Bound To Fall

The Pressure

Sterling

Did I send Isabelle to Kaydence on purpose? Absolutely. I could hear in her voice that something was off. It's something I hear every time I've asked her anything about the bakery since I gave it to her over a week ago.

I expected her to be thrilled and ecstatic to finally be able to live her dream. But at the back of my mind, I still had a feeling that things would go this way. The best thing I can do to fix it is to have her talk with Kaydence.

She's been through this before when my father gave her Amethyst. She will be able to understand a hell of a lot better about the things going through Isabelle's mind. Hopefully she'll even be able to put the concerns to rest so that Isabelle can actually enjoy the opportunity that's in front of her.

Letting out a low sigh, I parked my car and turned it off. I got out of the Lamborghini and headed into the building for my meeting with Dr. Dixon. These meetings have become a routine for me, I feel that they have helped and that I'm taking my actions into consideration a little more than I used to.

I opened the door to his office and walked inside. I checked in with the receptionist and took a seat to wait. A few moments later, the opens and Dr. Dixon calls me into his office. We do our usual shaking of each other's hands and then take our seats, then we get right into the appointment.

"So Sterling, how are things going?" He asked to get the conversation going between us.

"Pretty good, I guess." I shrugged as I spoke.

Dr. Dixon raised a brow at my response. "You guess? Why guess?"

Drawing in a low breath, I released it as I prepared myself to answer. Not that confiding in him will do much good. The things on my mind are only things he can listen to, not anything he can really help me with.

"For starters, I surprised my girlfriend with her dream and I can't shake the feeling that it may have been a mistake." It's better to be straightforward and tell him what's going on in mine. "I just worry that maybe I didn't give it enough time. Maybe I should have waited and let a little more time pass between everything that's gone on and giving her the bakery."

Dr. Dixon's eyes continued to watch me. "And how long exactly would have been a little more time?"

"I don't know." My eyes fell to the ground. "Until it felt right and I had no doubt within me that she wouldn't be second guessing my gesture."

"That time may have never come." He was bluntly honest with me, something I know I need. "You could have been waiting forever to give it to her."

"You're right. There's always something going on, I'm sure there would have been another reason to come up for me to put it off." I responded as I looked back up at him. "Do you have any suggestions for me on this one?"

"Give her some time." He advised. "This is a big adjustment for her, especially since you've told me that she hasn't really been in the business world. Just give her some time and make sure she knows that she can come to you with any concerns. Eventually she'll tell you her worries or she'll adjust."

"Okay." I nodded.

He wrote down another note and shifted in his seat. "Is there anything else that's on your mind?"

"My father is working on promoting me." I replied, giving him insight to what else is on my mind. "We talked about it recently and he's planning to get it all set in motion within the next couple of months."

Dr. Dixon gave a small nod before his eyes focused on me. "And how exactly are you feeling about that?"

"Stressed." I confessed to him. "I appreciate the fact he's willing to put so much trust into me, but I definitely feel the pressure."

"How exactly does the promotion compare to the current position you're in?" He questioned.

"Well right now I'm the Vice President to my father. He's wanting to promote me to President but he'll remain in his CEO spot." I continued to explain how things work within our company. "So basically, he'll still be the highest ranking person within Tipton Enterprises but it allows him a little more time to step back and enjoy his life a little bit. He'll give me examples of his vision for the company and his long term goals. It's my job to make it all happen while making sure everything within the company is working smoothly, which is what I was doing while he was on leave to help with my baby brother."

"Is this normally how things work within a company?"

"I think it depends on the company." I answered him. "My grandfather is set on the leadership of the company remaining within the family. At this point from what I understand, it's up to the first born of the one who holds the CEO spot to take over once it's time for the one in power to retire."

"I apologize if this is prying too much but I feel that it needs to be addressed because of one of your first concerns from when we started these appointments." Dr. Dixon set his clipboard down and folded his hands together on his lap. "You stated that you've basically been doing this job for your father while he was gone, that doesn't seem to be an issue. Is the pressure you're feeling towards the fact that you know eventually, you'll need to have a child ready to be your successor one day?"

My stomach instantly twisted at his words and my eyes fell back to the ground. I know his observation has to be one of the reasons this promotion has been heavy on my mind. There's nothing else that I could think of that would cause me any reservations.

"I guess it's possible."

It's not something that crossed my mind right away, but now that it's been mentioned I feel like it's been a thought. It's just one I pushed away as far as possible because at the end of the day, I still have mixed emotions on the subject.

"Sterling." Dr. Dixon called out my name.

My eyes looked up, locking with his. I attempted to find some words to say, but nothing was coming out. My mind felt blank and I could feel myself beginning to shut down because I don't want to talk about this.

He called out my name again. "Sterling."

"W-what?" I stammered out.

Dr. Dixon's eyes carefully watched me as he sat back in his chair. "I think that it's time we finally discuss your fear."