“Pretty words.” Montgomery drummed his fingers on the desk. “But they don’t pay the bills.”
“No, but they open doors. Doors to clients who might never have considered us before.” I leaned forward. “This case has already attracted attention from Justice Sommers, who happens to sit on the board of the Rosenthal Foundation.”
That caught his attention. Montgomery was silent for a long moment, reassessing the situation.
“The executive committee won’t be satisfied with vague promises of future business,” he finally said.
“I’m not asking them to be. I acknowledge the Halston situation, and I have a solution.” I returned to my seat, now that I’d shifted the conversation’s direction. “I’ll personally handle the Halston acquisition after hours. And I’ll take a fifteen percent reduction in my quarterly profit share to offset any potential losses.”
Montgomery’s eyebrows rose slightly—the closest he came to showing surprise. “That’s… substantial.”
“I believe in this case, Lawrence. And I believe it will benefit the firmin ways that aren’t immediately obvious.”
He studied me with new calculation in his eyes. “You really think Delaney did what the boy claims?”
“I know he did. And so do you, if you’re honest with yourself.” I held his gaze. “How many times have you seen Caroline make excuses for his behaviour at events? How many young men has he gone through over the years?”
A flicker of discomfort crossed Montgomery’s face. We both knew the rumours about Marcus’s “proteges” who seemed to vanish after a few years.
“The executive committee will be watching the outcome closely,” he said finally. “If you lose this case, Damian, there will be consequences even I can’t protect you from.”
“I understand.”
“And your offer—the profit reduction and after-hours work—I’ll hold you to that.”
“I’d expect nothing less.”
Montgomery closed the folders, signalling the end of our meeting. “For what it’s worth, I hope you’re right about the publicity angle. The firm could use some positive press.”
I stood, buttoning my jacket. “We’ll get it. Justice tends to make good headlines.”
As I reached the door, Montgomery called after me. “Damian?”
I paused, looking back.
“If you’re going to risk your career on this case, you’d better win.”
“I intend to.”
I found Sandra still at her desk when I returned to my office, though it was well past eight o’clock.
“How did it go?” she asked, looking up from her computer.
“About as expected.” I loosened my tie, suddenly exhausted. “Montgomery’s concerned about the bottom line.”
“And?”
“And I offered to take a hit on my quarterly profit share. Plus I’ll be handling Halston after hours.”
Sandra’s eyes widened. “That’s a significant concession.”
“It’s worth it.” I sank into my chair, rubbing my temples. “But it means I’ll need the Lajeunesse files reorganized for maximum efficiency. We don’t have room for wasted time.”
She nodded, already making notes. “I’ll have everything ready by morning. And I’ll clear your weekend schedule to focus on Halston.”
“Thank you, Sandra.” I hesitated, then added, “Don’t mention the profit share arrangement to Alex. He already feels responsible for disrupting our practice.”
“Of course not.” She gave me a knowing look. “You really believe in this case.”
