Chapter 242

Ella

“Sit down. Both of you.”

Sarah and I exchanged wary glances. Her face was just as pale as mine probably was, and I felt a wrench in my stomach.

“But Mr. Henderson, Sarah never—”

“Just sit down,” Mr. Henderson insisted, a hint of exasperation in his voice. “Now!”

Without a moment more of hesitation, Sarah and I both plopped down into the two chairs opposite Mr. Henderson’s desk in unison. These chairs had always been hard and uncomfortable, and a little lumpy from years of use. Now, they felt even harder and lumpier, and I found it impossible to relax.

I occupied myself with fidgeting with the hem of my shirt, but it was no use. Mr. Henderson’s gaze was still piercing, and I was utterly terrified.

“Well then. I’ve had some time now to think about the debacle with the mafia,” Mr. Henderson began, his voice firm and resolute. He paused, glancing back and forth between me and Sarah, although his eyes lingered a bit longer on me. “But first, I’d like you to explain yourselves. Or rather, I’d like you to explain yourself, Ella.”

I took in a shuddering breath. “Mr. Henderson,” I said softly, my voice shaking ever so slightly, “Sarah had nothing to do with it. I was the one who took the deal with Marina; but I only did it to keep my little sister safe from harm. You’ve seen the documents. Maybe I can’t change your mind, but—”

“But,” Mr. Henderson interrupted with a stern glare, “what matters is that you took the deal, Ella. You do realize you could lose your license to practice law, correct?”

I swallowed. No words would come, but it didn’t matter. Mr. Henderson was correct; I could very well lose my license to practice. I had known that from the start, and no amount of explanations could fix that.

“And you,” Mr. Henderson said, turning now to look at Sarah. “You knew all about this scheme, and yet you never said a word to me. I’m your boss, Sarah. If malpractice is occurring under my roof, then I expect you to make me aware.”

Sarah was silent. I could see her fidgeting out of the corner of my eye, and it felt as if the world was caving in on both of us.

Mr. Henderson paused again, seemingly choosing his next words with great care. “I must say, I’m incredibly disappointed in both of you.”

My heart sank. This was it; we were about to lose our jobs, and it was all my fault. Sarah glanced at me, her eyes wide with fear, a mirror of my own feelings.

“Ella,” he continued, returning his stern glare toward me, “I understand the strife you were going through. Trust me; you know as well as I just how deep-rooted the mafia is here in this city. The power it holds over all of us.”

I nodded, still not speaking. I still remembered when this had all started, and I had discovered the ties the mafia had to this very law firm.

“But,” Mr. Henderson said, “it’s no excuse to keep these sorts of things a secret from your own boss. I’m not sure if I can look past the lying, Ella.”

“And Sarah,” he turned his gaze towards her now, “not reporting the situation as soon as you discovered it is equally concerning.”

I could feel the panic rising inside of me, as if the very walls of the office were closing in on all of us. I had to do something, anything, to save Sarah from the fallout of my actions.

“Mr. Henderson,” I interjected, my voice trembling, “you can fire me, but please don’t fire Sarah. It wasn’t her fault. She had nothing to do with any of it.”

To my utter shock, Mr. Henderson’s stern expression cracked, giving way to a laugh. “Fire you?” he chuckled, the sound so unexpected in the tension-filled room. “Ella, Sarah, I have no intention of firing either of you.”

Sarah and I exchanged a confused glance. Was this some kind of joke?

“Instead,” Mr. Henderson continued, his smile still playing at the corners of his mouth, “I’m giving you both promotions. Ella, for continuing to follow your convictions against all odds, even when your career was on the line. And Sarah, for being a hard worker… and a loyal friend.”

He winked at us then, a playful glint in his eye. “And who knows, if you both keep your heads down and avoid any more trouble, maybe you’ll both be looking at positions as partners in the firm someday.”

The room spun for a moment, the words not quite registering in my mind. Promotions? Partners? It felt surreal, like a dream I was about to wake up from.

Sarah suddenly let out a deep breath that seemed to hold the weight of the world, causing both me and Mr. Henderson to turn and look at her. “Y-You mean that?” she stammered, her eyes wide. She was sitting on the edge of her seat, and I realized then that I was, too.

He nodded. “I do.” He turned toward me then. “As for your transgressions, Ella… I won’t fault you; I understand what it’s like, to be backed into a corner. But I expect you not to let it happen again.”

“Yes, sir,” I said with a nod of affirmation. My voice was surprisingly steady despite the way I felt. “I promise I won’t let you down.”

“Good.” Mr. Henderson shot both of us another warning glare, although I knew now that there was very little heat in it. “Now back to worth, both of you; before I change my mind.

Stepping out into the hallway a few moments later, Sarah and I turned to give each other wide-eyed stares.

“Am I dreaming?” I asked, holding out my arm toward her. “Pinch me.”

But she didn’t pinch me. Instead, she pulled me in. We hugged tightly, and now I was the one who thought I might crack her ribs. “Can you believe it?” she exclaimed, her face beaming with happiness as we pulled away. “Promotions? Partners?”

“I… I can’t,” I replied, shaking my head in disbelief. “This is unbelievable.”

Sarah and I pulled apart, each of us too stunned to speak as we made our way back to my office. The usual din of the other employees felt so far away now, as if we were in our own bubble of disbelief. Finally, we stopped in the doorway of my office and looked at each other, our eyes still wide and grins still plastered across our faces.

“You know,” I said, “there were moments where I almost left this city. But I’m glad I didn’t.”

Sarah cocked her head to the side. “Oh?” she asked.

I nodded. “It’s true. I feel like… I feel like after all this time, my life here has finally begun. And I’m glad I gave it a chance to take root, even though it feels like it took forever.”

“Oh, Ella.” Sarah smirked and looped her arm around my shoulders as we walked back into my office. “Your life here took root from the start.”

She paused then, glancing up at me with a grin on her face. “It’s just that now, it’s begun to flower.”