Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Freddy
An email pinged in Freddy’s inbox at the same time as a text message from Camille.
He opened the text message first.
Camille: I’m so sorry. I’ve explained to him multiple times that the pictures you provided are the nail in the coffin as far as he’s concerned, but he’s insisting on fighting anything we can, and there are still a few sections left that are unclear and are unaffected by the fact that he cheated.
Freddy sighed. He knew that, too. Of course, she was a thorough enough lawyer to have caught those weaknesses in the prenup. The asshole didn’t deserve her.
The email she had sent was a purely professional request for another mediation session.
Truthfully, Freddy was relieved to see it.
He knew Mr. Alexander had been calling Brittany, and he’d been worried the man would show up at her sister’s house soon.
No telling where that would end up. Brittany’s sister, Ashley, was not at all happy with him and extremely protective of her sister.
Ashley’s husband was all too happy to be the one to ‘take out the trash,’ as he’d put it.
It might be why Mr. Alexander had decided to go through the lawyers rather than trying to handle things on his own. Maybe he realized he’d be risking his own skin to approach her by himself. At least the man had some survival instincts, if nothing else.
Freddy quickly shot back an email to make an appointment.
He also emailed Brittany and told her Mr. Alexander had requested another session and encouraged her to let him handle it on his own.
The sooner Mr. Alexander realized he wouldn’t have access, the faster they may be able to get this over with.
Freddy would have a much easier time playing hardball without her present.
When she was there, he had to walk a delicate line between what he wanted to say and upsetting her. The second to last thing he wanted to do was cause her more distress, though he would to get her everything she deserved from her ex.
Picking up his phone, he texted Camille to give her a heads up.
Freddy: We’ll meet again, but I’m going to try to convince Brittany to stay home. Don’t suppose you could do the same?
Camille: I wish, but if she’s not there, it might keep him from insisting on another attempt. I wish I could have talked him out of this one, but one of the partners came in to argue for it as well.
Wincing, Freddy shook his head. He and Camille had been texting back and forth for close to a week now.
She didn’t talk much about her job, but the impression he got was it was slowly crushing her soul.
Or maybe not so slowly at this point. Julie had paused to talk to him over the weekend and hinted as much.
She’d seemed thrilled when he told her he and Camille were still talking.
A knock on his open door made him look up. Zoey Addison, one of the firms founding partners, was standing there, and she raised her eyebrows at Freddy.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, just…” He hesitated, then decided to go for it.
Zoey was the kind of woman who made people quake in their boots, but she also had a heart of gold and a huge dose of empathy, especially for women in bad situations, which was how the firm had gotten started.
“The other lawyer on the Alexander case… she wants to work with me and make things go smoothly, but her client is…”
“A complete and total jackass?” Zoey laughed at the expression on Freddy’s face.
He didn’t think he’d ever heard her curse before.
A slight sneer lifted her lip. “I’m familiar with Nicholas Alexander III.
And his father. And the Donaldsons. That’s part of why I decided to give Mrs. Alexander to you instead of taking her on myself. ”
“So, you can watch from afar as I take him apart?” he asked with amusement.
Zoey’s dark eyes glinted, and she raised her hand to run it along her perfectly styled hair.
With her Chanel suit, Jimmy Choo shoes, and two perfect strands of pearls around her neck, she looked exactly like what she was—a powerhouse.
“Perhaps. You are very good at what you do.” She smiled broadly. “I also had a feeling your personal aesthetic would offend his sensibilities.”
Freddy laughed.
“I noticed that. I’ll be wearing my best pink suit to the next meeting.” The one he normally reserved for friends’ events rather than work, but if Zoey was going to encourage him…
She snickered and nodded her head with approval.
“Perfect.” Her smile dimmed. “How is the lawyer working on his case? I heard through the grapevine that Donaldson chose her to make Alexander look better in the courtroom. Apparently, they think he’ll come off looking better if he’s using a black woman to represent him.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. She’s very good, but she also has ethics and is doing her best to keep him happy, while also keeping him in check.”
“Now that’s a heck of a balancing act.” Zoey looked at him contemplatively. “Would you recommend hiring her?”
“In a heartbeat,” he answered before he could think about it, but it was the truth.
From everything he’d seen from the opposing side, Camille was conscientious, detail-oriented, and didn’t let her personal feelings get in the way of doing her job.
She also had a staunch moral code she adhered to, no matter how her client pushed her to break it.
He was sure Donaldson had probably pushed her to break it too. She bent, but she hadn’t snapped. Yet.
The urge to help her get out of that job had grown stronger with every day that passed, even though their relationship so far consisted entirely of texts.
“Interesting. We don’t have any openings,” Zoey replied, answering the question in his eyes. “But I was asked by a friend to keep my ear to the ground for promising, experienced lawyers who might want to make a change.”
“I’ll see if I can find a way to work it into the conversation.”
Giving him a piercing look, Zoey nodded thoughtfully and moved away from his doorway, leaving him with the uncomfortable feeling she’d gotten more out of what he hadn’t said than he had.
Camille
Julie: Want to come to Marquis with me this Friday night? Olivia and Luke are putting on a show.
Now that was tempting.
The door to her office opened, and she dropped the phone flat on her desk, feeling as if she’d been caught out doing something wrong as Donaldson Sr. strode into her office.
Not that there was anything wrong with checking her phone.
There wasn’t. Even if she wasn’t looking at work right now.
She’d been working nonstop all morning. Yet she still felt guilty that her boss had walked in the exact moment that she wasn’t.
He eyed her as though he knew she’d been slacking, looking down his long nose at her.
“Good morning, Mr. Donaldson.” Camille got to her feet, smoothing down the plain black dress she was wearing.
It hadn’t taken long to realize the firm preferred if everyone dressed as though they were on their way to a funeral.
His eyes raked over her, as if trying to find fault with her attire, though she told herself she was reading too much into things. “What can do I for you?”
“Camille. How is everything going with Nicholas?”
She gritted her teeth against the dismissive way he said her name, which was completely at odds with the friendlier way he used Nicholas’ first name.
If she tried to call him “Wes,” she knew she would be immediately slapped down for the familiarity, but that didn’t stop him from using her first name.
There was no point in calling attention to the hypocrisy. It wouldn’t matter to him.
“I reached out to Mrs. Alexander’s lawyer and scheduled another meeting.
However, I’m not sure it will matter, considering the evidence they have of his infidelity.
Truthfully, I think it would be best for him to move forward with the divorce and accept the terms of the prenup rather than contesting it.
At this point, there’s nothing to be gained by further meetings, especially as his hostile behavior isn’t likely to convince her to negotiate. ”
“Well, it’s his money to spend,” Donaldson Sr. said with a wave of his hand that made Camille want to shake her head.
She didn’t understand any of the partners. Supposedly, they were friends with Mr. Alexander, or golf buddies at least, yet they had no problem letting him rack up billable hours on a useless quest. Definitely not how she’d want any of her friends to treat her.
“Just keep him quiet during the meeting and make him happy.”
Before she could protest or ask how he thought she was going to manage babysitting the manchild and keeping him happy, the man was gone. At least he closed the door behind him so no one could see her banging her head on her desk.
Sitting up, she took a deep breath. Her tolerance for the bullshit here was getting smaller, not necessarily a bad thing, but she still needed to keep her temper. She still needed this job.
What I need is to look for a new job.
She hadn’t the first few years, even though she’d wanted to, because she hadn’t wanted to look flighty, disloyal, or as if she was jumping from job to job. However, she’d put in five years here. That was more than some. Why hadn’t she started looking for a position at another company?
Had she forgotten or had she just gotten too beaten down? Too tired.
Well, that ended today.
First things first. She texted Julie back.
Camille: I’ll be there!
Julie: Great! Ladies’ night out!
Sounded good to her. A night out with a friend and a good show, especially since it was going to be Olivia and Luke. It would be good to watch another Dominatrix work. Get her head back in the game. She might even see Freddy while she was there.
Ignoring the urge to text him, she got back on her computer to get back to work…
and update her resume. It was time for her to take control of all aspects of her life again.
Feeling invigorated, it didn’t take her long to get through her paperwork.
Pulling out her phone again, she started looking at job listings and emailed some of her old friends who were still in the area, asking if they knew of any openings.
It felt really, really good.
For the first time since she could remember, she walked out of work, feeling happy.
Freddy
“Where’s Brittany?” Mr. Alexander glared at Freddy before averting his eyes, as if the bright pink suit Freddy was wearing was too offensive to look at.
In contrast, Camille was grinning and looking at him like he was a pink Starburst she wanted to unwrap.
Freddy had to avert his eyes from her because he didn’t want Mr. Alexander to notice anything between them.
“She won’t be joining us today,” Freddy said smoothly, setting down his briefcase and pulling out his chair. “I’ve been authorized by her to handle all the negotiations. If there is something that requires her input, I’ll contact her, and we can handle it later.”
“You can’t do that.”
“Yes, he can.” Camille’s firm tone made the man sit back and cross his arms over his chest like a pouty child. “Honestly, we’re lucky to have even that much concession, considering how the last meeting went.” The look she shot Mr. Alexander had him looking away from both of them.
“My client is willing to negotiate, however her main concern is that Mr. Alexander leave her alone.”
“Like I’d want to be around that bi—”
“Mr. Alexander.” Camille didn’t raise her voice, didn’t even look at the man. He shrank back into his seat, shoulders hunching over protectively.
It was one of the hottest things Freddy had ever seen. He had to shift in his seat to make his pants a little more comfortable. He loved this suit, but the pants were a little tighter than some of his other options.
Camille’s gaze met Freddy’s. “That sounds like something my client might be interested in. What are the terms?”
Brittany was willing to give away her rights to just about everything that was left in exchange for her husband leaving her be after their divorce, her fear that he might not let her go so easily overriding everything else, but that’s why Freddy was here.
He understood her fear and her priority, but he was going to make sure she got what she deserved.
If giving up some of the material items she was entitled to meant giving her peace of mind, he would do that, but he’d also impressed upon her that he couldn’t write a contract that kept Mr. Alexander from contacting her.
He was also doing his best to make sure she got most of what she was entitled to, pointing out that she could use the extra money to move or hire security.
“She’s not getting any of my money,” Alexander finally snapped out when Camille prodded him again. “Not unless I get to see her again. If she wants my money, she can beg for it.”
“Or we can see you in court where she’ll likely get all of it,” Freddy said coldly. “Although the terms of these sections were not affected by your infidelity, in court, it would likely be taken into consideration.”
“May I have a moment with my client?” Camille asked politely, her tone as cold as Freddy’s.
He knew it wasn’t directed at him. Nodding, he stepped outside for a few moments. The door was thick, but he could still hear Mr. Alexander making demands of Camille.
For some reason, he hadn’t gotten it through his head that he couldn’t do whatever he liked.
He’d gotten a prenup before the wedding, and because of it, Brittany was already getting less than she likely deserved for putting up with his selfish ass for so long, but that still wasn’t enough for him.
He didn’t want to have to give Brittany anything at all, even though he was the one who insisted she not work and be completely reliant on him.
That she was still leaving him obviously pricked his pride.
Sighing inwardly, Freddy did his best to wait patiently until Camille opened the door again.
“Sorry about this,” she said, and her dark eyes were filled with sincere apology. “I think we’re going to have to adjourn for today while Mr. Alexander and I talk through some things.”
“I see,” Freddy said, giving her a wry smile to offset his tone.
Then he stepped around her, his face falling into a more serious expression for Mr. Alexander, and picked up his briefcase.
“That is no problem as long as Mr. Alexander understands if he contacts Mrs. Alexander, by any means, she will immediately end any attempts at negotiation, and we will see you in court. I’m sure the public spectacle would be quite interesting. ”
At least he could keep the asshole from contacting Brittany for a bit and hopefully give her a reprieve.
Mr. Alexander glared at him, jaw clenching.
Hopefully, Freddy hadn’t just made things harder for Camille, but in this case, his first priority had to be his client. Still, he shot her an apologetic look as he left.