6. Cassandra Walker
Alyssa had done her job and cleared my calendar like I’d asked, but the press interview had still put me behind, so it was nearly eight by the time I pulled up to the restaurant for my celebratory dinner.
Chez Guillaume was the only Michelin-starred restaurant in Silent Hollow. Edmund and Vivian had bought out the space, and the entire firm had shown up to take advantage of the luxury dining experience.
The restaurant had polished concrete floors, and the ceiling was adorned with massive chandeliers that were a modern take on fixtures prominent in the Victorian era.
Lawyers, paralegals, and administrative staff were mingling throughout. Groups of well-dressed people stood with crystal wine glasses before a large moss wall on the far side of the room, and there was an open-concept kitchen where patrons could watch the chefs prepare meals.
I forced myself to smile as I strode into the dimly lit space.
The moment I entered, everyone stopped talking, and the entire restaurant erupted into applause.
“There she is! The woman of the hour!” Edmund said loudly, stepping away from where he had been conversing with Vivian at the industrial-style stone wine bar.
“Hey, Edmund,” I grinned, reaching out to take his hand for a firm, but friendly shake.
Edmund Sinclair was in his late fifties. He was fit for his age, with salt-and-pepper hair and a kind face.
A surprisingly kind face, for someone who had ruthlessly clawed his way to the top and built a law firm from scratch.
I liked Edmund, and I wanted to impress him for more reasons than just my own growth. I’d never had any real parents, but if I’d ever had a father, I imagined he would be like Edmund.
“Cassandra, so glad you could make it.”
I laughed. “Would be pretty arrogant of me not to show up to my own victory dinner.”
His eyes flashed, and his smile widened.
“I wouldn’t put it past you.”
“Cassandra.” Vivian approached, her own lips tilted in a proud smile.
“Hey, Viv.” I grinned at her, and she handed me a glass of wine. “Excellent work with the Steele case. You’ve successfully turned some heads.”
I winked at her. “I don’t turn heads, Viv. I break necks.”
Vivian laughed, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. “Such a quick tongue on you.”
“You have no idea,” Nolan purred, coming up to join us. My mood immediately darkened.
I shot him a glare, but he just smirked and shrugged.
Ew. The audacity of him making a sex joke when the only time we’d ever fucked he’d failed to get me off?
What an absolute spoon.
Edmund chuckled softly, but he gave Nolan a stern look.
“Let’s keep it respectful, we have a very important prospect here, and being that he’s a reverend, I’m not sure such salacious jokes will be well received.”
Nolan had the decency to look appropriately chastised, just as Vivian waved someone over.
“Ah, here he is now. Reverend Sterling! So glad you could make it. Come, I’d love to introduce you to our star attorneys, Cassandra Walker and Nolan Cross. If you choose to sign with Sinclair and Morrissy, these two will be representing you.”
I glanced up to see a tall, stern man with white hair and a deeply lined face approach.
His steely grey eyes slammed into mine, and there was a brief flicker in time.
Our introduction was akin to two predators crossing paths in the wild, and for one long, pregnant moment, we stared at each other.
Like recognized like.
And that was all it took for me to clock this man as a psychopath.
‘This one we should definitely kill,’ my monster hissed softly in my ear, and for the first time in a long time, I almost agreed with it.
Judging from the curl of the Reverend’s lip and the look of disdain he gave me, he thought himself the more dangerous of the two of us. That realization made my own lip tilt up in response.
The arrogance of men was often the instrument of their downfall.
I knew what he saw when he looked at me. It was exactly what I wanted the world to see.
This man probably thought I was some wealthy, high maintenance brand-whore with a trust fund.
He had no idea he was looking at a diagnosed psychopath who had slit her own mother’s throat at the tender age of thirteen.
I might not know this man’s story, but I was almost certain that out of the two of us, I was the more lethal.
Nolan blinked next to me, his eyes darting between us as he picked up on the tension. Clearing his throat, he broke the silence by reaching forward and extending a hand.
“Hello, Reverend. I’m Nolan. Nolan Cross, and this is the infamous Cassandra Walker. You probably recognize her from her work on the Steele case? She’s been all over the news these past few weeks.”
Without taking his eyes off me, Sterling shook Nolan’s hand.
I offered mine next, but the man didn’t take it.
Rage and indignation curled in my gut, and I glanced at Edmund and Vivian, raising an eyebrow in question.
Vivian’s expression was painted with her fake-ass client-facing mask, and she gave me a tight smile.
“Reverend Sterling doesn’t shake hands with women. It’s against his code of conduct.”
Jesus fucking Christ.
My teeth hurt from how hard I was grinding them.
“Yes,” the man drawled, his thin lips pursing into a firm line. “It’s one of the many reasons these allegations are absolutely ridiculous.”
“Of course,” Nolan said next to me, his own client-facing mask firmly in place. “And we’d be honored to be the team you count on to defend you.”
I couldn’t bring myself to say anything, despite the fact that Nolan left me space to do so. He looked at me expectantly, but I was worried that if I moved, I would snap this man’s neck in front of everyone.
Sensing that I wasn’t going to be able to add anything of value to this conversation, Nolan took over again, tilting his head to the bar.
“Care for a drink, Reverend? Come, whatever you want is on the firm tonight.”
The man nodded, shooting me one more contemptuous look before following Nolan to the bar.
Once they were gone, I whipped around, glaring daggers at Vivian and Edmund.
“Is this a fucking joke?” I hissed.
Vivian rolled her eyes, and Edmund laughed softly.
“Surely even you know jokes are supposed to be funny, Cassandra. No, this is not a joke.”
“He wouldn’t even shake my hand!” I snapped at Edmund, but it was Vivian who reprimanded me.
“He didn’t shake mine either when we met with him a few days ago, Cassandra. Stop taking everything so personally.”
I was seething, but I knew better than to argue with them. We were lawyers. Not peacekeepers. It wasn’t realistic to expect to only work cases with clients you liked or thought were innocent.
You needed to represent whoever had enough money to cover your damn retainer. I’d been lucky so far with my cases. I hadn’t had to represent anyone I found truly reprehensible, but it looked like that was all about to change.
“I’m going to go mingle,” I muttered, working against every fiber of my being that was screaming at me to just slit that man’s throat and be done with it.
‘How much simpler your life would be if you would just listen to me,’ my monster muttered testily, but as usual, I ignored it.
“Enjoy, Cassandra. You’ve earned it,” Edmund said, his tone warm.
I gave him a professional smile and resisted the urge to tell him I would enjoy it a lot more if he would just make me partner already, but I bit back that urge too.
Even I knew when to hold my tongue, and this wasn’t the time.
This event was for me; it wouldn’t do me any favors to appear ungrateful. So, I kept my mouth shut and melted into the waiting crowd to make my rounds.