Chapter 37
THIRTY-SEVEN
“Yes, sir. I’ll look it over,” I say, but my patience is running thin.
Mr. McMillan has practically doubled my cases, and with my schedule at Bensen, it’s becoming much harder to manage.
Not to mention, I’ve been an emotional wreck since I realized I needed to fix things with Opal.
Our first kiss feels tainted now, all because I was insecure and ended it prematurely.
I assumed things would be better if I didn’t feel this way for the omega staying in our house, but I realize now that it’s her house, too.
And we are hers, as well. All three of us. I was just too late to catch up.
I barely listen to my boss as he chirps more nonsense in my ear. I’m almost at the Dean’s office when I finally hang up and let out a big breath.
“Long day?” I hear from behind me.
“Long year, to be honest,” I say without thinking. Then, the voice fully processes, and I turn to see Roger Alston standing there. I look around me. Did he just jump out of a portal?
He chuckles. “I was in a meeting with the Dean,” he informs me. “My firm helps with Bensen’s civil proceedings sometimes.”
“Right.” I nod, but I definitely didn’t know that. I feel like it’s something that should have been on my radar. “Well, I’m heading there now. I have some folders to drop off. It was good seeing you again, Mr. Alston.”
“Of course. However, can I ask you a question before you go?”
I raise my brow as I turn back to him. “Sure.”
“Do you think you’ll want to officially join McMillan’s firm after graduation next year?”
I purse my lips, not wanting to give anything away. I respect Mr. Alston, but I know how this industry works.
“Let’s be frank, Mr. Langley,” he starts.
“Gerald is a grade A asshole. I don’t see someone like you enjoying working for him long term.
He doesn’t have the eye for justice that his father had, which I’m guessing is why he brought you in.
From how I see it, you’re likely to get any job you want in any firm in the state with your intelligence, but he wanted to use your talents first.”
I’m stunned by his words, but I keep my face neutral.
“Mr. Langley, I’ve done my research. Their firm’s overturn rate has gone up by fifty percent since you joined the firm as an unpaid intern. How many cases does he have you working on as an intern? How many cases have you helped them win because you can see the facts that they can’t?”
It’s true, unfortunately, as I think back to the many cases on my desk waiting for me. Cases that are keeping me from my pack and omega.
“You’re working towards civil rights, am I wrong?”
“Civil and human rights,” I mildly correct.
Mr. Alston sighs before putting a kind hand on my shoulder.
“How many times have you noticed that their caseloads are built by quantity and not quality? How many cases have you been forced to work on when you knew the defendant had no plausible case? They were just people suing others because their ego was bruised, not because any real crime happened. People who wasted your time and the firm’s time, but McMillan doesn’t care as long as there is a paycheck.
You don’t seem like the kind of man who can stand for that. ”
A part of me wants to be insulted, but I know it’s true. I went into law to make the world a better place, not to babysit adults having temper tantrums. I only put up with it because I know how important this internship is for both my pack’s and my future.
“I’d like you to come work for me.” He surprises me by handing over a small card with his firm’s information on the front.
“No pressure, but just know this: if you consider it, there will be a lot of changes. Fewer hours, fewer cases. A schedule more fit for a student of your caliber, since you still have classes and assignments to do in your free time. There’s time for harder work; this is the only time you’ll get to fully focus on your studies while still getting some experience with an actual firm. ”
The more my fingers clutch the card in my hand, the more it sounds too good to be true. Their firm is a literal dream, one that I reached out to months ago but never heard back from.
“Mr. Alston?” I call out to him as he begins to walk away.
When he turns to look at me, I cool my features and ask, “Why are you pointing this out? What does it matter to you? Give me proof that this isn’t just another person in this cutthroat industry trying to somehow manipulate the college student looking for a way in. ”
He smiles at that. “People like us, Sam, are always striving for greatness. I recognize it. You think being the best at something will show those who discarded you that they made a mistake.”
I slightly flinch at the assessment, my body freezing in place as he continues, “But I have news for you—no matter what you accomplish, the way you were treated was a mistake. You don’t have to prove that it was. You’ll understand that one day. Just like I did.”