Didn't Expect You (Against All Odds #2) - Claudia Burgoa Page 0,37
mud. You lost the Bortner case.”
No, I didn’t lose it. More like I puked, had to run to the restroom, and the new counselor—your nephew—opened his mouth without me being in the room. He lost the case. Oh, by the way, you should stop hiring your family and start searching for good lawyers.
Of course, that’s not what I tell her because I’d like to stay employed for a few more years.
“We were going to settle with the hours the ex-wife was offering us,” I remind her. “This custody case was…delicate. He agreed to go to rehab and stop drinking. He didn’t, and your nephew said, ‘Dude, you smell like a distillery,’ while I was taking a break. You should teach him to keep his mouth shut.”
Yes, I lost the case, but if I’m being honest, I am happy that Joseph Bortner won’t be seeing his children. He’s a raging alcoholic—with money. The guy should stop paying lawyers to get him to see his kids. His wife divorced him because he was abusing her and his children. Get a hint, buddy. I should be defending people like his wife.
“Are you going to blame my nephew for Cathy Eigner’s dismissal too?”
“I emailed you about her case,” I respond, not adding that I was also puking when she decided to fire me.
“Well, we lost the client and she left us an ugly review.”
“Against my advice, she sat down with her soon to be ex-husband and his lawyer to iron out some of the divorce details. I told her not to do it while I was out of town.”
“You shouldn’t be out of town,” she growls.
“I agree, but you sent me to work a case with Edward.” My response is laced with frustration.
I should remind her that his license was suspended a couple of months ago and I’ve been doing his job. We’ve yet to finish with that case.
“Well, you should’ve told me. We have plenty of lawyers who could have represented you while you were helping Eddy.”
My God, the man is almost forty and they still call him Eddy.
I sigh and nod. “Look, Sarah, I’m not sure what you want me to tell you. Losing the Bortner case isn’t the end of the world.”
“You’re on probation,” she announces.
“What?” I ask, staring at her with horror. My stomach twists, and I barely reach the trash can.
I run to the bathroom to get cleaned. Looking at myself in the mirror I repeat. “You’ll be fine. This is just a bug, and that woman is just being spiteful because she’s bitter. You’re going to walk into that office and show her that she can’t intimidate you.”
When I come back, she gives me a pitiful glare.
“This is what I’m talking about,” she states. “You’re unprofessional. Your behavior during the mediation was atrocious. Throwing up, not even going back to the room to apologize...then losing the client. You’re lucky I don’t make you pack your things.”
Deep breaths, Nyx.
Once she’s out I close the door and call my mentor, Pierce Aldridge. If he was still working for the firm, things would be so different.
“Need help killing Edward yet?” he answers instead of greeting me.
“No, but I’m about to quit. Remind me why I need to stay,” I ask.
“You’re next in line to become a junior partner, but… Maybe it’s time to leave,” he says, and I freeze.
“What?” I ask, staring at the phone astonished by his words. “You told me this is worth it. How can you change the speech all of a sudden? Is this you, Aldridge?”
He laughs. “Yes, it’s me. Tell me what happened with my mother, Brassard.”
I explain everything from the litigation to just now and he huffs. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah, I mean…what am I going to do if she fires me?”
“Not about the job, your health. It sounds like you’re sick,” he amends.
“Mom thinks it’s an ulcer,” I comment, not mentioning the other probable causes.
“Go to the doctor,” he orders.
I sigh defeated because I should pack my things and just leave this hell hole. Then again, I need the job.
“As I said, she put me on probation. If I take an hour off, she’s going to fire me.”
“Document everything that’s happening,” he recommends. “If she fires you for any of this, we have a case against the firm.”
“We’re talking about your family.”
“Which is why I’ll represent you for free,” he offers.
“Are you still being held against your will? Because if that’s the case, you can’t do it.”