A Change in the Tide

Elle woke to the sound of water running in the bathroom. The tap shut off after a moment and Adam emerged, dressed in black dress pants and a blue collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

"Do you really have to go?" Elle murmured sweetly.

Adam's eyes lingered on her. Her hair was messy from her sleep and below the covers she had nothing on but his own loose fitted shirt.

"I change my mind. I won't go." He answered.

MK was having a meeting bright and early on that Saturday morning to discuss the contract negotiations. What had started out as nothing more than a minor inconvenience had now blown up into a major issue, fueled by his father's meddling.

Elle laughed lightly. It was a sweet sound that only made Adam want to stay more. "We both know you need to go. Go and resolve this issue once and for all." Elle said, getting out of the bed to help him tie his tie. "That is, if you're confident that you can resolve it."

"Of course I can. I have a trump card up my sleeve." He said proudly, speaking of her of course.

"Hurry back. I'll have a victory lunch waiting."

"Okay, I will."

Once he was gone Elle looked around his condo feeling quite bored.

'Should I clean?' She wondered to herself, wondering how best to surprize Adam when he returned.

~~

When Adam arrived to MK's boardroom most of the other participants were already there, his father among them. Adam took a seat next to him, at the head of the table.

"We'll wait a few more minutes for the others to arrive." He announced as he took his seat.

"I hope you have a suitable solution for this." He father said quietly as they waited.

"I don't see why you keep involving yourself in such trivial matters. You should have just stayed home and kept mother company."

"Is that a yes or a no?" His father insisted.

"Would I be here if I didn't have solution?" Adam countered. "I want to make a deal with you. If I present a solution you're satisfied with you have to agree to stop getting involved with company matters. Get a different hobby if you're bored."

His father begrudgingly gave his agreement.

"Let's start now." Adam announced, standing up again. "Many of you have expressed your concern on the contract negotiations and the fact that they haven't been progressing. I won't have our project delayed over the lack of one model. The outcome of the project won't be ruined by having one less model in the shoot. We'll proceed with the four we have signed."

"But sir – " The debating began. "Amelia is so highly ranked in the industry. This will be her first project since returning from Hollywood. It's an invaluable opportunity for MK."

"Besides," another added, "it's already publicly known that we've offered her a contract. If it falls through now people will talk. It will be bad press for us."

"Which is why I don't intend to let her go." Adam said, silencing the complaints. "Since her company's complaint with the contract is their worry that it isn't a remarkable enough project to be suitable for her first project back, I plan to offer them a contract for another opportunity."

"And what would that be?" His father chimed in, clearly intrigued.

"Amelia is an actress. We'll have her act. I intend to have MK produce a movie."

Everyone in the room was stunned speechless. Adam had to stop himself from smirking with satisfaction at the response of the room.

"MK has invested in a few productions before, but we've never funded anything on this scale before…" someone commented.

Adam smiled softly, recalling how Elle had brought up the exact same point at their dinner. Adam gave the same reply now as he had then.

"Just because we haven't done it before doesn't mean we won't be successful if we do it now. I've already reviewed the numbers and timelines. I wouldn't propose it if I weren't confident."

They spent a while longer discussing it but no matter how many questions were brought up Adam was able to answer them all. He may not be the most charismatic person, but he was confident, knowledgeable, and good at what he did. In the end everyone left the boardroom not only pleased, but excited about Adam's proposal. Including his father.

As the other members filed out of the room Adam's father approached him. "You're sure about this?" He asked.

"Absolutely."

"Very well. I can't deny that I'm satisfied with this. Amelia's company will have no reason to refuse this offer, the original project will continue on schedule, and MK will expand into a new field. It's risky, but it ties everything up in a neat little bow. I'll concede to you this time."

A small smile turned up the corners of Adam's lips. He gathered his things and put his coat on.

"Where are you going after this?" His father asked.

"I'm going home. You should as well."