Chapter 3
Losing My Mind
Gale Fears
“So, Mr. Fears, is it true that you have taken over the Avery case?” the reporter shouted.
I stood there, blinded by the flashes of the cameras, looking out at the sea of reporters. Doing this press conference to confirm that the firm had been retained by the Avery family had been Father’s idea. He hoped that the publicity would help counter the negative impression the recent scandals had spread.
“Yes, I have officially taken the Avery case, and now I will be working to prosecute the Maverick family for the abuse and murder of their daughter. We have filed the case in court, and a summons will be sent to them within a few days.” I said.
“Mr. Fears,” a voice shouted out. “What do you have on the Maverick family?”
“The Maverick family has been using their wealth and influence to keep the crimes of their son hidden and buried. Numerous girls have accused him of harassment and assault over the years, but each time, the situation was hushed up. Well, no more. We are not going to sit around and watch a monster like him prowl the streets as if he owns them. It’s about time the Avery family, and every victim’s family, get the justice they deserve,” I said.
“Mr. Fears, what are your comments on the fact that one of your senior partners at the firm has been accused of corruption?” a voice asked.
“It is a very unfortunate turn of events. Not because of the way his career was ruined, but because of the people who suffered due to it. This incident sets in doubt all the cases that he ever worked on. A reassessment has been undertaken to ensure there were no more errors of justice. The firm is looking into it and holding a personal interrogation. A separate group from the FBI is also looking into the claims. I promise you, if he is found guilty, then I will personally remove his name from the list of partners and end his career and reign of crime.”
“Mr. Fears,” a voice shouted. “Why are you supporting the Avery case? What inspired you to look into this?”
“The person who convinced me was one of the most wonderful women I have ever met. She had gone through something similar in the past, and when she told me about what she went through, I felt her pain. I felt the turmoil and terror she had been living with. And then I realized that someone has to stand up for the ones who are alone. There are people out there who have no one to fight for them. People who are suffering in silence. Everybody told me this case has no chance of winning, but in truth, we win as long as we try. Someone has to set the precedent, and others will soon follow. Hopefully, a time will come when culprits like Maverick are punished for their crimes despite the power they have. Until then, I will continue to support the voice of the silent. And I would like to thank that amazing person in my life who made me realize all that. I will always be thankful to her for it.”
As I said this, my eyes met Hillary’s, and she stared back at me for the first time in days. Tears were trickling down her cheeks as she looked at me, and I smiled at her. I knew I should stay away from her…as far away as possible. I knew that if Stella saw me as much as looking at her, she would kill me. And right now, I had to do what Stella said. It wasn’t just the matter of Father’s career; it was also the matter of the lives of many others.
Hillary smiled back at me, and my heart started to race. I resisted the urge to walk to her and pull her into my arms. I resisted the urge to kiss her and hold her close to myself. She was absolutely beautiful, standing there looking tall and proud. Dressed in a simple skirt and blouse, she seemed more elegant than all the other well-dressed girls. As the press conference ended, she walked towards me, her board in her hand.
“Sir, I took notes of the conference just like you asked,” she said, her melodious voice ringing in my ears.
“I see,” I said, swallowing. My eyes were drawn to her lips as I remembered how they felt pressed against mine. “Thank you, Hillary.”
“Of course, sir,” she said in a cold voice, and I swallowed again. She walked away from me, and I resisted the urge to stop her. After all, what good would that do? My fate was sealed.
∞∞∞
“Right, so I have a list of every girl who has filed a report against Maverick,” Hillary was saying. “The bad news is that the list isn’t very long. A lot of the cases were handled before they could even be filed. By that, I mean that the girls and their families were threatened or bribed into keeping their silence. Some of them pushed past the threats and still filed a report, only for the charges to be dropped. No need to guess as to why. He probably threatened the lives of their loved ones. Either way, there isn’t much to go on.”
“You know what we can do?” Seth said. “We could do a collective case. We can talk to these girls and agree to file the case on their behalf and fight it. Multiple plaintiffs will strengthen the case. Instead of just Avery fighting, it could be every girl he has abused. Or every girl who is willing to testify they were abused. It should help in convincing them to testify.”
“It won’t be easy,” Hillary said. “They are all terrified of him. I won’t be surprised if he actually sent his goons to threaten and maybe even rough up the family members to get the girls to drop charges. We need to be mentally prepared that this might not work. We should have another plan ready.”
“Of course,” Seth scoffed. “We are all highly accomplished lawyers. We don’t need a secretary to tell us that.”
“Do you need a secretary to tell you that there’s mustard on your tie?” she asked sweetly, forcing a fake smile to her face. “Or does the accomplished lawyer know that as well?”
He looked down and cursed before quickly wiping the stain off his tie. I got a sudden urge to laugh and managed to disguise it as a cough. Wouldn’t want to ruffle the feathers of one of my best employees, even if he was a bit of an ass.
“Would you like me to do anything else, Mr. Gale?” she asked.
“Nothing, for now, Hillary,” I said. “Later, I would like to discuss the list in detail with you.”
She nodded and got up, shooting Seth a look filled with disdain, and walked away. I wiped the smile off my face and returned to the meeting at hand. The fire inside her always impressed me, as much as I tried to fight it. My heart ached for her, but I buried it deep in my chest. I knew I was falling for her, and I was scared. Scared of what Stella could do and of what awaited us both.
∞∞∞
“I have a list of people who might be willing to testify Maverick’s crime,” she said.
We sat alone in my office late at night, going through the work for the Avery case. She was sitting next to me, poring over the files I had asked her to check.
