CHAPTER - THE LAWYER
671 Words
The rain began just before noon.
Dilva sat inside her car, her fingers wrapped tightly around the steering wheel.
She had parked across the street nearly twenty minutes ago.
On the opposite side stood a twelve-story glass building.
MONROE & ASSOCIATES
For most people, it was one of the country's most respected law firms.
For Dilva...
It represented something she hadn't felt in years.
Hope.
She glanced at her phone.
No missed calls.
No messages from Jacob.
He was in Geneva for a board meeting. At least, that was what his assistant had told her.
She switched off the engine.
"If I walk through those doors..." she whispered, "there's no turning back."
For a long moment, she remained still.
Then she picked up her handbag...
...and stepped into the rain.
The receptionist smiled warmly.
"Good afternoon. How may we help you?"
Dilva hesitated.
"I... I'd like to speak with a divorce attorney."
The receptionist's smile softened.
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No."
"One moment, please."
She made a quick phone call before looking up again.
"You're in luck. Mr. Bentley Monroe just finished with a client."
Dilva nodded nervously.
"This way."
Bentley Monroe's office was nothing like she expected.
There were no gold ornaments.
No expensive paintings.
Just shelves overflowing with legal books.
Family photographs.
Awards.
And a large window overlooking the city.
A man in his early thirties stood as she entered.
He offered his hand.
"I'm Bentley Monroe."
His voice was calm.
Measured.
The kind that immediately put people at ease.
"You must be Mrs...?"
Dilva stared at his outstretched hand.
"...Montiel."
The name changed everything.
Bentley's expression remained professional...
But his eyes sharpened almost imperceptibly.
Jacob Montiel.
Everyone in the city knew that name.
He gestured toward the chair opposite his desk.
"Please."
She sat.
Neither of them spoke for several seconds.
Bentley never rushed silence.
In his experience...
People often revealed the truth when they were allowed to breathe.
Finally...
"What brings you here today, Mrs. Montiel?"
Dilva lowered her eyes.
"I want a divorce."
The words sounded strange.
Almost unreal.
As if someone else had spoken them.
Bentley folded his hands.
"Does your husband know you're here?"
"No."
"Does anyone?"
She shook her head.
"I came alone."
Bentley nodded.
"Then everything you say in this room remains confidential."
Something inside Dilva relaxed.
For the first time in years...
She felt safe.
An hour later...
Bentley had spoken very little.
Instead...
He listened.
He listened as Dilva described a marriage that had slowly become a prison.
The loneliness.
The manipulation.
The constant control.
She never exaggerated.
She didn't need to.
Reality was painful enough.
When she finished...
Bentley quietly closed his notebook.
"Mrs. Montiel..."
"I've handled difficult divorces before."
"But this one..."
He chose his next words carefully.
"...will be unlike anything I've ever taken."
She frowned.
"You mean because he's rich?"
Bentley shook his head.
"No."
"Because he's Jacob Montiel
At that same moment...
On the sixty-fifth floor of Montiel Global Holdings...
Jacob stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows of his office.
The city stretched endlessly beneath him.
Vincent entered without knocking.
"Our Geneva partners have signed."
Jacob nodded.
"What else?"
Vincent placed a thin black folder on the desk.
"Mrs. Montiel left the estate this morning."
Jacob didn't turn around.
"Shopping?"
"No."
"A lawyer."
Silence.
"What firm?"
Vincent opened the folder.
"Monroe & Associates."
Jacob slowly turned.
For the first time all day...
His expression changed.
Not anger.
Recognition.
"Harold Monroe."
Vincent nodded.
"The same."
Jacob walked back to his desk.
He opened the folder.
Inside...
A single surveillance photograph.
Dilva entering Monroe & Associates.
Jacob studied it for several seconds.
Then...
He smiled.
A smile completely devoid of warmth.
"So..."
He murmured.
"The Monroes have returned."
He closed the folder.
"Tell our legal department not to interfere."
Vincent looked surprised.
"Sir?"
"I want Monroe to take the case."
"But why?"
Jacob picked up his coat.
"Because every man deserves the opportunity..."
He paused.
"...to discover the difference between knowing the law..."
"...and surviving me.”
- Writer
