~*~*~*~
Two months later
David sat back in his chair and swiveled from side to side as his father went on and on. First, he nagged about Howard Ford, a wealthy client who, as usual, was trying to use every loophole to get out of paying taxes.
“He called me. He was very upset with you.”
“I’m not about to land before the Chicago Bar Association because some pompous jerk is trying to circumvent the law,” David said, (although he acknowledged that Ford was not trying to circumvent the law so much as tread on its boundaries to his advantage).
“I wasn’t suggesting you do that. I’m just saying that Jones Law didn’t get where it was by antagonizing our biggest clients. Just go easy. Work with the man.”
David didn’t respond.
“He said your assistant was rude to him.”
David squeezed the bridge of his nose. That was too hard to even consider about Ronnie.
“Rude? How?”
“I don’t know, but you need to look into it. That man has influence. When he leaves, others may follow. This is not about you and your ego. Jones Law employs thousands of people across the country, not to mention the service providers we do business with. You have a responsibility to take care of these people, David.”
Why did his father have the amazing ability to make him feel that if he made a misstep, a hidden mine would go off and bring half the world down with it?
He kept silent while his father transitioned smoothly on to Allan Stanfield.
“I saw Stanfield the other day at a function. He told me he had a bit of a challenge with this same assistant of yours trying to force him to file a Chapter 13 when he should have been filing a Chapter 7. Do you know about that?”
“I am aware she advised him that based on his income levels he should be filing a Chapter 13. It was legitimate advice. He chose to file Chapter 7. It could have gone either way. To say she was forcing him was a bit of an exaggeration. You know how touchy he can be.”
“Yes. I know exactly how touchy he can be, which is why I knew how to handle him. Who is this new assistant anyway? What happened to Tracey?”
“Dad, I told you that Tracey is on leave due to complications with her pregnancy,” David reminded him with patience that rivaled Job’s.
“Well, you need to be careful who is up there assisting you, son. You don’t need to go alienating our biggest clients.”
David remembered Ronnie’s advice about Romans 12. He kept his bottom lip between his teeth to keep from saying what was on the tip of his tongue.
Soon, Darrell moved on to David’s sister, Brianna.
“Can you believe that bastard your sister married ran off with his assistant? Have you ever heard anything so absurd?”
David’s chair-swiveling paused. Darrell kept going.
“Poor Bri is in a state. I know it has really upset her. Why would he do something like that? Brianna is such a beautiful, accomplished woman. He was lucky to have her.”
David quirked a brow but didn’t comment.
Yes, his sister was all those things – beautiful, well-educated, articulate, accomplished. But she was also arrogant, dismissive and self-opinionated. She was a lot like their father, come to think of it. She could never do anything wrong as far as she was concerned. She was perfection personified, and she seemed to think that any man should feel lucky to have her. Having pride in oneself was one thing, being proud was an entirely different matter and Brianna was way too proud. This had translated into her acting like she was the man, the leader, the head of the home. As far as she was concerned, no man was going to lead her. I am woman hear me roar and every feminist mumbo jumbo you could think of fit her like a glove. While it didn’t excuse what Reggie had done, it sure explained why he would have given into the temptation.
David heard a knock at his door and looked up, happy for the interruption. He covered the mouthpiece with his free hand.
“Come in,” he shouted.
Ronnie entered.
“Someone just came into my office. I’ve got to go.”
David hung up the phone and gave Ronnie the once over. She was dressed in a crisp white shirt and a pretty red skirt with white polka dots. What was it with this girl and bright colors? He couldn’t be sure, but it seemed as though since she had joined the firm more people in the office had added color to their wardrobes.
“Good morning, David. I just wanted you to know that everything is all set for the launch ceremony tomorrow.”
The interns had finished up the information on the database the previous week. It was tested and was working fine. Ronnie had told David that Lei Randall had suggested they have a little launch ceremony. He had agreed. Ronnie had hastily pulled it together.
“I bought the interns gifts for their hard work. I’d like you to present them,” Ronnie continued.
Leaning back in his chair, David ran his knuckles over his jaw as he felt a smile of admiration cover his face.
“Sure. That won’t be a problem at all.”
While he had initially had his doubts about Ronnie working on the system for a number of reasons, including her workload, he had been impressed in the days that followed to see that his response had not fazed her one bit. She hadn’t even taken on the task herself as he had expected. Instead, she had made it a project, sought and received his approval for overtime, and enlisted interns to do the work with a couple of legal assistants to supervise.
She turned to leave.
“Ronnie.”
She looked back at him expectantly.
“Thank you. You did an extraordinary job. Jones Law is lucky to have you.”
A hint of red swept over her cheeks, and she looked down shyly.
“It was my pleasure.”
“Have a seat for a minute.”
After Ronnie had been seated, David took a deep breath.
“Howard Ford complained that you were rude to him.”
Her eyes widened. “Rude? How?”
“I don’t know. I was hoping you could tell me.”
She slowly shook her head and threw up her hands helplessly.
“He called here asking for you last week, and I told him you weren’t here. He said he’d been trying to get you for days and then accused me of running interference for you. I advised him that he should make an appointment to see you. He told me to go ahead and set it up. I told him to speak to your secretary about it. That was the extent of our conversation.”
David nodded. He knew that Ford was infuriated with him and was just targeting his outrage at whoever came across his path. He had received Joan’s messages but had ignored them because, for one, he had been swamped, and, for another, he had already advised Ford and hadn’t had the time to spare repeating himself. A lot of it had to do with his conversation with Ronnie two months ago. Suddenly it didn’t seem okay to just ensure he was following the law anymore. He was a little more interested in also being ethical.
“Okay, Ronnie, don’t worry about it. I’ll deal with Ford. There’s something I want you to do for me, though. I’ve been giving it a lot of thought as I saw you in action over the last several weeks. This project you just oversaw convinced me you’re ready. It concerns a merger and acquisition of two airlines. Jones Law has been selected to represent the buyer.”
“An M&A? Sounds exciting. I’d be happy to assist you with something like that.”
“I’m not working on this case. I don’t have the time. I’ll be appointing a team of attorneys to handle it, and I want you to do more than simply assist them.”
“What do you mean?” she asked tentatively.
“I want you to be project manager.”
“Me!” she blurted out, sitting bolt upright in her seat.
“Take your time. I know it’s a lot to digest. Feel free to ask me any questions.”
After a few beats, she asked, “What will it entail?”
“Nothing you’re not used to and nothing you’re not capable of. What it w
ill mean is that I will be diverting your other workload to other assistants and assigning you to strictly deal with and track this merger.”
Ronnie swallowed. “This is quite unexpected.”
“Like I said before, I’ve seen you in action. I love how your mind works. It’s one thing to be able to research a matter and write a brief. It’s quite another to be able to think on your feet and provide workable solutions to problems as they arise. I’ve seen you do that. Not only in practical terms when I assign you a task but also when situations arise and I seek your advice. I have come to really rely on you. I believe you’ve got an amazing future in law and I want to use your talent now. Are you willing?”
He leaned forward for emphasis as he spoke.
“I know you can do it. Do you think you can?”
Ronnie was silent for just a couple of minutes, then she looked up at him and said, “Yes, I am sure I can...as long as I have your guidance to rely on I’ll do fine.”
He broke out in a smile. “So, you’ll do it?”
She nodded. Her smile matched his.
“I will.”
“Great! Now, I’ve got to tell you this is our biggest project to date, set to bring in millions of dollars.”
“No pressure,” Ronnie said drily.
David laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ve got your back. I’m not going to leave you to flounder.”
~*~*~*~
David called Howard Ford early the next morning.
“Hi, Howard.”
“David. You’ve deigned to return my calls I see.”
“Been busy, Howard. Running for election as you know.”
“Too busy to talk to someone who has significantly contributed to your campaign too. Can’t even get two minutes of your time.”
“How can I help you now, Howard?”
“What is this nonsense you guys told my financial controller about not being able to register my new company in the Cayman Islands.”
“Because your company is in Chicago.”
“I’m setting up a company there.”
“A company of one?”
“You are my lawyer, not my conscience, David! There is nothing illegal about what I’m doing. Companies do it all the time. People do it all the time.”
David remembered he had said something similar to Ronnie. Yet, suddenly that rationale didn’t seem acceptable anymore.
“Tax evasion through offshore havens may be widespread, but that doesn’t make it right. We’re in the process of reviewing our policy on that. Sorry you had to find out that way.”
“Any other policies you’re reviewing?”
“The shell companies, you know the ones that only exist on paper, allowing clients like yourself to funnel money through it and avoid paying taxes. We’re reviewing that as well.”
“When your father was running this company, these things were never a problem. He worked with his clients. Showed them ways he could help them get ahead. You now, you seem to be intent on not just being unhelpful but downright hostile. Know what? You continue to review your policies. In the meantime, I will review my loyalty to Jones Law. I will also review my support of your campaign. I have given you tens of thousands of dollars thus far. I’m going to give money to your opponent instead. I’m willing to bet he has more common sense. I’m already seeing that your policies are not likely to benefit me. I don’t think I can do any worse.”
“Feel free to do all those things, Howard.”
The man slammed down the phone in his ears.
David massaged the two pressure points on his temples.
That did not go very well. But what did I expect? There will be push back. From all quarters. Am I really doing the right thing? Is it worth it? It’s really none of my business what he does. He’s right, I’m just his lawyer I can only advise what’s legal.
David bit his lip. Losing major clients and losing significant campaign funds over a moral issue suddenly didn’t seem quite so cut and dry. He could feel himself being tugged in a direction he didn’t want to go. He needed the campaign funds. He needed big clients so that Jones Law could continue to strive, protect jobs, livelihoods. Darrell was right. He had a responsibility to all these people who were depending on him. He couldn’t be reckless.
David ran his hand over his whole face and looked up. Yet, how could he claim to have faith in God and support the wrong things for the sake of money, power, prestige? No, he had to be strong and courageous. God wasn’t calling him to solve the ills of the world. God wasn’t even asking him to be Solomon. God called him to obey Him, submit to His rule.
Again, another voice spoke. It said there were a thousand more like Ford, tens of thousands. Taking a position like that wasn’t going to make a difference. It wouldn’t change the world. They would just take their business elsewhere. So why bother? The end justified the means, didn’t it?
But, no…it couldn’t. It shouldn’t.
Lord, help me. I need Your help.
~*~*~*~
Ronnie was still glowing. She could not believe her good fortune. First, to find herself as executive legal assistant to the CEO of Jones Law, and now to have been selected as project manager to this M&A. She took a deep breath and pressed a hand to her heart. She felt tears burn her eyes for a moment as the weight of God’s love overwhelmed her.
“Oh, Lord. You have been so good to me. I don’t deserve any of this. Please help me do a good job. I’m not sure I’m ready for this, but if you open a door for me, I’m willing to walk through it, confident you will equip me for the task.”
Ronnie placed her new blessing aside to savor later and focused on preparing for the launch ceremony.
Chairs theater-style. Check.
Podium and p.a. system. Check.
Guests present. Check.
Corporate communications officer. Check.
Three members of local newspaper. Check.
Light refreshments. Check.
Three eager, excited interns. Check
Supervising legal assistants. Check.
Lei Randall. Groan.
In one glance Ronnie took in Lei’s form-fitting sleeveless, black dress and shiny black, stilettos. She looked like she was heading out to the clubs. No doubt because she knew David would be present.
David appeared at that moment, and Lei rushed up to him, grabbed his arm and started preening like a peacock. Ronnie shook her head. Did the woman have no pride? She was so obvious, shamelessly flaunting herself before David like so much merchandise.
Ronnie observed him closely, wondering if he would allow himself to succumb to Lei’s flirtatious behavior like so many other men in the firm had.
Far from being enraptured by Lei, however, he barely seemed to notice she was hanging on to his arm like it was a lifeline. His eyes immediately searched for Ronnie, and when they found her, he gave her a brief smile.
Ronnie’s heart soared. She smiled back and approached him.
As he gently disentangled himself from Lei, Ronnie led him to his seat. She exchanged a few words with him, but as she stared deep into his beautiful eyes, she began to notice something that wouldn’t be obvious to the casual observer – David was extremely stressed.
Concern for him immediately overtook her smugness at Lei’s epic fail.
Before she could question him, it was time for the ceremony to commence.
When David came to the podium, he spoke a little about Ronnie’s initiative in drawing the need for the database to his attention. He shared that he’d been hesitant but now saw how it would save time which translated into financial savings, and then thanked the talented team and congratulated them all on a job well done. He then presented everyone with gifts, including Ronnie, Lei, and the other two legal assistants.
Ronnie was surprised to be presented with a gift. She had only told David about presenting gifts the previous day and hadn’t expected him to get her, Lei, and the two assistants anything. Without prompting, he had. What a well-bred gentleman he was.
She went to David’s office to thank him. When he looked up, the first thing she noticed was a line on his forehead.
“David, thanks for the gift. I love it.”
He smiled, and the crease eased up a bit.
“You do? I’m so glad. It’s called the Bohéme Paso Doble. It reminded me of you – classy and colorful. That’s why I bought it.”
As casually as she could, Ronnie enquired, “The others didn’t get the same gift?”
“I don’t know what they got. Joan took care of their gifts. I personally selected yours.”
“Oh,” she squeaked.
Their eyes met, and the air suddenly seemed thick.
Then David cleared his throat and redirected his attention to his computer screen.
“For obvious reasons, of course, I felt your gift should be extra special. You’re the one who recommended the project in the first place.”
Ronnie blinked. “I understand. Thanks again.”
They lapsed into silence, and she noticed him rotate his shoulders. She yearned to give him the massage he had thwarted, but she didn’t dare touch him. Not after that previous rebuff. Besides, given her intense attraction, she couldn’t be sure what her touch would give away. What it had probably already given away.
Instead, she asked carefully, “Are you okay? You seem preoccupied.”
“Forgive me,” David said, his tone subdued. “I’ve just got a couple of things on my mind.”
“I guess your work here as well as your campaign is weighing on you.”
“Pretty much. So, you all set for tomorrow’s meeting?”
She got the impression he was changing the subject, and while it hurt that he didn’t feel close enough to confide in her, she chose to say a pray asking God to comfort him.
“I am. I’m both nervous and excited.”
He smiled reassuringly.
“You’ll be fine. I’ve got your back. I’ll always have your back, even though I may seem really busy from time to time, don’t ever believe I’m not here for you.”
A Case For Love (Royals Series Book 3) Page 11
