The Royal Contract

"Your ten o'clock meeting is on its way up. Should I send them in?" Jacky asked, placing a few more files on her table.

"Yes, let them in." She instructed without looking up to her friend.

She went to work early today than usual since she was not able to go back to sleep. She decided to catch up with her correspondence before Jacky arrived and start with their actual work.

She cleared up her table in preparation for her next client, another pro bono case assigned to her. She could not wait to hear what her client's case was.

A knock on the door, followed by Jacky taking a peek, notified her that her clients were already outside. Then, they entered her room.

"Ms. Ria Barbara and I assumed this is your son, Edison. Please come in and sit down." She greeted her and offered her the chair in front of her desk.

The beautiful young woman, probably wearing her best dress, sat on the chair with her baby in her arms. She looked like she was barely out of her teens to have a baby.

"Thank you, Ms. Hamilton, for seeing us. We tried several law firms already, but no one wanted to take our case. Mr. Jenkins told us to make an appointment with you." Ria mumbled on, clearly nervous that she might also decline their case. 

"Let me hear first the reason you are here. Then I will decide later if we have a case. Mr. Jenkins would not have sent you here if he thought that you would only be wasting my time." She assured the young mother, whose hands were visibly shaking.

"But I will be honest with you, Ms. Hamilton. I have no money to spend on this case. I am a single mom, and the only small amount I earned as a cashier in a diner is only enough for our needs." Her client admitted as she started twisting her fingers on her lap.

She observed the boy in the arms of her mother. He was quietly sleeping, so innocent, unaware of what was going on around him.

"You have nothing to worry about expenses. We'll handle all the finances of this case if need be." She assured her client. "Now, tell me what is the case all about."

She knew that most of these clients found it hard to share their concerns for fear that nobody would give a damn about them. 

It was this reason why she would like to help these people. They were too afraid to fight for their right because they had not many resources to use against their opponent.

"My son was recently diagnosed with a hole in his heart. I forgot what the doctor called it, but he would need an operation as soon as I can come up with the money." She began to narrate her situation.

"Ok." She waited for her to continue her story. She was sure there was more. She was only finding it hard to tell her. 

"I got involved with a boy in school. I thought that he loved me. When he got me pregnant, he stopped seeing me. The last time that I saw him, he denied that this was his child." Ria stopped for a second as tears started to roll down her eyes.

"So, we could go after the father of the child for support. But we would need to prove that he is the father by a paternity test. What is the name of the father of your son?" She asked so she could put it in her notes.

She believed that it was a simple matter of proving that the child belonged to the father. Then, getting an agreement of a stipend. She wondered why the other law firms declined her case. 

"He is…" She hesitated for a second. "Ryan Damon Brett." Ria looked down on her baby as if she was afraid of what her response would be.

"There is a slight problem. When I told Ryan that I would sue him, he threatened to take my baby away from me. I don't want that to happen." Ria looked terrified of the possibility. 

"The other lawyers said that it was a possibility because he had money. I don't want that to happen." Ria continued before she could ask questions.

Then, the name suddenly clicked in her mind. It sounded familiar, but she did not connect it earlier. But when Ria looked genuinely terrified of the possibility, she realized that it could only mean that the boy came from the Brett family, one powerful family.

  "Is Ryan connected to Senator Donald Brett?" She asked, hoping that her assumption was wrong.

Ria hesitantly nodded her head. "He is his father." 

She could see that Ria was trying to keep herself together.

"Ok." She noted, writing down the latest information. She now understood why the rest of her comrades declined the case. 

It would be one hard case compared to what she initially thought. They would have to face the power and money of the Brett family. If Ryan refused to acknowledge his involvement with this girl, she would not have any choice but to take it to court.

But that would still be an uphill battle to take because they had to prove that he did have a relationship with her before they could demand a paternity test. Their lawyers would fight her tooth and nail before they agreed to that.

"If you think that we have no case, just like the other lawyers told me, please, tell me now. But I do hope that you'll take the case because you are my last hope." A few tears were now running down her cheeks, looking so defeated.

"I'm not saying that. But I would need time to check your case before I tell you how we could proceed with this case." She told her.

"If not for his heart condition, I did not plan to go after him. He did not deserve to be called the father of my son." Ria said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Here's what we are going to do. Give me a day to work on your case. Let me see what our options are. Then, I will call you of what we will do next." She stated as she wrote her final notes on the paper before putting them aside.

"You mean to say. You are taking my case?" The young woman stated with wide eyes.

"Yes. I think your son had every right to get support from his father. I am glad that you decided to fight for his right and not let that man get away from his responsibility." She stated.

She hated people who thought they could get away that easily from their responsibility because they had power over the others.

"Thank you so much." Ria could not believe that finally, someone was willing to take her case. 

She could only feel a slight hope that help was coming. She just hoped that it would not be too late. Her son needed the operation soon, and she heard that her case might take a long time before she could get the result. That was if they would win.

"For the meantime, what else do you need for your baby?" She said, already guessing what the girl was thinking.

If there were a way for her to help, then she would. She still had connections to some foundation that helped this kind of case.  She could already think of one devoted philanthropist.