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TWENTY-SIX
I’m lying in bed naked with Bentley wrapped in my arms. Who would have thought post-sex cuddling could feel so damn good?
“Clive Corp is suing me for misconduct of funds,” I tell her.
Bentley sits up. “What?”
“The Clive Corporation… It just got passed down to the grandson and he’s suing me, claiming I’ve embezzled funds from their company.”
“They can’t be serious. That’s ludicrous,” Bentley exclaims before climbing off the bed.
“What are you doing?” I watch on as she starts picking up the articles of clothing I stripped from her body a few hours ago.
“I’m going to go and give Billy a piece of my damn mind—that’s what,” she huffs in response.
I hop out of bed and take hold of her arms. “No, you’re not. We have this handled, Bentley. It’s going to be fine. The case won’t stick. Xavier is running lead on it, and he already has a hearing booked with Judge Hunter,” I tell her. “Also…Billy?”
“That dweeby piece of shit who took over Clive Corp.”
“I know who he is, but how doyouknow who he is?” I ask her.
“I grew up with him. We went to school together.” She shrugs. “He’s always been a slimy bastard.”
“That he has.” I pull her down on top of me. “Come back to bed. It’s going to be fine.”
“So that’s what you’ve all been doing in the conference room?” she asks.
“Yeah.”
“Thanks for telling me.”
“I don’t want to hide things from you, Bentley.”
“Good, then don’t,” she says, snuggling back into her rightful spot in my arms.
“Go to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow.”
“Even if we don’t win, I appreciate how hard you’ve worked on this,” she says, referring to the Gallah vs Kemp case that starts in the morning.
* * *
“We’re ready,Mr Gallah. This is going to be an open-and-shut case,” I tell him. The man is looking paler by the minute.
“I know. It’s just… what if it’s not?”
“I don’t lose, and I have… personal interest invested in this claim,” I say as my eyes meet Bentley’s. As much as I wanted her to be my second chair, I couldn’t have her up here. The case hits far too close to home for her. I needed someone who wouldn’t get emotions mixed up with fact.
That’s why Xavier is sitting in second chair and Bentley is sitting in the first row behind us. We weren’t able to find any evidence that pointed towards her dad being murdered or anything suggesting that Mark Kemp had organised a hit. When I look to my right and see the slimy bastard, though, I have no doubt that he did it. This isn’t a criminal hearing. It’s a civil suit, one company suing the other. And if this is the only way I can ruin Mark Kemp, then so be it. If we win this claim, Kemp will basically be bankrupt. His reputation will be up shit creek and he won’t be able to repeat this to any other unsuspecting business owners. It’s not putting him behind bars, where the fucker belongs, but it’s something.
“ALL RISE! The District Court of Melbourne is now in session. The Honourable Judge Grant is presiding.”
* * *
“I don’t get it.That was almost too easy,” Bentley says as we exit the courthouse. The evidence I submitted to the court was pretty straightforward. I don’t know why anyone doubted me really. Within two hours, the judge ruled in our favour, and Luke Gallah was awarded five million in damages.
“This isn’t the end.”
I turn around when the threatening tone sounds behind me. “I’m pretty sure it is, actually,” I tell Kemp. I don’t usually engage with the opposing side. But this guy really gets under my skin.
