Page 70 of Open for Negotiation
Her lawyer slides a blue folder across the table to us and Lawrence opens to read. The first line is enough to make me scoff and scrub my hand over my face in frustration.
She wants a percentage of Fortress, alimony, and the house.
Over my dead body.
“Are you out of your mind?” I ask but I’m advised very quickly to remain silent.
“This is preposterous and a gross attempt to take advantage of my client,” Lawrence says.
“We see it as what my client is owed after years of emotional neglect and abuse at the hands of Mr. Duke.”
“Are you joking?” I ask with absolute disdain. “I’ve done nothing but try to help you.” I point across the table at her. “And all I get in return is this shit? I told you that I’d help you in any way you needed within reason, Miranda, but this is outlandish. This is greed.”
Our mediator sighs heavily, “So I’m to assume we won’t be reaching an agreement today?”
Lawrence looks to me and I just shake my head and he confirms with the mediator that this is dead in the water.
“Very well. We’ll continue this and reconvene at a later date to try this again. Someone will be in touch to schedule that with your offices.”
Lawrence and I are the first to leave once the mediator steps out, and we pause in the hall right outside the door.
“This is shit, and you know it. What the fuck am I going to do?”
“Have you considered just settling with her? The amount she’s asking for is pennies comparatively…”
“It’s not about the money, Lawrence. She’s always gotten what she wants and this time, I’m not letting that happen. She needs help getting on her feet because she doesn’t have the coping skills to get over a divorce and right her shit, but that doesn’t mean that I have to set her up financially for the rest of her life. I want out, not leave one marriage to her and dive into another with Fortress in the middle.”
“Then we need to meet again this week to discuss a counterproposal. You need to think long and hard on this and determine how much of a fight you’re willing to put up.”
“This just needs to be final soon, Lawrence. I’m feeling… some kind of way, for the new girl that I’m seeing and this mess needs to be cleaned up before I can even consider being serious with her.”
“Is it already to that point?”
I take a moment to really think about my response, but there is only one clear answer because even the thought of Scarlett makes my heart grow and begin to pound.
“I think it could be, yes, and don’t I owe it to her to not have Miranda and her fucking bullshit hovering over us just as things are getting serious?”
Movement in my peripheral pulls my attention and I see Miranda standing there for a moment before her face turns red, and she turns on her heel and bolts back into the room with her attorney, locking the door behind her.
That’s when I hear screaming and shouting from the other side of that door. She’s upset and taking it out on her lawyer.
She heard me. There is no way she didn’t, and this is what happens with someone who has a mental illness like she does. It doesn’t take much, a thought, a sentence, a flip of the switch, and then the only emotion they can feel is rage.
I grab the door handle, trying in vain to open it, but when it doesn’t move, I knock three times.
“Miranda, come on, open the door.”
“What are you doing? Are you insane?” Lawrence asks.
“No, I’m not. She heard me say I was moving on. She’s upset. I need to talk to her, calm her down so she doesn’t do anything stupid.”
“That’s not your job anymore, Max. You need to go. This could be a ploy to catch you in the heat of the moment doing or saying something they can try to use to take advantage. I know that sounds like a stretch, but I’ve seen some shit in my time in this field.”
“That is a stretch.”
“But you know I’m right. It’s not worth it. As your attorney, I’m advising you to just go home or to the office, whatever. You just need to leave this building and don’t take any calls or messages from her or her attorney without me present. Okay?”
I take a step back from the door and straighten my tie then I nod in understanding. I want this to end and if this is what I need to do to make it happen faster, I’ll do it.
