“We have one last session before we have to deliver closing arguments,” Seth said. “If we don’t remedy this now, we might lose this case.”
“You think I don’t know?” I snarled at him.
“I will go through the files again and see what can be done,” Seth said, once again unfazed by my attitude.
“Get everyone in our team to go through all the files again,” I said irritably. “Ask them all to stay late. The next session is in a few days. I don’t want anyone going home until this is done. Get all the interns to scour all old, similar cases. Anything that can help.”
To an inexperienced person, my words might have seemed harsh, but everyone who worked in a law firm knew that all the partners were used to staying late and putting in hours of work. The interns often slept there as well; the workload was high. Being a lawyer was an exhausting career that required dedication and stamina. It’s why only the best survived in this field.
“Yes, Gale,” Seth said.
“You didn’t answer me!” Mrs. Durrick shrieked at me.“This is unacceptable.”
“Then perhaps you should have thought of this before killing your husband!” I said quietly, just loud enough for her to hear.
“I am willing to say that I was abused, and it was in self-defense,” she said.
“It’s too late to pull that off. It would have worked if we had played that from the beginning. In fact, I could have planned something like this if you had told me the truth right from the start. I could have even handled the witness if you had told me that you had been seen!” I hissed.
She looked at me, at a complete loss for words.
“I will not tolerate being spoken to like this! I will not let you—” she said.
“What will you do? Fire me? Do you think there is any lawyer out there who will want to touch a case like this?” I said. “I will handle it. Somehow or another.”
With that, I marched off, leaving her behind me, gawking.
∞∞∞
I had decided to go through all the files myself. I was going to personally work on this case now. I couldn’t afford to lose it, not when our reputation was on the line.
“Get me case file #4567-82,” I barked into the intercom.
Even though most of my system was now digitized, I still preferred reading proper files when I was caught in a complicated situation like this.
The door opened, and in she came, holding the file and almost stumbling over my desk again.
I hadn’t talked to her all day, except to bark orders at her when I needed to. Despite her clumsiness, I had to admit Payne had hired well. She had learned the filing system within a day and had taken up all her responsibilities efficiently. She made my work much easier, and I grudgingly accepted that she was, indeed, rather useful.
I looked at her as she stood there, fidgeting with her fingers. She seemed extremely pale today, her eyes wide and filled with worry. I was tempted to ask her what was wrong, but then I remembered that I wanted her as far away from me as I could. And yet, the gnawing feeling in my chest was bothering me. A part of my mind kept whispering for me to ask, and as much as I suppressed it, it piped up again.
She turned around and walked out, even as I continued to struggle with my emotions. I felt furious and angry at myself and her.
Why did she make me feel this way?Why was it that everything about her confused me?
I returned my attention back to the file, but it was useless. I had slept only four hours the previous night, and my exhaustion was finally catching up. It was already one in the morning, and most of my staff was still working. I knew I had to power on. A good leader never left before their team did. No, if I was making them labor, then I would continue to labor myself.
Regardless of this, my body grew tired, and I decided to go for a walk. Perhaps some night air would freshen me up. And coffee. I would ask the girl to get me some. I walked out of my office and made my way towards her desk. As I approached her, I noticed that she was staring at her phone in a paralyzed manner, listening to some voice mail. The firm was quiet at this time of the night, and I could hear every word clearly.
“How long do you think you can run from me?”a man’s voice hissed over the phone.“I will find you, Hillary. I am coming for you.”
She looked up at me suddenly, her face terrified and her eyes helpless. I gazed at her and then marched over to her desk.
“I need a coffee at my table in twenty minutes,” I said, pretending I didn’t hear what I’d just heard.
“Yes, right away, Mr. Fears,” she said, her voice barely carrying any of her usual spark.
Although I’d become curious and worried about what I’d just heard, I forced myself to turn and walk away. I didn’t know how I managed to resist the urge to ask her what was going on. My heart was filled with a desire to protect her. To ensure that those eyes never looked so desperate again. And then, I felt the wave of anger surge through me. I hated her for making me feel this way. I hated her for what she was doing to me. I hated that I often found myself thinking about her.
