9:38a.m.
I just strung 138 peonies to an arbour. My fingers hurt
Remember, no Fun Aelin
Aelin was about to put her phone back in her purse when one last message came through.
She’s just for me
Aelin’s mouth quirked. She grabbed her things, locked her car, and crossed the street. It turned out, sometimes one did simply walk into Mordor.
She entered the building and greeted the receptionist at the front desk. She wore glasses on a chain and looked like she could silence an entire class with a single glare. Thankfully, Aelin had never gotten on her bad side. She glanced at Aelin and nodded.
The hallway was freshly painted, and Aelin's pants reflected blue on the polished tile. Jules's office was at the end of the hall. The door was cracked open, and Aelin pushed it gently. A wall of legal tomes lined one side of the room, and a large mahogany desk sat beyond two armchairs, perfectly organized. The whole office smelled like money.
Jules stood as she entered, her burgundy suit crisp. "Hey, you’re early. I’m glad, because so are they.” She stepped around the desk and led her to the conference room.
Aelin’s lungs felt like perforated produce bags, but she followed Jules in. The room was more spacious than she expected. A table sat in the centre, surrounded by high-backed leather chairs. The walls were adorned with more framed certificates and a few abstract art pieces that made her feel uncultured.
Clark was already seated at the table, and Aelin's stomach dropped like a rock. He looked up from his phone and smirked. "Good morning, A."
Every word was a weapon.
Aelin clenched her jaw and forced a smile. "Clark." She took a seat across from him, her eyes flicking to the two lawyers flanking him. Both men looked like they’d stepped out of a knockoff GQ magazine. The suits were right, the faces? Not so much. She recognized them from Clark’s firm’s holiday party a few years ago.
Jules sat next to her, and the air in the room seemed to compress. Aelin's pulse pounded in her ears as she took in the details. Clark's perfectly styled hair, his designer suit that probably cost more than their monthly mortgage.But he was so destitute.
The man on Clark's left cleared his throat. "Thank you for being here this morning. I’d like to start by addressing a few concerns our client has." He didn’t wait for anyone to object before continuing. "It's come to our attention that there have been a few violations of the terms of your separation agreement."
Aelin began to sweat.
"I’m going to have to stop you right there, Thomas. We’re aware of the allegations, which I’m sure were reported by reliable sources." Jules paused, and the sarcasm in her voice was palpable. "But before we get into all of that, I have to ask?—"
"Jules, if we could just—" The other lawyer, a man in hisfifties with salt-and-pepper hair, tried to interject, but Jules held up a hand.
"Martin, I know you have an agenda, and I promise we’ll get to it, but I'm just curious. How did your client come by these personal text messages?”
Aelin tensed.
"It was brought to our attention by an anonymous source," Thomas said finally.
Jules nodded. "Right. An anonymous source. And this source, would they have access to our client’s personal devices? Perhaps her phone?"
Martin frowned. "How would we know that?"
Jules leaned forward, her eyes locking onto Martin’s. "Tampering with someone’s personal property is not only unethical, it’s illegal. And if that’s the source of your information, I’d say we’re starting this mediation off on the wrong foot, don’t you think?"
Clark didn’t look uncomfortable, not in the least. His eyes seemed to shine brighter with every jab exchanged between the lawyers.
Aelin dropped her eyes as the room seemed to close in on her. She focused on the grain of the wood table in front of her, tracing the patterns with her eyes. No Fun Aelin.
Something inside her warmed, and she glanced up.
“. . . it demonstrates a lack of financial stability and a failure to provide a safe environment for Bailey. Our client has concerns about your ability to meet your obligations under the terms of the separation agreement.” Martin was talking, but she was focused only on Clark.
“Our client has been more than patient, but he's reached a point where he feels it's necessary to take further action. He's prepared to request a reevaluation of the custody agreement, including a proposal for Bailey to switch to a different school where she might be safer."
Yes.The perfect hit. Threaten her with taking Bailey. Tell hershe wasn’t enough over and over again until she started to believe it, and then . . . Aelin’s thoughts snapped into such clarity, she nearly gasped.
