Page 43 of Lost Room Lawyer
“Why not?”
I squirmed in response to such a simple question and tied my hair back again. In the end, I gave up and shook my head. “My father isn’t very pleased with the book.”
“I don’t understand. Has he read it?”
“Have you read it?” I countered.
“I’m working on it, but … there are quite a few pages.”
Hector was sweet. He sounded almost like a little kid. “Once you meet Luciano, you’ll understand what I’m talking about.”
“Did you incorporate Leo into the book?” Hector asked with a laugh.
“Not directly, but … well … kind of. I was inspired by him. He doesn’t come off too well.”
Hector furrowed his brows sympathetically. “But he’s so proud of you.”
“Sure, now that I’m studying law …”
“No,” Hector disagreed vigorously. “That’s not true. He’s always spoken highly of you.”
“You don’t understand,” I said with resignation and began to leave, but Hector grabbed my upper arm.
“Explain it to me. Please.”
His gaze was so serious and intense that he didn’t need words to make it clear how important it was for him to understand.
“Alright,” I said, taking a deep breath. “I wasn’t even eighteen when I found a publisher. A huge commercial publisher. The absolute jackpot. The editor was thrilled and predicted it would be a bestseller. But since I wasn’t of legal age and my mother always left these matters to my father, he, of course, wanted to read the book first before any contracts were signed.
“He didn’t like what he read at all. Luciano … well, you’ll need to form your own opinion. Anyway, it led to a huge fight. We didn’t speak for several weeks. He accused me of being ungrateful, and I accused him of sabotaging my writing career. My eighteenth birthday was still a few months away, but the editor was pushing because she wanted the book in the fall lineup. When my father realized he held the upper hand, he added a few clauses to the contract.”
Hector’s eyes searched mine. “What did he add?”
“No public appearances. That way, he could make sure no one would recognize me as his son and tarnish his reputation.”
Hector looked puzzled. “His reputation? What? I’ve known Leo for too long to … oh …”
It was a small comfort that Hector was aware of my father’s shady dealings. “He’s not a prosecutor, but a lawyer,” I said, nonetheless. “Just like you. Everyone has some skeletons in the closet.”
But it didn’t matter. Once Hector read the book, he would see his mentor in a different light. Even if I hadn’t told him it was Luciano, a fictional character, Hector would have recognized him sooner or later.
I was done with the topic, and I no longer cared about the deals my father had made back then. But by adding to the publishing contract, it had unfortunately also become my problem, like an iron chain around my ankle.
Hector immediately understood the extent of the additional clause and looked at me as if I were a pitiful dog caught in the rain. “You won the German Book Prize and weren’t even able to accept it yourself,” he concluded from my silence. “I’m sorry.”
His sympathy stirred up a lot of memories, and I once again searched for a way to escape the situation, but my emotions took over.
“It’s like he took success away from me,” I admitted quietly. “And since then, I’ve been trying to write something like that again, but … I know my motivation is wrong. The story should be the focus, and yet, I’m stuck in the past, trying to prove to my father that I’ll surpass him with my next book. No wonder I’m blocked. I’m fooling myself. I’m not a writer anymore. Just some guy who once wrote a really successful book. How pathetic.”
“Why didn’t you wait until your birthday? Delay it?”
“My father had already read the manuscript,” I struggled to explain. “He said he would take legal action and demand that the manuscript be changed.”
“Typical Leo,” Hector said in disbelief. “But did you at least get the money?”
“Of course. My bonus was that he secured excellent terms. Leo is really good at negotiating. He didn’t take a cent from me. I’m well taken care of now.”
Hector wrapped me in his arms and held me close. Caught off guard, I didn’t know what to make of it, but as he gently caressedmy back, I felt his warmth and embraced him too. It felt good to know that this story was no longer a secret—I knew how much Hector had always admired Leo.
