4. Celia
Chapter four
Celia
O nce I stepped out of the building, I hurried to a traffic-free alleyway and speed-dialed Maddison, grinning widely. The phone barely rang twice before she picked up.
“Hey, did you get to the firm alright?” Maddison asked as if we were in the middle of a conversation.
“I got the job!” I blurted, barely able to contain my excitement.
She shrieked, and I had to hold the phone away from my ear, “No way! Are you kidding me right now? That’s ah-mazing. How did you do it?”
I laughed, still reeling from the interview and the fact that my new boss was the handsome stranger from the bookstore.
“Um, by attending the interview,” I said slowly. “Why would you ask that? Didn’t you believe it when you told me this morning I would get the job?”
“Of course, I believed it. I crossed my fingers and my toes for you,” Maddison said. I couldn't help laughing at her silly response, and I loved her for it. “I’m just so surprised you got into a top firm on your first try. You’re not kidding, right? ‘Cause if you are, I’m gonna have to spank you.”
“No, I’m not kidding. It’s the craziest thing, but I’ll tell you more about it when I see you back at the apartment.”
“I’m so happy for you. This is it—it’s all aligning, isn’t it?” Maddison said. I could hear the smile in her tone.
I nodded as if she could see me. “Yeah, it is,” I answered, eyes misting from emotion.
There was a rustling sound on the other end of the line, and Maddison mumbled something to one of her coworkers before addressing me. “I’ll bring home dinner to celebrate, okay? That’s just excellent! I’m so proud of you, Celia.”
“Ooo, bring spicy chicken, please. I’m craving something with a kick.”
“You got it. But just know I expect the same treatment when my big break comes, you hear?”
“Sure thing. Thanks, cous. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
Finally, after dreaming of this place my whole life, I was here, and everything was falling into place. I had just landed a job, and slowly, I would piece together my dream life as a top New York lawyer with a circle of friends. A husband and kids would follow eventually, to make my parents and myself happy—but much later. After all the effort I’d put into becoming a lawyer and the work I planned to do here to become a sought-after Big Apple lawyer like Anton Waltons, family life would have to wait for several years.
Or I can do both .
Nah. Too complicated.
I was so happy. Getting this job was the beginning of my New York journey. For once, I was glad that I compulsively checked my emails.
With a skip in my step, I clutched my bag tightly and headed opposite to the subway a few blocks toward the stores. Since this job was at a high-class firm, I needed sophisticated work clothes. Things had been much more low-key in Texas. Here, I would have to dress to impress.
I walked hurriedly down the street, resisting the urge to skid, fist-pump the air, and do a victory dance. Pride swelled in my chest as I entered the first shop. My mother had been wrong. Love her as I did, she had never believed I could make it as a big-time lawyer. Well, I would prove to my parents, and to myself, that I belonged here.
Maddison was curled up on the couch when I finally stepped into the apartment, two shopping bags in hand. She stood up when she saw me, letting the tortilla-print blanket fall from around her shoulders.
“Aww, the Texan girl taking New York by storm!” she exclaimed, coming to meet me. We chuckled as we hugged.
“I still can’t believe it! I got my dream job less than twenty-four hours after moving here,” I exclaimed, shaking my head in disbelief.
“I know! Now, let’s see what you bought.” She grabbed my shopping bags and sank back to the couch, eager to look through my purchases.
I chuckled and hung my purse on the hook behind the door. Maddison was never one to stand on ceremony and had no reservation snooping.
“You’re supposed to be at work. Your shift didn’t end for another three hours when I called,” I said.
“Yeah, I came home early so we could celebrate.” She nodded toward the kitchen counter.
I walked to the kitchen to check out the large plastic bag of fried chicken on the counter.
Maddison swooped in, and snatched the bucket from me before I could reach in. “Wash your hands.”
“Sorry, Mom,” I teased.
She stuck her tongue out at me. I Laughed. We were acting like eight-year-olds again. She got two plates and put the chicken in the microwave. “So, did you find clothes you like?”
“I think so. Compared to my old work wardrobe, what I got looks much more appropriate for New York,” I replied, scrubbing my hands and then drying them with a kitchen towel.
“Let’s dig in.” She took the food from the microwave and handed me a plate.
We sat down at the tiny kitchen table.
While we ate, I told her how the interview went, from the quiet lobby filled with the other applicants to the serious pre-screening to the interview itself.
“The boss did the final interview,” I concluded.
She scrunched up her nose. “What boss has the time to conduct interviews? He must be a control freak. Probably grumpy, too.”
“I don’t know about the grumpiness, but he does all the lawyers’ final interviews himself. HR does the shortlisting.” I hesitated before continuing, “I actually met him yesterday at the bookstore.”
Maddison raised an eyebrow. “Wait! What?”
I nodded.
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“I didn’t know who he was, let alone that he was a hotshot lawyer. We just talked about a novel I picked.”
And then, I made a fool of myself.
But I conveniently left that part out.
I mused on how his expression was more guarded than it had been last night. No more dazzling smiles or contagious laughter. I doubted he would ever smile at me like that again. Starting tomorrow, it will be strictly business. Part of me wished it didn’t have to be that way, wished he had at least tried to get my number. But maybe it was for the best. It would’ve made things awkward at the office.
“Did he recognize you?” Maddison asked.
I nodded. “He did, but I don’t think it means anything. He was as professional as could be. It’ll be interesting to have him as a boss.” I took a bite of my chicken, savoring the spicy Cajun flavor.
Maddison raised a suspicious eyebrow, giving me a knowing smile. “What’s that supposed to mean? I can tell when you think someone is hot, Celia.”
“I don’t think he’s hot!” I exclaimed. It was a lie, of course. He was very handsome, even more so in that smart, sleek business suit. And those moss-green eyes....I shook my head to clear my thoughts. “Okay, maybe an opinion I voiced yesterday worked in my favor.”
Maddison’s eyes immediately narrowed with intrigue. “Do tell. Maybe I’ll use that opinion at my next audition.”
I laughed. “It's nothing like that. We had a little disagreement yesterday, but he said he liked my point of view. Not in those exact words, but something along those lines.” I paused when I saw Maddison’s eyes dance with a naughty expression. “What?”
“Why are you talking as if you have a crush on him?” She didn’t give me a chance to reply. “Well, you have good taste, liking the CEO of a big law firm. If luck goes your way, you could snatch him up and settle down. Won’t even have to be a lawyer.”
Settle down? As if I came all the way to just settle down. Anton was intriguing, sure, but I didn’t uproot my life for romance. I came here to prove myself, to build something on my own terms. Maddy didn’t get it yet. I wasn’t the same girl who dreamed of a white picket fence.
“The whole reason I moved here is to practice law, Maddy. I want to rise to the top.”
“Wow, Celia. So different from a few years ago when you talked about having a husband and a big family someday. Do you think your husband will want you working?”
“I can find a man who wants me for my brain as well as my body, can’t I?” I said, taking a drumstick.
“I see. A woman who has it all. Top-notch lawyer, magazine cover husband, housekeepers, babysitters…” she trailed off.
It sounded all too fabricated. I didn’t want to think about it right now, so I changed the subject. “In my line of work, the higher-ups aren’t called CEOs,” I said as I took a big bite.
“Whatever.” Maddison pulled out her phone. “What’s his name?”
I furrowed my brows. “Why do you want to know his name?”
“Because I asked if you have a crush on him, and you avoided the question.”
I gasped. “I didn’t avoid the question. And no, I don’t have a crush on him.”
As I said that, I thought about my reaction to him at the bookstore and how excited I’d been to see him again at the law firm today—even though the instant I saw him behind that desk, I knew he was most definitely off-limits. It was probably just a little infatuation that would fade as soon as I started working with him. Overwork, burnout, and crushes were hardly the recipe for a “happy-ever-after” in my fabricated ideal life.
“Mhm. Right. So, prove it and tell me his name.”
I rolled my eyes, knowing she wouldn’t let the subject drop. “Anton Waltons.”
Her mouth dropped open. “You’re kidding. The Anton Waltons?”
“Er, am I missing something? Are there multiple Anton Waltons in this city?” I took another bite, unfazed by her reaction.
I’d never heard of him before, but evidently, Maddison had. She quickly typed something on her phone, and a huge grin spread across her face as she showed me the screen with my boss’s photo on it.
“Is that him?”
“Yes, that’s him.”
My heart began to thud again at the sight of his face. It occurred to me that he was much too good-looking to be both a lawyer and my boss. But that was what life in this big city was about: grabbing challenges by the horns and handling them.
Maddison licked her fingers to get the spicy sauce off. “Oh, he’s handsome. No wonder you have a crush and went shopping,” she persisted.
I shook my head. “You’re impossible.”
“Nope. In this city, all things are possible,” she said nonsensically again. “Tell me, what’s the Victoria’s Secret for?”
“To wear under my clothes, and don’t go getting your mind in the gutter.” I snatched up another piece of chicken “I don’t have a crush.” Even though I protested, I knew Maddison would never stop tormenting me about Mr. Waltons now. I shouldn’t have told her about the bookstore meeting. “What’s so special about Anton Waltons, anyway?”
“I don’t know him, but I’ve heard plenty about him.” Maddison waved her hand dismissively, a sly grin forming on her lips. “I don’t blame you for being all moony-eyed over him—”
“Wow, you’re not going to let this go.”
“—his father is rich, so he’s one of the wealthiest under-forty single men in New York. According to Money Magazine , he was already a millionaire from the womb.” Maddison kept scrolling through her phone, reading off little tidbits as she found them. “Apparently, his family’s wealth comes from a billion-dollar technology corporation that’s been around forever and a day.”
“So, why is he working as a lawyer if he’s always had money?” I asked, wide-eyed.
“To double his wealth and stick it to Daddy, I suppose,” Maddison replied in mock sarcasm. “Why don’t you ask him?”
My eyebrows shut up, and my mouth formed a small “ o .”
At my expression, she laughed and thrust her phone in my face. “According to this article, he wanted to bank on his own skills, not his family’s wealth. Shows gumption, if you ask me.”
I nodded.
From the short time I’d spent with him, Anton seemed like a wise, legal, and business-minded person. Learning that he didn’t want to coast on his family’s legacy piqued my interest all the more. Not only was he handsome and successful, but he was also driven.
He embodied what I wanted to become.
A thrill ran through me at the thought of working side by side with him. There was no better way to model success than by working under a role model.
“But seriously, enough about Anton Waltons, and on to your new job. I’m so happy for you.” Maddy said, doing a little shimmy. “Have you told anyone else?”
I shook my head. “Today has been so overwhelming. I can’t believe I start work tomorrow.” I stood up. “I’m going to call my parents and let them know.”
“Do you remember Dani Saints and Carla White? They would be blown away to find out you got a well-paying job barely a day after you left home.”
At the mention of the two most popular girls in our high school, I grinned. “They said we’d never amount to anything. Funny thing is, Dani is a hostess at Cracker Barrel, granted it’s her family business. As for Carla, I don’t know what she’s up to, but the last I heard, she hasn’t accomplished anything more impressive than I have.”
“Well, lawdy-daw! Funny how somethings said never leave one’s mind,” Maddison said, grinning from ear to ear. She held up a drumstick as if to toast me.
I chuckled, heading to my room to call my parents.
During a quick FaceTime, my mom cried. Tears of joy, and it got my eyes misty. There was no going back home now. My dad was calm and collected, as always. Before I hung up, they both told me how proud they were of me. Seeing them reminded me where I came from, the unwavering support they have always given me. Out here, they weren’t at arm’s length as they had always been.
Did I have what it took to make them prouder and rise in my career as I wanted? Only the future would tell.
I went back to sit by Maddison, who had brought a bottle of non-alcoholic wine from the fridge.
“We need to celebrate, yes?” she asked.
“Of course,” I answered. Taking a look at the label, I couldn’t hold back the chuckle. “What are we, eight?”
I wasn’t one to drink copious amounts of alcohol, but I allowed myself a glass of real wine now and again.
Maddison popped the top of the bottle and poured the wine into two glasses. “It’s Tuesday, Celia. There’s no way I'm letting you start your new job hungover. Tomorrow, a new kind of stress begins. But today, we drink non-alcoholic wine, eat cold chicken, and watch TV.”
“Alright, then, let the celebration begin.” I took the glass of rosé from her, and we clinked them together in a toast. The bubbles tickled my nose as I sipped, still unable to shake off the amazement of being hired by such a sought-after firm. Ready or not, tomorrow would come soon enough—but tonight, I was content to just be here, savoring the calm before the storm.