“Stop!” Victoria interrupted. “I heard you the first time, and I know you would never do that. Listen, I’ve been thinking about changing a few things. I know this is rather sudden, and I don’t expect an answer from you right now, but I’d love to have you come on board.” Victoria realized she was a bit short of breath and that her heart was pounding. “I couldn’t pay you a lot—not yet—nothing like what you’d get from an established firm, but you’ll be able to try cases and develop work. What do you think?” Victoria finished in a rush.
“I think—”
“Wait, wait,” Victoria insisted. “I said you didn’t have to answer now, so I don’t want you to answer now. We can talk in a few weeks and then if you’re interested, we can chat about the specifics.”
“Victoria, I want the job!” Jenny shouted gleefully into the phone, trying to get a word in over Victoria’s rambling. “Geez, do you always go on and on when you offer someone a job?” Jenny laughed.
“Don’t know,” Victoria answered. “I’ve never offered another attorney a job before. Apparently, I need to work on my delivery. But, Jenny, I really have no idea how much I can afford to pay you. I need to think about it, so I want you to understand that when I figure it out and if it’s not what you want, I’ll certainly understand if you change your mind. I won’t be offended, we’ll still be friends, and I’ll still come to your beach house.”
“Okay, that’s fair. But here are my two conditions. First, I don’t want to move to Chicago. Are you okay with that?”
“I’m more than okay with that. In fact, I’m thinking you’ll give me a perfect reason to open a California office. Renoir Productions wants me to continue working on the next phase of their investor raise. I have a feeling I’m going to be spending more time out there, as they want me on the ground for critical meetings.”
“Congratulations, Victoria! You deserve it. I was going to ask about the trip and how you liked Hong Kong, but it obviously went well.”
“Thanks. It did go well. Armond and I worked together for so many years that we easily found our ebb and flow again.” Victoria winced as the words came out of her mouth, thinking about their interactions, as she’d begun mentally referring to them. “And Hong Kong was eye-opening,” Victoria answered, smiling at her wit. “Before we get off track, what’s your second condition?”
“I want to focus on gender issue cases as much as possible. How do you feel about that?”
“I feel just fine about that. In fact, I think it may lead to a ton of work. But, until you can build that practice and we can get things under control, I’ll need you to commit to work on the matters currently in the firm. Are you okay with that?” Victoria asked.
“Absolutely. I have no issue handling any and all matters you want me to handle. I’m so excited!” Jenny got up off her towel, grabbed her dogs’ leashes, and began to walk down the beach. “You know, there’s no reason I can’t work out of my home until we need an office. I mean, it’s not like clients are dying to go to their lawyer’s office anymore. That would save you a ton of money, and I won’t have to fight traffic to get to an office for no reason.”
“Good point. Let me think about it a bit more, and I’ll get back to you before the end of this week. Okay?”
“Okay,” Jenny answered.
“Now, I need to get off the phone. I have an obscene number of emails waiting for me.”
“Enjoy dinner tonight, and thank you for the opportunity.”
“You’re more than welcome. You deserve every bit of it. Talk soon.”
“Well, boys,” she said out loud to her two dogs, “I’m back!”
CHAPTER
50
HER MOBILE PHONE vibrated: Need to speak with you asap.
Kat read the text and glanced at the diamond-encrusted watch her father had given her for her last birthday. She couldn’t help but smile every time she checked the time. While it was truly a thing of beauty, it was also a reminder of how privileged she was to hold a VP title at one of the fastest-growing development companies in the country. She was also keenly aware that people often whispered behind her back, sometimes not so quietly, that but for her being the founder’s daughter, she’d never have gotten the job. Because Kat recognized the truth in that sentiment, she was consistently hell-bent on proving, to herself and others, she deserved her position.
She picked up her phone and texted: Give me a few minutes. On a call w my attys. A lot of blathering.
“Okay, gentlemen. I’ve had enough. It’s almost noon here. I’m hungry, and I know you’re an hour later on the East Coast,” Kat interrupted. “Let’s break and reconvene in three hours. I want to make it clear that by the end of our call today, I expect a definitive plan outlining the road to trial within the next six months.”
As she expected, the eruption from the other end was loud and uncensored. “Kat, that’s not feasible,” she heard before she hung up.
Kat stood and stepped out of her heels and into her tennis shoes. “Just wait until you hear the next agenda item. You think you’re upset now….” Kat said with a slightly evil look on her face. Picking up her phone, she buzzed Emma, then sat back down to jot a few notes. She wanted to ensure she had all the relevant statistics. Kat saw no reason why lawyers, like every other business person, should be exempt from showing some substantive accomplishments to get paid.
“Done so soon?” Emma came in and sat down.
“I couldn’t take it anymore. They take hours to say what could be said in in less than one. And Robert asked me to call him, so I had a legitimate reason to end the pain. We’re reconvening in three hours, so I need a few things from you before then.”
“Shoot.”
“First, do me a favor and ensure everyone’s on the line before you connect me. I don’t want to waste more time than I have to.”
“Of course. Next?”
“I need some information about this firm: the total number of hours they’ve billed over the life of our company’s case, the average hours billed per month, and the average lawyer’s billable dollars per hour.”
“Will do. Have you told them yet?”
“Nope. I thought it would be the perfect end-of-day announcement. If I tell them now, their Ivy-League heads will get twisted and anything substantive they have to say will take a back seat. I want to wring any and all ideas out of them before I say a word. I have another favor to ask.”
“Okay.”
“Can you stay late tonight in case the call goes longer than expected? I want you to interrupt and get me off the call as soon as they get their balls in an uproar.”
Emma nodded. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Any particular excuse you’d like me to use?”
“Nope. Just come into my office around two hours after the call begins. That way, you’ll be in the room when I make the announcement and I can nod at you when I’ve had enough.”
“Done.”
Kat’s phone began to ring. “It’s Robert again. He’s never this impatient. I’m going to get it. Thanks, and let me see that billing information as soon as you have it.”
“You got it,” Emma said, closing the door on her way out.
“Robert, I was just about to call you back. Can you give me a minute? I’m heading outside to walk a bit before my afternoon schedule kicks in, and I don’t want to talk in the elevator.”
“Sure,” he said and hung up.
As soon as Kat stepped out into the always-humid Houston air, she called him back. “I appreciate that you’re Chicagoan born and bred, but next time, a little small talk before you hang up would be nice,” Kat teased.
“I don’t want to raise your expectations,” Robert said. “Otherwise, you’ll be crushed later.”
“You know, I think you might be developing a sense of humor. What’s up?”
“Well, we need to connect about Victoria’s case. You’ve been MIA, and I’ve needed your help.”
“I’m
sorry and you’re right. I’m trying to move our company’s case against Highline to trial, and my team of high-priced lawyers seems to spend their time—and my family’s money—playing with themselves rather than moving the ball. It’s been frustrating, but things are about to change.”
“Thanks for the visual. If anyone can ruin a man’s private time, my money’s on you.”
“Oh, very good! Another bit of humor from the Mid-west,” Kat responded fondly.
“In any event, if you want my input on anything, you know I’m here for you.”
“I appreciate that.”
“Anytime. After all, I think we’re past the friend zone, don’t you?” Robert fished, annoyed that he sounded a bit desperate.
Kat had no idea how to respond. While they’d thoroughly enjoyed each other the last time she’d been in Chicago, it had been nothing more than a few embraces. She didn’t want that bit of interaction to create a problem between them. “Would you mind if we passed on that topic for the moment? I have a lot on my plate, and I’m assuming you do, too, or you wouldn’t have urgently texted and called me.”
Robert was disappointed but not surprised she’d punted his overture down the field. He knew Kat fancied herself a man’s lady. She’d often talked about how she never intended to get married and wanted to enjoy men the same way men enjoyed women.
“Sure. No problem,” Robert replied, tamping down any emotion he felt. “I had lunch with V last Friday and—”
“How is she?” Kat interrupted. “I’ve been so busy I haven’t even had a chance to talk with her.”
“She’s great. Tired, as you’d expect from the trip, but, other than that, great. Apparently, the trip was a success, and Renoir Productions has already asked her to stay involved in the next phase of the project.”
“I’m glad and not surprised.”
“But we have a problem. I presented our idea about the announcement, and had she not been so exhausted, I guarantee she would have had a fit. The best I could do was to get her to promise she would think about it. So, I thought it would be a good idea for you to weigh in with her before she makes up her mind and we can’t get her to budge.”
“Did you tell her our thoughts on the matter, or did you simply hand it to her?” Kat criticized.
“Listen, Kat. I don’t appreciate the backseat driving,” Robert growled.
“God, Robert, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like that. I was simply trying to get to the bottom line before I have to reconvene with my lawyers.”
Robert sighed. “Understood. Victoria’s concerns are she’ll become national news and gain a reputation that she’s a problem and no one will want to work with her for fear she’ll file suit against them if they look at her crossways.”
“I assume she understands we don’t have the witnesses we need.”
“She knows. She reminded me she already had to start her own firm after she was fired. She’s concerned that if we take this path, her clients or potential clients will stay far away from her, out of concern that either she’s a trouble maker or the focus will be on her in any matter she handles for them.”
“She has a point, Robert. I can’t blame her. It took guts for her to file suit against the firm in the first place. She essentially put her hard-earned reputation against that of one of the largest firms in the world. And let’s not forget what that son of a bitch, Billy, threatened to do to his own mother before our court hearing. I wouldn’t put it past them to run a counter article, ripping her to shreds.”
“If they did that, we’d be in court filing a defamation suit,” Robert responded.
“But the damage would be done. What company is going to hire a lawyer that’s in the national news in a negative way? Maybe she’s right and we simply have to think of another way.”
“I’ve handled these cases for almost twenty years now, and without a doubt, the biggest asset the abusers have is their accusers’ fear their accusations will become public knowledge. Victoria can be one of the rocks that begins to break the dam of fear. If she goes public, then others will.”
“I completely agree with you. But again, what happens to the women, like V, who step ahead of the curve? Do they need to give up their careers? That can’t be the answer. Let me think about it. I’ll call you back.” Kat hung up and walked through the park to her favorite bench. Watching the kids run through the fountain and listening to their happy squeals, she let her mind drift. Sitting quietly, she felt the breeze and watched the water shoot up into the sunny sky until the drops morphed into glittering crystals. Then, she smiled, stood, and walked quickly back to her office.
* * *
Emma poked her head into Kat’s office. “They’re all on the line.”
“Thanks. Don’t forget to get me off the call a few minutes after I announce their new fee arrangement.”
“No worries, I’ve got my alarm set for two hours from now. If you need me any sooner, just send a text.”
“Okay. Oh, one more thing, and it’s critically important. I just sent you an email with a list and a few instructions. Work on getting as much of that information as you can to me by the end of the day. Then, call Armond and my father and find out if they, or anyone they know, have connections to the decision-makers at those companies. Tell them I’ll fill them in later tonight.”
“Will do. Have fun!”
“Actually, I think I will,” Kat responded, deciding it was about time she exerted control over the litigation. She was intimately familiar with the concept of return on investment from all her years working in her family’s real estate development company, and the ROI on this investment was in the shitter. “Time for a rude awakening, boys,” she said before she picked up her line and connected to the call.
CHAPTER
51
IT HAD BEEN two weeks since Victoria had returned from Hong Kong. Blessedly, she’d finally slept through the night and not experienced what had become a routine and unwelcome midnight shot of adrenaline.
I’m finally beginning to feel normal again. Well, at least like myself, if not normal, she thought and laughed at her wit. “Maybe I should have been a comedienne,” she said out loud as she doodled on her legal pad and waited.
“Um, let me disabuse you of that thought,” Robert said as he rushed into his conference room and shut the door. “There is nothing even remotely funny about you,” he finished sarcastically.
“You know, I do have some amusing thoughts. I just don’t share them with others.” Victoria cocked her head back a bit recognizing she sounded like a recalcitrant child.
“If you say so.” Robert smiled and sat down. “Ready?”
“Always.”
Robert connected the call. “Hey, Kat, sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Hi guys. Listen, I hate to rush this along, but I have an unexpected change in my schedule. I have only about thirty minutes, so no time for chitchat,” Kat answered as she put her end of the call on speaker.
“No worries,” Victoria responded.
“Okay, the purpose of the call is to discuss ways to obtain evidence to support Victoria’s case,” Robert began. “Just to recap, they’re refusing to turn over personnel files and we’ve received scant information about the women that left the firm. As you both know, but for a few names, my investigator came up empty-handed and has now apparently gone out of business. So that traditional investigative avenue is closed for now. We’ve already spoken to the women he found and each of them claims she left voluntarily, all for various reasons, and that she had no bad experiences with the firm. At this point, we’re left with Victoria’s word against that of the firm and these women.”
“Don’t forget about Armond,” Victoria interjected. “He’ll testify to what happened to me.”
“He will,” Robert agreed. “But he’ll only be able to testify to what he knows. Unfortunately, he has no information about what the Troika was doing, or planning to do, about you or other wome
n behind the scenes. So we need to show a pattern and practice of conduct toward women to prove our case.”
“Yes, but he can testify to the quality of my work and that I was not the one who created the apparent secret process that resulted in slow paying claims, can’t he?” Victoria insisted.
“Of course, and he will. But let’s be realistic about his testimony. On the positive side, he’ll certainly say you were given a yeoman’s assignment of launching a new insurance company. We’ll have him describe all the work you did in order to turn what was just a twinkle in the investors’ eyes into a full-fledged, profitable company. He’ll then go into meticulous detail about your creation of the claim review process. Unfortunately, he’ll also have to testify that something went wrong with that process and claims weren’t being paid, but stalled. None of us can say how or why that happened yet. Because you were in charge of it and it went to hell in a handbag supports the firm’s decision to fire you.”
“This is ridiculous!” Victoria fumed. “You mean to tell me that, after a year of litigation, the only evidence we have is a group of women who loved the firm and chose to leave of their own accord and one of my best friends who will testify that I was in charge of the process that ended up screwing thousands of people?”
“Not quite. We have at least one witness who works at the insurance company who will testify that the process you put into place is not the one executed and that the claims department received countervailing directions.”
“Who is the witness? Michelle?”
Robert nodded. “She’d been trying to get in touch with Kat and me, and she was smart enough to retain a lawyer to help protect her from any potential retaliation by the insurance company. She’s fully on board to testify.”
“Well, that’s good news. She’s rock solid and smart, and we had communications back and forth while she was getting those emails. She tipped Armond and me off. I just wasn’t smart enough to see that I was going to be blamed.”
Private Agendas: A Victoria Rodessa Legal Thriller Page 21
