Legitime

05 - Negotiation

"Me?" The gorgeous stranger inside the elevator smiled, too gentle that it caused shivers to run down Beatrice's spine. The following words he uttered were the complete juxtaposition of the smile he had just given.

"You sure you can handle what I would ask you in return for getting even with your family?"

Beatrice flinched, clearly not anticipating him to be like this. Was he pretending to look innocent?

Was he just like any other lawyer Beatrice knew? Calculative and manipulative?

"Of course." Beatrice quirked a brow. She would not know unless she tried to get to know him. "I know what a man like you wants."

"Oh yeah?" The guy took steps toward Beatrice, causing the latter to walk backward. She didn't stop until her back hit the elevator door.

"What do you think I want?"

Before Beatrice could answer, she heard the 'ding' sound, indicating that the door of the elevator would open.

It did. Beatrice lost balance because of it. Fortunately, the guy was able to wrap his arms around her waist, pulling her towards his chest to stop her from falling.

Beatrice's face hit the guy's chest. She was instantly welcomed by his pleasant smell. He smelled like fresh cotton and sandalwood—her favorite scents in the world.

She felt embarrassed for lingering a little too long with him just so she could inhale his pleasant smell.

"Are you still up for negotiation, or are you just going to breathe me in?" His tone was teasing, which Beatrice immediately recognized.

She immediately pushed the guy away from him. He didn't look mean when she looked at his face, though. His expression was actually soft and thoughtful, and it caused Beatrice's heart to stir.

Damn it. Why was this man too good-looking?

"Or are you hurt anywhere? Did I pull you too harshly?"

"No..." Beatrice looked away, unable to stare at his beautiful face any longer. People were always kind to her because she was rich and scared of her, but she felt like this guy was different.

He sounded genuinely concerned about her. Beatrice did not like it one bit. New and foreign things are dangerous, right?

However, she didn't have any choice now. This guy was probably her only hope, the only person who could help her.

Beatrice confirmed this when she looked at his hands and didn't see any ring. That meant he was not married, right? He was single!

Please let him be single! Beatrice prayed to no one in particular. She could only hope that fate was on her side.

"You sure?" The guy didn't seem convinced, mainly because Beatrice's face was red. She was blushing.

"Yes. Let's go somewhere."

"Where will we go?"

"Uh? Restaurant?" She scowled. "We have to negotiate, remember?"

"Right."

Beatrice didn't have access to her car anymore; that was why she didn't have a choice but to hitch a ride with this guy.

"This is your car?" She frowned, hesitating a little.

He was a lawyer. Why was he driving a very old model? Was it even safe to be used?

"It is. Don't worry..." The guy answered, which made Beatrice realize that she might have asked the question louder and not just to herself.

"As a matter of fact, I had it checked just yesterday." The guy opened the door of the passenger seat of his car.

Beatrice didn't enter. She was still suspicious.

"You don't believe me?" The guy didn't sound offended, just amused. His eyes were actually sparkling.

"Okay, fine. I'll show you the evidence." He talked like a lawyer. He even fished his phone out of the pocket of his slacks, ready to show his proof.

"Here. This is a receipt from the store where I got this car fixed..." He showed her his phone. "You can also see right here that it's safe to drive this car."

Beatrice saw the evidence. He wasn't lying. She believed him now. She didn't know what compelled her to abruptly swipe his phone, though.

"Is this your dog?" She enquired when a picture of a poodle popped up. It was white, and it looked so pretty.

The guy pressed the off button of his mobile phone, and the screen turned black.

"Why don't we settle our negotiation first, and then we can talk about Zoë?"

Beatrice's eyes twinkled.

"Your dog's name is Zoë?" She sounded so enthusiastic that the guy couldn't help but laugh. She looked so cute.

"Get in the car, Miss..."

Beatrice pouted, but she complied nonetheless. Surprisingly, she relaxed once she entered the car.

It wasn't so bad. It seemed safe, and his car was actually cleaned to perfection. It smelled nice as well--like it was highly maintained.

"Beatrice." She spoke the second the guy entered the car, sitting on the driver's seat.

"Hm?" He glanced at her, starting the car. It made a weird noise that scared Beatrice a little.

She just exhaled, though, putting in mind that the car was checked yesterday. It was safe.

"Beatrice is my name. I'm just telling you since you called me Miss..." She wondered if this guy really didn't know her name. She was the daughter of Anton Deveraux, the owner of the company he was applying for.

It was impossible not to know her, right?

"I see. Nice to meet you, Ms. Beatrice," his smile melted her heart. Oh, gosh. She was back at it again.

"Well, aren't you going to tell me your name?" Beatrice raised a brow. She huffed when she couldn't lock herself in with the seat belt.

"May I?" It was sweet that he was asking her permission to help her lock in the seat belt.

"Yes," Beatrice answered, closing her eyes when the guy leaned forward. She was able to smell his heavenly scent once again.

"There." The guy smiled, going back to his original position.

Beatrice's eyes flickered.

"Thanks," she murmured. "So...? What's your name?"

The guy was already driving. He only answered her when the traffic light turned red.

Beatrice liked that he was focused on driving.

"Niklaus Bandbridge. People call me Nik," he smiled. God. He liked smiling so much, huh? Was it because he had a perfect set of white teeth? Seriously. Was there something about him that wasn't perfect? At least physically speaking?

"Okay. Nice to meet you too, Klaus." She seemed proud as she said this, totally ignoring the fact that he subtly asked her to call him Nik.

"Should I call you Triz?" He asked before stepping on the gas once more.

"Whatever floats your boat." She shrugged nonchalantly. "Where are we going, by the way?"

"You said you wanted to go to a restaurant. I'm bringing you there."

Beatrice was about to say something when the car stopped. She looked outside of the window only to see that they were currently in front of a restaurant called Restaurant.

"Huh," Beatrice chuckled. "You're clever." She didn't even know that there was a place like this near the building of the Deveraux Law Firm.

"Shall we?"

It was surprising how Beatrice found being with Niklaus a bit therapeutic. He was like a breath of fresh air. She didn't feel awkward, but looking at him made her cheeks red.

She didn't know it was possible to blush profusely just because of a handsome face.

"Please order whatever you like," Niklaus told her when the waitress showed them the menu.

Beatrice sprayed alcohol all over her hands before touching the menu book.

"Whatever I like, you say?" She furrowed her brow.

Niklaus nodded.

"Yes, of course. Our relationship as of this moment is attorney and client. I pay for the meals of my clients to impress them..."

"What if I'm not impressed at all?" She wasn't. All of the food here was worth not more than one hundred dollars. Beatrice's meals usually ranged from two hundred to a thousand dollars.

"Intelligence and wits, I guess..." Niklaus grinned.

Beatrice only shook her head, stopping herself from saying that he could use his charm and handsome face instead.

"I'd like Aglio olio pasta please," this was her order. Niklaus, on the other hand, ordered a clubhouse sandwich.

Beatrice didn't fail to notice it. Huh. He ordered something worth four dollars. Seriously? What was with this guy?

"Are you not hungry, or don't you have money?"

Niklaus looked like the type of guy who would not lie to impress a girl, and that's precisely what he did. He told her the truth.

"A little bit of both, but more of the latter."

Beatrice dramatically gasped.

"Then why'd you offer to pay for my food?" She chose the most expensive one!

"Didn't I tell you?" There goes his breathtaking smile again. "I'm trying to impress you..."

Their food arrived. To show what he meant, Niklaus raised his sandwich, pretending like he was thrilled to eat that kind of food.

Beatrice rolled her eyes.

"You don't need to impress me." She sprayed alcohol all over her hands once again before grabbing the knife and fork.

"Maybe I'm the one who needs to impress you," she added, swirling her glass of wine. She ordered the cheapest one even though it was making her heart crack. She didn't drink just any wine; however, she needed to be drunk or to at least be tipsy in order to propose what was on her mind.

"What do you need my service for?" Niklaus enquired.

Beatrice inhaled deeply.

"Well, you might not know this, but my real name is Beatrice Deveraux. The one and only heir of the owners of Deveraux Law Firm."

She sounded proud as she said this. Of course. There was no more incredible pride than telling someone how powerful you were; at least, this was what Beatrice thought. It was what got people to respect her.

"But...I recently got into a fight with my parents, so they are trying to disinherit me."

Beatrice's anger was palpable. She was reminded of what happened a short while ago. Gosh. How she wished she could drag her aunties out of the building. She also wanted to hurt her parents, but she didn't know how. She was running out of ideas, and it seemed like whatever she did now would only cause her pain.

Her parents probably gave up on her. They didn't want to associate themselves with a lawbreaker like her.

"I see," Niklaus clasped his hands together. He looked like he was listening intently to what Beatrice was saying.

He was staring at her. Did he always look at his clients like this? Like they mattered? Like their stories were very important no matter how petty it actually was?

"You said you are the one and only heir of Mr. Anton and Mrs. Miranda Deveraux; that means you're their only legitimate child, correct?"

"Yes," Beatrice answered to help him gather facts.

"Good. So that makes you a legitime."

"What's a legitime again?" Beatrice didn't know, which was very surprising considering that apart from her art degree, she also studied some units of Legal Management before.

In her defense, that was a long time ago. Apart from this, she wasn't really that interested in it. She only took up that course because it was what her parents wanted. See? She followed what her mother and father wanted, but it still didn't do her any good.

She should just listen to herself and do what she wants instead.

"A legitime is from the Roman law, Ms. Beatrice. It is a forced share or, as what other lawyers like to call it: the legal right share." Niklaus ran his tongue through his lower lip.

Beatrice got a little distracted because of it. He was turning her into a bare minimum kind of woman, and she didn't like it.

How could he make the law sound so hot?

"It just means that a certain, and in most cases, the largest portion of the decedent's estate, is bound to be given to the heirs. This portion cannot be given to anyone, meaning the decedents cannot, even if they want to, disinherit their children or parents without sufficient legal cause."

Beatrice felt like her head was spinning. She stopped eating to rub circles on either side of her temple.

"So basically, I'm my parents what? Compulsory heir?"

"Exactly." Niklaus grinned. "They can't disinherit you just because you had a minor fight with them; actually, even if they don't like you, they still can't disinherit you."

This didn't reassure Beatrice, though. As a matter of fact, what Niklaus revealed only caused her to shift uncomfortably in her seat.

"What if it's not a minor fight?" She was asking because her parents' anger seemed natural--like they genuinely had enough of Beatrice's attitude.

"Remember when I told you the part where the decedent needs a sufficient legal cause?"

Beatrice nodded, her heart feeling hollow. She felt like she already had an idea as to what he was going to say.

"Our civil code states only seven sufficient legal causes. I'm going to tell you each, and then you have to tell me if you think it applies to you, although I doubt it."

She didn't smile. His level of trust in her was baffling. He didn't know her, didn't know what she was capable of doing.

"Number one is when the compulsory heir has been found guilty of threatening the life of the testator, the latter's spouse, descendants, or ascendants."

Beatrice nodded; at least she hadn't done this.

"Okay. So the second one is when the compulsory heir has accused the testator of a crime, and the penalty of it is imprisonment, regardless of the time that the testator will spend incarcerated. The Keyword here? Accusation. So this cause is only possible if it is proven that the heir's accusation is groundless."

Beatrice nodded again. She was still safe. She hadn't accused her parents of this. She cursed them, yes, but she never talked bad about them in public or in court.

"The third sufficient legal cause is when the compulsory heir has been convicted of adultery or concubinage with the spouse of the testator—okay. I'm going to skip this part because I know there's zero chance of you doing this."

"Yes. Duh?" Beatrice felt like vomiting just by thinking about it. She was many things, but never someone who liked incest.

"I'm skipping to the fourth cause, and it is when the compulsory her committed fraud, violence, intimidation or undue influence which causes the testator to amend the will that has already been created."

Beatrice didn't have to do this because she grew up knowing that all of her parents' estate would go to her. What was the point of coercing them? Nothing, obviously.

"The fifth is when the compulsory heir is leading a dishonorable or disgraceful path in life, which is connected to the last two causes..."

Beatrice's face turned pale but only because she wasn't sure what dishonorable or disgraceful life was. Her mother would always tell her, "you're such a disgrace!" When she did stupid things, especially when she was younger, but it wasn't really specific.

Who determined this? Was it the competent court? Would her parents use this argument to disinherit her? What would be her rebuttal then?

It wasn't like they were wrong.

"The last two causes are usually what the testator uses to disinherit an heir. It is when the heirs don't know how to handle their finances--when they spend excessively. This is valid since the estate of the testator didn't just magically appear. They worked hard to earn it, so the heirs need to take care of it as well."

Beatrice deflated. Her parents had two legal causes they could use against her. She didn't know how to manage her expenses; her parents had told her this a lot of times already. They even hired a financial manager for Beatrice. Sadly, it didn't last long. The manager quit for the reason that she found it hard to control Beatrice.

She did what she wanted. She spent so much money in a day. She bought things she didn't need. One time she bought the entire stock of a certain limited edition perfume because she didn't want anyone to smell like her.

Weeks later, she decided not to use the perfume anymore since she got bored with its light smell. She went shopping for a new scent even though she had a whole shelf of unused perfume.

"But this legal cause can be fixed; the heirs can swear to change their spending habits, and then they will go with some kind of probation. It usually lasts three to four years after the testator dies. If the heirs are still irresponsible, the estate will be given to the alternative heirs written in the decedent's will, but if there are no alternative heirs, the government will cease the estate."

Beatrice frowned. It was not a secret how corrupted some people working in the government were. She would never allow them to quickly earn what her family worked hard to achieve. Instead, she'd donate the properties to some foundation rather than have the government take them.

"What's the last cause?" Beatrice asked, defeated. She understood now why her parents seemed confident while talking to her a short while ago. They really did know what they were saying, finally managing to frighten Beatrice.

All of this was real. She could lose everything she was supposed to have.

"There is no question needed in the last legal cause, meaning the court will immediately approve the disinheritance of an heir if it is seen in the heirs' records that they are convicted of a crime or are currently being sued because of a crime committed. Civil cases are fine in the eyes of the law, but if the case is a criminal one, well...there's no hope for the heir."

"There's no hope for me then," Beatrice's eyes were filled with tears. Niklaus just said that the court would immediately approve the disinheritance when an heir had a criminal case. She had. It happened today. Her parents cleaned her cases before, and if they didn't, it wouldn't matter because her previous cases were only civil.

The incident with the store assistant was a criminal one. She was going to be sued for frustrated murder.

"You have...a criminal case?" Niklaus asked carefully. He didn't want to upset her.

"Yes, but it's a mistake. My parents know that's why they don't want to help me. They want an easy way to disinherit me, and now they found it."

"I'm sorry," Niklaus said seriously. "I can help you with the case. I'm sure you know that by now. I mean, that's the reason why you want to negotiate with me, right?"

"Yes and no," Beatrice claimed, causing Niklaus to raise his brow.

"What do you mean?"

"I meant you have to help me clean my name..."

"And?" He asked, but only because it seemed like she wanted to add more.

Beatrice smirked.

"And because I need you to marry me."