Chapter thirteen
MICHAEL
At first, I thought the change in Janet's expression expressed relief. But I soon realized that wasn't exactly what happened.
In fact, she looked furious.
“I can't believe you're meeting women in your office, Michael,” my lawyer practically shouted. “After everything that happened, what kind of shit do you have in that empty head of yours? What do you want, to fuck up your life and mine too?”
She paused, seemingly waiting for an answer to her clearly rhetorical question. Beside me, looking a little shocked by the reaction, Collins asked quietly,
“Is she your mother or something?”
“Worse. She’s my lawyer.” I cleared my throat, finally answering Janet’s questions. “ Ms. Rodriguez , this is Camila Collins. She just accepted the deal and... we’re engaged.”
I forced a smile. Janet blinked a few times, seeming to process my words, before finally letting out a sigh of relief.
“Thank God. There is still hope for your case. Sorry for the rudeness, Collins, but my client's history unfortunately makes me always think the worst of him.”
“Hey!” I protested.
“I'm aware,” Collins agreed.
“Hey!” I protested again, being ignored once again.
Janet then took the floor.
“Either way, that's great news. Please have a seat, we need to talk about how this is all going to work.”
We obeyed, sitting side by side on a sofa in the corner of the room. However, Collins made a point of moving away a little and placing her bag between us, cutting off the physical contact of my arm leaning against hers.
Did that, too, count as intimacy?
After a minute's pause, during which she leafed through a some papers, Janet resumed speaking.
“The hearing will take place in exactly three months and ten days.
And I need this relationship to last at least until the day after that, okay?
After that, it will be as if you broke up and each went your own way.
Even if the Harrises appeal, they won't be able to attach the videos because, for all intents and purposes, the whole situation would be easily explainable. You were engaged, you went to the company party together, and since you had both been drinking, you were prudent and decided to spend the night at the hotel and leave only the next day. Got it?”
I looked at Collins, waiting for her to respond. She gave me a quick, irritated look that made it clear she wasn’t happy to learn that the actual deadline for our agreement would be ten days later than originally agreed. But eventually she looked back at the screen and nodded in agreement.
Janet continued.
“So, let's do this... the first step to making this work will be to publicly formalize your relationship. I think the ideal way to do this would be to have dinner with both families, what do you think?”
“Wait!” Camila reacted. “What do you mean between families? My only family is my grandmother, and I don't want her to know about this situation.”
“And she won't know. Not about it being a hoax, you mustn't tell anyone about that. She, like Michael's family, must believe that you are really engaged.”
“What? You want me to lie to my grandmother, is that it? Tell her that I'm engaged to my boss? And that we started dating after I got drunk at the company party and ended up in bed with him?”
“The details of how it all began are up to you, Collins. But yes, your grandmother, as well as anyone close to you, must truly believe that you are engaged.”
“No way!” She grabbed her bag and threatened to get up.
I dropped the iPad on the couch and grabbed her to stop her.
“Camila, wait... You said you agreed to the deal.”
“The deal was to lie to a complete stranger, not my grandmother.”
“It will be a little white lie, for a good cause.”
“You call it a 'little white lie' to let her believe I'm engaged? I know my grandmother, she'll start dreaming about marriage and everything.”
“Oh, speaking of which...” Janet's voice caught our attention. I picked up the iPad again. “It would be important for you to set a wedding date.”
“What?” This time, the question was asked in chorus by me and the redhead.
Janet explained calmly, as if she weren't saying anything that would change someone's life.
“You getting engaged nullifies the Harrises' argument, but it usually doesn't change your chances much. Lots of people spend years engaged. But a certain prospect of marriage, on the other hand...”
“That's definitely out of the question!” Camila declared.
And I had the urge to agree with her. After all, the mere mention of the word 'marriage' was enough to give me hives.
However, the date set would be after the hearing, we would simply end everything before, the wedding would be canceled, and my life would go back to how it was before. And hers too.
In fact, not like before. I’d have my daughter with me.
I would still be a single father free to take care of my daughter and enjoy life.
“Camila, please. It will just be a little lie... Maybe a little bigger than we planned at first, but... I know this money will help you, and you will also help me a lot with this. Just three months. Please.”
She still looked furious, but she swallowed what she wanted to say and seemed to weigh up the whole situation again. I could tell that the money issue was really important to her.
However, when she said something, I realized that her priorities were a little more complex.
“Can't I really tell my grandmother the truth?”
Was that her biggest concern? I thought it was, like mine, the issue of marriage and everything else... But she was much more worried about the lie she was going to tell her grandmother.
Janet answered for me, “Unfortunately, no. No one else can know the truth. This is a secret that will be kept between the three of us. Even the other lawyers involved in the case must believe that Michael Turner is planning to get married. But first things first—arrange the family dinner for as soon as possible, yesterday would be preferable. I’ll make sure this hits the press.
Take pictures for social media. I’m already starting to make my calls here. I’ll talk to you later.”
And she hung up the call.
Camila stood up and began to pace back and forth in front of me, visibly upset by the whole thing. Sometimes she would run her hands over her face, showing that she was on the verge of a breakdown.
I needed to say something to reassure her. Although I had no idea what.
“Listen, Camila...” I began. But she interrupted me.
“This damn diamond better be big enough to make this worth it.”
I let out a breath of relief, as that apparently meant she would go through with our plan.
“It will be. I promise it will be.”