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“Well done, you two. Don’t let your guard down in court, though. There may still be more to this puzzle. Most divorces get ugly, but divorces with this much money involved always get nasty,” Baxter said. “Finn, will you be the lead in court today?”
“No, sir. I will,” Hailey piped up. “We think we can lure the plaintiff into a trap. They’ll assume they can embarrass me when they bring up the topic of a sex toy conglomerate in open court. And they already know our client has enjoyed the anonymity of using front companies to run her business since its inception. They want to take us by surprise, and they’ll be wrong. We think if I lead, we can turn the tables on them more easily.”
Mr. Baxter smiled and nodded. “Very good.” Before he dismissed them, he gave Finn a warning look but said no more.
Once they were back in the elevator, they both let out a deep breath.
“You know what that look meant?” she asked.
“Yes, it means if I don’t watch out, you’ll steal this promotion from me without breaking a sweat,” he said.
“I can’t steal what’s already mine.”
He laughed, but as they passed the rookie lawyer bullpen, several of the men smirked at him. They all ogled Hailey as she walked by, ignoring them. The urge to destroy them all surged, but that wasn’t an acceptable response. His impulse to protect Hailey was not going to help him get her attention in the right way. She didn’t want someone to fight her battles, that was clear.
Inside their war room, Hailey did an about-face with her arms over her chest.
“I don’t need your pity. I don’t want you to go easy on me because of some misplaced chivalry either.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You let me just run the show with Baxter and didn’t even fight me on taking point today.”
“Hailey, I concede that you’ve figured out more of this case than I have at this point. I also think letting you take the lead will fool the plaintiff into thinking we don’t know their plan. And I don’t pity you. I admire you, even though you like to give me shit every chance you get. You’re an exceptional lawyer. But I’m taking point with Mrs. Tovar because I don’t appreciate her lying to our faces. We’re her lawyers, and she could have embarrassed us in court today.”
Dropping her hands, she turned away from him. “Fine. You deal with the client, and I’ll handle her husband’s team.”
“For today. I’m not giving you all the glory.”
After an hour of arguing with Mrs. Tovar, Finn managed to get her to understand the importance of not hiding anything from the judge or her legal team. Unexpectedly, Mrs. Tovar hoped to keep the fact that she built a lucrative sex toy empire quiet, but they explained that was likely going to be impossible. Then they all went over their plan for court. This hearing was only the beginning, where each party would outline their defense, why mediation was not an option, and the judge would decide if there was enough evidence to go to trial. Assuming that happened, he and Hailey were going to face weeks of working together. He couldn’t decide if that was exciting or torture. But he knew any time with her was better than none. It was just going to test his ability to remain professional and not flirt with her.
Before they left for court, Hailey excused herself and disappeared for ten minutes. When she returned, she looked pale.
“Hey, are you feeling okay?”
“I’m fine. Don’t fuss over me. We’re coworkers, nothing more,” she said under her breath so their client wouldn’t overhear.
Putting on his suit jacket, he clenched his teeth together. Not that he had a good retort. She was, of course, right again.
In the hall outside the civil D.C. court, he spotted Mr. Tovar in an expensive suit, looking every bit the smug millionaire. Mrs. Tovar had her face in her phone and ignored him. Hailey was chugging a juice box he assumed she’d had in her bag. Maybe a pre-court ritual.
“It’s time. This way,” Hailey said, ushering Mrs. Tovar to their side of the court. It wasn’t until they were all settled at their table and the bailiff arrived that a young man was brought into court and sat on Mr. Tovar’s side.
“What the heck is Timothy doing here?” Mrs. Tovar said in open court to her soon-to-be ex-husband.
Mr. Tovar just smiled and told his son to stay put.
The young man waved at his mom with a meek smile and shrugged.
“This is not okay. Our son doesn’t know what my business is, and he’ll be mortified,” Mrs. Tovar whispered to them.
“He is trying to break you,” Hailey said in a calm but unfeeling voice. “Do you want to cave and give him half, or should we proceed?”
Mrs. Tovar’s hand stretched over her forehead, her cheeks were red, and her breathing was heavy.
“It’s not really about the money, Mrs. Tovar. If you give him half now, he’ll always have a hand in your business. All the work you’ve done, any creative decisions, he’ll own half of all of it. You’ll never be able to get out from under his domineering presence,” Finn said in a low soothing tone.
Tears welled in the woman’s eyes. “I suppose this is one way to have a conversation about the birds and the bees. I’m just worried my son is going to be pulled through the mud.”
