But none of that mattered now. I just needed to get David on my side.
“Can you help me?” I asked. “Please, David. You’re my only hope.”
“I wish I could, Liv,” he said. “I really do. But in good faith, I wouldn’t be able to. The Reynard family has me on a retainer. Besides, I’m your friend. It would be a conflict of interest.”
It felt like someone had taken the entire wind out of my sails. I sank into my seat, a cold and depressing weight settling on my chest as I realised what he’d just said. There went my last shot out of the window. Now there was nothing I could do to save myself from Marcus’s wrath.
“Fuck!” I groaned, burying my face in my palms and fighting back the tears. I felt so small and helpless, and I couldn’t even bring myself to move. What was I going to do now? How could I possibly hope to go up against Marcus now?
“Relax,” Marcus said. “I have good news. Two, actually.”
I looked up at him, and he flashed me his signature dazzling smile. The press had called it his ‘Jury Winning’ smile. I instantly felt at ease as he said this, and I knew that he had a plan.
“First of all,” he began, “I won’t be representing Marcus either. Both of you are my friends, and I can’t go up against either of you in good faith.”
“I guess bringing you cookies on Christmas has paid off then,” I said, smiling despite myself.
“More or less,” he chuckled. “The chocolate chip ones especially did the trick. Anyway, I might be able to help you, though not directly.”
“How?”
“There’s only one other lawyer I know at J.P Steele who can take on this case and win,” he said. “Even going up against me, she might stand a chance to win. Her name is Ciara Walters, and she’s a shark in the courtroom. Trust me, you’ll want her on your side.”
“David, I should let you know that I’m in deep shit right now,” I said. “I was hoping if it would be you, then we could reach some sort of agreement where I would pay for your services after the case is settled. I couldn’t even afford a consultation with you at this moment.”
His smile dipped for a brief moment, but he shrugged it off. “Never mind. Ciara owes me. She can take your case pro bono.”
“I-I don’t know what to say,” I said as tears welled up in my eyes. “Thank you so much, David.”
“Hey, what are friends for?” he said awkwardly. “Also, Brenda would kill me if I didn’t help you.”
He pulled out a card and he was about to start writing when he suddenly looked up and his eyes widened in shock. “Fuck!”
“What is it?” I asked.
“Marcus.”
I froze as he said this, and I instinctively turned around and saw him standing just outside the cafe in a denim jacket with sunglasses over his eyes, staring down at his phone. My heart lurched in my chest, and I wanted the earth to open up and swallow me whole. How could he be here? Did David invite him? Was I being set up? A million other thoughts all swam through my head, and I immediately started to tremble.
“He was supposed to call me,” David said through clenched teeth. “I don’t know what he’s doing here.”
He looked around nervously, then immediately pointed to the booth behind him, which was thankfully shielded by the potted plant which was tall enough to conceal it entirely. “Quick! Get back there and stay low.”
I scrambled away immediately, and ducked just in time as the cafe doors swung open and Marcus stepped inside.
“Marcus,” David said, trying to sound surprised. “What are you doing here? I thought you were going to call me.”
“Fucking headache,” Marcus groaned as he took the seat I’d just been in. “I needed to get out of the house and get some fresh air.”
My heart was in my throat, but I kept my mouth shut and tried to listen to their conversation.
“Well, I was just finishing up,” David said. “Shall we head up to my office?”
“No need,” Marcus scoffed. “I’m not going to stay for long. I just needed to let you know that Olivia and I are getting a divorce.”
He said it so casually, so nonchalantly that you would think he was talking about the weather. I wished I could walk up to him right now and slap him across the face. But all I did was slide even lower in my seat and focus on staying hidden.
“That’s rough,” David said. “So what do you need?”
“Is that even a fucking question?” Marcus scoffed. “I need you to prepare some divorce papers and take care of everything. I want this done with as quickly as possible, before the press gets wind of this. That bitch will find a way to make me seem like a monster.”
Which he was.
“Language, Marcus,” David said. “Whatever happened between you two, there’s no need to resort to name calling.”
“Fuck you,” Marcus spat. “Just take care of this.”
For a brief moment, I imagined that David would punch him across the face. But he simply leaned back in his seat and said, “I’m sorry, I can’t do that.”
“You what?” Marcus roared.
“I can’t take on this case,” he said. “I could lose my license if I did.”
“What for?”
“Conflict of interest,” David said calmly. “Liv is my friend, as much as you are.”
“I’m not your fucking friend, David,” Marcus spat. “I’m your fucking client. You work for my family.”
“It’s too risky,” David said. “Our personal relationship would muddle the case. Your family has treated me as more than just a lawyer. I couldn’t get in the middle of this case.”
Marcus was silent for a while, but then he sighed in a defeated manner and said, “So, now what?”
“You need to get someone else to represent you,” he said. “Someone who doesn’t have any attachment to you and Olivia.”
“What about that Walters chick?” Marcus asked. “I heard she’s good.”
“No can do,” David said. “She’s already representing Olivia.”
“And how exactly do you know this?”
David went silent, and I stiffened with terror. Marcus had caught him. Now he would know that I’d been talking to him. But David handled it smoothly, with the confidence that must have come from spending so many years in the courtroom.
“I heard from her this morning that she’s taking on a divorce case for a wealthy tech CEO’s wife,” he said smoothly. “Now that you’ve told me this, it makes sense that she’s talking about Olivia.”
“Fuck!” Marcus groaned, slamming his fist on the table. “How could she possibly afford her? I froze her account last night. She should barely have enough money to feed herself right now.”
“Beats me,” David shrugged. “You’ll have to find someone else.”
“Whatever,” Marcus said. “Thanks for nothing. I need to find another lawyer then.”
“Sorry, buddy,” David said.
“Thanks for nothing,” Marcus said, and I heard the chair scrape as he stood up. “Bye.”
He stormed off, and I didn’t move until David told me that he’d gone.
“Thanks for sticking your neck out for me, David,” I said. “I don’t know how I could ever repay you.”
“You can repay me by getting your butt over to J.P. Steele right now and talking to Ciara,” he said. “The sooner we get this over with, the better.”
As we left the cafe, I paused and took a breath. The relief flooded through my veins, and I was glad that we’d managed to evade Marcus today.
Little did I know the evil plan he was already working on at that moment.
