CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Ruben
I’m done waiting. It’s time to sever the cord and move forward. The world belongs to those brave enough to claim it, and today, I’m taking the first step.
Adjusting the pocket square on my jacket, I knock once before pushing the heavy office door open. Aiden Fisher’s domain is everything you’d expect from a man like him: overbearing, ostentatious, and designed to intimidate. The desk is oversized mahogany, polished to a mirror shine, and the walls are lined with books I’d bet my career he’s never read. The floor-to-ceiling windows offer a view of the city—a kingdom he thinks he owns. But not me. Not anymore.
“Good morning, Aiden.” My voice is calm, deliberate, as I stride into the room and settle into one of the leather chairs facing his massive desk. I’m not here to grovel. I’m here to declare my independence.
He doesn’t look up immediately, his fingers still moving across his keyboard. When he finally does, his sharp blue eyes lock onto me, carrying the kind of warning that’s meant to unnerve lesser men. “You’re awfully cheerful for someone on the verge of losing everything,” he says, leaning back in his chair, hands clasped like he’s already won.
“I’m out of the theater deal,” I state, cutting straight to the point. My voice is steady, edged with finality. I sent him an email about it last night, but some things deserve to be said face-to-face. “There are lines I don’t cross, Aiden, and this one? You’ve crossed it. I know about your man at City Hall, the strings you’ve been pulling to sabotage their efforts to save the building.”
“There’s nothing wrong with leveraging connections,” he counters smoothly, his tone oozing entitlement.
“That,” I say, leaning forward slightly, “is where we disagree. You’ve gone beyond fair competition. You’ve been suffocating them, tying a noose around their necks. I won’t be part of it. If you want the building, buy it outright, but leave them a fair fight.”
A bitter laugh escapes him, low and derisive. “This is the difference between you and me, Ruben. I take what I want. You? You’ll never be more than a second-rate lawyer doing what others tell you to do.”
His words are designed to cut, but they fall flat. I’ve heard worse from better men.
“That’s fine by me,” I reply, calm and unfazed.
“Fine?” He repeats the word like it’s a foreign concept. “Fine means mediocrity. Fine means cowardice.”
A faint smirk touches my lips. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”
His expression darkens, his mask slipping for a brief moment. “Why are you really doing this?” he demands, leaning forward, his voice sharp.
There it is. The real question.
“She’s your daughter,” I say, watching his reaction carefully.
His eyes narrow, sparking with barely concealed fury. “She’s a brat,” he snaps. “A spoiled little girl playing at rebellion. Lennon needs to learn her place.”
I hold his gaze, steady and unmoving. “I think it’s more than that. She’s fighting for something that matters—not just to her, but to the city. That theater has history. It has value.”
“She’s in my way,” he growls, the venom in his tone unmistakable.
This man. Years ago, I thought he was my golden ticket when he offered me a scholarship through his foundation and a spot at his firm. I didn’t realize then that he wasn’t investing in my potential. He was molding a pawn. But I’m not his anymore, and he hates it.
“The partners are meeting in Reno at the end of the week,” he says, his voice dripping with malice. “We’ll finalize the vote to kick you out of the firm. Shortly after, we’ll file for your disbarment. You’ll lose everything, Posada.”
The threat hangs in the air, but it doesn’t land. I expected this. I’ve been ready.
I lean back, letting a quiet confidence settle between us. “Do what you have to do, Aiden.”
He sneers, mistaking my calm for weakness. But the gears are already in motion, and this time, Aiden Fisher isn’t the one pulling the strings.
The tension in the room is palpable as I leave his office. Every step away from that desk feels lighter, like I’ve shrugged off a weight I’ve been carrying for years without even knowing it. But I’m not stupid or naive. Aiden isn’t the type to back down quietly. He’s already planning his next move, and I’ll be ready when he makes it.
The theater. Lennon. Her fire and her determination is contagious. She’s fighting with everything she has, and for what? A building most people would write off as a lost cause. But it’s more than just bricks and mortar to her. It’s a symbol, a piece of her history, a testament to the kind of person she is. She’s the reason I’m doing this. Not Aiden, not the firm, not even my pride. It’s her.
I’m not letting her fight this alone.
The thought steels my resolve. As I walk to my car, my mind races through the next steps. The partners’ meeting in Reno? Let them try. I have allies they don’t know about, and plans they can’t see coming. This isn’t over. Not by a long shot.