Chapter Text
The Partnership
Chapter One
‘Miss Sharpe.’ A voice is heard first before her office door is opened slightly and a face of a young woman, most likely in her twenties, comes into view. ‘Your father is requesting you see him.’ She says timidly, not quite looking her in the eyes.
Good, that means she’s heard about me, Ava Sharpe thought to herself. She didn’t mean to always be strict and firm, but she had come to find over the years of helping to run a successful multi-award winning company, that in order to be seen seriously, you had to be taken seriously. If her many years in Law school didn’t teach her that, then helping to run this place certainly had.
The girl looked like a new face, so Ava felt slightly proud in knowing that her reputation as the stern boss was coming through. She gave the young girl a simple ‘Thank you’ before grinning at the sight of her face popping back out like she had been in her office long enough (even though she barely stepped foot in it). Ah, the simple things in life.
But knowing that her father, the overall boss and the CEO of their company, was asking for her meant she had to get up and drop all her things immediately. If all the employees thought she was stern, then they clearly didn’t interact with her father enough.
She gave a small sigh at the prospect of the meeting he’s asking her for, not knowing what it could possibly be about at this late hour. Her father was the worst with timing, although she thought he probably did it on purpose, knowing how relieved she was at the thought of going home in an hour. So instead he ruined that by sending her up to see him now, and she knew the meeting would be way more than an hour, just to annoy her even more.
She made her way to the penthouse office, only two floors above her own, and gave his receptionist a welcome nod, to which she smiled at her back.
Gertrude had always taken a liking to her, Ava wasn’t blind, she knew the girl was pretty and was more than willing to meet up now and then – if their small interactions they had previously had been anything to go on – but Ava just didn’t have it in her to accept her offers of a coffee here and there. She couldn’t bring herself to find a good arrangement with someone when she knew she already had one that she needed to stick to. Gertrude knew it too, that’s why she never pushed anything more than just a chat and casual flirting.
This time, though, Ava knew the meeting was a bit serious as even Gertrude didn’t give her time to catch up, instead she phoned in to her boss that his daughter was here and before she knew it Gertrude was saying that he was free.
She only gave another nod in response, partly dreading what this was to be about, the other part having a strange inkling as to what it might be. The only thing that he father is ever truly serious with her about. God, she hoped it wasn’t time. They may have been waiting for this for years, but she still wasn’t ready, then again, she didn’t think she ever would be. She thought this as she took a moment or two to enter.
She gave her crisp, practical suit a once over, running her hands up and down the sleeves and tucking her shirt in even more.
She knew she looked fine, she always did, Ava Sharpe was nothing if not proper and professional at all times. Her hair being perfectly tied in her usual small bun, at the bottom of her head, not a single hair out of place.
She knew she looked fine, she just needed a moment before going inside. If it was going to be about what she thought it was, then she could spare a moment.
But she knew she had taken too long when even Gertude gave a loud cough behind her, reminding her that her father didn’t like to be kept waiting. She knew that already, so she gave her a fierce look in return, she can take her time if she wanted to, it was Her father. Gertrude immediately looked away, a slight blush rising on her cheeks. She felt slightly bad for a second and wanted to apologize, but she didn’t have time, so she just kept her stern face and took one last breath in and out before opening the big door to her father’s office.
Here goes nothing, she thought.
***
‘But why, of all people does it have to be HER?’ Ava’s voice rises in her distaste.
Ava found herself getting wound up by her father bringing up what she thought he would, she knew it before she came in and now a part of her is regretting ever entering the office. She finds herself sitting opposite her tall, stern father, who shows a close resemblance to her in terms of her eyes and browny-blonde hair, but it’s her stubborn personality and work-hard ethic that she gets from him the most.
They stare each other down, hard, as he sits in his long, black leathered chair that’s higher than the one in front of him. Ava knows he did that for a reason, he likes to look down at his employees, being slightly higher than them makes him feel a sense of power. Ava wasn’t feeling that right now, though, as she was the only one she knew that could properly argue back at him, and when it came to this certain matter, she would always argue back at him. She still had no idea why she ever agreed to this.
Of all the people she has read about in their system’s files, Sara Lance had been the most incompetent fool, never once helping out in her family business and almost always causing mayhem everywhere she went. Ava didn’t even want to mention all the times she and her league of ‘friends’ ruined their annual Christmas party. Some of the things she didn’t even want to know how they were able to do and get away with it.
And this was the woman her father wished her to marry in order to make their business stronger.
She had grown used to the idea of her ‘planned’ marriage for the business many years ago, no longer seeing it as a forced arrangement like her younger self had deemed it to be.
No, she knew it was anything but.
This had planned for a very long time, (as her father would always state) but in all those years since, her father had at least the decency of giving her an out.
Plus, it was solely based on if and only IF both girls hadn’t already fallen in love with another and decided to elope with them instead. The deal was a long time coming, so her parents knew that it was always a possibility. And as much as Ava did try to fight it and find that random person who could give her an out, that never seemed to happen.
Falling in love, she always deemed, was near to impossible for her to do. Love wasn’t something Ava Sharpe ever believed in, with love came feelings and those were something Ava never did for anyone else, but family. Feelings made her weak, they made people foolish and make random decisions on an impulse, and that was something Ava Sharpe swore up and down she would never, Ever do.
She was nothing if not professional. Her love of work and her job proved that.
She wasn’t Sara Lance, she wasn’t an incompetent fool, she was professional, the complete polar opposite. So again, why did it have to be her?
Her father just sighed, having heard that question many times in the past years whenever her impending marriage to said woman had been brought up. He always gave her the same response, she knew the answer already, she just chose to rile him up by making this difficult, that was what he thought anyway.
‘Could you not just make this simple, Ava. You know about this plan, it’s been finalized and decided for you both since you were eighteen.’ Her father specified, trying to keep his cool as he went on. ‘You chose her too, just as much as we did, so you know that there could have been anyone else because we gave you a decision and you made this one too.’ Her father spoke up, reminding her, yet again, of her agreement with all this too.
‘Plus her family is the best choice for this company, we need their partnership. Backing out of this deal now would only mean that her father would chose to work with someone else, and more specifically a certain company that you know have been wishing to make a partnership deal with them for years. If they made that deal Ava, that could ruin everything, and you know it.’
It was Ava’s turn to release a sigh this time, she knew everything her father said was true, she knew he was right, yet again. Sara’s father’s company were always a little bit lower in the rankings than their own company, (they didn’t have as many awards, but were still just as successful) this is why it made so much sense to merge the companies together and make their own overly strong company instead.
The great Buraeu inc. finally mixing with Legend corporation would pretty much sell itself, the anticipation of the two coming together was palpable, they had many sponsors lining up to invest in the deal. Financially and business wise it was perfect for them both. The only catch was it meant that both companies relied on their daughters marriage proposition in order for it to work.
Having said this, it was the same for another company too, one that her father refused left, right and center to work with, every time they tried, her father knew better than to ever make a deal with them. Darhk enterprises had been a pain in their ass for over a century, the owner Damien, been known to resemble the likes of the devil, he would do anything in his power to make his firm stronger, including getting involved in illegal affairs.
As much as Ava’s father was always tempted to shut him down once and for all, seeing as they knew far too much about the Darhk family secrets, he could easily do so. Instead, he didn’t agree with getting involved in such matters and simply let him try to worm his way into their business, but Ava was never worried, she knew her father would never merge with him. But that didn’t mean it was the same for Sara’s father.
As much as the man was a decent fellow, he also was the type to be easily persuaded and she and her father both knew that Damien had been trying to get involved with the Legend corporation for as long as their deal was arranged. He, also having an eligible daughter, Ava knew that if their deal were to ever fall through, Sara’s father wouldn’t hesitate to make a deal with him instead. The thought of the two of them working together was a nightmare waiting to happen. Her father could never allow it.
So Ava knew more than anything how serious it was for this deal to be made, and officially once and for all. But still, that would mean she would really have to marry her, and she just couldn’t seem to get the idea of being Married to a certain Miss Lance out of her head. It was like trying to stick chalk and cheese together, it just didn’t work.
‘I know this father, trust me, I do, and you know how much I have come to acknowledge my partnership with Sara over the years. But father, we were eighteen. I made my decision on what she was like before, we have both changed since then, one of us more so for the better.’ Ava gave her father a small smile at that, to which he grinned back. He could never fault his daughters work ethic, that’s something he was always proud of. ‘So could you not at least give me the chance to change my mind. I have a right to change my mind.’ She pointed out.
‘And we gave you a chance, fourteen years of chances! In all these years you could have easily found anyone else, we both never once said you couldn’t and you know it. But now the time has come, you’re both still single and neither one of you have even come close to marrying anyone else, which leads me to believe you’re more than happy to be with someone else, so now is the time. Even more so now that we need to finalize our partnership and merge our companies together, make us stronger, like we agreed we would years ago.’ Her father declared, stating what Ava already knew.
‘But that doesn’t mean I have to like being stuck with the likes of her, though.’ Ava groaned, she really detested the thought of being near her, let alone being with her. ‘She’s a self-centered idiot, who makes a mess everywhere she goes. I’ve had to stick with her and her ‘friends’ throughout our company parties for many years and you do not want to know the things I brought a stop to just because I happened to be there.’ Like that one firework that could have blown everyone to bits, who in their right minds brings fireworks to an indoor party! She thought to herself.
‘We have had this discussion many times, and yes, I know she may not be the best of choices in terms of work, but she ventures off to do what she prefers and that’s why we have you here, manning the ship with me. This could work if you just give it a chance.’
‘Yeah, and all those press releases and PR stunts of us being seen together, the date nights we’ve had over the years, none of those were giving this a chance! We have a fan-base now!’ Ava practically shouted, throwing her hands up in the air in irritation.
She wasn’t stupid, Ava knew that they were known in the outside world, her company being world-renowned, if she didn’t see her fathers face in every newspaper or tabloid, then she would see herself, most of which were always talking about her and her ‘relationship’ with Sara Lance. After all, the two of them had practically been betrothed from the age of eighteen, they both knew that they had to keep public appearances, it was what they had signed up for after all.
‘Exactly! People are even expecting you both to end up together, they’ve been watching you two throughout the years and even they think this will work.’ Her father argued back, his voice rising again.
‘It’s called a publicity stunt! Of course they think this will work because all those events were planned too. As soon as we left each other, neither of us would hear from the other in months until our next appearance. That’s not exactly what you call a relationship is it?’
‘It may not be one, but it will be, for better or for worse, till death do you-‘
‘Please father! I’m not eighteen anymore, I can make up my own mind on who I want to spend the rest of my life with. I’m old enough to decide for myself.’ Ava interrupted her father, not wanting to hear the rest of these so called ‘vows’ she may have to make one day.
‘And decide you HAVE!’ Ava flinched at her father’s voice and the loud bang that came with him hitting his fist on his desk in anger.
He was starting to get wound up again, and she knew him being angry and stressed wasn’t good for his blood pressure. He’d been close to a heart attack once before, because of his rage, and she didn’t want that to happen again.
So Ava reached out quickly towards him and grabbed a hold of his arm that was outstretched towards her. She tentatively gave him a calming smile, trying to get him to bring his heart rate down and she waited until she saw him let out a heavy sigh. A sign that it was working, she looked him in the eyes, ones that looked so much like her own, and waited for him to slowly sit back down on his chair. He’d jumped up in the heat of his anger, but now that he was sitting, calmly again, Ava could let out a relieved sigh of her own.
‘I do not wish to make you angry, you know how much you need to watch your blood pressure.’ She told him firmly. ‘So I’ll ask you calmly, can you please let me find another arrangement, or at least give me a bit more time to try and see if there’s anything else we can do to make this business partnership work. There has to be something.’ Ava practically pleaded with her father by this point.
‘There are other ways, yes, but you and I both know that this is the strongest and easiest way, and it’s one that will work out for everyone, think of all the employees and extra people we could take on if we made our company bigger, and it would be one to last a lifetime, we’re talking generations here if our families combine.’ Trust her father to see the business side of things, always. He did nothing but try to make his employees happy, he always had their best interest at heart and that’s why she knew he was a great boss, if not the best boss any company could have.
But as much as she knew this arrangement would work out great for everyone else, it still bothered her that no one seemed to care in the slightest that it wouldn’t work out for the people that mattered most, the ones that were actually having to be together. It wasn’t like it would only be for a night or two either, they would actually have to be together, for life. That was the one thing Ava hated about this all the most, having to be with her, for life.
Her father looked on as he saw Ava withdraw into herself again, it was never a good sign when Ava chose silence over arguing her point, but he guessed she had probably had enough of doing that by now. And he couldn’t disagree with that, it was getting later by the minute and if the two of them kept this going they would be arguing in here all night, and neither Ava or her father wanted that.
It had been a long day and both of them could do with a good rest. So Ava’s father thought of something, something he wasn’t sure she’d agree with, but something that could work out for everyone, including the two girls too. So he let out a long sigh, before grabbing his daughter’s attention.
‘Ava,’ she looked back at him when she heard the sound of her name. She saw nothing but calm and resignation in her father’s eyes, so she let him have his say.
‘I don’t want to argue with you about this anymore, I feel that we’ll only keep going round in circles at this rate.’ Ava had to agree with him there. ‘So I’ll give you this. I will drop this whole arrangement, and let you go on and be with whoever you wish.’ Ava’s heart rate skyrocketed, was he really letting her go?
‘But!’ And then it dropped back down again, she knew there had to be a catch, there always was.
‘Only, and I mean Only IF, the two of you can’t make it work – Ah – let me finish, first.’ Her father halted Ava’s words that he knew she was going to say. ‘You don’t have to marry her, not yet anyway. But at least give you and her an actual chance to make it work by, let’s say… living together.’ Her father looked her dead in the eyes, nothing but seriousness shining through. Her father was nothing if not firm, she knows that’s where she picked it up from.
‘Living together? Like just me and her, she and I?’ Ava said slowly, trying to piece it all together.
‘Yes, just the two of you, in an actual place, together, where you will have to really get to know each other and I mean genuinely, not just for public affairs. You can decide either to move into each others places or I’m sure her father and I will be more than happy to find you both one, and I mean an apartment, not some big fancy house with many rooms so that you can both wind up hiding away from each other.’ Her father pointed out to her, already knowing what she had in mind.
Ava just let out a silent ‘Damn’ at that, her father knew her too well. She nodded for him to continue, he took that as a good sign.
‘Call it a trial run, if you will. You don’t have to be obligated to stay around each other all day, every day, we want you to get along, not kill each other.’ Her father half joked, again he knew both girls well enough to know that would most likely happen. ‘But that doesn’t mean you show up for an hour or so and then leave for a few days, no! You need to actually be in it, together. Not a marriage, but at least partners, for the better part of a year-’
‘One month!’ Ava fought back, interrupting him once more. She could, maybe, agree with this, but she wasn’t going to make it easy, plus there was no way she was agreeing to live with her for a whole year. She didn’t think she could handle that again.
‘Ten months,’ her father called back. Oh, so this was how they were doing it, fine, two could play this game.
‘Three!’
‘Eight.’
‘Four…’ Ava wavered.
‘Six!’ Her father declared.
‘Six?’ Ava thought about it, half a year did seem like an overly long time too, but it wasn’t as bad as a full year or longer. She could probably handle six, besides, she didn’t think her father would agree to anything lower. ‘Okay, six.’
‘Six months of living together, a trial run, and being actually together – no ones saying that you need to do anything,’ her father raised an eyebrow to let her know what he meant, and Ava both cringed and sighed in relief at the thought of the two not having to be together, together, physically in order for this agreement to work.
‘Just at least look like you’re really trying to make a go of things. And to make sure you’re both really sticking it through and not staying away from each other for a few nights, I’ll have your mother come round once a week to check up on the two of you.’
‘Your not having her couple therapy us, are you?’ Ava ground out, knowing what her father was really planning by that, her mother was a well known therapist, worked with celebrities and made them stay together, she knew exactly what he intended by having her ‘visit once a week.’
‘She won’t be running a session, per se, just merely casting her own judgement, and making sure you’re both sticking to the deal.’ Ava raised her brow at that, but she let it go for now, besides whether it was agreed on or not she was pretty sure her mother would come over whenever she wanted anyway. She always loved getting into her personal business when there was actually something she could interfere with.
Her mother was going to love this.
‘So, what do you think, a six month, partnership trial.’
‘So, you’re saying, that if we find that we, Sara and I, for sure, one hundred percent don’t work out together, in any way, shape or form, you’re saying we’ll both be cut from the arrangement, no marriage necessary?’ Ava asked, having to check what the end deal to this was going to be.
Her father just simply nodded, and she knew from the look of seriousness on his face and the promise he held in his eyes, that he wasn’t fooling her on this. Then again, she wouldn’t expect anything less from him, her father never turned back on a deal. That’s why he always fought her on this marriage one for so long, when he made a deal, he made it.
It was a tough deal to make, agreeing to staying in one place with someone for a certain amount of time would be hard for anyone, but for her especially, seeing as the someone she had to live with was again, Sara Lance. It wasn’t going to be easy.
Plus, this was also depending whether or not Sara agreed with it too, they hadn’t exactly spoken it over with either her or her family, she knew it would be hard to get her father to agree with this seeing as he was really backing their marriage proposal full on. Sara’s father needed their partnership as much as hers did.
So this was all depending whether they too agreed, though she was sure Sara would be more than happy to agree on anything if it meant giving her an out. She knew that Sara couldn’t stand being around her either, that’s why they never worked out, why they weren’t really together, neither of them fit well together. Her parents couldn’t have put together two opposite people if they tried, and boy did they try, for fourteen years.
A part of Ava felt a bit remorseful, she wasn’t going to deny that, at the thought of it not working out and their deal being completely thrown out the window. If she agreed to this, she knew for sure that they would not work together, living together would definitely make it a reality, and her parents would have to give up a fourteen year deal, a signed contract and no more guaranteed business partnership within a span of six months.
Plus, she would no longer have Sara as her back-up plan anymore, she would no longer have someone always there as a ‘just in case’ or a, ‘if no one else, then I still have the deal’ anymore, and she had to admit after fourteen years, a better half of her life, solely spent on knowing she would inevitably have to marry her at some point, that small part of her was wondering whether or not she really wanted that to end.
But then she remembered it was Sara Lance, she remembered her idiotic ways and all the times spent loathing her and that small part was no more. She was going to take this down once and for all.
‘Do we have a deal then, Miss Ava Sharpe?’ Her father watched her intently, never once looking away as she grew silent and contemplated whether or not it was worth it.
But when he saw the small fire spark up in her eyes again, he knew exactly what she had in mind. He’d seen that look in her eyes many times before, so he lifted his hand up and put it in front of them both, waiting for Ava to make the agreement like he knew she would.
When Ava saw her father's hand outstretched for her, she didn’t even think twice and shook it instantly.
‘Deal!’
This was going to be a long six months.