A Gamble Called Marriage - Chapter 20

Chapter 20

 

—

 

“Attorney, you’re still not off work?”

 

“Jacques, you’re working on a Saturday too.”

 

“True, but even on a day like today?”

 

“It’s because of the Brezo case jurisdiction issue. I need to hold a meeting with the U.S. side. Once that’s done, I’ll leave.”

 

“Oh, the couple who got married in Singapore without a prenuptial agreement? The wife wants the case in New York, and our client wants it here. That’s the case, right?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I heard about it. They said it was your idea to argue that since the wife’s shoe collection is here, the divorce proceedings should be held here instead of New York. And it seems like it worked?”

 

“Looks like it.”

 

Maël massaged the back of his neck.

 

The jurisdiction issue in the billionaire’s divorce case had been a focal point during the team’s meetings with lawyers from various countries. Originally, Dian had taken on the case alongside another senior associate due to Manon’s prenuptial agreement.

 

Then Dian was involved in a hit-and-run accident, and as a result, Maël had to step in to support the case.

 

While it was good to deliver positive news to the client, it was an unexpected workload, leaving Maël unable to remember the last time he’d slept properly.

 

“Of course, lucky Attorney Maël. They said if the case proceeds in the U.S., it’ll cost 80 million dollars. How much would it cost here?”

 

“Hard to say until it progresses… but here in Monaco, without a prenuptial agreement, the concept of joint property doesn’t really apply. Since there’s no asset division, she’ll only get alimony. Probably somewhere between one to two million dollars.”

 

“Ooh la la. Isn’t a prenuptial agreement usually bad for those without money? Wouldn’t it have been better if they’d had one?”

 

“It’s not the agreement itself that’s bad. It all depends on how the agreement is structured, where the case is fought, and which lawyer you hire.”

 

“If I ever get divorced, you have to handle it for me. Promise me, okay? Promise.”

 

“That’s if you get married first, Jacques.”

 

More urgent than his assistant’s playful admiration was a cup of coffee. Maël placed his hand lightly on Jacques’ desk and asked, “Jacques, is there anything else you need to hand me? Was everything you gave me this morning all there was?”

 

“Yes, there hasn’t been anything else. Do you need something specific?”

 

“Not really. It’s just…”

 

The day after Maël last saw Yves Valois, he’d sent over a retainer agreement. The subsequent consultations had to be rescheduled due to Yves’ circumstances.

 

He couldn’t start working on the case until he received the signed retainer agreement, but it hadn’t been returned yet.

 

“Maybe he changed his mind.”

 

It was a possibility. Maël didn’t have the energy to check right now, though.

 

He thought for a moment and changed the topic. There was already plenty of work piling up as it was.

 

“Jacques, I’ve been asking for a copy of Manon’s prenuptial agreement for a while now. I don’t think I’ve received it yet, have I?”

 

“About that, the document isn’t in our team’s archives. It seems the managing attorney left it with their assistant. I’ve been following up, but I haven’t gotten a response yet. I’ve even gone to their office a few times… Sorry about that. They might still be there now. Should I go check? It’s kind of late, though.”

 

It was late. The wedding was tomorrow, after all.

 

But thinking about his schedule, Maël wasn’t sure he’d have had time to review it earlier anyway. He shook his head at Jacques, who was already halfway out of his chair.

 

“It’s a fully signed agreement. There’s nothing we can change about it now. I just wanted to double-check something. Don’t worry about it.”

 

As Maël spoke, he glanced at the clock. He had five minutes before his next meeting. Enough time for a caffeine fix.

 

He headed to the break room and pressed the button on the capsule machine, sending a quick text as he waited.

 

[ Hey, Manon, can you bring the original prenuptial agreement tomorrow? ]

 

The message whooshed its way to the bride-to-be. Afterward, Maël drafted an email to Yves’ assistant.

 

[ This is Attorney Maël Mun from 377. I have not yet received the signed retainer agreement. Could you confirm if it has been sent? ]

 

Whether or not Yves proceeded with the case wasn’t really Maël’s concern, but securing the retainer had been one of Yves’ stated conditions, so it was worth checking. It was a weekend, though, so who knew when there’d be a reply.

 

Just as he sent the email, the capsule machine finished brewing. Maël added an entire packet of sugar, stirred it with a circular motion, and looked up as Dian, passing the break room with her arm in a cast, waved her left hand in a sling.

 

Both were headed to the same destination, so Maël grabbed his cup and joined her. Dian glanced at the steaming coffee and spoke.

 

“Sorry about tomorrow. It’s Manon’s wedding.”

 

“You were doing phone consultations while wearing your wedding dress, Dian.”

 

“Hard to forget, right? Two hours before my wedding, I got a call asking if hiding an STD from a spouse would entitle them to more alimony.”

 

It was a story Maël had heard countless times since his internship. He chuckled bitterly and sipped the coffee, now sweet with melted sugar.

 

“Still no word on the hit-and-run car?”

 

“Seems like it’ll take a while. It was a black German car, and those are everywhere around here.”

 

“But there are so many cameras in Monaco.”

 

“Of course, the accident had to happen in a camera blind spot. Plus, they were replacing cameras in Monaco-Ville that day. My luck, right?”

 

While Dian had joked about the incident at the time, her condition was worse than she’d let on. A concussion and multiple metal pins in her left arm. Maël, sensing her mood shift, started to speak, but Dian waved her good hand dismissively.

 

“Never mind that. How many cases are you handling right now?”

 

“Not too many urgent ones. Why? Are you giving me more? You already dumped the domestic violence conference and the Brezo jurisdiction case on me, and you promised I’d get a vacation after this.”

 

Though Maël pretended to complain, dividing the workload was natural. He couldn’t very well sit back when he’d visited Dian in the hospital, only to find her with case files spread across her bed.

 

“I already approved your vacation. You’ll get it. But I’ve been thinking… once this case is over, I might start my own practice.”

 

“Wait, what?”

 

The idea of Dian opening a new office was so unexpected that Maël nearly choked on his coffee. Dian sighed at his startled, red-eyed expression.

 

“After the accident, it’s hard to say I haven’t had a change of heart. I was being wheeled into surgery, and all I could think about were my clients.”

 

“What do you mean…?”

 

“Ugh, I didn’t become a lawyer to represent people like that.”

 

She gestured toward Maël.

 

Could anyone practice law without ever feeling that way? Maël smirked bitterly. His obsession with pro bono work and volunteering his time for free legal services stemmed from a similar place.

 

They were only a few steps from the consultation room now. Dian spoke quickly.

 

“I just want to make things a bit lighter for myself. And to do that, I need to leave 377. I want to pick my clients. And honestly, there aren’t many I’d want to represent here in Monaco, but maybe expanding to Nice and the surrounding areas…”

 

She paused, glancing meaningfully at Maël.

 

“With you on board, I’d get even more clients. What do you say?”

 

“Yeah. I’m recruiting you right now.”

 

Maël blinked as he threw his paper cup into the trash. Dian’s words grew even quicker.

 

“If I leave, based on the order and your track record, you’ll be the one to make partner. There’s no one among the senior associates who can match you. The youngest partner in 377’s history. But if you come with me, you’ll be a co-director.”

 

“There’s not much difference between the two, is there?”

 

“Well, in the new firm, there won’t be an ex-boyfriend hanging around.”

 

By now, the rumors about Charles were no secret to anyone. Maël shook his head at Dian’s sly joke, though his expression wasn’t displeased. Well, that was certainly a plus.

 

“Think about it.”

 

Dian said lightly. At the exact moment her watch struck the hour, she opened the door to the consultation room. Inside, the silver-haired billionaire was already waiting. She greeted him with a confident smile.

 

“Mr. Brézeau, have you heard the good news we sent?”

 

Following her inside, Maël adjusted his firm expression. For a fleeting moment, he wondered how long it had been since he’d met clients he actually wanted to represent in this firm’s consultation rooms.

 

And then, almost unbidden, Yves Vallois’s face flitted through his mind.

 

—

 

At last, it seemed that Manon’s morning sickness had eased up. Her cheeks, which he hadn’t seen in some time, looked less gaunt.

 

“You’re here, big brother?”

 

Even though they lived together, the day before the wedding had to be spent in separate homes. This old-fashioned tradition had finally allowed Manon, who hadn’t returned to the house in Nice since the prenuptial agreement was signed, to come back.

 

Outwardly, they claimed her absence was due to wedding preparations, but in truth, it was because of Manon’s slightly swollen belly. To avoid persistent reporters and to accommodate visits from her doctor, the house in Nice had not been suitable.

 

“Here.”

 

Maël lifted the bag he’d brought. It contained the pho and spring rolls that Manon had been begging him to get her for days. She squealed and grabbed it with delight.

 

“If you eat this now, your face will swell tomorrow.”

 

“You could use a little puffiness. Oh, did you bring the documents I asked for?”

 

“Yeah. We looked everywhere for them, but I couldn’t find them at first. Even Philippe and Grand Duchess joined the search, rummaging through rooms. They almost broke a centuries-old vase. I think we should leave the originals here. Can you take care of them, big brother?”

 

“Got it.”

 

As Maël sat down at the dining table to retrieve the prenuptial agreement, Manon, seated across from him and opening the plastic container, chattered non-stop.

 

“You know, the Grand Duchess said something earlier. She told me that since you’ll officially become part of the royal family tomorrow, she convinced the Sovereign Prince to prepare a gift for you. She wanted me to let you know. The announcement is supposed to be made tomorrow morning, but—”

 

“Wait, Manon, hold on.”

 

It was the next moment when Maël, flipping through the documents, urgently stopped his excited sister.

 

He pulled his glasses from his jacket pocket. His eyes, fixated on one page of the agreement, closed tightly before reopening.