Chapter One
The judge pushed her small, wire-rimmed glasses up her nose. She sat at the head of a conference room table for the informal, preliminary meeting, but she still made an imposing figure as she addressed my lawyer. “It appears, Mr. Saniger, your client’s father left her before preparing her to run Asche Publishing.” She peered down her nose at me, over the top of her frames.
“She deserves a chance to try, Your Honor.” Charles, my lawyer, turned and nodded, encouraging me to make my statement.
My stomach roiled at Charles’s urging, but I stood up, spine straight and head held high. I kept my voice even as I responded. She needed to believe me an adult, not a petulant child. My stepmother painted her statements, given moments before, in such a way I almost questioned my own ability. I took a deep breath to steady myself and gave my prepared speech.
“This company has been in my family for three generations. My parents raised me to take over.” A single tear rolled down my cheek as I gripped the side of the table.
“Unfortunately, my father died before I could complete my degree. I have two years left. I’m asking to be afforded time to finish school as I run my company.” My voice strengthened as I continued. “My stepmother doesn’t have the best interests of the company or the Asche legacy in mind. I’m content to work with the board to appoint an interim CEO, but I should be a deciding vote. The interim CEO isn’t a man my father or I would’ve chosen.” My voice broke. “I have dreams for this company, and there is plenty of support already there to help me achieve those dreams.” I let out the last of the air in my lungs, thankful to be finished.
“Mrs. Asche, do you have anything to add?” The judge eyed my stepmother, sitting adjacent to me, with disapproval. I hoped it was disapproval.
“As a matter of fact, I do. Iaman Asche now. I’m a part of the legacy. I worked alongside William for seven years before he died. I want the company to gr—”
“You didn’t! He created a fake job for you so you’d get out of his hair,” I cried out. Her superior tone and blatant lies got to me. Six months had passed since my father died, six months since I’d seen her, but the sight of my stepmother’s face and the sound of her voice made the pain fresh. Charles grabbed my arm and shushed me as the judge directed her gaze to me, unquestionably with disapproval. She didn’t say a word. I shrank under her glare.
The judge remained silent for a few moments as she rifled through some papers. “Mr. Saniger, I need to review all of the documents the plaintiff provided. There are several testimonies from your board about why she’s more fit to run the company. And you need time to speak to your client’s professors and further prepare your arguments.” She paused and pursed her lips. “I’m going to adjourn this meeting until after the first of the year. I want to see both parties present their statements then.” She stopped and addressed the lawyers on both sides. “Please prepare your briefs and send them to my clerk. Keep in mind, we’ll be closed all of next week for Thanksgiving.”
My chest expanded as I drew in one more deep breath and released it slowly. I could handle it. I had until the new year to get my act—and my case—together. As I gathered my purse and other belongings, the judge’s reedy voice rang in my ears. “Miss Asche, if I could have a word with you.”
I glanced around the conference room in surprise. Charles and I were the only ones left. My stepmother and her team had hightailed it out of there. A moment of fear caused my voice to warble. “Yes, Your Honor?”
She paused a moment and cocked her head at me. “I wanted to talk to both you and your lawyer for a moment.” Her kindly smile relieved a bit of the churning in my gut. A little, not all. “In the interest of this case and to make sure the trial runs as fairly as possible, I wondered if you’d given any consideration to your counsel situation.”
Her question threw me. “My counsel situation?” I asked, giving Charles a side-long glance.
“Yes.” She smiled at Charles fondly. “Charles and I go way back. We’ve been friends for many years, and until now, we’ve been fortunate enough to make arrangements to avoid overlapping cases. But with his unexpected return to the courtroom, this one slipped through.”
Charles smiled. “It was a surprise to see you on the other side today, Jean. A nice surprise.” I grinned at Charles. Was he flirting?
The judge, Jean, eyeballed me. “Yes, ah, that’s the reason for my conversation. I’m going to have to recuse myself if this matter goes to trial. I can stand in for the preliminary hearings and basic decisions. But when it comes to a court case, I’m too closely associated with your lawyer.”
My jaw dropped as I floundered over how to respond. Charles, bless his heart, took over. He succeeded in further astonishing me with his words.
“Itwasa surprise to see you, but as soon as I did, I knew this would occur. I’ve already made a mental list of trusted firms who might be willing to take on her case. I’ll get on that tonight.” I sighed in relief. Charles would take care of me, even if he couldn’t be my lawyer.
Jean gave Charles a bright smile. “You always were quick to adjust, Charles. Very well then.” She turned to me, her face impassive once again. “I’ll expect clear and convincing evidence from both sides. Prepare your representation.” With a friendly nod and goodbye to Charles, she left the conference room.
“Charles,” I asked my friend and mentor, “why would you not let her recuse? Why pull yourself out instead?” I didn’t want to lose my case over something silly.
“You beautiful child. I’ve been retired too long to take on such an important case. But I’ve kept up with who’s who in the city. We’ll get you the best.” He reached over and squeezed my shoulder with a gnarled hand.
Before we headed to the parking garage, I took a moment and hugged him close, grateful for his humility. As we walked down the hall toward our vehicle, someone behind me let out an irritated huff.
It was a sound I had been intimately familiar with during my childhood. Most often brought out anytime I entered a room without my father present; it would then be followed by a litany of my transgressions, usually pertaining to my appearance.
I pivoted to find my stepmother and her abhorrent son and daughter staring a hole through me.You’re an adult. You don’t have to subject yourself to her vitriol!I gently tugged on Charles’s arm. “Let’s go. We’ve much to discuss.”
“Of course, Ellie. You can drop me off at home, and I’ll give you those names,” Charles replied sweetly, acknowledging my hope of taking the high road. We turned toward my car with every intention of ignoring my stepmother, but she wouldn’t let us go.
“You’ll never get this company from me, little girl.” Her nasal voice grated on my nerves, and I flinched as bile rose in my throat. I’d hoped to never cross her path again.
“Not one word to her, Ellie.” Charles put his arm around me and pushed past the biggest mistake my father ever made. “Raquel, I urge you to stop speaking to my client. Anything you have to say can go through your lawyer,” Charles spoke over his shoulder.
“You old fool. You’ll never win!” Raquel’s voice sent me straight to my thirteen-year-old self’s emotions—anger, betrayal, and eventually, defeat. Raquel made my life miserable for five years. Her interruption reminded me of the day my father delivered the worst news since my mother died.
“Ellie!” My father called up the stairs. “Can you come down here a minute?” I tossed my blanket aside and uncurled from my spot in my window seat, setting my mom’s copy of Little Women down before trotting downstairs.
