by Lang, Alice
Power of Attorney
~ A Novel ~
A Greenburg Family: Book One
Alice Lang
Copyright © 2014 Alice Lang
SayAliceLang.com
All rights reserved.
DEDICATION
To my first readers. Without you guys, there would be no book worth writing for.
CONTENTS
DEDICATION
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FiFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
EPILOGUE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2014 Alice Lang
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PROLOGUE
Patrick Greenburg discovered a thing or two about human nature during his career time as a lawyer. One was that people these days get worked up over stupid things. How many ridiculous lawsuits had he dealt with over his ten years at Landers, Seagel & Smith? Dozens, at least. Patrick had seen a man suing a sandwich shop because the foot-long sandwich wasn’t ‘long’ enough (and won). He’d seen a man suing a porn website for his porn addiction (and won). Sometimes, he wondered if his years of extensive study in law school was worth the stupidity he had to deal with. At least used to deal with. Those were the kind of cases he had toiled over before being moved to something much more compatible to his skills. He had no time for those childish games.
Patrick wasn’t just a lawyer; he was a perfectionist. He didn’t believe in the best, but the best of the better. Of course, being good at something, or more specifically a genius at something, always comes with a downside bundle package. In Patrick’s case, it was his people skills.
To his colleagues, he was as quoted from an old co-worker, “A narcissistic bastard who happens to be a genius and the most valuable employee of the firm.” In short, people avoided him, unless they had an important question of course. And quite honestly, that’s the way he liked it. Keeping people at arm’s length was his specialty, aside from being an ‘undefeatable’ attorney.
Work was a completely different matter. He loved to talk about his work, his cases, his opinions on other cases in court. If someone wanted him to talk, they need only ask him about a case. Then, he was an open book.
Patrick took pride in his job; he loved it and was good at it. Perhaps good was an understatement, Patrick was extremely good at it. Which was why people tolerated him in spite of his anti-socialness. He enjoyed the challenge, the ability to turn the board around when it seemed impossible. There was something alluring in surprising his audience in the court, something addicting about watching the opponent hang his head in surrender. Life is full of challenges and surprise after all.
Another thing that Patrick discovered about human nature during his time in the firm was that people love to force things you hate into your hands, just because they could. Some thought that it was hilarious and funny to see his reactions to things he hated.
Patrick never minded the changes within the firm. Merging companies together and adopting fraternization policy? Fine. Landers, Seagel & Smith was going through a transition period, and everyone was losing their shit. He tried not to get involve with the fuss when there are still many high profile cases needing to be won. He never gave much attention to internal gossip bowls, unlike his colleagues who seemed to pull their hair out as soon as the news broke. As long as he could keep his job and continue doing what he did best, the Managing Partner could do whatever he wanted.
But forcing him to have an errand boy? He slammed his fist in frustration. Was someone trying to push – no bash – his buttons? Or were they hinting that he needed help, wasn’t working hard enough? Patrick would have been saved some of this frustration, this second-guessing if he had only been paying more attention instead of being his usual, anti-social self.
It was well known to everyone but him, that the merger required new policy changes. So it came as a surprise when he learned one of those policy change included errands boys. So stupid, Patrick though.
Because Patrick was, “A narcissistic bastard who happens to be a genius and the most valuable employee of the firm,” he always worked alone. He had had this argument with the director of the firm many times …no one ever paired Greenburg with anyone, ever.
His former supervisor already tried, many times, to pair him with all kinds of people -, from rookies to life-long experts. It never worked out, no matter what they tried. As far as Patrick could remember, he had been on his own his whole life, and he wanted to keep it that way.
He learned a valuable lesson from his oh-so-unfortunate life. The only one he could rely on was himself. To make it worst, the errand boy was someone from the other company they were merging, Johnson, Atfield & Clearwater. He had no idea what kind of people he needed to deal with. He didn’t want to find out.
He wasn’t really worried, just frustrated. In the end, this errand boy would leave. They always left. The only person who could stand Patrick Greenburg was…well, himself actually. Because he was one of those people who got worked up over stupid things, and he always forced things others hate into their hands just because he could. He, you could say, was a prick.
What everyone around him seemed to forget was that Patrick was just a human. It’s just that no one ever got to see the other side of him, or, in a poetic explanation, the ‘human side’ of him.
At least not yet.
CHAPTER ONE
Sarah Blake woke up on the third snooze of her alarm, when she accidently (partly intentionally) knocked the clambering hunk of metal from her night stand. It landed with a loud bang that disrupted the peacefulness of her apartment, and she sat bolt upright at the sound. She finally was awake… or at least physically awake. An hour of time difference wasn’t supposed to affect her this much.
No, she knew why she couldn’t fall asleep last night. She felt like a graded student about to go on her first field trip. The nerves in her stomach swirled as she anticipated what was to come. Sometimes, Sarah wondered whether she really was thirty years old.
Law school never prepared her for this, the emotional strength it took to be a lawyer. She wasn’t prepared for the ugly lawyer jokes at cocktail parties, or the judgments so many people made when she introduced herself. She absolutely wasn’t prepared to leave her home.
After only a few years of starting her career as a lawyer, she never thought there would be a day that she had to leave her hometown because her job required her to. She had been told this kind of thing could happen but never imagined it would be this soon. Her firm was merging with another famous one, something no one had anticipated. The next thing Sarah knew, her boss told her she was being moved to another branch in Richmond, Virginia. Apparently, both firms thought it was a good idea to stren
gthen their merger by partnering lawyers from the two firms.
It wasn’t the anxiety of moving or pairing up with someone she had never met that caused her to lose hours of sleep. Actually, it was the complete opposite. She did know who she was going to work with. That was the reason she couldn’t rest. The butterflies were having a boxing match in her gut.
Her apartment was still in a mess after moving. Cardboard boxes laid around her apartment although she had been there for more than a week. She slapped her forehead at the sight of her room and, although exhausted; she started to get ready.
“Really, Sarah. You need a life outside work,” she said to herself in a voice so tired it was barely a whisper Yeah, she needed a life, but who in the world had the time?
One of the realities that she faced after her graduation from law school was that everything you learn in class was only ten percent of what you have to face in the real world. In reality, law work was…repetitive and monotonous, not like the exciting intellectual exercise people often mistaken from a TV series. No, the exciting part everyone saw in the movies was a small percentage of the job they were required to do. In reality, most of her time was dedicated to banging her forehead on a pile of paper that was supposed to be the review of the case. Being a lawyer was harder than studying to become a lawyer by miles.
Looking at herself in front of the mirror, she gave herself a last check. She was rather proud of herself. She never thought she could come this far or do this well in her life. Graduated, for example. She could still remember all the nights of textbook and coffee kettles instead of mugs. Now she was a full-fledge lawyer who was about to go out and start a new day with her new workplace. And more importantly, she was about to meet the person who had become her beacon of hope during the hard times of law school. Patrick Greenburg.
Every young lawyer knew about Patrick Greenburg. His win record was phenomenal, eighty-five percent since the beginning of his career. He was a legend, everyone doubted he was a human being. Even during his time in law school, he was the straight A student of the class.
She saw many clips of him speaking during court. The way he knew what the judge was looking for and how he appealed to the jury was sometimes unreal. It was as if he was the director, and everyone else was his actors, doing things according to the script he devised. The man was the silver-tongued Loki himself, charming everyone with his words. Sarah thought to herself as she looked at the man on the screen, “I would love to stand on the same court with this man someday.”
That became the motivation that drove her forward during all the hard times in law school. The possibility of being like Patrick Greenburg.
If Greenburg was a figure of natural talent, Sarah was a figure of diligence and hard working. She barely made it into law school. Her first exam scores were the bottom five of her classmates. She started at the bottom of the pit and crawled her way to the top with bloody hands and sweat. There were times that she fell back to the bottom, and she had to crawl back up. It was that simple thought that made her through many nights of coffee and textbooks. The dream of standing in the same court with Patrick Greenburg. In the end, she got to where she wanted to be, graduated with the second best grades amongst her peers. She even went through the grudging process of getting licenses from two states. And now, she was achieving what others could only dream of, working with her role model.
“Don’t screw this up, Sarah. Don’t screw up.”
That sentence became her mantra as she made her way to her new firm office, looking confident even with the anxiety pent up inside her. Illinois certainly had different atmosphere compared to where she came from. It looked busier unlike the calmness and tranquility that Richmond gave her.
Sarah looked at her new building in delight. The new Johnson & Smith building could be described in one word, elegant. Her old office was a midget compared to the tall thirty-five story glass building. The new “Johnson & Smith” etched sign stood out proudly on the wall of the reception. Sometimes she wondered if JSS was in the right mind when they decided to merge the firms.
She felt like a fish out of the water. This was the place that her idol was working, and now it would be her place for a long time. Or at least she hoped that it would be.
During the elevator ride to the twenty-seventh floor, her anxiety grew with each level she passed. What would she do when she met her lifetime model? Should she offer a handshake right away? Was it too soon to act familiar?
Ding. The sound of the elevator snapped her out of her thoughts. The noise of busy lawyers typing or talking burst into her ears as soon as the elevator doors opened. No one seemed to notice her as she walked into the office, and Sarah wasn’t sure who she should contact for information. Looking for the least busy person on the floor, she found one lady in her forties sipping her coffee as she looked at her phone contacts. Sarah cleared her throat a little just to make sure that she didn’t sound weird.
“Sorry ma’am,” she stammered but the lady simply lifted her eyebrows and looked at Sarah with a confused expression.
“I just…”
“Oh damn, the new transfer,” the lady mumbled to herself with a monotone voice. Sarah could barely hear it with her mouth so close to the mug. So Sarah tried again.
“I’m sorry, but do you know who can I-”
“Go straight down,” the lady nodded towards the end of the floor. “Sixth door on the right. The name Greenburg is on the door. Knock before you enter. He won’t let you in if you don’t.”
Sarah was dumbfounded by the statement as well as how rude this person was. How did she know that she was supposed to be Patrick Greenburg’s partner? Or more specifically, did everyone here know?
“Thank you very much, ma’am.” Even though she couldn’t shake this uncomfortable feeling off her, Sarah thanked the lady and walked towards the direction she mentioned.
The “Greenburg” etched on the glass slate made her fidget her blazer nervously. This is it, she thought, excitement thrilling through her. This was going to be her dream come true moment. Her knocks were as loud as the thundering beat of her heart. Another hand gripped tightly on her bag’s strap.
“Come in.” She’d heard that voice before, countless times actually. She remembered it from all the hours of videos she had watched. His voice was a deep timber, with a hint of annoyance at this moment.
Her hand gripped the handle hard as she opened the door and … there he was, Patrick Greenburg in his midnight black suit, fiery ginger hair combed back in a neat look. He was reading something, a review of a case perhaps.
The Patrick in front of her was different from the one she remembered. Now that she could see him in person, Patrick looked more…human perhaps. Had she idolized him so much that she gave herself the illusion that he was too good to be a human?
She shook her head briefly, stopping herself from looking like an idiot in front of her role model. She pulled on a casual smile and greeted the man.
“Hello, sir. I know this is a bit sudden, but my name is Sarah Blake.” She tried to swallow down the nervousness when she realized just how fast she spoke. “I’m your new-”
“Yes yes, I know. My new partner. The one I never asked for.” There was a clear annotation of annoyance in his voice made Sarah’s heart fall to a pit somewhere in her body.
Patrick hadn’t even given her a chance, just showed a disinterest to work with her without even looking up from his paper. For someone who always wanted to work with him, that was a blow in the gut. Still, Sarah cleared her throat again and tried to smile even though she could feel the corners of her mouth twitching.
“Anyway, I’m really looking forward to working with you. I admire your previous work and-“
“You need to stop blabbering and sit down,” he interrupted “We haven’t got all day. You told me your name and why you are here already. Skip the pleasantries, you are wasting my time, and these cases need work.” He pointed towards another empty desk that was sitting opposite him. The ta
ble had a stack of paper and a file. Sarah’s mouth was still opened a little. The words she was about to say was still stuck on the tip of her tongue.
What’s with people cutting my sentence today?!
Her mind screamed, a silent echoing in her head. It was only the frown lines on her forehead that gave her frustration away.
“I was just being polite.” Sarah couldn’t help and let it out. She still didn’t move from the spot she was standing from before.
“No.” His eyes never looked off the paper he was reading. He didn’t even glance at her. “You were being a rookie on her first day of work.”
Sarah was gritting her teeth now. This wasn’t how she pictured Patrick Greenburg, her career idol. The man she admired the most, respected the most, turned out to be one of the most insensitive and arrogant people she had ever met. He berated her sincerity and her attempt to be nice and sociable.
The alarm clock that woke her up in the morning seemed to be ringing again in her mind. However, this time, it woke her from the dream she had held on since her time in her law school. It was an abrupt awakening.
She took a deep breath and stepped further into the room, realizing she was acting like a frightened child. Pulling her shoulders back and her chin up, she said, “I can assure you that I worked for three years in JAC before being moved here. I am no rookie. You can look at my resume for my accomplishment. I also graduated with the second highest score in my program.” She quickly fetched her resume from her bag and held it up in the air. Sarah was debating whether she should throw it onto his desk just to make him look up. He was still engrossed in that paper. She had no idea what it was.
“Ah, no thanks. I will be the one judging you and not some professors or your past clients. You are a rookie on my ground so sit down and start working unless you want me to file a complaint to our supervisor on how you refuse to do your task and are delaying the process of justice.”
