The graying pallor of my father’s skin when he got tired made me want to take care of him more than ever.

“Hey, I brought you lunch!” I beamed, walking into his office. “Don’t worry, the recipe was easy enough, even for me.”

Dad chuckled, brightening. “You didn’t have to do that. I could’ve ordered something for us.”

“I know, but too much takeout isn’t good for you. And it’s definitely not as tasty as this!” I reorganized the sprawling stacks of paper on his desk to get enough room to set his meal down. “Let me help you, here. This unread pile is almost its own department.”

“Guess my age might finally be catching up with me.” He hummed before taking a bite, savoring its warmth. “It’s fine, I’m just going a little slower, lately.”

Frowning, I touched his shoulder. “Maybe you should go to the doctor.”

“No, it’s just busy! This lunch will give me plenty of energy.” He wagged his eyebrows and patted his stomach. “Besides, I’m making progress. Anything important, I tackle right away, putting it in this pile, whereas I work from the top down on everything else.”

“Sometimes, building a company up means starting from the bottom, like we did.” Like Damon had, too, to some extent. I portioned out the unread stack. “I know you want me to be taken care of, but will you let me take care of this? I can handle the business.”

“I know you’re smart.” He chased a melon ball with his fork. “But you’re so hard-working. Always volunteering. I worry you’re taking too much on your own.” He reached for his phone. “I’m sure Todd would be happy to help you, if—”

“No!” I covered his mobile, then smiled sweetly. “He’s busy. You’re busy. And though I’m busy, I’m ready to make bigger decisions, don’t you think?”

Dad sighed and sat back in his chair. “You’ll have to get help sometime.”

“So will you,” I countered.

He smiled and nodded at the pile. “I have a meeting, but I trust you’ll call if you need anything?”

“Will do. Enjoy your lunch!” I scooped up the papers and hurried out of his office. As I struggled to close the heavy oak door, some of the papers slipped from my grip, sweeping in zig-zag waves to the floor. I squashed the rest of the stack against my chest and squatted down to collect the stragglers.

Wait… this was one of my business proposals.

I clenched my plan in my fist, my heart pounding in my ears. The whir of the scanner might as well have been the static in my brain.

Dad hadn’t even read it!

Did it matter how many times I showed him I had great ideas, fantastic business instincts, and leadership skills?

Was my last name the only thing keeping me in the board meetings?

I stormed through the other packets and propositions. Not a single one from Todd. Those must’ve gone straight to legal.

How was I supposed to change anything when my father didn’t see or respect me? Not in business, at least.

I should leave.

It wasn’t any more of a betrayal than what he’d been doing to me. The only other option was marrying someone he hated so he’d retract that insufferable “partnership” he insisted on with the shares.

Could I leave? I wilted like the flowers on my desk. No more candy from Cora, wheeze-laughs from Leonard, or even Paula’s passive-aggressiveness.

These people were my family.

But if I couldn’t change the company’s path to bankruptcy now, I had to put myself in a better position to pick up the pieces.

I got to work revamping my resume for the first time since business school and sent it to Yessica for review.

She called me fifteen minutes later. “It’s gorgeous, you’re a genius! But what’s wrong? I thought you were going to get married and take over the company.”

“I’m trying to be part of Dad’s legacy and I keep getting pushed aside for meetings, proposals, shares…everything. “ I put my head in my hands. “I’m probably crazy for thinking of getting married to a stranger. Or leaving.”

“Not at all. You deserve the world! You’re going to show everyone exactly what you can do. And if you want me to find you a business beard, I’m sure I can do some more hunting.”

“Thanks, Yess.” I smiled. “WorldCon isn’t too far away. If I hang in until then—”

“Why wait?”

“Excuse me?” I laughed. “Wait, do you really think I should leave?”

“You know my philosophy: if you want a legacy, you have to build your own damn company.”

“That’s what I thought I was doing with Martin Enterprises. It always felt like mine, even when I wasn’t leading,” I said. Or it had, until Todd and the board sold it out from under me.

I massaged my temples. “Maybe you're right about starting my own company. A lot of the places I’d apply probably wouldn’t hire me for fear of risking their working relationship with my father. They might even tell him I’m leaving. I don’t want to destroy him. I want to save this company! He just won’t let me, and I’m not sure I’d make enough money after start-up costs to bail him out when he needs me.”

“You need a new strategy that doesn’t involve teaching an old dog to wake up and smell the coffee. Think about it and call me. You can do it! You can do anything!”

“So can you!”

“Obviously! Talk to you later, sweetie!”

I hung up feeling empowered and rifled through the rest of the Unread stack. What other genius ideas was my dad passing over in favor of easy pickings?

Oh, the Gibbons Group merger!

I scanned through each point, pressing the edge of my pen to my lips.

This… wasn’t bad. It was kind of smart, actually.

I double-checked the calendar and numbers, trying to run all the scenarios through my head. If the Gibbons Group picked us up when the shares dipped, they’d make a huge profit, and we’d bounce back. Especially if Gibbons Group held the opportunity to change management.

I scribbled some notes on the proposition, re-read it, revised, and sat back.

Defecting to the Gibbons Group would be a slap in my father’s face. Martin Enterprises might not even want me back when it was all over. Gibbons might not want to work with them anymore.

I ran through a few more calculations.

I was willing to take that risk.

Swallowing hard, I dialed Damon’s secretary, who patched me through.

“This is Damon.”

“Hi, it’s Alina.” I felt steadier just hearing his voice. “Are you willing to make changes to the merger proposition? Because I might have one for you.”

“Really? What do you have in mind?” A pen clicked in the background.

I appraised the plan in front of me with a smile. He was really going to listen, and that would make all the difference.