Page 5 of The Boyfriend List
I have a list. A plan.
All I need now is to meet a guy who fulfills every single one of my boyfriend list qualities.
How hard could it be?
Chapter One: Gloria
“Miss Romero, Gem Corp is being sued for failing to pay taxes to the state of California. How can you argue that Gem Corp is not at fault?” London steeples his fingers under his chin as he gazes at me from across the room, his dark eyes steely.
“Mr. Young, it makes no sense to sue Gem Corp when the real entity at fault is the director, Marcus Stanley.” I square my shoulders as I face London.
“But Marcus Stanley is a director and part of the controlling mind of Gem Corp. Couldn’t you argue that because he represents Gem Corp and has directors’ liability for his actions, his crimes are Gem Corp’s crimes?”
“In this scenario, the fault lies with Mr. Stanley. He made the decision as financial director to embezzle money set aside for tax remittances into his personal savings account. He then redirected his personal savings into a tax-free savings account, which yielded dividends and capital gains that he used to pay employees’ salaries.”
“Don’t you think Gem Corp is still responsible because they indemnified Mr. Stanley? They paid for his legal bills.”
“They have paid for his legal bills in the past when he was accused of embezzlement, but not in this case. Mr. Stanley also paid for the fines from not paying the corporation’s taxes out of his personal savings, not from the company’s shareholder equity.”
“Therefore you argue that this was a personal venture for Mr. Stanley, not related to his work at Gem Corp?”
“Yes, Mr. Young. I do.”
“So you refuse to pierce the corporate veil in this case of tax evasion by a major corporation.”
“I refuse to lay the blame where it does not lie—in this case, I believe Mr. Stanley alone is responsible for the crime of tax evasion and misuse of company funds. We must hold him personally liable.”
Giorgio raps a makeshift gavel—formed out of a pencil stuck inside a round pencil sharpener—on the desk. “Hear, hear!”
I half expect him to have on a judge’s wig made out of a mop. Giorgio is one of my most eccentric coworkers. That’s saying something considering we also work with Reggie, a senior citizen who’s covered in tattoos and banned from several countries for reasons we still don’t know.
London and I stare each other down for a moment. His expression is as cool and collected as it always is when he’s working. Although he’s a tax lawyer, he’s helping me prepare for my corporate law case coming up in a few weeks. In my few years working at McMann and Ma, I’ve never lost a court case and I don’t want to start now.
“I hereby declare that Gloria is the winner of this match,” Giorgio declares, rapping me lightly on the shoulder with his pencil sharpener-gavel like he’s knighting me with a sword.
“Thanks, Giorgio.”
“Of course, milady.” Giorgio tips an imaginary hat to us. Of course, he’s dressed in a suit—like his cousin, Prince Kostas, he probably never leaves the house in anything other than tailored Armani. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have more work to do.”
“See you around,” London and I both say at the same time, as Giorgio leaves.
I plop down on the wooden table across from London’s side of the room. Our law firm is styled in a mishmash of traditional and modern styles. This room gives eighteenth-century vibes. Dark wood panels cover the lower half of the walls, next to emerald green, leafy wallpaper. Cushy leather Queen Anne chairs flank the wooden tables, while a damask-patterned rug cushions our feet.
“So, how was Raina’s party on Saturday?” London asks, closing his laptop. “It must’ve been a lot of fun, since I didn’t hear from you all weekend.”
London and I have gotten a lot closer since Raina got married. She splits her time between Dorapolis and LA for her acting career. However, travel was rough on her in her first trimester, so she stayed in Dorapolis.
This weekend was the perfect excuse to hang out with my best friend and celebrate with her. She’s married, and soon she’ll have a baby. Meanwhile, I have a successful career as a corporate lawyer but I can’t even get dates with men named Jeb. The contrast isn’t lost on me.
“It was so much fun. Dorapolis is beautiful, and it was so good to see Raina again. I’ve really missed her.”
“I’m glad you guys enjoyed your time together. Do you think you’re ready for court next week?”
“I’m always ready.” That’s true. I usually prepare weeks in advance for cases, and when I don’t have a client, I’m typically reading up on the latest corporate advancements or changes in the tech market. Raina teases me that I’m the kid who asks the teacher for more homework.
“You’re going to do great,” he assures me. London’s brown eyes meet mine with the depth and sincerity they always have, since we met in our biology lab years ago and he told me there was no way I was going to fail the midterm.
I’d been exhausted after cramming all night for the exam, since biology had never been my strong suit compared to social sciences and the liberal arts. London had taken one look at me, and handed me my favourite bubbletea order and a cheat sheet with notes written on it in his perfectly neat handwriting. Then he’d squeezed my hand, and told me I was the smartest person he knew. What he doesn’t know about that moment is that it’s the instant I fell for him. Hard. I also passed the biology midterm with a B-minus, thanks to rereading his cheat sheet five times before the exam began.
