Page 94 of Second Time Around
Chapter 17
“When was the last time you darkened the door of my office?” Schuyler stood up from her desk as Will strolled in late Tuesday afternoon.
He leaned across the huge mahogany surface to kiss her on the cheek. “Nice greeting, sister o’ mine.”
“Seriously, I’m honored you came here,” Schuyler said. “A real live CEO in my humble place of work.”
Will made a rude gesture as he sat in one of the leather armchairs in front of her desk. “You meet with CEOs all the time, so don’t bullshit me.”
“Yeah, but I have to go to them. Want a drink?” Schuyler walked over and touched a hidden switch in the built-in bookcases. One section of shelves swung open to reveal a well-stocked bar.
“Scotch, please.” Will scanned the room, noting the view of the Empire State Building and the small but separate seating area. “You’ve come up in the world, officewise.”
“When I got promoted to junior partner, Dad decided I could have a better office without it looking like nepotism. Of course, the other junior partners have offices twice the size of mine. Not that I care, honestly. This one is fine.”
She handed Will a glass and dropped into the chair beside him, turning it so she faced him. “Cheers!” She touched her glass to his.
While he sipped his scotch, he examined his sister with the same attention he’d given her office. “You look tired.”
“Thanks, bro.” She made a wry face at him. “I have a big corporate case that I’m working on at the same time as this Carver Center situation. Burning the candle at both ends.”
“Pass the Carver case on to an associate,” Will said, as guilt pricked at him. “That’s what I expected you to do.”
Schuyler shook her head. “The Carver case is what makes the corporate case bearable.” She took a swallow of her drink. “You came to hear about it, didn’t you?”
“How’d the meeting go?” Schuyler had set up a meeting earlier in the day with Davina Gibson, Titus Allen, and Emily to see where they all stood on the case.
“Better than I expected.” Schuyler leaned back in the chair but her face was alight with satisfaction. “It’s pretty clear that Titus jumped into the situation without doing his homework on the Carver Center. When Emily started talking about the K-9 Angelz program and what it meant to the kids, the man looked like he’d eaten a rotten egg. He seemed to believe it was some sort of private school that had billionaires on its board of trustees. But he’s not going to back down now. Too much ego.”
“Damn.” Hope had flashed for a moment.
“Another thing. When Emily said that Shaq might have to be put down since he’d bitten a child, Davina looked horrified and asked Titus if that were true. He spluttered something about the dog only having bitten once and being given a second chance. However, Emily said that even if they didn’t put Shaq to sleep, he’d have to go back to the shelter in the hope of finding another home. Davina wasn’t happy about that.”
“Sounds like no one did their homework.”
“Here’s how I read it. Davina just wants Felicia to get the best medical care possible. Insurance pays for the basic costs but not the fancy stuff like plastic surgery. Titus thought he was getting a high-profile case with a big payout for his client and himself. So he aims for thenegligence angle to invoke pain and suffering, which he has to prove by dragging the Carver Center’s reputation through the mud. Now that he knows what the true nature of the center is, he’s afraid that will make him the bad guy instead of the white knight.”
“That gives you some leverage,” Will said.
“Which I already used by subtly suggesting that he not splash this all over the media.” Schuyler smiled the toothy smile of a well-fed shark. “He subtly agreed.”
Will smiled back. “That’s the sister I know and fear.”
Schuyler snorted and stood to refill her glass. She returned to lean her hip against the desk. “I think money would make this all go away. Emily offered to get this hotshot doctor Ben Cavill to examine Felicia, which made Davina very happy. If the center can find a way to pay for the plastic surgery, I think Davina will tell Titus to drop the case. He’ll negotiate up the payout to save face, but he’ll be relieved to get out of this. Problem is that the center’s insurance won’t foot the bill and Emily is adamant that her billionaire fiancé not pitch in, even though he is more than willing to do so.”
“I’ll pay for it,” Will said without hesitation. “Anonymously. Just figure out a way to make it happen.”
“That’s a pretty open-ended offer. We’re talking tens of thousands of dollars at least.” Schuyler gave him a searching look. “I know you can afford it, but why?”
Will tugged at his tie to loosen it. “Does it matter?”
“You’re my brother, so yes.”
“I owe Kyra and this is the only way I can help her.”
“What do you owe her?”
Will met his sister’s gaze. “More than I can give her.”
