pleasantly.
“Everyone, this is Rhys Bannon,” said Lila. “My husband’s twin brother.”
“Yes, we’ve heard quite a bit about you.” Adeline smirked on Olivia’s other side.
“It’s nice to finally meet the rest of the Iron Ladies,” Rhys said, reaching forward to shake everyone’s hands before sitting at the conference table beside his sister-in-law.
“Right, well, let’s just get right to it,” Sunday said, tapping her pen on the legal pad in front of her.
For each case, it was customary for them to hold regular in-person meetings with their client to provide them with a thorough update on how everything was going. It also allowed the girls to keep track of any developments on the client’s side of things. For example, since Olivia was the lead on this case, she was eager to know if Dr. Bannon’s behavior had changed at all in the past week. Had he become worse when it came to his treatment of Lila?
Olivia cleared her throat and smiled warmly at Lila, trying not to focus on the way Rhys’s presence so close to her made her feel more self-conscious than she was willing to admit to herself.
“As you know, the prenuptial agreement indicates very few opportunities for you to divorce Dr. Drake Bannon with a fair settlement,” Olivia began. “One of which is infidelity and the other is physical abuse.”
Lila’s brow creased. She nodded silently while Rhys tensed beside her.
“He hasn’t laid a hand on me other than the usual rough grabbing and whatnot.” Lila sighed. “The kinds of things that the police wouldn’t really care about.”
Olivia frowned. She knew that well. When she was a kid, watching her mother suffer under the violence of her father’s hand, it was an accepted reality that the police were not likely to intervene unless things got extremely serious. It was a systemic issue throughout the country—one that the Iron Ladies were trying to help alleviate in any way that they could.
“Okay,” Olivia replied softly while the others remained quiet. “Thank you for telling us that. So, given that we don’t want to wait for this relationship to escalate to increased violence on the slim chance that the statistics would flip and work in our favor, that really only leaves us with one other viable option. Infidelity.”
Lila nodded along. Rhys was still, watching Olivia speak with a tense jaw. It was apparent that he didn’t like discussing his brother. If that were the case, however, why on earth did Rhys insist on accompanying Lila to this meeting?
“In our last meeting, you indicated that you have suspicions that your husband has engaged in infidelity,” Olivia continued. “Since we aren’t able to gain access to his patient list, and even if we did, approaching them would be one step beyond our personal line of ethics, we have had to get creative.”
“What do you mean, creative?” Lila asked.
“I’ve implanted myself as a new patient at your husband’s practice with the goal of getting him to approach me with an inappropriate offer.”
Rhys flinched. “Wait, what? You’re actually going to sleep with him?”
All heads turned in his direction. Olivia raised her eyebrows.
“You think I sleep with men as part of my occupation?” she asked gently.
Rhys seemed to understand what he was implying and quickly backtracked.
“I just mean…isn’t that risky? My brother isn’t exactly gentle when it comes to going after the women he wants,” Rhys argued. “You should have seen him once he decided that he wanted Lila. It was almost Machiavellian.
Lila placed a hand on his shoulder. “Rhys, they’re professionals.”
“Exactly,” added Adeline. “We’re professionals. Furthermore, every time Olivia attends a meeting with Drake, she’s fully wired and monitored by me. Plus, she’s quite capable of protecting herself.”
“Yeah, she carries a Glock in her purse.” Melanie nodded.
“She’s a perfect shot, too,” said Sunday.
Olivia appreciated her friends defending her honor. She felt disappointed in Rhys. Despite the fact that he was more pleasant than his brother, he clearly underestimated her.
“Anyway.” Olivia sighed. “No, I have no intention of sleeping with Dr. Bannon. All we need is clear evidence of him coming onto me, which is why I’ve been posing as a new client of his.”
“And how many times have you had a session with him?” Lila asked. “You are far too confident to be someone he would target.”
“Just one so far.” Olivia smiled kindly. “The first time I met with Dr. Bannon, it was for a consultation and I posed as a meek, mild-mannered potential client. He is under the impression that I am suffering from anxiety and