Chapter 19 #2
One of Sheila’s team looked at her, and she waved him to speak.
“I’m Jack Fronthill, one of the litigation lawyers.
If the journalist disparages Black Pinnacle in any way, we’ll see to it that she’s hit with a cease and desist letter by morning, and then we’ll file a defamation suit if she so much as mentions Black Pinnacle in a public setting. ”
“Okay. But that doesn’t answer my question. You can’t send a cease and desist until she’s actually said something. And by then, it’s too late. So what is it we need to be worried about?” Marina asked.
“You don’t need to be worried about anything.
” Sheila gave her an icy smile. “You’re my real estate lawyer.
You handle the paperwork and considerable information on the real estate itself.
You have interactions with the business owners in an effort to get them to accede to the inevitable and to do it with me coming out on top…
financially.” She motioned toward her minions, all dressed in similar black suits.
“They will handle anything to do with Black Pinnacle’s reputation. ”
Well, that certainly put Marina in her place. She gave a small shrug. “Understood.” She turned her attention to Montgomery. “Then this meeting isn’t really necessary, is it?”
He drummed his fingers on the table for a moment without answering.
“Sheila, I’ve never steered you wrong. While it’s true we’re handling your Chicago development projects, that means we also need to be aware of any pitfalls we may encounter.
Working as a team, with everyone in the loop, is always better than playing on a broken field. ”
“You’ve always been a worrier, Monty. And you’ve always hated being kept out of the inner circle.
” Sheila smiled like a bully looking at the kid on the ground at their feet.
“But I’m afraid I like the way I do things, and if only some people know some things, that means the aspects I want kept quiet remain with a select few.
If that information gets out, I know who to look at.
Too many cooks in the kitchen, too many hands that could have spoiled the broth. ”
“Sheila—” He stopped drumming his fingers and sat back, his hands folded over his belly.
“I said no.” Steel contained less rigidity than those three words. “I came to find out where we stand so we know how to move forward and to have a cup of coffee with my favorite attorney.” She turned her dark eyes to Marina. “Report, please.”
Marina put her hand on the sheet of paper with the bullet points, but she didn’t need to look at it. “You have seven business owners willing to negotiate in the 71st corridor. Twelve from the 75th corridor and seventeen from Jefferson Blvd. We’re still waiting on responses from others.”
Sheila frowned. “That’s not nearly good enough, Marina. Thirty-six people? What about building owners?”
“Forty-two, in total.” It also wasn’t a good number.
There were nearly fifty thousand people living in three square miles.
While less than a quarter of those had been made offers, not even a hundred responses was pretty dire.
“I find it hard to believe you’ve had faster turnaround in your other projects?
” Marina sipped her coffee, doing her best to keep her bland expression in place.
“We’ve made the first overtures. We move to next stage with those who have responded and make second overtures to those who haven’t.
You know it may take several offers and plenty of negotiation to get everyone to the table, but they will eventually pick up a pen to sign. ”
Sheila stared out the window for a moment before she nodded sharply. “And that, Montgomery, is why I know Marina is the right lawyer for me. She states things clearly and doesn’t act like I’ll grow another head if she tells me something I don’t want to hear.”
That isn’t true, Marina thought. She wouldn’t have been surprised by multiple heads, all bearing snakes that could turn people to stone. “Thank you,” she said.
Montgomery’s cheeks had gone blotchy, but he smiled anyway.
“Yes, well, that’s why I dedicated our best person to your organization.
” He stood, clearly marking the meeting as finished.
“However, I feel the need to say something just as clearly. I don’t want this firm tarnished by things we’ve had nothing to do with.
If there are dealings in your past that could throw mud our way, we’ll need to revisit this topic.
” He gave them all a quick nod and then was gone.
“You’re all dismissed.” Sheila didn’t even look at her minions as they rose and left. She turned to Marina. “Now. It’s time for lunch. Where shall we go? We can discuss the dinner you’ll be having with my friends later this week.”
Marina sipped her coffee as her mind skittered around every excuse to find one that would work. Nope. Only dead ends. Suck it up, buttercup. You can hand her off to some other unlucky bastard once you get your promotion. “Your choice.”