Chapter 2 Naijhel King
NAIJHEL KING
SIX MONTHS LATER
“Professor Settles, are you sure that this is what you want to do to her?” I asked, reading over the documents.
“What do you mean am I sure? You’re my attorney; you’re supposed to be representing my best interests in this matter.”
“And I am, but it’s not right to destroy someone this way. Her reputation and the work that she does in the community will be shattered.”
“And I should care? Look at what all she has done to me. I did nothing to deserve this.”
I pressed my lips together because I knew better.
I wasn’t sure what happened to their marriage, but I knew that Professor Settles was not the upstanding, doting husband that he presented to the community.
His loyalties lie wherever his penis led him, and that could be any given woman at any given time.
He didn’t discriminate; I knew that for a fact.
He didn’t care if it was his best friend’s wife, his brother’s girlfriend, or his boss’s mistress; if she gave him the time of day, Professor Settles was doing her.
“I just want to make sure that you have thought this over thoroughly and you are clear on what you want to do. You were married to her for eight years.”
“And all eight years I suffered mental cruelty and abuse at her hands. I tried everything that I could to make my marriage work. The last things that she did humiliated me.”
“Do you think that it would have been humiliating if you had chosen to remain faithful in your marriage?”
“I wouldn’t have had to find comfort in other women’s arms if my wife hadn’t been abusive. This has taken an emotional toil on me.”
I nodded, but I didn’t buy his act. It wasn’t my job to judge him anyway, just to represent him.
It was rare that I agreed to take friends or acquaintances on as a client, but my best friend, Maurice Jones, and my brother, Brandon King, had pleaded with me to give him a shot because he was destitute.
That wasn’t what caused me to buckle; it was the story.
He shared with me that his wife had been physically and emotionally abusive throughout the marriage.
Abuse in any form wasn’t something that I could tolerate in my life.
My father was a victim of domestic violence.
His girlfriend killed him when he confronted her about cheating on him.
She had always been mentally and physically abusive, but my father downplayed it because he was a man, and he felt that he should be able to handle her.
So, when I learned what all Professor Settles had gone through, it was a no-brainer that I would take this case.
People often talked about domestic violence, but they seldom discussed domestic violence against men. If a woman physically abused a man, many people believed that it was impossible because men were stronger than women.
No one should place their hands on anyone, and no one should be allowed to gaslight, belittle, or humiliate others, no matter who is doing it.
There were hundreds of organizations in our city that helped women of domestic violence, and none that helped men of domestic violence.
Someone had to be their voice crying out, their defender against their oppressors, and their light in the darkness.
Call me that dude because I was going to come through every time.
It wasn’t something that I thought about before losing my father, but it had become a precious cause to me in the aftermath of his murder.
“I get that you’re the victim in this; I’m just saying that two wrongs don’t make a right. Get what you’re owed and keep it pushing, my guy.”
Professor Settles’s face turned red in anger. “Whose side are you on, mine or hers? They told me these cases were a special cause of yours.”
“You know that I’m on your side.”
There was just something about this case and his overall demeanor that didn’t sit well with me. I couldn’t put my finger on it, though.
“Then let’s do this.”
I sighed and stood from the bench, where we had been sitting outside of the conference room, and led the way inside.
I took a seat across the table from his ex-wife, Delaney Synclair, and her lawyer, Katina Monroe, before I slid a piece of paper across the table to the attorney and handed a similar copy to Judge Atkins.
I took in Delaney Synclair’s heart-shaped, baby face, the sorrow in her chocolate brown eyes, and the pout on those plump, heart-shaped lips.
The woman was a gorgeous, dark-skinned beauty.
She still had a look of pure innocence about her as if she needed to be protected from predators.
It was hard to align the woman we had drawn on paper with the one who sat before us.
I didn’t want to feel sorry for her, but I did.
“Here’s the settlement we are offering.”
A small moue of disappointment could be seen on Katina’s face as she eyeballed the offer and its terms, but it was Delaney who verbally reacted.
“You have lost your goddamned mind, Clayton Settles! How dare you?” She balked.
Katina shoved the paper back across the table and replied, “This is insulting.” At the same time, she patted Delaney on the arm to calm her down.
We turned to the judge who already had a copy of the proposed settlement.
“Your Honor, considering the circumstances, my client believes that our offer is more than fair.”
“Very well. Let’s discuss this,” Judge Atkins replied.
We settled in for a debate that lasted fifteen minutes before the judge was ready to render his judgement.
“Professor Settles and Ms. Synclair, it is always a difficult day when a couple comes before me looking to dissolve what God has put together. I am from the old school, and I firmly believe that what God puts together, no man should put asunder. Nevertheless, I have a job to do. With all the evidence presented before me and the proposed settlement, it grieves me to declare that this marriage is beyond reconciliation. As a result of that, I will be finding in Professor Settles’s behalf.
Professor Settles lost his job as a result of Ms. Synclair’s actions, and he has no income.
Based on the documentation submitted to the court, he has attempted to find employment but has been unsuccessful, largely based on your efforts to discredit him with his previous employer, Ms. Synclair.
Therefore, selling the house will allow him to recoup some funds to provide for himself for the next year. ”
“But Your Honor,” Katina spoke up.
The judge held his hand up and levied a disapproving glance on Katina before he continued speaking.
“I have heard both sides of the argument, Ms. Monroe. I am prepared to render my judgment, and I expect you to respectfully listen. Now, Ms. Synclair withdrew all the funds from their joint account, leaving him with a zero balance. According to these records, Ms. Synclair sold all of his personal items at a yard sale, and the court is ordering that she repay him the sum of thirty thousand dollars. I read over the statements from friends, family, students, and colleagues regarding Ms. Synclair’s physical and mental abuse against Professor Settles. ”
“Your Honor, these allegations are untrue,” Katina spoke up.
“Be that as it may, we have documented statements and photographs to back up those claims. Your client has nothing.
We also have witnesses testifying on video to the truth of the allegations.
The court is prepared to offer you twenty thousand dollars in damages for lost time at work because of the abuse that you endured, Professor Settles.
It is difficult to ascertain an amount to place on allegations of abuse.
“It is highly recommended that if you find yourself in a similar situation in the future that you report it to the police promptly and exit that relationship. Mrs. Synclair, I am recommending, but not enforcing, that you get some sort of counseling for your abusive behavior. I cannot help but wonder if some of the discord in the marriage came because of your extramarital affairs, Professor Settles. You need to learn the importance of the sanctity of marriage and get therapy.”
My heart tightened in my chest as I watched the tears roll down Delaney Synclair’s beautiful face.
I was torn about whether to feel vindicated that the judge found on our behalf or not.
Delaney was definitely being held responsible for her actions, but I couldn’t help but wonder if the entire story had been told.
Something just wasn’t sitting right with me.
Unfortunately for her, she had no proof to dispute Clayton’s claims, so like me, the judge was rooting for him.
The difference in our perspectives about the situations were simply that I wasn’t sold on Clayton’s story hook, line, and sinker.
I had seen him with various women around the city.
The problem was that I couldn’t say whether or not it came as a result of the abuse, or if the abuse came as a result of his cheating.
Other than that, the man had never done anything to me, but some people you just didn’t like, and he was one of those.
“Thank you, Your Honor. Your decision has been very fair today,” Clayton stated.
“How dare you do this to me?” Delaney snapped.
Clayton sat back in his seat and smirked.
“I did nothing but tell the court what you did to me.”
“No! You’ve lied and got your family and friends to lie too. Tell the truth, Clayton.”
“You heard the judge,” he stated in a condescending tone.
That was more than she could take. Delaney jumped out of her seat and rushed around the table.
She wore a low-cut, red blouse, and her breasts seemed to be fighting for release as she ran.
Thick hips swayed up and down with every movement, and Lord, those curves were more than any one man deserved to have.
“You want to see abuse, I will show you abuse! You abused me for all of our marriage about my weight, my clothes, my appearance, my dialect!”
I jumped up to block her from physically attacking him but somehow ended up with my arms wrapped around her, and the bailiff grabbed Clayton.
Delaney’s soft, cushiony behind pressed against me, and I had to close my eyes for a moment to control my breathing.
Lord, she felt so good pressed against me.
Every thought running rampant in my mind was so wrong and out of order in this setting.
She was the enemy, not some woman I was pursuing to date.
“Get your hands off me!” she shouted, wiggling in my arms and brushing her ass over my dick. I closed my eyes, but I quickly released her as she asked.
The judge ordered her to calm down before he arrested her. This woman, who I found attractive for some odd reason, was bold as hell. Yet, her behavior was distasteful. Looking between her and Clayton, though, I knew something was off.
He had shown me proof that he was a victim of domestic violence. Yet, he didn’t act like one in her presence. I pushed it out of my head, deciding that maybe he was more comfortable in the presence of other people, especially considering he wouldn’t have to deal with her after today.
Clayton tapped my arm and whispered to me when I leaned down toward him.
“Your Honor, my client would like to take out a restraining order on his ex-wife,” I stated.
“Very well.”
She blew up again, but this time, her attorney and the bailiff escorted her from the conference room. I called an end to the rest of my day because I felt a bad headache coming on.
I had only been awake for twenty minutes when the doorbell rang. I set my plate of fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, and collard greens that my housekeeper had made for me aside, and I headed to the front door.
“May I help you?” I asked the short white guy wearing a hoodie and baseball cap at the door. I knew from the packet in his hand that I wasn’t being served, but I wasn’t sure why he was here.
“These are for you.”
“What is it?”
“Evidence that your client lied on his wife or presumably ex-wife.”
“I have dozens of clients. Who are you referring to?”
“Professor Settles.”
“Why are you handing these to me? The matter is over. The judge has ruled, and in case you didn’t realize it, he is my client.”
“Either way, you know he’s no good. I have followed plenty of your cases, and I know that you’re a good attorney.
This is proof that the documents submitted to the court were false.
Proof that Professor Settles propositioned his family, colleagues, friends, and students to lie for him.
They were paid to offer their testimony, and the students and colleagues who participated were women he’s slept with in the past. One of the women who offered her testimony was someone he cheated with in the past. Not only did he pay her to testify, but also to attack him.
Then he paid Dr. Angelo, his long-time friend, to take the photos that were submitted to the court and write a detailed statement about the abuse.
He backdated the information when he put it in the medical records and made it appear to have happened on multiple occasions over the last two years. ”
Fury filled my veins because I hated being lied to, manipulated, or used to further someone else’s gain.
“Who are you?”
“The private investigator who was hired to prove Professor Settles was cheating. Ms. Synclair hired me to find out whatever I could to protect her in the divorce, but I wasn’t able to uncover this information in time. Rather than taking it to her directly, I decided to bring it to you.”
“Why?”
“I’m worried what she might do to get revenge. The woman is hurting, and she’s a woman scorned. You don’t cross paths with a woman like that. Besides, she’s suffered enough hurt, and I don’t want her to get in trouble over the likes of him.”
“I can’t do anything with this information,” I declared, shaking the thick packet he handed me.
“You can share it with someone because you’re no longer representing him; the case has ended. You’re a pretty smart guy. I’m sure you’ll find a way to leverage that information to help Ms. Synclair and to make Mr. Settles pay what he really deserves. Have a nice night.”
I watched as the man sauntered back down my driveway and tipped his hat as a goodbye.
I stared down at the packet, closed and locked the door, and returned to my food. I had lost my appetite, and something told me that I was in for a long night.