"First Impressions"

The doors opened widely and a very angry Byron McLane stormed out unceremoniously from the meeting office. The faces of the small but very elite group inside were filled with disdain the few seconds Noland Hillhouse was able to see before the assistant ran to close the doors. The poor woman still had her eyes rounded wide with the unexpected leaving of one of the senior partners of the firm.

Gregory Olsen, Noland's oldest friend in the office, elbowed him to draw his attention. "I guess the rumors are true after all, they were going to find a way to get rid of him sooner or later. Do you think it was his infidelities or the misuse of company funds?"

Noland chuckled at his friend who was fishing for information, but he simply nodded. "I know as much as you do about this, and I am too old to risk my job with speculation when I only have a year left before my retirement. I wouldn't put my pension at stake just for some gossips." And he leaned his back on the couch.

Gregory smirked. "You are adamant on that forced retirement, aren't you? You still have several years ahead if you wish to stay."

Noland simply chuckled again and kept quiet. It was one in the afternoon and he had only been waiting there for half an hour but he could see the atmosphere had shifted since he came in the morning. Everyone was nervous, and rumors spread like wildfire about anything and everything.

"I think I saw her, the brief minute the doors were open. She has been here before either of us arrived."

Noland perked a brow at Gregory. "Who are you referring to?"

Gregory sighed and shook his head. "I should've guessed you weren't paying attention to a single word I was saying earlier. I wonder how you manage to focus on your job with so much ADD going on."

"Oh, come on. Give me some credit... It is thanks to my focus on the job that I am still here. And you as well for that matter."

"Really... are you going to rub it on my nose every chance you get? Thanks Nol..." The frustration on Gregory's voice evident. Truth was Noland rarely pointed out at his friend the time he had asked him for that big favor and cover him on the job when he was having a fling.

The doors opened, less dramatically this time, and Robert Colbert, the head of the Human Resources department, stepped out briefly, his eyes focused on Noland first, then Gregory. "Please Hillhouse, Olsen. Come in."

Both of them wasted no time in getting up and enter. As soon as the door closed, the large oval table gave room for what felt like an interrogation. Noland couldn't let pass the obvious presence of a new face in the table; in his 29 years working with the firm, he knew each key person in the executive board. But that new face was definitely not one he had seen before. She was dressed in an elegant but simple business suit, her red hair up in a tight bun, and her eyes glued on the stack of papers in front of her. Between the people in the room, she was definitely the youngest.

"Please take a seat gentleman." Robert encouraged them as he himself took his place. "We are going to make it simple." He began, almost as if reciting a script. "There are going to be major changes in the firm, and you two are key part of the changes we want to make. Let's begin with what you know, there has been rumors all around the last couple of days, we would appreciate if you share with us what rumors you heard. You don't need to point fingers and give names, we just want to hear what you know... Or think you know."

They were all looking at them both and Gregory looked at Noland confused. "You want us to tell you about the rumors going on?" He asked.

"Yes please, any you have heard." Robert encouraged.

"Uhm, well..." Gregory scratched the back of his neck as he looked at his friend.

"I am going to disappoint you all, unfortunately. I am not much of a social person, and the only rumor I heard was about the change on the executive board. Something that seems to be quite real after the small scene we witnessed not long ago." Noland answered calmly. "But I am afraid that is the most I can feed you with rumors as I have little time to do more than my job." He finished with small irritation. He wasn't happy that he was asked to wait for over half an hour only to report rumors. He felt he had more important things to do than gossiping. The fact that the main directors of the board were asking for such rumors made him both confused and angry; although he was trying his best to mask the latest.

Elizabeth Cromwell, another important head in the table being the treasurer, chuckled as she turned her head down to the files in front of her, and after going through some folders, she handed the younger woman the file. "This is Noland Hillhouse; he has been working with us for almost 30 years and it has been under Byron's thumb." She then took another folder and handed it as well. "And that is Gregory Olsen, who has been working with us for the last 19 years in the same department." The woman took both folders and opened them, starting to read.

Robert cleared his throat and drew the attention of both of them again. "Gregory, what rumors have you heard?"

After a deep long breath, Gregory sighed and put both hands on the table. "Hmm... Well, the absence of the old man is rumored to be either a new love interest, possibly a model or an actress, or just some vacations to buy new properties somewhere. Then there is the rumor of her daughter being in town to take over his company. Byron being another rumor as one of those heads to roll."

Noland gave a deep sigh as he began to hear his friend ramble. In other opportunities, he would elbow him or step on his foot to make him stop, but in this meeting in front of the very important and observant people having their eyes in them, all he could do was to hear his friend talk nonstop and let out all kinds of gossips he had been gathering from his talks during break. They were an odd match, as friends, being both so different; Noland the quiet and reserved type, older as well, and Gregory the younger, talkative, and very charming one.

"Most of what people say is only rumors about rumors, I don't believe everything I hear of course, neither of us does, specially my friend who doesn't even listen to me when I talk to him about them." Gregory chuckled and the rest did as well, amused by his cheering personality.

Noland shook his head a bit exasperated but still smiling amused. His friend had a way to win the crowd.

Felix Slocum, the head of the England branch of the firm, smiled at them without saying a word. He had known Noland since he joined the company, and has been following up close his career. They were not friends but acquaintances. His presence in the States though, meant there was something important happening, or about to.

Robert cleared his throat before he talked again. "Well gentleman, the reason we had asked you to share what you heard is because we are going to start making several of those rumors vanish as soon as tomorrow." He looked straight at both Noland and Gregory before he continued. "We will begin by clearing up most of them with you. Felix?"

Felix finally nodded and sat straight, as he gave a brief look to the younger woman and rested a hand over hers, squeezing it gently then letting it go. She finally seemed to realize she was in the meeting, and looked up from the stack of papers and folders. She looked first at Gregory and he switched in his seat uncomfortably. She finally looked at Noland and seemed a bit taken by surprise, but remained quiet. Noland finally draw a small, honest smile. No matter what kind of person he was talking to, he only felt confident when he met their eyes. Hers were simply beautiful.

"Hello Noland, it is nice to see you after so many years." Felix began. Noland smiled politely at him and nodded. "I will begin by the most recent of your rumors; as of today, Byron McLane is no longer associated with our company and should be probably out of the building by now. The reasons are simple, and I am sure you've heard of them as rumors too. He has exceeded his fair share of freedom and royalties facilitated to him by the company. As for the 'old man' as you called Mister Galloway." He paused as he exchanged a look with Gregory, who seemed embarrassed to have called the president of the firm in that way. "He had a heart attack last week and is currently entering surgery."

Gregory certainly wanted the earth to swallow him. He took a deep breath and rested his hands on his knees. "I am sorry to hear that, I really hope he makes it out well."

Felix nodded. "We all trust in the professionals in charge of his surgery, and hope the same. Now, as of the other rumors. Well, let me introduce you to Catherine Galloway, Mister Galloway's daughter. She is here indeed to take the place of his father while he recovers but in no way she is taking it from him, and we expect your full collaboration."

"What exactly is that you expect from us?" Noland finally spoke, trying hard not to stare at the young woman who was heir of the big empire her father built.

"I am glad you ask, Noland. Byron left in a rush, and it won't be easy to take his place. The truth is, we are not seeking to replace him either, instead, we want to propose you and Gregory to take his place, together. We want you both to lead the litigations department with all that implies."

The young woman that now was identified as Galloway's daughter, cleared her throat and spoke. "It is a lot of work that we suspect you two were already doing, and Byron was taking credit away from. It might have taken us some time to notice it, but we are not foreign to the many successful achievements from your department. As well as we became aware of the strange inequities coming from the reports presented to the board by him".

Her voice was firm, a slight accent behind it. Noland felt himself a little taken by her simple yet well delivered message.

There was a brief silence in the room, Noland looked to the side at Gregory and he was smiling quietly as he stared at his hands. They had both argued more than once about the injustice inside their department each time a big case arrived, their boss would take the glory after they did all the work. After many years, they were used to it and simply let it happen, but every now and then they would argue about the irony of representing the law while they were being victims of the lack of justice in their own job. Neither of them wanted to complain, in the end they did what they did best, which was winning their cases, and that was what kept them happy.

Robert cleared his throat. "You would both move to bigger offices and we would need to have several meetings to make the proper adjustments, but we want it done as soon as possible. There is a big case it requires your full attention and we can't have any distractions. We hope you both agree to this, but we need you to focus your team on the case and not let others divert attention to gossips or uncertainties."

Gregory looked at his friend and laid back on his chair. "If Noland agrees." A big smile plastered on his lips.

Noland took a deep breath and nodded. "We will do it. What is the case?"

"Now let's not jump right into the case yet. You will have everything in a folder and at your desks later this afternoon." Elizabeth intervened. "Robert will make the proper adjustments on your new contracts and we will make the necessary statements to the rest of the staff. We want you two to take the next few hours to gather your team and introduce the new changes. Do you have any questions for us?"

Noland and Gregory exchanged looks before they both shook their heads. "Ok then, the meeting is over. You both are free to go." Elizabeth concluded after a nod with Robert.

They all stood up from their chairs, all but Catherine, who buried herself in papers again. Gregory exchanged cards with Elizabeth and shook Robert's hand as Noland waited at the door amused. Felix walked to him and they both shook hands with a polite smile. "I am glad you decided to take the big step Noland, you have been playing from behind Byron's shadows for too long."

He chuckled and lowered his gaze. "It was not up to me alone to accuse our boss from only rumors, and we were not behind his tail to prove any of them either."

"You decided to wait this long for us to take notice and send our investigators then? You should aim for more Noland, you are good at what you do." Felix reprimanded him.

"I want to lay low, I am not much of an attention magnet as my partner is." He said looking towards Gregory who was joking with Robert.

"Oh, I know. I remember that about you." Felix said with a grin.

"So are you staying here for long?"

"No, I am leaving again this weekend. I have to supervise a big case and attend a charity auction. I wouldn't have come here if it weren't because Edmund asked me to look after Catherine." Felix sighed and looked towards the table.

"Are you and her together?" Noland asked, unable to feel a bit uncomfortable by the way he was looking at her.

Felix chuckled and shook his head. "No, she is like a daughter to me, and I am too old for her anyway. But she is Edmund's only daughter and I've watch her grow from so very little, this is a world of sharks and beasts masked as princes and knights. It is an ugly world and even though she has been preparing for it, nothing really is the same as the real thing. Don't you agree?"

"Is Mister Galloway that bad?" He avoided his answer.

Felix sighed. "He is going into surgery as we speak, they are going to put a pacemaker on him. He has been living with a heart condition for over three years and he was stubborn enough to never say anything to any of us until he was hospitalized last week. I am counting on his recovery to give him a good speech."

They both laughed and nodded.

"I know it is not your job but, can you keep an eye on her, just from time to time? Catherine is a brilliant woman, but she is also obsessed on studding and researching everything, wanting to be all around the place. If you see her pushing herself too much, give me a call, I will poke her out of her bubble." Slowly he handed him his card.

"You are asking me to babysit for the daughter of our boss? Do I have to follow her into wild parties as well?" He asked, half amused, taking the card and putting it on his pocket.

Felix chuckled. "Oh trust me, she doesn't need a babysitter... and I would be the first to encourage her to go to a party. That is definitely not something Catherine would do."

He was about to say something when Gregory interrupted. "I hope you don't mind if I steal my friend and we go for a late lunch to celebrate this promotion. We only have half an hour before we have to return and prepare our team for the new case."

"No, of course, it was nice meeting you Olsen." Felix extended his hand and shook Gregory's firmly. "And it was nice to see you again, Noland. I am happy to see some justice your way as well. It has been long overdue." He finished and left them both in silence.

"I like that guy." Gregory finally added, putting an arm around his shoulder and pulling him out the door.

"I like him too." Noland replied with a smile.