Game Plan

Chapter 3 (Part 2 of 2)

“Game Plan”

2013 Copyright All Rights Reserved

Chapter 3 (Part 2 of 2)

 

Chelsy had just taken a seat and booted up her computer when the phone buzzed.  Without looking at the caller ID, she grabbed the receiver and brought it to her ear.  “Chelsy Lawson.”

“I’ll need you in my office in five,” her boss, Gregory Borum barked.  Mr. Borum was a gruff man that didn’t take crap.  He was in his mid-fifties and was one of the best in the domestic law field.  But underneath all that gruff exterior, she knew the man was nothing more than a big teddy bear.

"Yes, sir,” she replied courteously, typing her password into the computer. “Do you want me to grab the Netherman file?”

“No, I’m assigning that case to Joy.  I’ve got something else that I want you working on.”

Chelsy’s fingers stopped tapping on the keyboard. The Netherman case was their biggest client.  She'd been working on it for two weeks now.  If she was being taken off of the case so suddenly that could only mean one thing.  

She was being demoted.

“But Mr. Borum, I don’t understand. I’ve done everything-”

“Five minutes Chelsy,” he cut her off abruptly.  “My office.  You know I don’t like to be kept waiting.”

She didn’t get a chance to reply. A resounding dial tone blaring in her ear indicated that the line had been disconnected.  

Pulling the phone from her ear all she could do was stare at the receiver.  What in the world could she have done? For the last month she’d received nothing but praise from all of the partners.  It had been a long road and over the last year she’d had to work her way up in the firm. But she did it and because of her tenacity to dig up information in cases she was one of the most highly requested paralegals in the firm.

None of this made sense.  It had been almost a week since her sisters wedding. She took a few days off to attend but it was the first time she’d taken any vacation with the firm in over three years. Would they really count that against her?

Blindly, she hung up the receiver and started to stand.  She refused to believe that because she took a few days off that her boss would count it as a strike against her.  It had to be something else.

But what?  That was the question she didn’t have an answer for. There was only one way to find out though.  She’d go into Mr. Borum’s office with her head held high and listen to what he had to say.  She would logically ask his reasons for taking her off the Netherman case and then just as logically argue why she needed to stay on it.  

She’d already put hours into the work.  She was so close to getting the evidence that the firm needed in order to wrap up the case. And with her impeccable track record, there was no way he could turn her down.

Satisfied with her argument, she stood up from her desk, walked out the door and started to for Mr. Borum’s office.

She refused to take no for an answer.

Several minutes later she strode into her bosses office.  

“Close the door please,” Mr. Borum instructed.  “I have a few things I need to talk to you about that I don’t need the entire office hearing.”

“Yes sir.”  Confused, she gently pushed the door closed behind her. That was an odd statement to make.  Everyone understood the need for confidentiality in their line of work.  But this was a little extreme.