Impact (H.S. AU) (COMPLETED)

11 * ICEBERG * 11

HARRY

I meet her eyes across the office as soon as her mouth falls open. She looks between us and I know instantly that she's figured it out. Of course she has, I've been damned to look just like him.

I mouth to her to leave and she nods her head, pressing the button for the elevator again and turning her back to me. Dammit, all I want to see is her eyes.

I follow Lex to the conference room with Vance trailing behind me, trying desperately to carry a conversation with me. Sorry, Dad, not happening. I look back to the elevators to see her gone and relief and dread fill me equally within the same two seconds. As much as I want her beside me right now, I need to do this alone, and I want him nowhere near her.

"Harry?"

The asking of my name sends me hurtling back to reality where I'm living a day in my own personal hell, being ushered into a claustrophobic room and once again sat at a wooden table much too large for only three people. But today, there won't only be three people.

I'm trying to keep my breathing in check as more and more people filter into the room, Lisa from marketing and Zach from sales. Everyone and their mother is squished into this tiny glass cell of a room and suddenly I can't breathe but I take a sip of water and imagine my hand sitting on her thigh.

Once everyone is seated and my glass of water is empty from my nervous sipping, Lex steps up to the head of the table.

"So, let's get this show on the road," Lex begins, grabbing his manila folder from the table, prompting everyone else to follow suit.

It's now that I realize I left mine in my office and curse myself for being so frazzled while getting ready. I shove my annoying glasses up on my nose and nearly take them off before I remember her request and decide to keep them on. Vance notices the absence of my manila folder and silently offers me his but I shove it back towards him forcefully, I want nothing of his.

He gives me a sad smile as he takes it back in his hands and turns back to Lex, clearing his throat. I hope to god that he chokes.

"So, Mr. Styles, would you like to start?" Lex asks cheerfully, and my heartbeat picks up for a split second before I realize that he's talking to Vance, not me.

"Why of course," Vance smiles, already starting to pace at the head of the table to prepare for his presentation, "If you don't know, I'm Vance Styles, Lexington's brother. We both started these publishing companies a long time ago and as you all know it began as one corporation." He smiles, gesturing to the first page in the folder that showed a picture of Vance and Lex at twenty and twenty-four years old, "It wasn't easy starting out at such a young age but with a little help from mom and dad as well as a whole lot of luck, we made it," He laughs and the rest of the employees in the room join him.

As Lex joins him at the front and slings his arm around his brother I roll my eyes and finally allow myself to slump in my chair. The itinerary for the meeting said nothing about letting them bant around with each other for the first twenty minutes.

"For reasons that were applicable at the time, we split into two companies. I stuck with the name Styles and Lex went on to lead Lexington Publishing. But, those reasons have been resolved and as you all know we are merging our companies back together."

"It's going to take a lot of work and relocating and hiring the right staff, but I think we can have two amazing locations of Styles Publishing by next year," Lex chimes in, "That's the plan anyway!" He laughs.

"As far as all of you go, as heads of departments it's your job to take care of relocations of employees as well as hires to fill needed positions. We've recently promoted many promising employees and have already transferred four of our higher ups to the San Francisco location to get things moving. As far as open positions go, we're loaded with empty entry level offers as well as room for a board member to represent the editing department."