AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I want to see my daughter.”
That would be Maeve. As of a month or so ago, though, Maeve is living with Gabriel while she finishes high school, instead of with our prick of a grandfather and this festering hemorrhoid of a trophy wife.
“Take it up with Gabriel.”
“As if you had nothing to do with that?”
I laugh. “Oh, no, I had a lot to do with removing Maeve from your household.” My smile drops as I stride across the room to her. Caroline gulps, scrabbling out of my chair and backing up against the wall as I press my knuckles on the edge of my desk and lean over it toward her. “I know you allowed my grandfather to smack her around,” I snarl. “And don’t for one single second think that Maeve hasn’t also mentioned your own physical and mental abuse toward her.”
Caroline pales. “A pack of lies, from a spoiled little brat?—”
“I’d advise you to shut the fuck up, immediately.”
She glares at me. But to her credit she does shut her fucking mouth.
“Now, if there’s nothing else, Caroline, I think it’s almost time to change Charles’ bed pan. He’ll probably want you to blow him, too.”
“You’re disgusting,” she mutters. “Anyway, discussing your kidnapping of my daughter isn’t all I’m here about. Where are we with the Chinellato case?”
I roll my eyes. “Really?”
“I can ask.”
“Sure, but I’m not going to answer.”
“I would consider it a personal favor.”
I snort. “In that case, I’m definitely not answering.”
We have rules in place preventing members of the board from sticking their noses into cases. Firstly, the board members are not our clients’ attorneys. Some of them, like Charles, aren’t even attorneys at all. Discussing cases with them or allowing them privileged information could open us up to a host of lawsuits and mistrials. And secondly, them sticking their noses into things prevents us—Gabriel, Taylor, and I— from running a tight, and that means profitable, ship. And the board, much to Charles’ chagrin, wants a tight, profitable ship. They voted these bylaws in themselves just a little while ago.
So Charles has sent Caroline here to pester me about the Chinellato case, because he can’t. Meddling asshole.
“Get the fuck out of my office, Caroline.”
She huffs, straightening her shoulders. “I have something else from your grandfather.”
“Shingles? Ooh, wait, I know. Antibiotic-resistant syphilis.”
“You’re disgusting, Alistair.”
I sigh. “Well? What? I’m on tenterhooks.”
Her mouth purses. “He wanted me to remind you not to let this Chinellato case go. If it goes bad, well…the threat remains.”
Yeah, I’ve heard this one before.
“You mean his bullshit about kicking Gabriel and I out of our own firm if we lose the case? Yeah, good luck with that,” I sigh. “Charles has clout, but he doesn’t have the majority vote?—”
“He does now.”
I’d laugh in her face, except there’s something gleefully vicious in her eyes.
Shit.
“Haven’t you heard, Alistair? There’s a new board member.”
I stare at her, my jaw tightening. “No, there isn’t.”
