The Royal Contract

Chapter 924: Sniff a story

She stepped out of the death trap, elated that she would live another day. The elevator seemed it had seen its better days and should retire soon enough. Luckily, it was just a few floors, or she might die of a heart attack every time it seemed to hit a bump.

It took her and her manager a while to find his office, even if they had his address. Well, her manager did not think they were in the right place upon seeing the condition of the dilapidated warehouse and the location. She thought they had made a mistake.

“Let me handle this.” Serena heard her companion say, but unlike her, Nora had no patience in waiting in line, seeing the long queue ahead of them.

Judging from the clothes most were wearing, the clients were not what most giant firms would represent. This firm seemed to center more on the middle and low-income groups and some marginalized sectors.

“No. We will wait for our turn.” She stopped her, not wanting to cut in just because they could.

All these people went here for assistance, just like her. And not because she was somebody famous that would make her concerns more important than theirs. They would sit here the whole day if necessary until it was their turn to meet up with a lawyer.

“We can’t waste our time sitting here.” Nora pointed out the many people who probably had been sitting there for an hour or more.

.....

“You are welcome to leave if you need to be somewhere else.” She told her manager as she moved toward the end of what seemed to be a line.

Then, she sat down with the other clients while she waited for her turn. It was her fault. She did not make an appointment ahead of time. Though she did not mind, at least this time, she did not experience preferential treatment.

She sometimes liked to experience what an ordinary person would go through in their everyday life. Honestly, it gave her a better perspective of how someone else lived.

True, she sometimes used this experience in her job. It was hard to portray a scene if she did not know what it was like to be in that position. Experience would always be the best teacher and a great way to learn.

“Ser...” Nora stopped before someone else heard her name. “You know I can’t leave you here alone.”

She had to use another of her disguise so that other people would not recognize her. They did not want people to fuss over her because she was a celebrity. Besides, once the word that she was in a law firm, the media would not be far behind.

She was still at the top of her game. Her recent movie just hit the top of the box office chart. But she wondered if it would still be the same after this case.

“Then, sit quietly with me.” She ordered as she watched the distressed faces of the other clients waiting for their chance to talk to one of the lawyers here. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ ɴovel(F)ɪre

She noticed several lawyers around, but she still had to see hers. Then, a receptionist handed them a form, asking them if they were here with a particular lawyer in mind.

“I am here to see, Mr. Adam Mason.” She kept her eyes hidden in her sunglasses and most of her hair covered in the scarf she wore. She just hoped no one would recognize her as she sat in a crowded room.

“We will call you once he is available.” The woman said, but the other woman kept looking at her face. She could only wonder if she recognized her. She hoped not.

After a few minutes, she had her answer. Another woman escorted them inside the other room and into the end of the hallway. The receptionist recognized her and decided that they should not keep a client like her waiting. Soon, they were sitting across from him.

“If you are that good, why are you working in this crappy place?” Nora questioned as her eyes roamed around the room and looked at the dilapidated warehouse that her new lawyer occupied.

She still could not believe that Serena would choose to come into this place. Who was this lawyer that insisted on working on her case? She initially thought they would meet with Serena’s brother or a partner, knowing he owned a large firm.

But she doubted this was the firm David owned, seeing that it was not at par with the other firms representing most of her talents. She would not bring her cases to this place if she had any other choice.

“I am sorry for coming here without an appointment. But we can wait until you finish with your other clients.” Serena kicked her in the foot, speaking up, interrupting her manager from making more of her snide comments.

She understood this place was not where their usual lawyers had conducted business with them. But Serena did not see any problem with it. It might not be world-class, but in a way, it still looked presentable.

Her only complaint would be the old elevator that needed some major work. Besides, she believed she liked what Adam had done to this place.

“It is nice to see you, Ms. Anderson.” Adam greeted her, ignoring the other woman’s clear insult of his workplace. He did not plan to justify her words by answering her question.

He quickly offered them a seat and introduced himself. “I am Adam Mason, and you are?” Addressing the other woman accompanying Serena. He did not like how she belittled him, but he still needed to show respect.

“I am Nora, the manager.” She firmly shook his hand but made it short. She was a woman who never liked beating around the bush. “So, what are we looking at here?” She always struck at the middle, not a fan of wasting time. “What would you suggest?”

However, Nora did not like what she had seen so far. It was not just a trashy place. But she had not heard of this man. She could not tell if he was good at this or not.

She could recommend several top lawyers, who could defend Serena, but why did she pick this man? She could not picture the reason why. Was this man that good?

But honestly, she could see the appeal, looking at the face and the physique of the man before her. He could be a model or a star, minus the cheap suit and the old shoes. Still, his accomplishment and the firm remained questionable.

“Of course, it will all depend on you, Serena.” Adam pointed to the famous star as they settled on his desk to discuss the case. “We have two options for now. We can try to settle this out of court if that is what you want or battle it head-on inside a courtroom.”

He looked at his client and her manager, gauging what they wanted. But basically, he only needed Serena’s decision, but sometimes, he could not discount the manager’s influence on her talent.

“If we go to the negotiation table, we can avoid a messy trial and prevent the press from making a spectacle out of this story,” Adam explained to her their situation.

However, that would limit the impact of the case since they were letting him free by settling for a fee. What was money in this case, but nothing but a commodity in abundance against the accused?

She would not get the justice she wanted because the abuser would be set free with just a penalized payment. His name would remain intact, and the entire incident would disappear and get buried as if it did not happen.

On the other hand, Serena would not have to go through the trouble of being tried by the masses. She could avoid the public trial, which could go either way.

He was sure many would not side with her in this one since their opponent also had his supporters. It would not be a simple trial of what happened recently but the unearthing of all their past. And he could already foresee that it would not be pretty.

“If it is my choice, I suggest we settle this out of court and protect your career if possible.” Nora looked at Serena, wanting to convince her that was the better choice.

Once this went to court, there was no question that the media would have a field day in this case. It would be a battle of not just two people but the entire world.

Nora had adored Serena since she took care of her career. She was not hard to manage and great at her job. But her personal life was a mess. It was the only drawback in managing her career.

“But if Elliot denies all charges against him, we will have no choice but to take this to court.” Adam needed to prep them with all their options. At the end of this trial, she was the only one who would face the final result.

“So, this would become a media circus,” Serena stated in her conclusion, suddenly wondering if she was making a mistake of even coming here.

She wanted Elliot to pay for what he did to her, but digging up her past was not part of the bargain. Could she face them again, all the things she had buried and hoped never to be reminded of again?

It seemed that was the price of going through with this.

“We can ask the judge to put a gag order about the proceeding, but most often than not, the case still finds its way to the press,” Adam informed them of the possibility.

Therefore, he could not promise that this case would remain private. In his experience, the press had always found a way to sniff a story, even if they hid it carefully from plain sight.