Page 52 of Lost Room Lawyer
“Shit, man. That bad?”
Dominic shrugged. “I managed to get out of that chemsex thing without too much damage. That’s the most important thing.”
“You know I’m proud of you.”
“And I’m grateful to you—for the rest of my life. Clarissa doesn’t need to know about this.”
“So you’re shamelessly using her?”
“I see it more as making up for what she did to me.”
“Touché.”
“Go to bed, Rossi.” Dominic stood up and rubbed his tired eyes. “You have work tomorrow.”
“Thanks,” I said, pointing at the sandwich in my hand.
“Don’t mention it. Someone’s got to look after you.”
Dominic disappeared into his room, and I did as he instructed. I finished the sandwich, took a shower, and was in bed by half past two. My thoughts kept jumping between Hector and my new writing project, but despite being so wound up, I fell asleep faster than I had expected.
15
–––––
Nico
Here I was, sitting in a fancy Italian restaurant—dressed in a black jacket and with my hair tied back—trying to make small talk with my father while Hector and his wife were finding a parking spot.
“How’s the internship going?” Leo asked stiffly, his dark green eyes peering out from under his bushy brows, as if he were on high alert.
Since my book had been published, he’d become more paranoid. But the thing that could have been his downfall was long past.
I nodded wearily, trying to convince myself to think of the evening as research. After signing the publishing contract, I wanted nothing more to do with him, and our relationship seemed to have hit a wall. Since I’d given in and studied law, at least my father and I had one topic to discuss.
Studying law was never about repairing our relationship; it was a way to prepare myself for the battle if it ever came to that again.
I just hoped we wouldn’t spend the whole evening talking about work, though I had no idea what else we could discuss. I was counting on Viktoria, as it had always been the women who managed to steer the conversation away from that tiresome topic.
Viktoria.
Hector’s wife.
I felt dizzy and still tingled from Hector’s touch, from when he’d taken me from behind on the couch in his office just before closing time. That had been only two hours ago.
I took a sip of water. “Yes, everything’s going well,” I replied, keeping my excitement in check. “You’ve probably heard about the Canonica case. And then there are a few smaller cases.”
“That’s good. It’s important to have small cases. You should never rely solely on one big one. Small cases keep the engine running.”
“Certainly,” I said, glancing over my glass at my father.
Leo had neatly combed back his graying hair and was freshly shaved. He was dressed stylishly in a tailored suit that must have cost a fortune. But even though he had a similar style to Hector at first glance—or vice versa—there were striking differences between them. Hector had style. Leonard flaunted it. To this day, I was sure that the bulky gold rings on his fingers were there solely to display his power.
When he noticed my gaze, he scrunched his forehead. “What?”
“Nothing,” I replied, turning my attention back to the entrance.
At that moment, Hector and his wife entered the restaurant. Damn, they looked like a celebrity couple on the red carpet—and Hector’s wedding ring sparkled on his finger.
