Chapter 21
I shook hands with the woman in front of me as soon as she was close. I forced a smile I hoped was disarming as she shook my father’s hand and the hand of our family lawyer as well before we collapsed into our respective seats.
“What can I do for you? You’ve been blowing my phone up.”
“Yeah. I apologize about that but this was a time sensitive meeting,” I said.
“I bet it was.” The woman cut her eyes toward me.
My smile fell.
“Look. You know why we’re here. Name your price so I can cut your check and we can go about our business.”
“I don’t remember naming a price.”
“I was under the impression that was why we were here,” my father said. “And since you don’t seem sure about what you’d like to do, let me make you an offer. We’ll cover all of your husband’s medical bills while he’s healing from his injury and cut you a check for three hundred thousand dollars.”
“Three hundred thousand?” she repeated. “He may never be able to see again!”
She was right. I’d done a number on her husband.
He’d had surgery on his nose and one of his eyes.
His face had been battered almost beyond recognition but he’d lived.
From what I knew, he was sitting up in a hospital bed, barely coherent and running up an insane bill.
He’d be able to talk and walk again though and had no lasting brain injuries.
I wasn’t sure if I was happy or not and I was fine being that big of a piece of shit honestly.
“I’m not yelling at you, so please don’t yell at me. You can counteroffer if you’d like.”
I sat back in my seat and resisted the urge to look at my father. He was commanding this little meeting the same way he commanded the boardroom. It was a gift he had that I couldn’t duplicate no matter how hard I tried.
She sat up in her seat. “I was thinking more like a million.”
“You’d be lucky to get half that.”
“Lucky isn’t the word I’d use for anything in this situation,” she hissed. “That animal you’re trying to get out of jail brutally attacked my husband.”
“Allegedly,” my father added. “And at this point, it’s hearsay.
The absence of a trial is just as good for you as it is for us.
” His eyebrows knitted in confusion. “Your husband isn’t exactly a model citizen, sweetheart.
He has his own rap sheet and a violent history to match.
If we go to court, what the court will see is him grabbing my daughter-in-law and getting laid on his ass for it.
She graduated top of her class, just quit her job at the bar to join corporate America, is from a well-off, middle class family, and of course, will have the best public press available to her.
Stone may be the one technically on trial but your husband will be on trial just as much because although he’s Stone’s victim he made someone else a victim first. If we don’t come to an agreement, I have half a million dollars to put toward lawyers and legal fees. ”
“The film will show that he beat my husband even after he was no longer a threat.”
“The film won’t even get that far.” My dad smirked.
“I have the only copy, got it off the bar for cheap actually. They figured it was the least they could do for our family. So let me tell you how this is going to go. I’m going to give you a hundred thousand dollars today if you agree to never open your mouth about this and get the charges dropped.
Once Stone is out, you’ll get four hundred thousand more, a hundred on his release, two hundred a month later and a hundred three months after that. ”
“And if I don’t agree you’re going to try to drag my husband down with Stone?”
“I won’t try. I’ll just do it. Even if you won against Stone, you won’t win against the woman he grabbed.
She’s going to get on that stand and cry.
She’s going to talk about misogyny, men feeling entitled to women, and how this country has proven being defended and defending yourself is wrong.
She can’t work or eat. She’s barely leaving her house.
The one man who cared enough to protect her is locked up.
She feels responsible. Your husband’s actions ruined her life.
She’s traumatized from watching the fight and being forced onto the stand while you sued Stone.
” My father snapped his fingers at his lawyer who immediately opened his folder and plucked papers out.
“She can cry on cue,” he added. “And I’ve looked into your family, even if you wanted to, you couldn’t take us in court. ”
She clenched her jaw.
“I’d want two hundred thousand today.”
“That can be done.” He took the paper from his lawyer and set it on the table. “And if your husband ever even looks at my daughter-in-law again, you won’t have to worry about hospital bills. Because he’ll be DOA.” He grabbed a pen from his suit jacket and tossed it on top of the papers. “Sign.”
“What if the state picks the case up?”
“With what witnesses and what evidence?” he countered.
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of it.
You just make sure if shit hits the fan you aren’t associated because bribing you can be spun to look like blackmail easily.
” He winked at her and I shifted in my seat as I watched my father blackmail this woman.
She signed the papers presented to her and my father plucked out a two hundred thousand dollar cashier’s check made out to her and handed it off.
When we walked out, I felt like a weight had been lifted off me.
“I’ve seen you bluff before but damn.” I shook my head as we walked across the parking lot.
“I didn’t bluff, Kiano. I meant every word.”
“I meant about Jiselle being able to cry on cue and the film and shit.”
“I’ve spoken to Jiselle and I have the film.”
I paused mid-step and he stopped as well. He pivoted with his hands in his pockets.
“You watched the security footage?”
“More than once.”
“So you know Stone is actually—”
“Ay,” he cut me off. “I know neither of you are going to do hard time and the law isn’t about what you did.
It’s what you can prove and what you can pay for.
Stone is family. Jiselle is family and that film has been disposed of.
Even if we were demanded to bring it in, we didn’t technically get it and it’s nowhere to be found.
It got lost in a date breach or something.
” He shrugged. “Go home. Your mother will call you when everything is settled.”
“Alright.” I nodded once. “Will do.”