The Royal Contract

"Honestly, based on my experience. I think that is the best offer we will get from a man like him." Gerald admitted to her.

Although chances were high that they might win this in court since they did have a case against him and his company. But the downside, he could guarantee it would take years before they could see any future in this.

Usually, fighting in a courtroom required bottomless resources, especially when the two of them were going up against a giant. Chances were, Mr. Bradshaw and his team of lawyers would bury them in paperwork until their client gave up due to lack of funding or patience. 

"Are you saying that we should give up and take his offer?" She questioned him with a disapproving expression. 

It was what was wrong in the justice system. Even if the complainant already had a solid case against the defendant, the former still had a high possibility to lose in the end. 

This corporate goliath used this bullshit practice to take advantage of the situation, driving their smaller opponents into a difficult position. 

"Well, not exactly. We can still work on increasing the offer, but it would not be as high as what was in the deal." He explained to her the situation.

As much as he hated this kind of outcome, he could not do anything about it since it was the best that he could do under the circumstances. 

The reality was, their client would not be able to fight them in the arena. Not when the case could drag on for years, which he believed would be the tactic of the defendants.

"But we could still win this if we take this to court." She insisted, not wanting to admit defeat. Because in her opinion, once they opted to accept what they were offering, it was the same as losing.

She did not want to believe that this was the best they could do for the aggrieved party. She preferred to exhaust all other options before informing their client about the offer.

She was afraid that once the clients knew about the present circumstances, eventually, they would lose hope in the case and take the mediocre offer. 

"Let us be realistic about this. As much as I want to win this case and make these corporate monsters pay for their crimes, we also must think of what will be best for our clients." Gerald focused his attention on her, knowing what she was going through.

Dani was still young and idealistic. She believed that the system had a chance to change. She still had much to learn about the reality of their job.

He was once just like her. He could see himself in her when he was a new lawyer, struggling to make a change in the world. Ultimately, he woke up to the sad truth that justice was not blind. It was not fair.

"I am just frustrated with the situation. I almost thought that we have the case by the bag." She said defeatedly. Her earlier enthusiasm had vaporized into thin air. 

She was aware of the possibility. It was something that she wanted to avoid from happening. But, it would seem that she had no control of the situation.

"I know how you feel." Gerald moved a bit closer to her, seeing the disappointment in her eyes. 

He placed his hands on her to comfort her. He understood that losing unfairly in a case could be annoying, at the same time, could demoralize her motivation.

"How do you handle this kind of injustice? How could we keep letting them get away by using the same law to escape punishment?" She looked at him as she waited for an answer to her questions.

"Do you want me to answer that?" He knew that she already knew the answer to all her questions. She was not that naive, but only in denial of the truth that justice would never be equal for everyone.

"No," Dani finally confirmed to him that she was only ranting. She could not accept that after all the effort, still, the other team would be getting the upper hand in this case.

"Then, let us work on renegotiating the offer into something bigger. It is the least we can do before we take this to our clients. Then, we have no choice but to let them decide." Gerald suggested to her.

He still held on to her hands as she began to see reason. He could see that she was slowly admitting to herself that it was for the best. He wished he could do more for her, but as her mentor, he had to show her the fact of the case and not some false hope.

He did not want to crumple her idealism, but it would only hamper her growth. To succeed in this harsh world, she had to face reality. She had to learn to be the shark, or she would be eaten alive.

"I guess that would be best." She finally admitted that there was nothing else she could do but accept his recommendation.

She admonished herself for ignoring the facts and aiming too high. She only had herself to blame for not considering every possibility. Now, she felt responsible for letting their clients down.

"Well, don't take this personally. It is not the end of the world. We did try our best, and our clients would still get a reasonable settlement offer." Gerald shook her by the shoulder to cheer her up.

In an instant, he had her enveloped in his embrace. He could not stop himself as his body moved in its own accord. He did not plan it, but his subconsciousness must have wanted it so much.

He abruptly released her, realizing what he had done. As his mind reminded him, he did not want to scare her away. But he could not help but memorize how she felt in his arms.

"I hope you feel much better now." He immediately told her, hoping that the incident would not create awkwardness in their working relationship.

He did not want his careless action to cause him another chance to get close to her. He was almost making a breakthrough in their relationship. She was starting to trust him and even consider him a friend.

"Thanks." She said after getting over the shock of what just happened. She was not expecting that he would do that. She quickly pulled away while he also returned to his previous position.

She was deeply affected by the result of their case. However, she was not distraught to need a hug. But she did not want to put any more thought into it, dismissing the warning bells that resounded in her mind.

A few minutes of stillness enveloped the scene as they were both lost for words. But another guttural sound, as if the man was clearing his throat, promptly broke the silence, making both of them look at the intruder.

"It looks like I am interrupting a cozy scene. Is Alexander aware of your extracurricular activities?" He had been watching them since Dani arrived at the restaurant. He was pleasantly surprised to see her.

He was curious about her dinner date with the famous lawyer. Then, a bit disappointed when a client joined them. He thought that it would be just another boring meeting.

But he was glad that he stayed on to watch as a new scene unfolded.. From his vantage point and malicious mind, it did look like they were having a forbidden affair.