Weeks later I find myself in my office trying to find who to send to Italy in October. I can't go. I took a break from everything when Miriam passed but now I have to suck it up and do my job. The job that pays thousands of families lives. I could always send Marcus. I don't know if he would be up to it. For all I know he's never been to Italy. I have to ask him before I decide on anything.

I see three of my employees walking in and carrying three big cardboard boxes we use for old files.

"What's all this?" I ask

"These are all of the files that were never read through and sorted." The blonde one says.

"What do you mean? Didn't we transfer to electronic files years ago?" I ask

"Yes we did Miss. These are files that Mr Adams never got the chance to finish."

"Leave them on the desk I have someone to talk to." I say and walk out of the office and into Marcus's

"Why didn't you ever mention boxes of bloody unsorted files?" I ask right away

"Huh? What are you talking about Lena?" He asks

"Three of my employees just carried in three massive cardboard boxes we usually store old files in. They said my father never got through them." I say

"I never heard of them. Surely I would be notified." he says checking his planner.

"Well no, you weren't. They just marched into my office like they own the place." I say pacing across the room.

"Did you tell them anything about that?" He asks

"No I was too busy being surprised to tally on them." I say to him and he just chuckles.

"This is funny to you?" I ask him

"Very much."

"Oh you're impossible." I say and walk out of his office. I go back to mine and I am met with more than three boxes. There's more? I count seven boxes. Jesus Christ! Well there goes my free time.

I put a box on my desk and open it. Yeah just what I thought. It is packed to the brim. Fucking fantastic. I take out all of them and out them on my desk. I need to start somewhere right? I turn off the music thats in my stereo and get myself comfortable. This will be a long long week.

I put the box onto the floor, next to my legs. That way, when I am finished with a file I'll put it back into the box and so on. It took me almost two hours to get through just half a box. There is a lot to be read and a lot to be sorted out. I swear to god I can already see my scummy father laughing at me from hell. He must be enjoying watching me suffer because of him. My mother on the other hand. I haven't thought of her in a while. I can't even picture where she's at. I just hope she's happy. I know for a fact she wasn't happy in the last two years of her life. She was more so miserable in her marriage. I might have been absent for some time, but it was quite obvious how unwell she really was. I saw it with my own eyes. I know when someone is in fight with themselves. I know because I was in that place once too. She wanted to divorce my father, Richard told me about that a long time ago. She was tired of my father and I can begin to understand her. However I don't really see what made her marry him in the first place. She and him were nothing alike.

I finish one box and push it away from my desk. Just six more to go. I check my phone to see missed calls from Scarlett and from Alex. I still didn't tell him who is going instead of me. I turn off my phone and walk into Marcus's office once more.

"What can I do for you boss lady?" he asks with a beam on his face.

"Would you mind going to Italy instead of me?" I ask him and his eyes go wide.

"Are you serious?" He asks

"Yes, I am." I say simply and he jumps from his seat and tackles me in a hug. I almost fell from the force.

"You have no idea how proud you will be after I do this project." he says with his hands now on my shoulders.

"I trust that you'll do great." I say and he nods.

"How are the files going?" He asks.

"I just finished one box. Would you mind sending Alex an email telling him you're going instead of me?" I ask him.

"No problem. I'll be on it right away." he says and turns on his computer.

"Thank you Marcus. You can have tomorrow off so you can plan everything and next week I believe you'll be headed to Italy." I say and walk back to my office.

I get another call from Scarlett, this one I answer because I am already craving her voice.

"Hello." I answer as I sit down in my chair.

"Hey, I've been trying to reach you." she says out of breath.

"I'm sorry about that, work got pretty hectic."

"I thought so. Wait you're back in the office?" She asks

"Well yeah, someone has to run this shit." I say with a hint of amusement.

"You could have asked someone like you did before. I thought you would be flying to New York." She says sounding disappointed.

"About that.. I don't know when I'll come back to New York. Not exactly." I say

"And why's that?" She asks

"There is a lot to be done in the company and while I was away they had to put off a lot of events and meetings. Now they are being rescheduled and since I am the head of the company I have to be present in every single one." I explain.

"Can't Marcus do that?" She asks annoyed.

"Marcus is busy planning his trip to Italy. I have this handled."

"Why would Marcus be planning a trip to Italy? Wait.. you're not going?" She asks surprised.

"No I am not. Can we just talk about something else please. I want to hear about your day." I say trying to change the subject.

"You didn't answer my calls for three days and now you want to hear about my day?" she says clearly angry.

"Look Scarlett. It's been hell over here. I.. just couldn't do anything until I had it at least under control." I say.

"You said you would not let the loss change you Lena."

"And I am not doing any different than what I promised. Leave the subject alone." I say annoyed now.

"You're not listening to me. You've been stone cold to both me and Chris ever since the two of us flew back to New York." She says

"No I'm not. I don't know where you got that from."

"This is not me talking. Chris said this first and I think he's right."

"Oh what? Now you two are teaming up or whatever? I am grieving. Just give me time." I said

"I've given you two weeks. If you don't even try to make a change I'm flying over there this instant!" She shouts.

"You are not my freaking mother Scarlett. You don't get to tell me what I can or can't do!"

"I wish she was here! She would at least do something."

"Oh don't you bloody dare to even mention that discrace of a mother. She was a lot of things but a mother was never even on the fucking list. You.. you have no idea what it was like growing up with that kind of person. And for you to say that?!" I shout back

"Look I'm sorry I shouldn't have-"

"DON'T! And for your information. If she was here I wouldn't be in this fucking position in the first place. I would be wasting away my years in a freaking office because thats the thing I was made to do!" I shout again

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned your mother." She says after a few seconds of silence

"How was your day?" I ask softly now.

"It was.. it's good. I got some work done. Now I'm headed to The Outset HQ. Kate and I have a meeting thats in a few minutes." I can tell by her voice thats she's clearly upset from our argument.

"Look Scar, honey, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled. It won't do any good to either of us." I apologize with a pang in my stomach. It's guilt.

"It's fine. I.. just don't worry about it." She says.

"Hey, I need to go. I don't know when I'll hear from you but yeah. Bye." She says in a hurry and hangs up.

I throw my phone across the room and sit back down.

"Okay what was that?" Marcus asks opening the door.

"My phone." I say and open a second box to go through.

"You did not break another phone!"

"I think I just did." I say opening a file.

"You are not shutting me out, spill it." He says snatching the file from my hand.

I breathe out and just stare at him.

"I.. I think I'm slowly turning into my father." I say putting my head into my hands.

"What happened?" He asks

"I..I just raised my voice at Scarlett for a little thing. We were both arguing but I took it overboard and just.. I heard my dad again. Only this time I was the one who was spewing words like venom."

"Lena.. darling..you are far from who your father was. He was calculated and sometimes would be almost stone cold. You on the other hand. You have the biggest most precious heart anyone could ever have. I..I don't know how you don't realise it yourself." He says softly.

"I hurt her. She.. she's obviously upset." I say

"It wasn't intentionally, besides you admit you're wrong and you want to improve. Thats all that matters." He says

"What if I am doing this like it's second nature or something? What if I am the problem here?"

"Lena I assure you.. you are not the problem." He says getting up from the chair in front of my desk.

"What if I am and you're just telling me otherwise because I'm your boss?" I say

"Even if I did. I would do better than that at least." He says chuckling.

"Oh Marcus." I breathe out and stand up. He opens his arms for me and I gladly fall into them. He hold me close and it takes me a lot not to shed a tear for all of this.

"Now, let me help you do this." He says looking around the office.

"No, we'll never make it until tomorrow." I say

"Not unless we stay here. Remember I have a day off tomorrow?" He says smiling at me.

"I can't ask you to do this Marcus." I say

"I am offering."

"Thank you Marcus."

"No problem. I was in the battle field with you. This looks alike." He says gesturing to the mess.

"Oh piss of will you! I didn't have time to tidy up." I groan and he just laughs.

This will be a long long day...