you made him earn his own living. Maybe they’ll even respect him for it. Let me ask you this, did you know he was cheating?”
“Excuse me?”
“You were out building your companies and he was screwing around behind your back. Did you know?”
“Of course I didn’t know. Do you think I would let him make a fool of me like that?”
“Then why are you allowing it now? If he takes half of everything you own, how does that make you look?”
“Anna-“
“No, Robert,” I snapped, because I was looking out for this woman. She was getting royally screwed and it wasn’t fair. “Your husband made a fool of you, Rebecca. He took advantage of the fact that you loved him unconditionally and that you were swamped with work. And now when everyone finds out, you’ll be the laughing stock of the city, because he’ll walk away with half of everything you own, and you’ll have to pay him a buttload in alimony because he hasn’t worked in over a year.”
Silence filled the table, and I wondered if I had taken it too far. Pointing out that she would be laughed at was maybe a little harsh, but it was necessary.
“It’s really simple, Rebecca. I’m not a lawyer. I don’t know how all this works, but I do know that he’s taking more than just your money. He’s taking your hard work, your passion and your drive, and he’s making a mockery of you. But if you go along with Robert’s scheme, you come out on top. You win and you make that bastard pay for ever thinking he could screw you over. Because if things were reversed, you know he would take every dime from you.”
Robert
I watched her fire off at Rebecca and hid my smile as best I could. She was fucking amazing. I knew she was flying by the seat of her pants and pure emotion. Part of that emotion was probably directed at me. I had fucked up her life and now I was paying the price for it. I was just happy that at least in this case, she was on my side. If she went back to school, she would be one hell of a lawyer. She was passionate and it showed as she shot off her opinion to Rebecca.
I was shocked at how much she remembered from going over notes last night. I hadn’t expected her to remember all that, let alone be able to recite it so easily to Rebecca. Now I understood why Eric needed her so much in the office. She was awesome.
Rebecca sat there for a moment taking in everything Anna had just said to her. I could tell that she still hated the idea of moving, but there was also a gleam in her eyes that hadn’t been there before. She was ready to decimate her husband and now she knew how to do that.
“Alright, I’ll agree to the move and proceed as you advise me.”
“Thank you,” I started, but she interrupted me.
“But I have one condition.”
“Of course,” I nodded.
Rebecca looked at Anna and grinned. “I want her on the team.”
“What?” Anna shrieked in surprise. “Oh no, I’m not…I don’t- you know, you should really think about using your actual attorneys.”
Rebecca tilted her head and stared her down. “I don’t want just my attorneys. I want you. You’re the one that convinced me this was the way to go, and it takes a lot to make me want to do anything that I’m completely against. So, either she stays on the team, or I’ll find a different firm and just use your strategy.”
Shit. I glanced at Anna, but I couldn’t tell what she was thinking. If she decided not to do this, then all that work, leaving her over the weekend was all for nothing. I thought of my boss, and I knew exactly what he would think. Anna was part of the deal or this was over.
“Anna?” I asked quietly.
She looked at me with wide eyes and shook her head slightly. I was going to lose this deal. She swallowed hard and stood. “I’ll agree to stay on, but you have to sign with the firm right now or I walk.”
Rebecca grinned and held out her hand. “Show me where to sign.”
As Rebecca headed for the elevator after coming back to the firm and signing the paperwork, I stared at the amazing woman beside me. I couldn’t have done this without her. She really got to Rebecca when the rest