When It's All Said and Done Chap 4
by Poetic
 

Chapter 4 Feeling Charitable
 
 

Charles’ daughter played on Gwen’s mind as she sat in her apartment. The girl’s name is Tiffany. She was diagnosed two years ago with a rare bone marrow disease. Legally there was not much Gwen could do to honor Charles’ request. Her father would hear none of it. He was the man who built Hotchkiss Enterprises and though he considered his daughter a good businesswoman she was no man. Every one knows men have a better business sense than woman. They have more spatial, logic and reasoning ability. It was one of the reasons the Crane-Hotchkiss merger was so important. She knew that she would become invisible in the business once the merger was complete. She was expected to bare the heir and to be the good wife while the men tended to business. In her time away she realized that she could never have been that woman. The reason that Gwen worked so hard was to show her father that she could do the job as well as any man could.
She traced the edges of her manuscript smiling slightly. She had written it mostly out of anger but when she read over it, she discovered it was damn good. She discovered a hidden talent that she never knew she had. Maybe it was time she separated herself from her family’s wing. Maybe it was time to realize and pursue her own dreams and stop living everyone else’s. Maybe it was time to let go of her inherited selfish ways and make her own contributions unselfishly.
 

Gwen knocked on Charles’ door. His wife answered and was not pleased to see the woman responsible for their recent loss of lively hood standing there.
"What do you want?" The woman asked harshly.
"I am here to speak with Charles." Gwen smiled despite the uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"I do not think my husband would want to see you. Especially without his attorney present." She started to close the door but Gwen put her foot in the way.
"Please if I could just have a moment of your time I will leave and never come back." Gwen pleaded.
"Lets here what she has to say Lis." Charles called as he approached them. "Make it brief Ms. Hotchkiss."
"I know this isn’t much but it is a little more than your severance package would have been." She handed him a check.
"I asked for severance not charity." He looked at the check with his wife looking over his shoulder. She looked at him the prideful man that he was. However his love for his daughter had to be stronger than pride. He needed to swallow that hard lump that was his pride.
"Charles I understand but put it like this. You love your daughter. We can organize a fundraiser in her honor. The amount that you think of as excessive you can give back to me from the proceeds. Your wife or yourself can help organize the fundraiser. Then not only will you be helping you daughter but helping others like her by helping further the research into her illness. Does that sound fair."
Gwen took a breath. She had donated to charities before but always to look charitable in the public eye. A good business has a code of ethics where the community in which their business thrived is concerned. Even if the code was fake it still looked good. This was different, the first time she met Tiffany looking into the ocean that are her eyes she just had to help the girl. Her eyes were so full of life, so full of a battle she refused to lose. Gwen did not understand why she needed to help Tiffany and she even felt as if she needed Tiffany more than the girl actually needed her.
 
 

"Sounds good to me. I would love to help. Anything for our princess." Lisa finally spoke up.
Gwen remembered the times her father use to call her princess. Every princess must become a queen at some point. They needed to but too many men told them they could never sit on a throne without a king.
"I am glad you agree. I will stay in touch with all the details and developments." Gwen still feeling unwelcomed turned to leave.
"Ms Hotchkiss thank you." Lisa called after her.
"Please call me Gwen" Gwen smiled over her shoulder.
Laughing at the humor and irony in her manuscript Gwen leaned back in her chair in her office as he watched her. Whatever she was reading she seemed focused on and she seemed to be enjoying it. He enjoyed the sound of her laugh. It was musical; it was as if the room lit up with each curve of her lips. He smiled in spite of himself.
 

She looked up seeing him watching her smiling. "Do you always creep up on people in the comfort of their private space. I believe there is a law against that in some states." Her smile faded sending a chill over him.
"I have not crept into your private place. There is no fun in that." He smiled.
"Do you Ms Hotchkiss always leave your door open? I just wanted to thank you for what"
"I did it for Tiffany" Gwen snapped. "Not for Charles and certainly not because I felt any legal obligation."
She ignored the suggestive nature of his first comment. Something about him was just too cocky.
"She is quite the charmer." He smiled taking a seat.
"She won me over the first tie we met. I heard about the fundraiser and I would like to help."
He smiled again. She seemed to have somewhat of an old soul. He had her pegged as a snob but was beginning to think that maybe he was wrong.
"I do not need your help. Now you can remove yourself from my chair and see yourself out." He looked at her not being able to read her eyes. What does it take to crack the shield he wondered almost aloud?
"Do you have a problem with me or just men in general?" He cocked his head to the side reading her body language knowing he would not get a straight answer from her mouth. One thing was certain he shocked her.
"I have a problem with anyone trying to bully me into a business decision with idle threats. Especially one that believes me to be weak enough to cower in fear. Then using an innocent child to seal the deal. Our business is finished Mr Dominguez so there is no need for us to meet again is there?
Gwen folded her hands together waiting patiently for him to leave.
"You o not want me to answer that question so I will not. Secondly I had you pegged as having a better business sense than to allow personal opinions ton interfere with business. I have connections with deep pockets and you are organizing a fundraiser correct?" He looked her in the eye refusing to give up so easily.
"Perhaps you do have me pegged wrong but then perhaps not. I do not need your connections. I am sure I will do fine. If you feel the need to be helpful I will send you an invitation. You can pass the word along then you will rest easier knowing you have done a good deed. Goodbye." He sighed mentally shaking himself. This was going to be harder than he thought but he would pay it her way for now.