“Huh? Uh… yeah, you can say so…” I pursed my lips, unwilling to explain further.
A few days later, John suddenly picked Emma and me up from the mall, saying that he wanted to take us somewhere.
After driving for less than five minutes, the car entered the basement carpark of the most glamorous skyscraper in the city center.
Upon entering the elevator, Emma asked curiously, “Why are you acting so secretive? Where are we going?”
Whirling a key around his finger, John smiled smugly as he continued to keep us in suspense.
As Emma’s face grew red in anger, I could only try and calm her down.
Ding!
The elevator doors opened, and an exquisitely designed reception greeted us. On the wall, there seemed to be a sign covered by a striking piece of red cloth.
The moment John stepped out, the receptionist greeted him with a smile, “Mr. Stanhope.”
“Mmm-hmm.” John nodded as he shot me and Emma a glance. The receptionist approached us and ushered us to where the red cloth was. “This way please.”
Standing in front of it, the receptionist handed me one end of it. “Ms. Stanhope, if you may.”
“Pull it open,” John urged.
As I fumbled to pull the cloth away, I saw the words written on the sign: Sienna Stanhope Attorney At Law.
“Are you surprised? The logo has been designed by one of the most famous designers in the country. Doesn’t it give you the vibe of a modern independent woman?” John boasted. I wasn’t sure about the vibe, but I knew better than anyone what the name “Sienna Stanhope” symbolized.
Not expecting John to jump the gun, I was at a loss. “Aren’t you going to explain yourself?”
“What’s the point?” John’s enthusiasm was dampened instantly as he explained, “Isn’t it obvious? I know you’re feeling bored at home. So, isn’t having your own law firm better than working for someone else’s? Going forward, you will be the one calling the shots. At the same time, you will enjoy the same level of security as the Stanhope family which will put our minds at ease.”
Emma paced around and scrutinized the place. “Did you rent the whole floor?”
“Of course. The Stanhope family doesn’t need to share our territory, do we?” John replied in a serious tone.
Any office within this building would costs at least a hundred thousand a month in rent. From the way John spoke, the rent would definitely be above a million every month. There’s no way I, as a trainee lawyer, would be able to attract so much business to cover the cost…
Feeling troubled, my frown didn’t escape John’s notice.
“Don’t worry about not having any business in the near term. The Stanhope and Moore family alone spend hundreds of millions in legal fees on external lawyers. Instead of benefitting someone else, wouldn’t it be better to use your firm to save some cost?”
I smiled wryly. “Do they even need the savings?”
“Since when is anyone satisfied with the money they have?” John shrugged while spreading his arms. He walked ahead and urged me forward. “Come and take a look at your office.”
John always had a good eye. The whole office was minimalistic yet grand. The largest room had the best lighting as it allowed the sunlight to shine through its large windows and provided an unobstructed view of the rest of the office.
As I ran my fingers over the suede-wrapped chair, I was overwhelmed by a mixture of emotions. Perhaps, when I was no longer around, this law firm would become my legacy.
Knock! Knock! A man in a suit and leather shoes entered.
“Mr. Stanhope.” He greeted John respectfully before nodding at me. “Ms. Stanhope.”
John took his hands out of his pockets and pointed at the man. “He is the legal adviser of Stanhope Corporation, Brooklyn Newman. Now, he and his team will join you here. As he is someone trustworthy, you can leave all the complex issues to him.”
I turned toward Brooklyn and exchanged glances to acknowledge him. However, the matter of managing the law firm came too suddenly for me to accept. Hence, I still hadn’t decided what to do.
For starters, the twins were just one month old and needed a lot of attentive care. Secondly, the law firm needed someone who was in it for the long haul. Considering that I had one foot in the grave, I couldn’t bear the responsibility of running it.
“Why don’t you wait for us outside,” John instructed Brooklyn when he sensed the struggle I was experiencing.
“What is it? Is Brooklyn not up to your standards?” John teased me to ease the tension in the air. “That shouldn’t be the case. Other than not being as rich as Anthony, he is quite popular with the ladies back in the office.”
“Men love to ogle at pretty ladies, must it be the same for women?” Emma snapped.
“That’s why I say you lack exposure. It is man’s basic instinct to crave money and sex. Just looking at something pretty alone will improve one’s mood. This will be beneficial to Sienna’s condition.” John gave her a cursory reply before asking me, “Just say the word, Letty. After all, I have bought the whole floor and the law firm will definitely begin its operations. It’s just a matter of whether you’re working for someone else or here instead. It’s your call.”
After giving it some thought, I asked, “Did you start the law firm to fulfill my wish, or do you have other reasons?”
“Both. It will guarantee that no one can make things difficult for you, and it also has a role to play within the Stanhope family.” John paused for a moment as his gaze became serious. “Uncle Louis has begun to make his move. After this, we will need a law firm we can control in anticipation of future lawsuits.”
I nodded in acknowledgment. Despite how good John was to me, that reason alone wasn’t enough to have invested so much. It appeared that this law firm would have an important role to play in the future.
Perhaps, this might be the last place I’m able to showcase my talents.
After pondering upon it, I decided to accept John’s arrangement. “Fine, I’ll do it on one condition.”
“Go ahead. Even if you have ten, it won’t be a problem at all.” John acted generously as he was in a good mood.
“Get that famous designer of yours to redesign the logo. As someone who hasn’t officially become a practicing lawyer, it would be preposterous to have my name on the sign. It would be more appropriate to use the Stanhope name instead,” I explained.
Although Brooklyn didn’t fully introduce himself just now, he was likely a very experienced lawyer given his demeanor. To have him work under me would be too much to ask of him. Furthermore, to have the law firm named after me would be terrible for staff unity.
John readily agreed without a word of protest. “Sure. I’ll get him to redo it until you’re satisfied.”
“You don’t have to go back to him. Just leave it to me.” Suddenly interested, Emma remarked with her hands on her hips, “Sienna, what do you think about leaving this to me?”
“Is business at your company that bad? That you need to rely on friends for work?” John teased while raising his eyebrows in curiosity.
“What do you care?” Emma rolled her eyes at him as she walked over to hold my arm. “This is between Letty and me. What’s wrong with me doing this for free as it will be my gift for her grand opening?”
“Free?” John furrowed his eyebrow, skeptical of her words. “The logo represents the company’s image. The design firm you work for is considered mediocre in K City. Are you sure you are able to design something that lives up to the Stanhope Corporation’s standards?”
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Who says only a large firm can produce quality work? I just want to design a logo for Letty because I like her. Do you have a problem with that?” Emma retorted.
“No, I don’t. But, to avoid any complaints in the future that will damage your company’s reputation, I would advise you to reconsider in the interest of the bigger picture.”
“Who says I will definitely disgrace myself? I’m going to design something so amazing that it will shut you up!”
“Stop!” I had no choice but to stop their argument from escalating any further. After all, their tempers were beginning to flare. “It’s just a sign. The most important thing for a law firm is how many cases we win. Aren’t both of you taking this too seriously?”
Right after I spoke, both of them looked at me in unison before turning their heads away.
“Pfft!” “Hmph!”
In the end, I had the final say and decided to let Emma do the design.
As Louis wanted to take action against Ezra’s men recently, John was supposed to help him. Hence, John had to leave after tying up loose ends at the law firm.
As for Emma, she couldn’t wait to prove herself. Therefore, she returned to her office to work overtime, ignoring the fact that it was her day off.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
Leave a Reply