The Billionaire’s Hidden Heiress
Chapter 121

Johnathon POV

Was it a coincidence that the very man I was thinking of happened to come into my office that day to request a lawyer from the firm to take his case? I didn't think so as I invited him to speak to me, excited by the prospect of having a new client, while also taking a good look at the man who was the managing director of the Deluca Company.

He was younger than I expected, good-looking, suave, and confident. I shook his hand as he settled on the chair, but there was a shiftiness to his eyes that I didn't like and he looked strangely familiar. Where had I seen him before? I shook my head and focused all of my attention on him. "Mr Ferryweather, what exactly can my firm do for you?" I asked brightly. Right now I needed all the clients I could get my hands on.

"Well the thing is, I want to divorce my wife who is almost thirty years my senior," he said uncomfortably as I smiled and nodded, taking notes without judgment.

He was not the first man who had married a woman solely for money and I was not about to judge him considering my own precarious position. "But I signed a prenup" he added lowly.

Ah, prenups. They were the bane of my existence and could be soul-destroying depending on how iron-clad they were. Judging by the uncomfortable expression on his face, I had a suspicion it was almost impossible to replace any loopholes. This was going to make things difficult but not impossible.

"Let's start with the reason for the divorce" I prompted "I always like to establish groundwork before I begin."

"I'm going to be honest," the man said, glancing at me and then avoiding my gaze "I initially went to Grayson Oakes for this case but he declined to take it."

"Declined?" I said dumbly "Grayson Oakes rarely declines a case unless it goes against his ethics or morals."

It stung to know I wasn't this man's first choice, but I kept my expression neutral.

"Adultery" he supplied promptly "The reason for divorce is adultery" he looked at me expectantly.

"On your side, I assume," I said resignedly.

No wonder Grayson hadn't taken this man's case. He hated adultery and if this man had been honest, like he'd been with me, Grayson would have refused on the spot. I on the other hand had no such scruples as long as I was paid handsomely for the job. Money was all that mattered to me.

"Yes," Mr Ferryweather said glancing away "Is that going to be a problem?"

"No," I said calmly and he relaxed "However does she have any proof of your adultery? Photos, text messages, emails?" "Not to my knowledge. I want the divorce so that I'm free to marry somebody my own age" he said quietly "There is a woman who is in the same boat, although her husband is not older than her" he said.

"I don't blame you then," I said nonchalantly, "but my fee is rather extensive, are you certain you can afford it?" I asked, trying not to sound too eager.

He looked offended "I can afford any fee that you invoice me. I would prefer to settle this matter quietly without going through the courts" he exhaled "and I would like another lawyer to take the case rather than you personally."

The smile slipped from my face. Another lawyer from my firm instead of myself? Had I offended him or given him reason to believe I was incapable of handling one measly divorce? I tried to tread lightly. I needed clients and I couldn't afford to run this one off. "Mr. Ferryweather," I said firmly "I own this firm. I built this firm up from scratch and I am one of the hardest working lawyers you'll ever meet. I will work diligently on your divorce and get the outcome you are seeking. Is there a particular reason you want another lawyer besides myself?"

He hesitated. "No I guess not," he said finally "as long as you can get this done quickly and without the knowledge of the third party. She doesn't know I'm seeking a divorce."

"Your wife?"

He nodded "If you can replace a way around the prenup agreement that would be good as well" he began to dig through his briefcase, handing me a stack of papers "I've spent a good almost five years with this woman and I should be rewarded for my efforts," he said smoothly "it hasn't been easy either."

My lip curled "I understand. What about the other woman?" I asked and his brow shot straight up.

"Other woman?" he asked confused.

"Does your wife know about her?"

He shook his head adamantly.

"Does the other woman also need a divorce lawyer?" I asked prodding.

Maybe I could represent her as well. Get two new clients. The thought filled me with satisfaction. The man was silent a moment.

"She will need a divorce lawyer but I'm afraid that she's already gone to somebody else" he admitted lowly. "Oh" I exhaled "that's a shame. If she changes her mind, I'll give her a large discount on my services" I told him. "I'll tell her," he said faintly.

"At the moment I don't need your mistress's name but if it does come up or I start experiencing complications I may need the information from you," I told him as I began to study the prenup papers "Is that going to be a problem." "I would prefer not to divulge that information. I want to keep her out of the divorce if I can" he explained.

"Right then we can always say the divorce is due to irreparable differences" I murmured, causing him to relax again. "But I need your assurance the mistress is not going to cause trouble in the divorce proceedings either." "Trust me she won't," he said firmly.

"Great. I'll get started right away on getting the papers ready. Mr Ferryweather I'll notify you when they are done. I'll get you to fill out this consent form and this contract" I handed them over "along with banking details. As I said my fee is quite extensive, and this shows how it's broken down" I handed him another paper as he began to peruse them "And if anything unexpected comes up or another expense my secretary or receptionist will call you before proceeding with the expense."

He was nodding in agreement, signing and handing the papers back. For a moment something flashed in his eyes as he looked at me and it was difficult to decipher it. Was it regret? Guilt? Why would he be feeling guilty, although it was normal for somebody going through the process of divorcing their spouse? I shook off the feeling it was more than that. "Any questions Mr. Ferryweather? Anything else you want to go through?"

"No, it's pretty self-explanatory," he said rising to his feet "I've given you my personal cell phone number. I don't wish to be disturbed on my work number" he emphasized as I nodded "And if you get this done quickly I'll even add another 10% to your total." My jaw almost dropped. It was a great deal of money for what was was going to be very little effort on my part. I cleared my throat. "Thank you for your confidence in me Mr Ferryweather. Trust me you won't be disappointed" I said extending my hand and shaking his with a firm grip.

"Oh I know I won't," he said mysteriously before nodding again and heading back out the door.

Thank god. Work. Something to occupy me instead of remaining cooped up at home listening to Charlotte droll on and on about the baby and what she wanted the nursery to look like or what she was going to do when she had the company. She needed to take a rest. I rubbed my forehead and glanced back down at the signed contract. It suddenly hit me where I might have seen this man before. I slowly slid my cell phone back out of my pocket and opened up the photo I had received the other day, my eyes widening as I took in the picture of Charlotte leaning towards somebody intimately again.

It was him. He was the man in the photo. Mr Ferryweather. What was he doing with Charlotte?

I glanced back at his information. My head began to ache. He was managing director of the Deluca Company. It suddenly made sense as to how Charlotte knew the man. Somebody had sent the photo to me, in the hopes it would cause conflict when it was all perfectly innocent. It had to be a photo of when she visited the company or some such thing, I mused. I closed the image and put my cell phone back. Red flags were going off everywhere and I was choosing to ignore them. A man would not be so brash as to ask the husband of somebody he was cheating with for a divorce I thought to myself, shaking my head and laughing at myself, there was no way somebody was that arrogant.

I resolved to ask Charlotte about the photo when I got home. I was certain that it was as innocent as I was picturing it to be. But something else was bothering me. The empty pill container, John's heart attack, Charlotte's mystery phone calls, and her disappointment that Flair was alive. She was coldhearted and bloodthirsty. It was almost as though she was engineering everything that was happening to Flair but I didn't want to believe the woman I was married to and in love with was that capable of being so malicious. The woman I had fallen in love with at the beginning had been sweet and gentle, where had she gone?

That's because you're too afraid to admit that you were wrong about her and that you made a mistake leaving Flair.

I tried to ignore the voice in my mind but it was persistent.

Think about it, Johnathon. Three years with Flair and no pregnancy and yet Charlotte miraculously gets pregnant within the first month? Your instincts are screaming at you that something is wrong and you just continue to ignore it. Don't you want to replace out for sure if there's a possibility that's your baby? Or are you planning to keep turning your head the other way and letting her make a fool out of you?

I swore under my breath and reached for my cell phone. "This is the Fadden Clinic," a voice said on the other line.

"I need to make an appointment with Dr Fadden," I said gritting my teeth "The first one you have available."

"We have one available tomorrow afternoon at 1 pm."

"Perfect, I'll take it. The name is Johnathon Rourke" I said.

"We'll see you tomorrow Mr Rourke."

I hung up the phone.