Rome, Italy.
Carlos's pov:
I reflected on what the bartender had said about the lawyer. "She's one of the best lawyers," he said again, his voice fainting inside my head. Should I request that Kai call? Should I try again to get Vincent to work with us? Is she really worth it? Man, I have no idea, but I know that if I don't find help soon, my ass will be locked up.
I'll ask Kai to contact her. What could possibly go wrong? In addition, I am open to hiring a female lawyer. I rose from my seat and went downstairs to talk to Kai, who was sitting on the sofa with his laptop again while the maids finished cleaning up my mess. "Could I speak with Kai?" I asked the maids.
The maids nodded and left the room. I sat next to Kai, who was working on his laptop. "Are you at ease now?" Kai asked. "Mhm." "All right, what's our next step?" Kai asked.
"Well, I thought about contacting Vincent again, but I decided it would be a dumb choice because he doesn't want anything to do with us," I explained. "Mhm, and?" Kai inquired. "Well, the bartender upstairs recommended the best of the best," I explained. Kai creased his brows.
"We thought Vincent was the best of the best, and yet he left with some nonsense excuse," Kai explained. He wasn't wrong; it was a stupid move. "I have to finish this legal case, and I can't keep running into dead ends," I explained. "I agree, and I don't want it either, but how do we know she'll help us and not leave us like Vincent did?" Kai questioned.
Kai makes an excellent point; how good is she? Is she gifted? How long can she keep her focus? Who knows, man? "We must continue to try," I say. Kai gave a nod. "I'll do some studies on her and contact her," Kai said. "Thank you," I say as I stand up.
I had to clear my mind, and I was also fucking hot. I went upstairs to my room again just to remove my suit because my body needed to be refreshed and stress-free. I switched into sweatpants and decided to go shirtless.
I exited my room and went outside, even though it was pitch black outside. I told my bodyguards to stay because I didn't need them to follow me. I, too, require fucking space and air to breathe. I'm just hoping the bartender was correct about the lawyer, and if she is the best of the best, I'll be grateful for her assistance.
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Rome, Italy.
Kai's pov:
All of this research on the lawyer is giving me a migraine; she's extremely well known. Alliana appears to have had her own business based on her website, "Alliana Mercedes Facility." She was born in Ontario, Canada. She has assisted many people, including delinquents, and has volunteered in many hospitals for children and institutions. She is the most well-known and well-recommended person for legal cases and other minor cases.
It also states that she has an assistant, Souline Marie, and that any business inquiries or appointment scheduling must be addressed to her. Everything appears to be true, but there are no attached photos, so we have no idea how they both look. It's odd, but I suppose she doesn't like taking pictures. I called the number listed on the website. I waited and waited until someone answered the phone.
"Thank you for calling Alliana Mercedes Facility; you're speaking with Souline Marie; how may I assist you?" Souline asked. "Hello, my name is Kai, and I've been meaning to ask if I could meet with Ms. Mercedes. It's critical," I said. "One second," Souline said. I waited about two minutes for a response. But, knowing how successful Alliana is, she most likely has a lot of bookings, but we need her help right away.
"May I ask what the urgent help is?" Souline asked. "My brother has a legal case in which he is being sued by certain individuals and requires a defendant. I can't give you much information about it because I would like him to be present while I clarify his case," I explained. "Understandable. I'll go ask Alliana about it so that we can set up a date. I'll call you as soon as we have a date!" said Souline. "All right, thank you," I said. "No worries, goodbye," Souline said as we hung up the phone.
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Ontario, Canada.
Alliana's pov:
I've just returned from volunteering at a children's cancer hospital. My heart breaks for them, especially for one of the children. Velma is her name. Velma, who is only twelve years old, has breast cancer. Velma and I had become good friends ever since I first started volunteering. We talked about ridiculous stuff; I fed her, and I even changed her a few times because she was okay with it. When I have sufficient money, I intend to give it to the children's hospital.
They deserve to have a childhood and not be confined to a hospital. I'm hoping to receive more money soon so that I can donate it as soon as possible. I placed my things down on my counter and saw Souline in the kitchen cooking as always. "Hey, love," she said as she smiled at me. "Hey," I say back, smiling. "How did the volunteer go?" Souline inquired. "It went well; I saw Velma and the other kids again," I say as I hang my jacket on the coat hook.
"Nice, you must absolutely love her, don't you?" Souline inquired. "Yes, she reminds me of myself when I was her age," I admit. Even though I did not have breast cancer when she was her age, she went through things that I did not mention because they were saddening to me. I mean, just thinking about it makes me cry, but I'm strong, and I've got to be strong for those who have gone through what I have. When Souline noticed me shedding tears, she stopped what she was doing and hugged me while rubbing my back. Souline was the only individual who knew what had happened to me, and the best part is that she believed every detail of it. I returned her hug.
"Let it all out," Souline said as she comforted me. I nodded and quickly wiped my tears away with paper towels to keep them from dripping onto my cheeks. "You're powerful, don't forget that," Souline said, and I smiled. "I love you so much, I don't know what I'd do without you," I said as I wrapped my arms around her. "I love you more, and who knows; perhaps you'd burn the house down," Souline said as she hugged even tighter. I glared at her, but we both exploded into laughter. Souline returned to cooking, but her gasp grabbed my attention. "What?" I questioned.
"I forgot to tell you that somebody called and wanted to make an appointment pronto because the matter was urgent," said Souline while also putting the food on the table. "You say it's urgent? Did he inform you about the case?" I inquired, my brow furrowed. "Well, it's not precisely his case; he said it was his brother's case," Souline explained as she poured water into the cups. "What about his brother's case?" I ask while eating. "He said it was urgent and a legal case, and he would not go into detail unless we met in person," Souline clarified.
"Hm, I guess we can set up a time tomorrow if he wants to meet face-to-face to describe a legal case," I shrugged. "All right, I'll contact him again and let him choose a time," Souline said as she walked to her office.
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Ontario, Canada.
Souline's pov:
I returned to my office and sat down. I scrolled down to the contacts section and found Kai's phone number. I dialed the number and waited for an answer. "Hello?" asked someone. "Hello, am I speaking with Kai?" I asked.
"No, you're speaking to Carlos Romano," Carlos replied. "Carlos Romano, do you know anyone named Kai?" I asked. "Yes, Kai is my brother; who is this?" Carlos asked. "My name is Souline, and I work as Alliana Mercedes's assistant at the Alliana Mercedes Facility. Kai called and informed me several hours ago about a brother's case that required immediate assistance from Alliana; are you that brother?" I asked. "Yes, ma'am," Carlos replied.
"Perfect, I've spoken to Alliana and she said since it's urgent, we can do a meeting tomorrow. We want to know where you are located and where you would like to meet," I said while grabbing my notebook. "Kai has told me right now that you guys are located in Ontario, Canada, am I correct?" asked Carlos. "Yes, sir," I said.
"Fuck, that's like eleven hours away!" Carlos exclaimed. "Where are you?" I asked. "Rome, Italy," Carlos clarified. "Hm, I mean, it's only eleven thirty in the evening right now, so we'll try to go to Rome," I said, looking to Alliana to see if she agreed.
She gives a nod. "We can fly there right now and talk about the case tomorrow evening," I said. "That sounds great," Carlos said. "Okay, that sounds great. We'll take off right now, and I'll call you when we arrive," I said. "Okay," Carlos said. "I'll see you then!" I said. "Likewise. See you soon," Carlos said. "Goodnight!" I said as I hung up on the phone.
I went over to Alliana and sat down next to her. "I guess we'll be going to Rome soon," I speculated. "I can't wait," Alliana remarked sarcastically.