Chapter 69
“Ms. Estrella, please take a seat,” the man gestured to Estrella, then commanded the servant, “Make Ms. Estrella a cup of coffee.”
Estrella settled into her chair with an air of indifference, and the servant soon brought over the coffee. “Ms. Estrella, your
coffee.”
The man then lit a cigar, and smoke began to curl around them. Estrella frowned at the haze, but the man didn’t snuff out his cigar. He looked at Estrella with a smirk. “Ms. Estrella, you take your work quite seriously, don’t you?”
Taking a sip of her coffee, Estrella replied with a nonchalant smile, “So does that mean. you have a case for me?”
The man’s smile slowly faded as he tapped ash from his cigar. “How much do you make. as a lawyer?”
“Just enough to get by,” Estrella responded simply.
As her words hung in the air, the man’s expression darkened, and he crushed the cigar in the ashtray before looking up at Estrella, “Just getting by, huh? I offer you eight million to play ball and you still won’t cooperate?”
His sudden anger was palpable, but Estrella remained cool and composed. She had known what was unt
moment those beefy guys stopped her in the parking lot.
Estrella’s calm demeanor only fueled his rage, and he glared at her, “Young lady, do your have any idea how hard it is to earn three hundred million? Do you know how much time I’ve spent, how many smiles I’ve faked, and how much crap I’ve taken? You just flap your lips, and I’m supposed to hand over half my fortune to Jo? I’ve been supporting her for
thirty years.”
Speaking of his financial loss, veins on the man’s neck stood out in anger. He hadn’t slept well for days, haunted by thoughts of the wealth he’d lost in the breakup.
Estrella leaned forward slightly, calmly setting down her coffee cup, “Richie, if the law has this provision, then it must be there for a reason. I’m sure you don’t need me to explain it to you.”
Everyone talked about a woman’s contribution to the family, and how a man’s success is often thanks to a well-managed home. Richie understood these things. He knew better than anyone, but it was just selfishness and vanity that made him disregard a woman’s efforts.
He felt that by giving you a bite to eat, you should be grateful instead of still eying his fortune.
Men are inherently more selfish and calculating, and once they’ve squeezed every last
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drop of value from you, they turn faster than anyone else. If his life isn’t going well, he clings to you, unable to bear the hardship alone. He needs a woman to accompany him, to take out his dissatisfaction and anger on, someone to tend to his needs. And sometimes, they even blame their lack of wealth on the women.
Estrella had seen too many of these selfish types through her divorce cases, so she didn’t waste her breath on those who tried to outsmart the law and their wives, hiding and transferring assets.
She would do her job with integrity.
Unruffled by her demeanor, the man’s face turned pale with anger. He’d been in business for years and had never met someone like Estrella, who was impervious to his charms and wealth. After a long stare, he let out a cold, teeth-clenched laugh, “After taking over three hundred million of my money, Ms. Estrella, you must have taken quite a cut for yourself, didn’t you?”
Estrella couldn’t help but laugh, “Are you asking me to spit out my commission, Richie?”
Her nonchalant response sparked an inexplicable fury in him. He’d been around the block, but Estrella was the first woman who didn’t fear him, and few men dared to do so- unless they were out of his league.
Adjusting his neck, he rose leisurely from the sofa, buckled his belt with a blank face, and said, “You’ve just taken over three hundred million from me, Ms. Estrella. I haven’t slept a wink for days.”
Then, with a sudden shift in tone, “With all that commission, it wouldn’t be too much to ask for you to spend a night with me, to let off some steam, right?”
His claim of sleepless nights might have been an exaggeration, but it wasn’t far from the truth. The moment his transferred and hidden assets were exposed, he felt like his world crumble right in front of his eyes.
After thinking it over and unable to swallow his pride, he concluded that Estrella had set him up. Considering Estrella’s youth and beauty, he eventually had someone ‘invite Estrella over.
This, he thought, might alleviate some of his vexation.
Hearing his proposition, Estrella laughed. “Richie, there’s a long line of people who want to sleep with me, and I’m afraid you’re not even on the list. Think you can sleep with me? Wishful thinking.”
Before Richie could speak, Estrella continued, “Besides, I won’t take your eight million, so what makes you think I’m easy to bed?”
Estrella’s defiance enraged him, and pointing at her, he barked, “You’re a lawyer, and I won’t believe a damn word you say. Since I’ve invited’ you here today, you’re not leaving without giving me something in return.”
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The man was beyond reason. Estrella tensed, her voice sharp, “Richie, I’m not someone you can touch.”
If Richie dared to lay a finger on her, regardless of whether Jason would let it slide or not, the influence of her own family was not something he could afford to provoke.
Undeterred, Richie scoffed and said, “Ms. Estrella, do you want to go upstairs willingly, or shall we stay here in the living room?”
Without waiting for Estrella to reply, he added, I don’t usually hit women, Ms. Estrella, so the less you struggle, the less you’ll suffer.”
Estrella’s lips curled into a smirk, and then she slowly began to remove her jacket.
Meanwhile, inside the Maybach, Jason’s expression was beyond grim. He’d called Estrella six times since 5:30 p.m., with no answer. That damn woman was playing him again.
With all those flirty texts during the day, and the barrage of lingerie photos for his approval, now she had gone off the grid after work, even more devious than him.
He dialled Estrella’s number once more, but the call went unanswered. Jason slammed his phone down on the dashboard, cursing under his breath, “Damn it!”
The more Estrella remained out of reach, the more Jason’s resolve hardened. With a mix of frustration and determination, he snatched his phone from the dashboard once more and dialed her number, this time opting for a voice call.
The phone rang on and on, but Estrella’s end remained silent, no sign of her picking up. As the ringing drew to a close, Jason’s irritation slowly ebbed away, morphing into concern.
Something was off. Even if Estrella was messing with him, she wouldn’t just ghost him on Messenger. She’d make up some excuse, and keep him on the hook. After knowing Estrella for 23 years, Jason knew she wasn’t one to dodge issues.
With the realization that something wasn’t right, Jason immediately called Drew, “Drew, can you check if Estrella’s clocked out? Find out where she might have gone after work. Also, get her law firm to send over her recent client files, including any contacts related to her cases.”
“Got it, sir,” came Drew’s prompt reply, already on the move to carry out his orders.
Jason tossed his phone back onto the dashboard, swung the car around, and made a beeline back to the law office.
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In the man’s villa at that very moment.
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