time. The rest of our fortune came from Mama’s inheritance.
“I’ve always wondered about that. Didn’t you start out in corporate law too, Mr. Taylor?” I asked. His eyes sliced at me like a knife, as if I’d accused him of murder right there at the dinner table. “What made you decide to switch to criminal law?” I grabbed the roll on my plate before taking a large bite, butter trailing down my chin as I spoke with my mouth full to really piss off Mama. “I recently learned in my Government class that it’s not as fiscally rewarding.” I reached for my glass to take a long sip of water to wash the glorious carbs down as Godfrey went rigid beside me. I didn’t think anything of it—Godfrey got worked up over nothing. But within moments, his hand was clamping down on my thigh, squeezing tightly in warning. I sunk my hand under the table to squeeze him back—and I did it harder.
“Since when are you interested in law, Scarlett?” Mama asked with a tittering laugh. I turned to look at her and took her rosy cheeks as a sign that she was already tipsy. Maybe I could sneak a second roll without her giving me a lecture about it later.
“I’ve been looking into the pre-law program at Harvard. Been debating on following in Daddy’s footsteps.”
At my explanation, Mr. Taylor relaxed, but Godfrey kept his hand firmly on my leg, undeterred. He knew I was full of shit. “Oh, Miss Livingston, the courts are no place for a woman,” Mr. Taylor said with a condescending chuckle before sipping on his whiskey on ice. “And to answer your question, I find the criminal courts to be titillating. It’s more fun, you see. More twists and turns.”
“I guess that proving guilty people are innocent would be an adrenaline rush,” I quipped as Godfrey dug his fingernails into my skin. It hurt like a bitch, but I didn’t let it show.
At that, Daddy dropped his silverware to glare at me. I was treading dangerous waters, going head-to-head with a shark. I was feeling reckless and careless. What was the worst he could do? Have the Heirs take me out? Maybe I’d be another clean up job. That thought made my hatred for Godfrey’s daddy deepen. How dare he sit there, pretending to be a model citizen, husband, and father, while he constantly destroyed evidence, bribed, blackmailed, and forced his son to do his dirty work.
If Mr. Taylor was affected by my comment, he didn’t show it. Guess he really was that good. You had to be in his line of work. “First rule of being a lawyer, Scarlett. All your clients are innocent.”
“And the lawyers?” I shot back. “What about them? Shouldn’t they be held accountable?”
Mr. Taylor let a slow smile spread across his face, like I just hit his shit list, and he couldn’t wait to destroy me. The expression made my heart beat faster. His eyes flicked over to his son, and I felt Godfrey’s fingers dig even deeper into my skin. “See? This is why women don’t belong in the courtroom,” he said, making our parents chuckle nervously. “Isn’t that right, Godfrey?”
Godfrey’s voice was flat as he answered. “Yes, sir.”
I was forced to clear the table by myself, since Mama gave me her evil eye, clearly unhappy with what I’d said at the table, but I didn’t care. My temporary truce with the Heirs had me feeling invincible lately. She was quick to divert the conversation away to superficial shit, and I tuned them out for the rest of the dinner. Godfrey didn’t speak once.
When dinner was done, they all left to drink coffee and eat the cake Mama bought from the bakery on fifth street in the formal sitting room. I opted to wash dishes instead of stroke Mr. Taylor’s ego. When I finally finished cleaning up, I wiped my hands on the dishrag and headed in the opposite direction, towards the stairs. I was done visiting for the night. I just wanted to crawl in my bed and attempt to sleep. I was half tempted to call Luis and Bonham again to have another sleepover, but that would mean going back on my word to not put up with their shit. I spent the week following their rules but keeping them at a distance, feeling that familiar pang of loneliness, but ignoring it. Sometimes a girl had to cling to her pride.