“Thanks. So listen, I need to head out. I’ve got a flight to catch.” I check my watch. “I’m afraid to ask, but how much is all this going to cost? The appeal, the new trial prep—give me a ballpark so I can start figuring out payments.”
The silence stretches between us like a taut wire about to snap.
Bradley’s eyes dart to his associates, a silent message passing between them. The younger man shifts his gaze to the city skyline beyond the glass. The woman beside him begins clicking her pen rhythmically, studying its silver clip as if it is the most fascinating piece of equipment.
“All right. What?” I look between them. “What’s going on?”
“Taio…” Bradley folds his hands on the table. “There’s something we need to discuss. Has your dad contacted you about the appeal?”
“No,” I answer honestly. “I think I had a missed call from the correctional facility, but it’s not like I can call back whenever I please. Is something wrong with the appeal?”
“There isn’t going to be an appeal.”
The words don’t compute at first. “What do you mean? The Wright evidence?—”
“The Wright evidence is solid. Great catch on Rina’s part. Under normal circumstances, it would absolutely be grounds for appeal.” Bradley’s jaw tightens. “But your father has now made that impossible.”
“It’s barely been a week.” My stomach drops. “What did he do?”
Another exchange of glances. Bradley sighs heavily and slides a printed email across the table toward me.
“Your father sent this to our office three days ago. He very thoroughly outlined astrategyhe wanted us to pursue.”
I pick up the paper and start reading.
The first paragraph proposes bribing the judge who would likely be assigned to hear the appeal. The second suggests blackmail as a backup plan, complete with research my father apparently did on the judge’s extramarital affair. The third paragraph?—
I stop breathing.
The third paragraph names Charlie Riley as the financial backer for these schemes. He describes her as “my son’s wealthy girlfriend” and suggests her “entertainment industry connections” could help identify additional pressure points.
“This is insane.” My voice sounds far away. “Charlie has nothing to do with any of this. She doesn’t even know the details of my father’s case.”
“We know that.” Bradley’s tone is gentle, which somehow makes it worse. “But your father put an illegal plan down in writingto his counsel. Our firm’s protocol is to report it.”
“Report it to who?” I ask. “What about attorney-client privilege?”
“That privilege is revoked for soliciting us in his illegal, fraudulent activity. We report that to relevant authorities: the Bar association, potentially the court.” He pauses. “Taio, your father didn’t just kill his appeal. He committed additional crimes in the process. Conspiracy to bribe a federal official. Conspiracy to commit extortion. And he implicated an innocent third party.”
Third party? No. This is way more personal.He implicated Charlie.
“What happens to her?” I manage.
“Nothing, assuming she cooperates. The authorities will want a statement from her denying any involvement. On record. It should be straightforward—there’s no evidence connecting her to any of this beyond your father’s delusional email.”
“On record,” I repeat the words slowly. “Meaning public record.”
“Eventually, yes. These things have a way of getting out.”
The room tilts. I grip the edge of the conference table, knuckles going white.
Charlie’s reputation. The thing she’s been fighting to protect since the scandal broke. The thing that keeps her up at night, that drives every PR decision, every fake smile at Grayson’s side. My father just painted a target on it. For no reason. For nothing. Nobody cares what the truth is once her name is attached to bribery and blackmail of a federal judge. She’s going to be right back in the hot seat, insomnia, hair falling out, endless tears…because of me.
“What the actual fuck is wrong with him?”
“Taio, the thing about your father is that he thinks he’s untouchable.” Bradley’s voice cuts through the fog. “He’s spent his whole life believing he’s the smartest person in every room. Even when he’s catastrophically, demonstrably wrong. To this day he thinks he’s above the law.”
“No, to this day, he thinks he’s above being a good person.”
