AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Seven
‡
Sitting in the middle of her living room, Lilly rubbed her temples. How she would love to rest her head on the pillow, but something about some paperwork had her going over it again. She seemed to be the property fraud girl somehow. All of her cases seemed very similar. Her current client had her looking into a property of his that had been sold without his knowledge. She had very little to go on with this case, as there were very little clues. But she was starting to think this particular case could be linked to a new case her firm was starting to look into.
Rubbing her eyes, she put down the papers she had stared over and over at. Nothing was jumping out. Deciding that sleep would do her some good she decided to go to bed. The rain hitting her window had a calming effect on her and she fell fast asleep within seconds.
*
Lilly stepped outof her cab and ran into the corner store quickly to escape the wind and dampness that lingered from last night’s rainstorm. The air conditioning in the store hadn’t been turned down, causing a deep shiver to run through her. She purposely chose this store because it was far from all the places she normally went and it was certain she would see no one she knew. In fact, it was even further out of Lilly’s way than she expected. She was hoping she would still get to work on time for her big breakfast meeting at the office. Lilly was continually looking around to ensure she wouldn’t see anyone she knew, looking down each aisle she passed. There must have been about five people in the store, all unknown. Before she knew it, she was standing in front of the shelf where the tampons were and sure enough, that was also where the condoms and pregnancy tests were. As she stood in front of the display shelving, Lilly felt her pulse quicken and began to feel rather warm. How she wished there was a small, secluded pharmacy counter she could quickly use. Just walking to the till was too far for her liking. Taking another look around, Lilly quickly swiped up the pregnancy test, ensuring her hand covered the wording on the box. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a man who resembled her ex, Ryan, walk past the aisle. Going the opposite direction of the man, she scurried toward the cashier, not wanting to find out if indeed it was Ryan. A man with a basket full of items stood in between her and the cashier.
The man, seeing that she only had one item, allowed her to go ahead of him.
“Thank you,” she said as she stepped in front of him, still trying to conceal her item. A young girl chewing bubble gum ran the pregnancy test through. “I hope congratulations will be in order,” the young cashier happily said, and then blew a big bubble with her pink gum.
Lilly just wanted to pay and leave. She was not in a mood to talk. Once she paid, Lilly mumbled, “Thank you,” as quickly as possible and shoved the test into her big Coach purse to conceal it from everyone.
Once the cab had pulled away, she couldn’t help glancing at her watch every few minutes. Finally, she saw her office building. She thought she had left enough time that she would have been early, but as fate would have it she was just on time. She would not have time to place her purse and jacket into her office. Just great. She would have to sit through the meeting with this pregnancy test staring at her and everyone else. To top it off, she would appear disorganized and tardy to the rest of the firm sitting in on the meeting. She could tell that she looked guilty of something. She just hoped no one would figure out just what she felt guilty about.
Lilly settled into an oversized leather chair, with a cup of coffee and a strawberry Danish in front of her at the breakfast meeting. Normally, she would have chosen fruit, but she knew it was not going to be a normal day, so why not splurge.
“I would like to thank everyone for coming,” Todd announced to the members sitting at the large oval table. “I would like to present one of the next cases our firm will be handling.” Todd, who was the current and original president, accepted coffee from his assistant before he continued. The room immediately grew silent, as he had a large voice that easily took over and demanded attention.
“This case has a few different dimensions. First of all, it is a crime family organization that seems to involve all ages. Second of all, part of the family has already been incarcerated and is set to be released—our intent is to not let this happen. Third, until recently, it has only been family members involved, but since coming into America this organization has grown with membership extending outside of blood relatives. Along with the new membership, this crime organization has spread their specialties to other projects. We will begin our focus on property fraud because it will be the easiest to prove in a court of law.”
Todd was the founder of the firm and must have been at least eighty years old. He believed in having a personal hand in everything. The entire firm was briefed on the case so everyone knew a little about what was happening in the office. This was one of the reasons Lilly took this job. She thought it would help her gain experience while having a big name behind her.
Once briefed, Lilly went to unlock her office door, still with coat and purse in hand, making it difficult to answer the already ringing phone. Lilly was able to reach her phone just before her voicemail picked up. She answered, out of breath, “Ms. O’Neal speaking.” The line clicked. On the caller ID it said private caller and that was it.
Not losing a thought over it, she settled into her office, putting her purse into a lockable drawer in her filing cabinet, but not before she double-checked that everything was still in there. She could not imagine what would happen if the pregnancy test had fallen out. She leaned back into her chair and stared out in space while thinking about the possibility she might be the case representative. She was very hopeful she would be put on the case and then, finally, her name could begin to have some backing as the go-to lawyer. Her position at the firm right now was a junior lawyer, but that would change, hopefully soon.
Knock, knock.Lilly’s office door slightly opened with Todd poking his head in. “Do you have a minute?”
“Of course!” She stood up as she welcomed her boss into her quaint office. “Come in, come in.”
“This case is being forecasted to be one of our bigger cases for the year.” Todd took a seat on her oversized, black leather sofa located off to the side of the room. “I realize the time commitment you have been putting in at the firm. I would like for you to head this case with Martin, sharing the responsibilities of team leader. I believe that together you will make an excellent team.” Leaving no time for discussion he got up, leaving a stack of papers that would further her knowledge on the case.
“Thank you, sir,” Lilly called out, as he stepped toward the door.
Just before Todd left her doorway he gave her a nod and said, “You are perfect for the job, O’Neal. Make this firm proud.” Then he shut the door.
That was how Todd was—direct and to the point. He always chose what was best for the company. He did not surrender to politics, favors or sexism. Lilly sat back in her chair and smiled to herself. This was the first bit of good news today. Maybe she would have a good day after all.
“Here are the case files.” Martin Bigotti threw her door open as he carried a big box of folders into her office. Martin was a chauvinistic Italian who thought women did not belong in the workforce. They were only good for two things—having babies and being mistresses. A happy home was a home with a mistress, and a wife with a baby on the way. Unfortunately, he was one of the best in the field, and if he chose to teach her, she would learn a lot.
Lilly stood up from behind her desk, putting her hands on her hips. “Looks like we will be spending a lot more time together.” It was the only thing she could really come up with to say.
“That’s right. Looks like it is your lucky day, sugar.” Martin winked as he turned from her and placed the box on the table in front of the sofa, giving her a bird’s eye view of his behind.
Martin Bigotti was a good-looking, older man, even with his slightly heavier body set. He had dark hair with a few grey ones throughout. She thought it made him look more distinguished. He wore fashionable, small rectangular-rimmed eyeglasses that added to his good looks. His nickname was The Bigot, not only because of his last name, but also because he felt it was only his opinion that mattered and was correct. Lilly believed his self-confidence gave him the upper hand in winning all of his cases. She hoped his lack of confidence toward women in the workforce would not be a problem with them working together.
