers.

It killed me to do it, but all that week I tried to figure out how to input Patrick's "tweaks" while still trying to create a marketing plan that would boost the company's clientele base. To say it was a challenge was an understatement.

When Friday rolled back around my stomach felt like it was full of lead. I had backed myself into a corner that I hadn't anticipated. The new marketing strategy I had created just wasn't very...good. I knew it but would Patrick? If my marketing services didn't improve Tech Security's bottom line, it could potentially give Hope Digital a bad rep. But if I brought forth my concerns, I risked losing my client. And I had a feeling that Patrick was used to getting what he wanted.

So here I was, heading into this meeting feeling like it was a no-win situation. Lord help me. A wayward prayer was all I could do because it was all I had left.

Stepping out as the elevator doors opened, I found myself once again doing a double-take that I was on the right floor. Had I walked into the twilight zone? The layout was the same but all the retro furniture was gone. It had been replaced with what I would call normal office furnishings. It was more cold but at least it didn't feel like I was on That 70's Show anymore. Patrick must have finally decided to update the decor. He worked fast, I gave him that.

As I made my way around the boardroom, I spied Sandy at her usual desk. However, I also saw that the blinds behind her were pulled all the way up, which gave me a sense of relief that this meeting would be slightly less creepy than the first.

"Hi Sandy," I said as if we're old friends. "Mr. Kinesman is expecting me, shall I go right in?" Moving towards the door Sandy's expression stopped me in my tracks. Her eyebrows shot straight up in surprise. She opened her mouth as if to say something but nothing came out.

Confused, I looked through the office window to see if anything was amiss. Besides the office being cleaned up a little (Cameron will be happy to know the dying plants had been replaced with live ones), everything looked normal. Patrick appeared to be sitting at his desk though his back was to us.

By this point Sandy had found her voice and began stammering. "I'm so sorry Alicia. I thought you had been notified."

"Notified about what?"

"Mr. Kinesman is no longer here. Tech Security was bought out and merged with another company."

She could have told me my head was made out of blueberry pizza and I don't think I would be as shocked. Glancing back into the room, I noticed now that the man sitting in the chair had blonde hair instead of Patrick's greased back brown.

"But what about the contract with Hope Digital?" There must be some mistake.

Sandy pursed her lips. "Mr. Evans, the new CEO, had any contracts prior to the merger, terminated."

It was like the floor had just fallen away from me. My legs had gone that weak. Could this be the end of Hope Digital? I hadn't gotten a chance to line up other clients. Not like the bank would extend more time anyway.

It couldn't end this way. It won't end this way. I felt my resolve begin to harden and the next thing I knew, I was strutting into the office.

I heard something of a protest from Sandy but my mind was already made up. I didn't call the company Hope Digital for nothing. And right now I was clinging to my last shred of hope. As I entered the office, the man in the chair swiveled around to face me.