29
Elvira
NO HELL HATH NO fury than an ex-boyfriend scorned.
After Wyatt stormed out of Thompson's office, I knew it was not the end of it.
He was just getting started. And this morning, while I was in my office chatting with Jess, I was proven right.
A young, slim man with a buzz cut and a messenger bag slung over his shoulder, knocked on the wide-open door and said, "Elvira Edwards? "
"That's me."
He produced a brown manila envelope out of his bag, his face impassive. He stepped into the office, handed me the weighty envelope and said, "You've been served." And marched out of the office. Jess's eyebrows shot up, staring at the envelope.
"He did not. Please tell me he did not fucking sue you."
I ripped open the envelope. It was a lawsuit from Wyatt. "He's suing me and the school for emotional harm and physical harm. Me for causing it and the school for doing nothing."
"Why didn't call the police if he was so distressed!"
I raised my eyebrows at her.
"I mean, if what you did was so bad, wouldn't he call the police?" Jess explained.
I read the document and, through the lawyer speak, I could surmise that, "He claims he went to the authorities. The authorities being the university and they did nothing. He's turning it into an HR violation suit."
"Oh, my god! That man is a nasty piece of work."
"Tell me about it."
I put the lawsuit in my desk drawer, not wanting to think about it.
I had been on cloud nine until now. I had deciphered the code, and now that we could read the letters, we had practically found the smoking gun in the princes in the tower case.
Levi was overjoyed that his theory—that Richard was responsible—was essentially confirmed, and we might locate the boys' burial place.
It had been a fantastic week. And that didn't even include the orgasm Levi gave me in the library.
Did that scene play in my head when I went to sleep every night? Yes, and I liked it.
Now Wyatt had to ruin it all with a fucking lawsuit. If only he knew I wanted to do more. I should have punched him like I felt like doing in that moment and every time I've seen him since. I should have punched that sick, smug face.
I sighed. “Ugh. I hate my life.”
Jess winced. “I hate him. He’s ruined the good news I came with.”
“Please share. Anything to brighten the mood.”
Joy she must have been suppressing, brightening her face. “I got a promotion!” she squealed. “I’ve been made a full time professor!”
“Jess! That’s amazing!”
“I think I have Professor Phantom to thank. He was the one who put in a good word for me to Thompson.”
“What!” Levi never seemed to care about Jess enough to do such a thing.
“I know. I know! I was just as shocked as you are. Did you speak to him or something?”
I shook my head. “He did it all on his own.”
“Damn professor Phantom. Maybe I was too harsh.”
“No. You got that promo because you deserve it. He probably noticed how good you are.”
Jess squealed again, then she turned serious. "So what are you going to do?"Clearly, Jess didn't want to let the lawsuit go.
"I will probably have to find a lawyer. What else am I going to do?"
"A lawyer for what?" Levi said as he stopped by our office.
He was just coming in. He was late by at least an hour and looked slightly dis-shelved than usual.
As though he had simply thrown clothes onto his body and called it a day.
But that did not diminish his handsomeness.
If anything, it made him look like a younger version of Indiana Jones.
My stomach did that wobbly thing again that it usually did when I had spent some time without seeing him.
"Wyatt is suing her and the university for emotional distress, if you can believe it." Jess rolled her eyes when she said 'emotional distress', emphasizing how silly she thought the whole thing was.
Levi's brow furrowed, and he ventured into my office. He extended his hand. "Can I see?"
"It's nothing, really. I can deal with—"
"Elle." The declarative note in his voice was hard to miss. I took out the papers and handed them to him. He dropped his bag onto the floor and began reading. His eyes scanning the papers, flipping the pages a little harshly as he read on. His jaw ticking.
"That measly asshole!" He threw the papers on the desk and pointed at them. "I'll fix this." Then marched out of the office to his. I wanted to tell him he didn't need to, but he was already closing the door before I could utter a word, leaving us stunned.
"I don't want to be Wyatt right now." Jess checked her phone.
Screamed when she saw the time and hurried out of my office.
I tried to concentrate on work, but couldn't. So instead I went to Levi's office.
He was at his desk crowded with books and stacks of paper and files.
His office had become less of the organized chaos it used to be, to just chaotic.
Levi looked up from the book he was reading when I knocked on his door.
A stubble I had not noticed before shadowed his chin.
"Can I speak to you for a moment?"He snapped the book shut and gestured to the guest chair. I sank into the small chair and cleared my throat. "About the lawsuit."
"I told you I am handling it. I know a couple of good lawyers who can quash this thing before it even goes to court. Carey has a few friends at City Hall who can help us as well."
"Us?"
"Well, you are my wife after all."
"Levi…"
"What's the point of being a Hawthorne if you can't use the resources afforded to you by the name?" said. Adding, "Even if it's on paper only."
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. You can't fight my battles all the time. I really appreciate what you did for me in that hearing, but you can't do that all the time."
"What if I want to?" he said in a low voice. "You helped me with my work. With what you did, I am on my way to restoring my reputation. Why can't I do the same for you?"
His plea touched my heart. Why was I fighting him when he was right?
He had enough resources to fight someone like Wyatt, who would have bankrupted me and probably gotten me fired had it just been me and without Levi in my corner.
And besides, it would be fun to see someone like Wyatt find out that he can't just throw his money at everything and make people do what he wants.
"Fine. But don't expect me to suck you off in the library if we win. "
A smile I hadn't seen in a long time cracked through his lips. "A simple kiss would be reward enough."
An awkward silence passed between us. Levi grabbed his laptop, which was lying closed on the edge of the desk, opened it and said, "If you want, we could do something ourselves to threaten him or, dare I say, blackmail him into not going through with it."
"What do you have in mind? I could hire some guys to break his legs if that's what you're thinking of. I know a few."
Levi raised his eyebrows. "You know people willing to break someone's legs for money?"
"What? You don't think a girl like me knows some people. A girl from the Bronx. "
"Some girls, but not you."
I folded my arms. "Really? Why?"
"Because you're a nerd," he said, his voice full of mirth. “You cannot convince me that you're the type that,” he put on an Italian accent, "knows a guy who knows a guy."
I rolled my eyes and pressed my lips to stop myself from laughing.
Levi and I hadn't hung out like this in a long time.
It felt good. I wanted more of it. But I had no idea how to talk to him again.
After the library encounter, we had gone back to being cordial with each other.
Levi did not try to sleep with me again, nor I.
I couldn't remember what made me mad at him in the first place.
“Jess told me you recommended her for a full time position.”
Levi nodded.
“Why?”
He shrugged. “Why not?”
“I don’t know. You hardly know her for starters.”
“She’s your friend isn’t she.”
“You gave her a position because she’s my friend?”
“I didn’t do that, Thompson did.”
I crossed my arms, unimpressed by his pathetic attempt at hiding his power level. Thompson would never have promoted her if Levi didn’t thumb the scales.
“She’s good at her job and deserves the promotion more than anyone. Northride would suffer if it were to let such good talent leave,” he said.
“Thank you.”
He shrugged again as though he had not just changed one woman’s life for the better. Make that two. I would have been sad if Jess had to leave Northride.
Levi shifted in his seat. "Uh, a couple of friends from the MMQ Society and I are having a celebratory dinner. Wanna come?"
I wanted to. I really wanted to. "I can't. My sister needs help at the shop. I'll be in the city all weekend."
His smile faltered. "You miss the shots you don't take, right?"
◆◆◆
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, you're no longer seeing each other? Aren't you staying together?" Effie asked as we juggled a heavy box into the back of the storeroom. We dropped it on the floor, narrowly missing my foot. "What do you want to do with all this stuff?"
"They're antiques. Got 'em at an insanely low price. So, you two broke up. Or divorced?"
"No. We're still together." I opened the box. There was an old, gold-encrusted lamp lying between stuffing. "What if it's fake?"
Effie dusted her hands off and wiped her brow. "That's where little sis comes in."
I rolled my eyes. I hope, for your sake, you did not get scammed. Do you know how many people go out of their way to do forgeries?
"Excuse me, ma'am." She jerked her head to the side, arms akimbo.
"I run a pawnshop." She stooped to open another box filled with old and dirty brooches, necklaces and metal reticules that looked to be at least from the Victorian era.
She took out one brooch and examined it under the yellow storeroom light.
"I know these things are authentic. I can tell that much. What I want from you is a valuation."