THE MOMENT
"Hi, I'm Edward, my wife Roberta, and our daughter Mindy," he beamed a broad smile as he shook the very important woman's hand. "Thank you for seeing us!" he added as the trio sat down in front of Ruby's desk. "I hope it's good news that the CEO of Chroma Corp. took an interest in us," he said. His family had been at their wit's end trying to find anyone that would take their case. Even in a world with magical contracts normalized, it felt like there was no lawyer brave enough to face a demon in court. They were close to giving up when a random email invited them to an appointment at Chroma Corp. headquarters.
"There is some good news as well," Ruby nodded. She added a pleasant smile. "Our company is always interested in helping fight against injustices and help out those that we can. Your situation was forwarded to me, and I have decided to resolve the situation."
"Good news as well?" Edward asked. "Does that mean there's bad news?"
"What do you mean you're going to resolve it?" Roberta asked. She grabbed her daughter's hand and leaned forward as if to put herself in front of the teen.
"Not 'bad news' per se, but news worth hearing," Ruby nodded at Edward first, then she turned Roberta. "I mean by the time you leave this office you will have no reason to go to court," she said.
"What's the news?" Roberta asked. She was hopeful, but didn't trust Ruby right away.
"You've been seeking legal council, hoping to claim that the contract is no longer applicable...," Ruby said; but, she shook her head. "That's not going to get you anywhere, and I'm genuinely disappointed that none of the other lawyers bothered to explain it to you. The contract was completed with the birth of a 'son' as was defined by doctors at the time."
"But that's not who she is now!" Edward replied and didn't do anything to control his volume.
"Of course it's not who she is," Ruby nodded. "But, she's also... 18, I think it was," Mindy gave a subtle nod but hadn't said anything else. "The contract you signed was transactional. You promised your first born son, and unfortunately that soul belonged to the demon the moment a 'son' was born. There is no question of whether the contract 'is still applicable'; that's irrelevant because it was fulfilled."
"So, you called us here to tell us .. what you're not going to help us? You're working with the demon and you want us to stop trying, is that it?" Edward was trying, poorly, to keep his anger in check. It wasn't just the lack of assistance, but the entire production of inviting them to her office.
"What's the good news, then?" Roberta asked.
"As I said, you will have no reason to go to court. Naturally, I only invited you here after checking into things. The particular demon you worked with is very much a nobody," Mindy looked up at that and Ruby smirked.
"Essentially, a street-level thug trying to play in the big leagues of the soul trade. The contract was riddled with loopholes, and it's actually amusing how airtight your particular situation is. Standard procedure would've been to use the word 'child' instead of 'son', for example."
"Yeah, it's real funny. So, what're you saying exactly?" Edward asked. He'd calmed down, but not by much. He still didn't know where his family stood, nor why they didn't have to go to court.
"A street-level thug is no match for the full weight of Chroma Corp.," Ruby nodded, and pulled out a shiny chrome folder from her drawer. She opened it and slid it forward toward the family. "We've arranged to have ownership of the soul in question transferred to us, and we'll be happy to transfer it back to Mindy. No fees, of course," she slid it all the way to their side of the desk and pulled her hand away.
"That's it?" Edward asked. All three of them visibly relaxed. "We can just... take it and leave and we'll never hear from the demon again?"
"We have strongly suggested that he refrain from bothering you with any new contract offers, or anything at all," Ruby nodded. "You'll find my direct contact information there, please do call me if he fails to uphold his promise, or if you need anything at all from Chroma Corp. However..., there is one more thing I'd like to discuss before you leave...," Ruby said.
"What else is there?" Mindy asked; her question took both parents by surprise.
"It's a bit delicate...," Ruby nodded while gazing directly into Mindy's eyes. "It's none of my business, and I don't want to pry. Without any further comment on the subject, I'd like to inform you that Chroma Corp. does offer a variety of transitional support services, if that's something you decide you'd like to do, and haven't already. And, since I'd feel like I was wasting your time if I brought you here just to give you your soul back, Chroma Corp. is at your service."
