“When have I ever ‘gone easy on you?’” Enzo crooned back, waggling his brows in a way that had Seven rolling his eyes.
Lourdes cleared her throat. “As always, I’d like to remind everyone in this room that while this is a team building event, it’s also an evaluation for both the intern and the attorney. Mr. Conti…Mr. Symanski. Dazzle me.”
They exchanged looks once more, Seven grinning.
Lourdes sat back in her chair, regal as any queen. “This trial is now in session. The honorable—and impeccably dressed me—will be presiding. We’ll start with opening statements. Mr. Conti, the floor is yours.”
Enzo nodded, leaning against the front of his table, crossing his legs at the ankle. “Your Honor, this matter constitutes a clear and enforceable breach of contract. Mr. Rumpelstiltskin rendered an extraordinary magical service—namely, the transformation of straw into gold—at the express request of the Queen. In consideration of the immense value conferred upon her, she agreed to surrender her firstborn child at a future date. The Queen accepted the benefit of my client’s performance, then repudiated the agreement. Oral or not, it was supportedby valid consideration, and such a willful breach must carry consequences.”
When he finished, he winked at Seven, who flushed, the tips of his ears turning fire-engine red.
Cute.
Excited cooing rose from their fellow employees in the gallery.
Seven huffed out a breath through his nose, then said, “Objection, your honor. Opposing counsel is clearly attempting to weaponize flirtation as a trial tactic.”
He gave Enzo a slippery smile. One he returned without hesitation.
“Your honor, there’s nothing in the rules that says I can’t participate in a bit of extrajudicial seduction, is there?” Enzo countered breezily.
Wolf whistles came from the gallery.
Lourdes rolled her eyes. “Well, there is now.” She gave their fellow employees a pointed look. “If the jury—and counselor—could please keep it in their proverbial pants. We are on a time crunch,” she intoned, waving her gavel around in a vague gesture.
Seven glared at Enzo. When Lourdes looked down at something on the ground, Seven stuck out his tongue. The gallery laughed, and Lourdes snapped her head up, narrowing her eyes at the two.
Seven gave her his most charming smile. The lucky bitch. “There was no valid oral contract, Your Honor. What occurred was not a negotiation between equals, but a coercive exchange executed under extreme duress.” Seven turned to level a withering look at the empty seat beside him at the table. “Mr. Rumpelstiltskin exploited a woman facing imminent loss of her freedom, demanding her child in return for aid. That isn’tconsent—it’s coercion. Under modern legal standards, such an exchange could even constitute child trafficking.”
Enzo leaned back in his seat, smirking. “Objection your honor. Emotional hyperbole,” he said.
Lourdes gave a dry chuckle. “Sustained. Tone it down, Mr. Symanski. LessLaw & Order: SVU, moreOnce Upon a Time.”
Seven laughed. “Duly noted, Your Honor.”
Fuck, Seven was something. Most interns would have sweat through their dress shirts by now. It was hard to remember a single mock trial where the newbie wasn’t concentrating like it was the LSATs or the bar exam. Yet, Seven looked like he was having the time of his life, and they’d only just started. Maybe being an actual killer calmed the nerves. But if that were true, then he wouldn’t have been so nervous with Enzo that night together. Fuck, he’d been so cute. So sweet, so nervous.
Fuck, how did people deal with all these feelings clawing at them?
“Yeah, brat. Save your theatrics for the bedr—I mean the real courtroom,” he taunted, making sure it was loud enough for everyone to hear.
Seven heaved another long-suffering sigh, his tone dripping with exasperation. “Objection, Your Honor. Opposing counsel is being…well, himself.”
The gallery laughed, and Lourdes shook her head, like she’d known this was how the morning would go once their names had been called. “Sustained. This isn’t a Hallmark movie, Mr. Conti.”
A wave of boos and grumbles came from the audience, earning a glare from the judge. “I will clear this courtroom,” she warned.
Seven didn’t return to his seat, just sat on the table itself, swinging his feet.
Enzo stood, pacing the floor in front of Seven, hands moving as he spoke. He could feel the heat of his gaze on him.
“There was clear consideration and mutual assent,” he reminded. “The agreement was executed. Mr. Rumpelstiltskin performed his obligation. The Queen accepted the benefit. Her later attempt to void the contract—by using covert surveillance to obtain my client’s name—wasn’t a valid contractual out. It was calculated circumvention. That is not performance; that is breach by surveillance.” Enzo turned his lazy smile on Seven. “Opposing counsel may attempt to reframe the facts, but the reality is simple: the Queen unilaterally violated a binding agreement.”
Seven gave a snort of derision, giving Enzo a dismissive eye-roll. “You’re referring to the condition precedent—the clause allowing the Queen to retain custody of the child if she could correctly identify your client by name.” He turned to Lourdes. “That’s not a breach, Your Honor. That’s performance under the terms of the agreement. Mr. Rumpelstiltskin outlined the rules. The Queen fulfilled the condition. His underestimation of her resourcefulness doesn’t void the contract—it completes it.” He shrugged. “And if the so-called ‘fine print’ happened to be delivered via forest ballad by a peculiar little man in unfortunate footwear…well, that doesn’t make it any less enforceable.”
Enzo snorted, shaking his head. “Your Honor, the evidence suggests the Queen never intended to fulfill her contractual obligation at the time the agreement was formed. Her conduct indicates that she entered into the bargain in bad faith, securing the benefit of my client’s performance while actively seeking to evade her own. Such a deliberate misrepresentation of intent at the moment of contract formation constitutes fraudulent inducement. At a minimum, this bad faith entitles my client to restitution for the value of the services rendered.”
“That’s a mighty bold claim,” Seven fired back before returning his attention to Lourdes. “Your Honor, Mr. Rumpelstiltskin deliberately constructed a condition designedto ensure failure. Absent covert surveillance and ethically dubious reconnaissance, the Queen had no realistic means of fulfilling the clause. This wasn’t a fair contractual safeguard—it was the equivalent of burying a kill switch in a digital end-user license agreement. Obscure, inaccessible, and intentionally deceptive. That’s not enforceable. It’s predatory.”
