Page 22 of Laws of Love
“I would if you respected yourself or the women you seem to use as breeding stock.”
This was why she didn’t speak to her father on the phone and preferred to delete his messages. Every time they had a conversation, she ended up saying things that were better left unsaid, but she could never help it. That child she was still hurt, and the adult she’d become was over it. She hadn’t lied to him, though. If he respected himself or even the women he claimed to love, then maybe she would give him a modicum.
“I have to go. I have a client coming in.” Before her father could respond, she hung up the phone and placed it on her desk.
Aiva leaned back in her chair and rubbed her temples. She hadn’t been on the phone with him for ten minutes and felt a headache forming. It was enough to make her want to leave for the day. She’d lied when she told him she had a client. None were scheduled for that afternoon since she’d had a mediation meeting at one. It hadn’t lasted long, so she’d caught up on some other work instead of calling it an early day. Now, she regretted not doing so.
Turning her attention back to her computer screen, she finished typing up the proposal she was working on for one of her clients. She wouldn’t be submitting it for another two weeks, wanting to meet with them again before then in the event anything had changed. However, she figured getting it done early wouldn’t hurt because it would be easy to amend.
Once she finished, she shut everything down, grabbed her phone, and slipped it into her purse before leaving her office. She locked the door and went down the hall to Meila’s office. She found her sister on the phone, so she knocked on the doorframe gently to gain her attention, waving at her before leaving and saying goodbye to Finx on her way out.
Aiva would go home and get her gym bag before going to a small boxing ring a few blocks from her house. She always enjoyed pretending those bags housed Edison’s face.
12
“Aiva,” Finx whispered over the phone, and she furrowed her brow. “You will not guess who’s here to see you.”
Aiva picked up the receiver and placed it to her ear. “Who, and why are you whispering?”
“Harvey Flint.”
Aiva barely contained a groan as she rolled her eyes to the ceiling. There was no reason Harvey Flint should be on their property, let alone in their practice. She and Meila clarified they wanted nothing to do with him after he continually asked them out on dates, and it began to border on harassment. After his last run-in with her sister, Aiva was sure the man wouldn’t show his face again.
“What does he want?” Aiva questioned, because if Finx hadn’t gotten rid of him, he was there for a reason.
“He claims he needs to speak with you about a case.”
The last thing Aiva wanted to do was to speak with this man in any aspect, but she was always thorough, which meant if she didn’t talk to him and sent him away, she risked being caught unaware later if he wasn’t there just to annoy her.
“Fine. Show him in, please.”
Aiva placed the receiver back on the cradle and rubbed her temple momentarily. Every time she spoke with this man, she got a headache. She was sure this time would be no different. Harvey had this uncanny way of being a know-it-all while honestly knowing nothing. That he’d passed the bar was a mystery in itself.
A minute later, Finx showed Harvey into her office, and Aiva stood, holding her hand out to him. Just because he often rubbed her the wrong way didn’t mean she couldn’t be cordial.
“Aiva, it’s wonderful to see you again,” Harvey stated as he took a seat.
“It’s been a while,” she responded; in no way was she going to tell this man it was nice to see him because it never was. “To what do I owe this visit?”
“I’m here out of professional courtesy,” Harvey responded as he reached into his briefcase. “I’ve taken Mia Chandler on as a client, and I wanted to make you aware of the counterclaim we’ll be filing first thing in the morning.”
Great, Aiva thought. The last thing she wanted to do was spend an hour with Harvey. Let alone several trying to come to an agreement in mediation or inside a courtroom. It was bad enough that she would have to deal with Mia, and she was hoping the other woman would find a lawyer to talk some sense into her. The opposite happened. Harvey would hop on the coattails of whatever harebrained request Mia had.
Aiva tilted her head to the side as she questioned, “Counterclaim?” Moving the file, he’d just pushed across the desk to her, aside.
“Yes, my client is being shafted in the current proposed settlement. I’d even venture to say she’s being robbed. Mrs. Chandler put years of her love, blood, sweat, and tears into that marriage. Not to mention that with Mr. Chandler’s net worth, she should receive a significant amount more from him.”
There was so much that Aiva could say to that. So much information she had to the contrary, but she was a firm believer in not letting someone else see her hand, not drawing her weapon until she was ready to use it. Instead, she took a deep breath, leaning back in her seat as she exhaled. Her elbow propped on the arm, index finger resting on her cheek while her thumb sat under her chin.
“Let me tell you something, Harvey. There is nothing in this file,” Aiva told him, tapping the file with her other hand. “That I’d let my client agree to. There is also no judge in existence who would give your client any obscene amount or allow any unreasonable requests that I’m sure are in this file.”
Aiva leaned forward, lacing her fingers on her desk as she studied Harvey for a brief second, sure that he was trying to come up with something to say. She didn’t need to open the file she’d already peeped his game because he’d come to her office like a fool and showed it to her.
“I’m going to tell you something, Harvey. Think of it as a professional courtesy.” She paused for only a moment. “If we can’t settle this in mediation, and we end up in court in front of a judge, please know that the humiliation you felt when Meila handed you your ass in the case you had against her is nothing compared to how I will annihilate you. I would be surprised if you still want to practice law when I’m finished. I also suggest you speak with your client because the moment you file your counterclaim, I’ll be requesting immediate mediation.” Aiva smiled at him. “Now, have the day you deserve.”
She watched as Harvey’s eyes shifted, knowing he was scrambling for anything he could say as a comeback. Aiva wasn’t threatening him. She was telling him the truth, and there was always some friction between lawyers on opposing sides.
Harvey stood after several long seconds of being unable to fire back, and Aiva found it hilarious. She wondered how the man could call himself a lawyer when he couldn’t defend himself or his client, or come up with an argument on the fly. It was a large part of their profession.
