Chapter 28

twenty-eight

. . .

Henley

My stomach was in knots. Easton and I had driven to our office in the city to meet with Bruno King. My father would be sitting in on the meeting, and he’d supported our decision to proceed the way that we’d recommended, which had surprised me.

This case would not be considered a win.

We’d spent weeks interviewing employees, as well as meeting with the opposing counsel and the three women who were suing King Hotels.

It was our job to present the information to our client and to represent him the best we could.

When we arrived at Holloway, Jones, and Waterman, we took the elevator to the top floor, and Will Waterman was the first person that we saw.

“Henley, Easton, I was hoping to chat with you for a quick moment before your meeting.”

Easton glanced down at his wrist to check the time and nodded. Will led us into his office, and we took the seats across from his desk. It was an old-school design with dark cherry wood covering all the walls and thick crown molding and bookshelves with a small bar in the corner. “Thanks for giving me a minute. That’s all this will take.”

“Is everything okay?” I asked.

“I went to see Jamison in the program this past weekend. I just wanted you both to know that he’s sober. He’s horrified by what happened, and he feels terrible. It’s the first time in a couple of years where he actually seems like himself.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” I said.

“I hope this doesn’t mean that he’ll be returning to work immediately after leaving the program?” Easton’s tone was strained, and I glanced over to see his hands gripping the arms of the chair, his knuckles white.

“No. He’s in it for the long haul. He’s decided to stay for ninety days. He’s making great progress, and that’s the best we can hope for. We won’t bring him back here until he proves that he can remain sober once he returns home. But he asked me to give you this letter, Henley.” He opened his desk drawer and pulled out an envelope and handed it to me. “It’s part of the program to own the mistakes that you’ve made, so I agreed to pass this on to you.”

“Thank you. I’ll read it when we get out of our meeting. I appreciate it.”

Easton moved to his feet and shook Will’s hand before we left his office. I tucked the letter into my purse, and we made our way to the conference room. My father was already there, and he pulled me in for a hug before shaking Easton’s hand.

“You ready for this? It might not go well,” my dad said.

“It’ll be fine, trust me.” Easton clapped him on the shoulder, and the three of us turned when the door opened.

Bruno King waltzed in like he owned the place.

“There’s my dream team. I hope you’re calling me in to tell me that we’re going to crush them in court.” He chuckled as we each shook his hand and took our seats across from him.

Easton sat in the middle, and my father and I settled in the chairs on either side of him.

“Bruno, we did a thorough investigation and turned over every stone possible because we knew that’s what the prosecutors would do. We have to consider every single person who could be called to testify, so we met with endless employees over the last several weeks.” Easton took a sip of his water.

“I expect nothing less from you. You’re the shark. This firm is the best that money can buy. And that is proven by the billable hours I’ve seen.” His laugh was loud and husky, and I forced a smile on my face.

“I’m just going to give it to you straight.” Easton opened his file and then looked up at our client. “You can’t win this case. And that’s saying a lot, because I don’t lose. But if this goes to court, you will lose. You will lose publicly, and it will be a disaster. You weren’t honest with us about everything, and you’ve got a real mess on your hands, Bruno.”

“Come on. Is this a joke? I paid for the best representation, and this is it?” His face hardened, and anger filled his gaze.

“This is the best representation that money can buy. I can’t get you out of this without exposing every dirty detail to the public, which could sink your company. So here’s what I’m suggesting.” Easton pushed a file across the table, which stopped directly in front of Bruno. “Take the settlement. Pay these women, because you and I both know that what they’re saying is true. They can prove it, and I can’t make it go away. There are too many people with similar stories. If you take this to court, you will be destroyed professionally and financially.”

Bruno’s fist hit the table hard, and I startled. “This is bullshit.”

“You can take our advice, or you are welcome to pursue other counsel. We are not working against you, Bruno. But we like to win cases, and this case cannot be won.”

“So you want me to pay them to make this go away? What will the public have to say about that? This case has already gotten a ton of media attention. Those women will speak out.”

“Those women have already spoken out. There’s nothing more for them to say that hasn’t already been said. This is what we are suggesting,” Easton said, glancing over at me to take over.

“You settle with the three women who were paid unfairly. The amount they are requesting covers the back pay they should have received, along with a generous severance package. It’s a fair settlement, Bruno,” I said, as I reached for my water.

“Is that it?” he asked. “And you think this goes away?”

“This doesn’t go away,” I said. “This is years and years of paying female employees unfairly. Many of your employees admitted that the pay you shared with us was fabricated. If they were willing to turn on you with your counsel, it would be a disaster in court.”

“Disloyal sons of bitches!” he yelled.

“The same could be said about you, Bruno, and the way you’ve treated your employees. And I’m only going to ask you once to keep your voice down in my office,” my father said, his tone even, but his eyes were hard. He’d listened to everything that Easton and I had presented, and he’d agreed with the way we were hoping Bruno would proceed. My dad motioned for me to continue.

“They aren’t being disloyal, Bruno. They wanted to be treated fairly. So, on top of settling with the plaintiffs, we suggest that you make a public statement that King Hotel Corporation does not walk away from its responsibilities. You will make a public promise that all current female employees will be paid the same as their male counterparts, and back pay to employees that have been paid incorrectly will be paid as an apology.”

“What? How much is that going to cost me?” he bellowed.

“It’s going to cost you nine million, eight hundred and sixty-five dollars,” Easton said. “And considering this company brings in a yearly revenue that is ten times that amount, this is a better option than losing everything.”

He sighed as the words sank in. “And this goes away?”

“That’s the final kicker. The only way this goes away is to pay what is fairly owed, and you’ll be getting off cheap because if this goes to court, you’ll be buried in lawsuits for the rest of your life. But I’d also suggest that you step down as chairman and CEO and let your sister Lucy take the reins. We’ve met with her, and she’s the obvious choice. She’s worked under you for years, and it’s time to pass the torch. This will show good faith from the company that you are doing a complete revamp, and I think you’ll walk away unscathed.”

“Unscathed? You’re suggesting I hand over my company?” he growled.

“Bruno,” Easton said, folding his hands together. “You treated your employees horribly. They are fighting back. There are too many of them for you to win this. So, you do the right thing. It’s a family company. It stays in the family. You continue making a ridiculous amount of money because the company does not go under after this case is settled. It can thrive under new management. And you can sail off on your yacht and enjoy retirement. It’s a win for you, trust me. This could get very ugly if we don’t settle.”

Bruno leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest and nodded. “Fine. I was ready for retirement anyway.”

I blew out a sigh of relief. I wasn’t certain Easton could sell this to him. It truly was his best option.

Our firm was not going to go to court to fight this because he’d be decimated. Settling was his best option.

But the client doesn’t always agree.

He wasn’t happy, and that much was clear, but none of us really cared at this point. He’d treated his employees terribly, and I was happy to see them all get paid the money they were owed.

“We’ll set up a meeting with opposing counsel immediately, and we’ll have a statement for you to look over that will be released to the media as soon as we sign the agreement,” Easton said.

“Fine. I’m not happy, but I don’t see another option.” Bruno pushed to his feet.

“I’m glad you see it that way, because there isn’t one that’s better than this.”

He didn’t offer to shake our hands; he just turned and stormed out of the office.

“Well, I think that went as well as it could have gone,” my father said, extending his hand to Easton and then pulling me in for a hug. “I’m impressed with you both. That was good work.”

My father got called out to another meeting, and Easton and I made our way to the elevator.

“That went better than expected,” I said as he stood beside me once we stepped onto the elevator.

“Really? It went exactly as I expected. He was backed into a corner. He’s smart enough to know that he’d be ruined if he were to be exposed. So he took the only way out.”

“I just didn’t know if he’d see it that way,” I said.

“I’m glad that he did, because the alternative would not be good for him. Now let’s see this letter that Jamison wrote you.” His shoulders tensed as I pulled it from my purse.

I opened the envelope, and he leaned over my shoulder as we both read the letter at the same time.

Henley,

I’m embarrassed by my actions the last two times that I saw you. I was spiraling and out of control. This is not an attempt to excuse my behavior; it is my attempt to apologize that I allowed things to get so bad. I am mortified by the way I spoke to you and treated you, and it is not who I am or who I want to be. I will continue to work hard in the program to make sure that I never do that again. I have known you most of my life, and I have the utmost respect for you, and I only hope that someday you will be able to forgive me.

Best, Jamison

“Wow. That was honest and heartfelt.”

“I still don’t trust him. They probably make them write these and then check them,” he said. “I’m still going to be watching that dude when he gets out.”

“Don’t be such a cynic. People change, and life is about forgiveness, Chadwick.” I tucked the envelope back into my purse.

“Yeah. But he’s been a dick for a long time, so it’s going to take a lot of work to turn that around.”

I chuckled as we stepped off the elevator. “Fine. Let’s go meet my bestie.”

We walked outside and headed to the restaurant next door, where we were meeting Lulu. Easton had talked to her on FaceTime a few times when she and I were chatting over the last few weeks, but today, they were meeting in person.

Two of the most important people in my life.

He held the door open at Francois Café, and Lulu waved us over. She was on her feet, lunging herself into my arms the minute I approached the table. And then she turned to Easton.

“So you’re the guy,” she said with a smirk.

“I’m the guy. And you’re the bestie?”

“Damn straight. I’m the bestie.” She hugged him. “Nice to finally meet you in person. My girl doesn’t get smitten all that easily, but she talks about you like you set the sun.”

“Yeah?” he replied with a cocky grin as he pulled out my chair. “That’s good to know. And the feeling is mutual.”

“Just know that if you hurt her, I will hunt you down and cut off your balls and make them into Christmas ornaments.”

“Wow. That’s very specific.” He laughed.

“Anyway, what are your plans for Thanksgiving? Do you have to do the big family dinner again with all the Sonnets? Because you would love Rosewood River. Easton’s mom is cooking, and then the next day we’re doing the annual Rosewood River rafting challenge.”

I glanced over at him when his shoulders stiffened. “Come for dinner. My mom goes all out, and the food is terrific. But I’m not sure about the rafting.”

He and this damn river rafting were starting to piss me off. I’d been out on the water multiple times now. And the annual river raft challenge was all everyone in town was talking about, and I was determined to join in.

Why was he being such a stubborn ass about this?

“My rafting skills are as strong as my pickleball skills.” I raised a brow as I watched the waiter fill our glasses with Pellegrino, and I squeezed a lime into mine.

“What’s the deal with the rafting? Have you seen this girl in action? She’s quite the athlete.” Lulu studied Easton. “She is small, but she is mighty.”

“I was a guide for a long time. The path we take is pretty challenging. But I’ve grown up on the water, so I know what to expect.”

“Well, we grew up in the city, but that doesn’t mean we don’t think you know how to wave down a taxi,” Lulu said, giving him a knowing look.

I’d talked to her about how protective he could be. But he was being a little irrational about the river rafting, and I had no idea why. We hadn’t had one issue the times that we’d gone out together.

“Exactly. Come on, Chadwick,” I said, my voice all tease. “It’s the annual river rafting outing. All of you do it. You don’t seriously expect me to cheer from the sidelines, do you? Because you and I both know that I can hold my own just fine.”

He smiled and nodded. “All right. We’ll see how the weather is that morning.”

He kissed the tip of my nose.

But a little part of me wondered if he was just trying to appease me.

It didn’t matter. I’d never been one to be told what to do.

And Easton needed to know that.