Legally bound

Alex walked straight to Eileen's office as his custom was whenever he was in a fix. Her office was right beside his, a space that always smelled faintly of vanilla and paper just like her. It was almost therapeutic. He needed that calm right now.

As he walked in, the first thing he noticed was a bouquet of fresh white roses on her desk, paired with an unopened box of chocolates wrapped neatly in gold foil.

"Someone's got a new suitor?" he teased lightly as he made his way to the chair in front of hers.

Eileen chuckled softly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, maybe... maybe not," she said with a faint smile the kind that didn't quite reach her eyes. For all her beauty and brilliance, Eileen had never had the best of luck with relationships. She often joked that men found her too independent, too sharp, too much. But Alex knew it wasn't her; it was them.

She leaned forward, folding her hands on the desk. "Anyway, what was all that about? As soon as I saw your mum walk into the building, I knew there was trouble. Talk to me."

"It's Mr. Smith... again," Alex replied, his voice heavy with frustration. He sank into the seat, rubbing the bridge of his nose before recounting what had happened in his father's office. Eileen listened intently, her expression shifting between concern and calculation. She could easily pass as his best friend  because, in truth, she was.

Silence stretched between them for a moment after he finished. The hum of the air conditioner filled the space until Eileen finally spoke. "Alex, your parents may never forgive you if you don't do this. Need I remind you that your legal future is at stake as well? Your father's nearing retirement, and we both know you'll be taking over as managing partner soon. But there'll be nothing left to take over if you let this fall apart."

She paused, watching his reaction. "And besides, like your parents said, Mr. Smith isn't exactly asking you to marry her..."

Alex cut in sharply. "But we both know that's where this is headed. He's always wanted me to marry her  ever since primary school, when she told him she had a crush on me."

Eileen blinked, her eyes widening in surprise. "Wait, what?" she said, leaning forward. "Run that by me again."

Alex sighed and leaned back in his chair. "It's a long story."

He recounted how, back in fifth grade, Lily Smith had been his classmate. He didn't know at the time that his father was already giving legal counsel to Mr. Smith, who was just starting one of his tech subsidiaries. When their parents realized the connection, Alex and Lily quickly became inseparable until everything fell apart.

"She told the entire class including her dad that she had a crush on me," he said, shaking his head with a wry smile. "Everyone teased me for weeks. I was mortified. I stopped talking to her, and never did till she left the school when they moved. I heard her mum died as well when she was in college but well....

Eileen laughed so hard she almost dropped her pen. "You're kidding! After all these years, this is what it's about?" she said, still grinning. "No wonder he's obsessed with this whole thing."

"Yeah, well," Alex muttered.

"Alex and Lily, sitting on a tree, K-I-" she began to sing before he interrupted.

"Eileen, stop it!" he snapped, though a faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "This isn't funny. What am I supposed to tell my girlfriend? That I'm leaving town to find another woman? That's insane. And even if I do find Lily, what makes you think she'd want to see me? From what I've heard from Mr. Smith, she's cut him off completely. She wants nothing to do with him." He sighed. "I feel terrible for the guy  first his wife dies, now his daughter's gone. But this? This is too much."

Eileen tilted her head, studying him. "I hate to break it to you, but your girlfriend will be the first to leave your sorry ass if you lose everything."

He froze, her words stinging more than he wanted to admit. "Emily's not like that," he said defensively, but Eileen's raised brow said she wasn't convinced.

He ignored her and leaned forward. "Eileen, when I'm in a fix, my solutions come from either you, Dad or mom. This time, it's only you. What do I do?"

She stared at him for a few seconds; her eyes softer now, almost pitying. "Alex, I hate to say it, but there's only one option on the table. Take it, and maybe all this gets resolved. Leave it, and watch your family's legacy crumble to the ground and live with the guilt."

She hesitated, then added, "And just so you know, rumor has it that AB Partners has made an offer to Mr. Smith too. If he doesn't get a response from us soon, he'll gladly take theirs."

A deep frown carved into Alex's face. AB Partne,  his sworn rivals. His father might have brushed them off as competition, but Alex despised them. The last case he lost had been against them, and the defeat had bruised his ego so badly he still hadn't recovered.

"AB Partners, you say?" he muttered. "Ha! Maybe I should just take Mr. Smith's offer after all."

Eileen smiled faintly. She knew exactly which buttons to press. "That's what I thought."

Just then, the door burst open, and one of the paralegals stumbled in, clutching a newspaper. Her face was pale. "Ms. Eileen... you both need to see this."

She held up the front page for them to see. The bold headline screamed across the top:

NEW YORK'S ELITE LAW FIRM - BUILT ON LIES?

Underneath was a photo of their firm's glass building gleaming in the morning sun, framed like a symbol of hypocrisy.

"Oh, shit," Alex muttered, his stomach twisting. "I thought the blogs had moved on from this."

For the past month, their firm had been fighting to recover from a scandal that had nearly destroyed their reputation. One of their senior lawyers had fabricated evidence in a high-profile case and lied under oath. When the truth came out, it was a media storm. The attorney for the plaintiff exposed everything, and headlines had been merciless ever since.

Alex still blamed himself. He had been scheduled to work on that case but had taken a last-minute vacation. The guilt ate at him daily. But no one had suffered more than his father. Known for his integrity  "honest to a fault," the press used to say. Mr. Cromwell had been branded a hypocrite overnight. He didn't leave his room for three days. Three of their major clients had pulled out. And now, if Starlife terminated its contract too, the firm would drown in debt.

Mr. Smith had seen the opening and swooped in with his offer. But now, Alex couldn't help wondering if Mr. Smith himself had something to do with Starlife's sudden change of heart.

"Is this today's paper?" Eileen asked the paralegal. The young woman nodded silently. Eileen sighed, motioning for her to drop it on the desk and leave.

When the door closed, the room went quiet again.

"This is getting worse than I thought," Alex said finally, running a hand through his hair and pacing the floor. 

He walked out of Eileen's office after letting out a loud sigh, his reflection flashing briefly in the glass wall as he disappeared down the hall.