“I think there is a mistake here. I could not work for him.” She finally found her voice again.
She forced her eyes to look at him directly as she remained rooted in her seat. Refusing to cower to him. She was not sure if it was all a setup, but she would get to the bottom of this. She was not going to be a pawn in a game he was playing.
“What’s wrong, Dani?” Evan looked puzzled at her response to the news that she would be handling some of Alex’s business.
Evan thought that she would be thrilled to land a big account. He also believed that she would do well with her Corporate Law background and experience with Alex’s cases.
Her adamant refusal to take him as a client was quite intriguing. He had not seen her act this way before with the other clients he assigned to her.
“Nothing.” She quickly answered, suddenly realizing that she was making an unnecessary scene. “I just thought that since we did not see eye to eye in our previous case, it would not be good if I would be handling his account.” She tried to reason out.
She just hoped that her boss bought her explanation. Because she would rather not work for the firm if she was going to be forced to work for him.
Looking at the other man on the table, she felt her blood starting to boil. She could see that he was amused at her discomfort. If she could only punch him in the face, she would, but that would not seem to be appropriate. She still needed to act professionally in front of her boss.
“On the contrary, I think you will do well as my lawyer.” Alex voiced out with certainty. “You already know most of the case that my recently acquired company is facing, so you would already have an idea how you could help me fix it.”
Evan was slightly amused at the same time puzzled at the way Alex and Dani were arguing, but before he could interrupt them, another buzzed broke the tension around the room. Evan had no choice but to excuse himself to take the call.
“That was David. There is an emergency with one of our clients that needed our attention. Do you mind if I leave the two of you?” Evan informed both of them when he returned to the table.
“Sure, let me take care of this,” Alex said, standing up from his seat to pat Evan at his back.
“Dani, I hope you’ll take care of Alex. He is a very important client.” Evan directed his statement to her. Before she could react, Evan smiled, said goodbye, and left. What else could she say to her boss but nod anyway?
She was left with this man that she was trying to avoid. The grin on his face was a clear indication that he was enjoying their current situation. She then concluded that he had planned all of this since the day that she had mentioned to him that she planned to look for a job.
She could feel her anger boiling just beneath the surface, but she had to control it. She wanted answers. It never occurred to her that he might have something to do with her being hired by this firm. Was this all a joke to him?
“What’s your game?” She hissed in a low voice when Evan was already out of earshot. “You knew all along that I’m going to be working with you and you failed to mention it to me. Did you have something to do with them hiring me?” She rattled on, unable to believe what she had gotten herself into.
He seemed quite entertained by her outburst that she wanted to wipe that smirk off from his face with her fist. However, they were still inside a reputable establishment and she was not about to shame herself just for his benefit.
“You are despicable.” Finally losing it, standing up to leave. He quickly grabbed her hand to stop her from moving any further.
“I’m sorry about not telling you, but I have my reason.” He said apologetically, pulling her gently back to her seat. “Please let’s talk.”
“What’s there to talk about?” Expressing her displeasure with him. She already made a decision. She was going to request that she should be taken out of his account. Or else, she would have no choice but to resign and look for another job.
He took a long breath and then looked at her with sincerity in his eyes. “Would you have accepted the job knowing that I had something to do with it?” When she remained silent. “I don’t think so.”
“You would have declined as soon as you learned about me.” He continued as he placed his hand on top of hers. He wanted her to understand that his intentions though deceitful were all in good faith.
When he heard that she planned to transfer and looked for a new firm, he automatically thought of his friend’s firm. Although he did arrange that she learned about the opening and for his friend to give her a spot for an interview, he did not influence his friend to hire her.
He was just a bridge, nothing more. He only learned that Evan hired her after Evan informed him that he planned to assign his business to her. He was more than happy to be working with her since he did believe that she had great potential.
“I can still resign.” She pulled her hand away as she started playing different possible scenarios on her mind. She had to find another job. There was no way that she could remain in this firm and work for him.
“That will be stupid and you know it. This position is a good opportunity for your career.” He reasoned as he observed her conflicting expression. He knew she was already calculating how to get out of this situation but he prepared for such eventuality.
“I can still get a decent job with another company if I wanted to.” She countered, believing that her credentials could easily land her a job even if it was not the same as this one. “It doesn’t matter if I have to start at a lower level as long as I’m not working with you.”
“Yes, it is possible. But do you think any of the other firms would give you the funding for your pro bono cases?” He sat back on his chair and crossed his arms across his chest. Reasoning to her was failing, so he resorted to another tactic.
“What are you talking about?” She looked at him as if he had grown two horns because she did not like the evil glint in his eyes. “Never mind, I am not interested in what you have to say, Mr. Princeton.”
She was not sure what he was implying but she could care less. She stood up from her seat, ready to leave.
“Who do you think would be funding your pro bono cases?” He questioned, daring her to leave. “Certainly, no decent company would waste their hard earn money on your cause.”
His statement made her stopped in her tracks. She turned back and sat back down. “What do you mean by that?”
He looked at her, knowing that he was giving her no choice but to remain with the firm. He knew that it was the only way that she could convince her to accept the position and hopefully it would also keep her from leaving.
“You are an intelligent woman. I think you already know.” He did not need to explain further for he could already see in her eyes that she was now having doubts about her earlier decision.
He did not want to do this, but he believed that she had great potential and would like to give her the chance to prove herself. He was intrigued by her, knowing who she was. He felt that just like him, she was still finding her true purpose and struggling to reach her goal.
“You are the one funding my cases?” She suddenly felt defeated upon hearing this information. She never thought that he would be her benefactor for her cause. She was now questioning his motive at the same time, thinking of her next move.
“Yes. So, I would think twice about resigning. You might not find another company that would be generous enough to help you.” He smiled, but this time, his face looked gentler. Gone was his smugness.
Then, something in her mind clicked. “Did you just hired me because of what happened between us? Do you think this is a joke and you can easily manipulate me? Do you think I’ll agree to what you want because of your generous donation?” As rage overwhelmed her.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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