Chapter 70 Adeline
Adeline's POV
After Percy's last declaration, it became clear to us that he wasn't going to change his mind on this one. I didn't want it to come to this, but Vanessa had forced my hand.
Vanessa stood frozen, tears of humiliation welling up in her eyes. She looked to her uncle for support, but Richard slowly shook his head to tell her he would not be risking his neck for her.
Without another word, Vanessa turned and fled the boardroom, the click of her heels echoing down the hallway.
Richard Sterling let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his temples. "I apologize, Percy. I had no idea she was capable of something this reckless. I will personally handle the board hearing. " He gave me a stiff, respectful nod and walked out, leaving Percy and I alone in the massive room.
The adrenaline that kept me high was fading, leaving me really tired.
"You knew," Percy said quietly and walked up to me until he was only a few feet away from me.
"You knew she was trying to sabotage you all weekend," he continued, his eyes searching my face in awe. "And you didn't say a word to me. You didn't ask me to intervene. You let her walk right into her own execution."
"If I asked you to fight my battles, I would just be your pet. I had to prove I belonged here. To her, to the firm... and to myself."
Percy reached out to gently cup my face in his hands.
"You don't just belong here, Adeline," he murmured, his thumb brushing over my cheekbone. "You own this place just as much as I do. You are absolutely terrifying."
"Good," I smiled, leaning up to kiss him. "Because I don't plan on losing."
I had no idea how quickly word spread in the firm since there was no formal notice that had to do with Vanessa or her transgressions.
All I knew was that by Tuesday morning, I was met by a different office, even better than before. Vanessa nearly turned the whole office against me.
The paralegals that used to be busy when I approached them were now more than happy to help me out. It was crazy.
Lauren, who had practically ignored me all last week, now had a fresh cup of coffee and the daily briefings waiting perfectly centered on my desk before I even took my coat off.
I wasn't just the boss's fiancée anymore. I was the junior associate who had caught a legal trap, saved a fifty-million-dollar merger, and completely showed them Vanessa’s true colors. I did all this without a bad word to anyone or about anyone. I had finally earned my seat at the table.
Around noon, a soft knock on my door pulled me away from my screen. I looked up. I couldn't hide the surprise on my face if I had tried to once I saw who was knocking.
Vanessa was standing in the doorway, looking entirely different from the woman who had strutted into this room without knocking just a few days ago.
Her suit was covered by a simple gray coat, which was quite unlike the Vanessa who liked her outfit to be noticed. Her usual blown-out hair was in a bun at the back of her head. The arrogant look in her eyes that was the finishing touch to her entire appearance was gone this morning. In her hand was a small cardboard box containing a few personal desk items.
"Do you have a minute?" she asked quietly because we were both aware that the entire office floor was curious as to why she was in my office.
I leaned back in my chair and folded my hands in my lap. "I have exactly one minute, Vanessa."
She stepped into the office, letting the glass door click shut behind her. She stood in front of my desk, gripping the edges of her cardboard box tightly with her knuckles.
"I came to apologize," she said, the words sounding like ash in her mouth. I didn't help her out, just watched her with a blank look on my face.
After a long stretch of uncomfortable silence, she continued. "I was wrong about you. I let my pride and my prejudices blind me. I thought you were just a pretty face looking for a shortcut. I thought Percy was making a mistake that was going to hurt the firm I helped build. But that was no excuse for what I did. It was reckless and stupid and unethical. I'm sorry."
She sounded genuine enough that I could no longer bear the exhaustion and humiliation in her eyes, so I sat up and told her plainly. "You didn't do it to protect the firm, Vanessa. You did it to protect your ego. You couldn't handle the idea that someone who didn't run in your circles could do the job just as well as you. You were so busy looking down on me that you tripped over your own feet."
She flinched, but she didn't argue, just accepted the hit. "You’re right. I underestimated you."
"You underestimated yourself. You’re a brilliant lawyer. You closed Vanguard. You didn't need to cheat to prove your worth."
A flicker of genuine surprise crossed her face before she settled on regret.
"Percy is drawing up the termination papers," she whispered, her voice finally breaking. "My uncle isn't fighting it. I’m going to lose my license when this goes to the ethics board. Everything I worked for, it's gone and I have no one to blame for myself."
Anyone else in her shoes would be looking to save their asses but not her. She was genuinely sorry and had accepted that this would be the punishment for her mistakes. She didn't look to me for mercy, just turned around to leave.
"Wait," I said.
She stopped and looked back at me over her shoulder. "Go home, Vanessa," I told her. "Let me talk to Percy."
Thirty minutes later, I stepped out from the elevator into the lobby of the executive floor and pushed open the door to Percy’s office.
He was standing behind his massive desk, his sleeves rolled up to his forearms and signing a stack of documents with angry strokes of his pen.
"Tell security to make sure she’s out of the building," Percy said without looking up, assuming I was Tiny. "And revoke her building access permanently."
"She’s already leaving," I said, stepping fully into the room and closing the door behind me.
Percy’s head snapped up. The anger in his eyes softened immediately when he saw me. "Did she say something to you? If she harassed you on her way out, I swear to God..."
"She apologized," I interrupted, walking over to his desk. "Genuinely."
Percy scoffed, throwing his pen down. "She apologized because she got caught, Adeline. She tried to sabotage a multi-million-dollar account to humiliate you. I am firing her with cause and reporting the tampering to the New York State Bar Association. She will never practice law in this city again."
"I know," I said, placing my hands flat on his desk. "And you have every right to do that, but I want you to reconsider."