I'm sitting at my desk, staring at my computer screen, trying to find answers for Mrs. Lee's case. I type away, searching for examples and legal tactics that might help her.
As I look through different cases, I notice something surprising. Wives of super-rich people often get a lot of money in their divorces, sometimes up to 70 percent of their spouse's fortune. It's a lot to take in.
But then I think about Mrs. Lee. She's just a regular grandma from a small town, but she's fighting for everything her husband owns. The more I think about this case, the more appalled I am.
Suddenly, Mrs. Laura approaches me at my cubicle with yet another pile of files in her hands.
"Mr. Alex, these are a few more tenant verification requests, please have them verified by the evening... and don't forget to..."
I interrupt her, "I don't think I can do this right now."
My firm words suddenly caused the entire office to look towards us. They were expecting me to give in at her first request, but this was something they were seeing for the first time as well.
"May I know the reason, Mr. Alex?" she asks, folding her arms, tilting her face, and slowly closing her eyes.
"I have a divorce case to deal with, and I need to head for a meeting with my client in an hour. So, how about you assign these files to Mrs. Yu-Ra today? I heard she has a free schedule today."
Yu-Ra is taken aback, "Mr. Alex, who told you that I am free? I mean I have to meet with a client today, Mr. Zhao." Her breathing, fast.
All of them, including the lazy boy Zhang Bo, sit straight in their chairs and display their curiosity about my new client.
"A divorce case in Xinyuan; I didn't know that I would live so long to see such a day in my life."
"Just who is this getting a divorce? Do we know them?"
Abruptly, our chief appears out of nowhere and starts asking, "Did I just hear a divorce case? Oh my! I didn't know such a miracle can occur... but Mr. Alex, who is it getting a divorce?"
I have never received this much attention from coworkers; every one of them is fascinated by the news except Mrs. Laura and Mr. Lu, who both had their usual expressionless faces, just stood in their places.
It is like a sensational scandal for them. I can't believe what I am seeing, the amount of enthusiasm these people have for the first divorce case ever entered our firm; the office is about to turn into a gossip corner.
"Nothing is confirmed yet; I'm going to meet my client at noon, and she will decide if she is going to choose us to handle her case or not."
Their faces drop, all the enthusiasm now hearing that the sensational news could be a rumor.
"Anyways, congratulations, Mr. Alex, for your first case... or should I say, your second case—first with us. Actually, never mind, as nothing is confirmed yet," says Mrs. Laura, ridiculing me with her remarks. "Then, I will be considerate enough to give you a day to complete these verifications... all the best."
This lady is a full-fledged bully of the office, the most hated personality I have ever seen.
I step into the hospital ward, my mind swirling with thoughts as I spot Mrs. Lee sitting beside the hospital bed. Meanwhile, Lily sleeps soundly on the bed, with her legs folded to her side while hugging a pillow tightly in her arms. I realize that it's not just me who finds it weird, but the entire ward has its eyes on the girl sleeping on the bed of a patient.
Whenever I think that the people of this town cannot surprise me more, something like this hits my eyes, and I wonder where such people have been in the early days of my life.
Approaching Mrs. Lee, I can't hide the surprise in my eyes. Before I can say anything, she speaks up in a rough tone, "So you brought her here?" I'm taken aback, lost for words, and can only nod in embarrassment.
Mrs. Lee gestures for me to take a seat, and I fumble, unsure of where to sit in the cramped space. She pats the bed beside her, indicating for me to sit there. With a nervous swallow, I comply, squeezing onto the small space left on the bed.
Sitting uncomfortably on the bed where Lily is sleeping, completely careless of her surroundings, I feel a mix of awkwardness and curiosity to know more about this girl.
"She was already standing at your door when I met her. She started crying knowing about what happened to you, so I had no choice but to tell her," I tried to justify my actions.
"You must have found out what a nuisance she is, right?"
"Nuisance is an understatement."
"I almost forgot about her. Now, it's giving me stress what her reaction will be after knowing that I'm going to—"
"Regarding that, are you sure that it would be alright to talk about that here?" I ask.
"Yes. Yes. Don't worry about here; she isn't going to wake up any sooner."
I open the bag that I am carrying on my shoulder and bring out the various proceedings for the case, to present it to her.
"I have been researching for a long time about your case and have actually found a few cases where the wives of a few billionaires have managed to get up to 90 percent of the entire fortune of their husbands after their divorce... these include a few famous actresses and sports celebrities."
"Are you making fun of me? I'm just an old grandma who wants to engulf everything that her husband has... if anything, I would only be labeled as a greedy old lady, but I don't care about that."
"It doesn't matter if you are not a celebrity; your case is strong. I think I can manage to get a significant part of the property."
She suddenly interrupts me, "Mr. Alex, did you forget the only condition there is? I don't want a significant part; I want everything. I do not want his son to even get a dime of all the hard-earned money. My motive is not to fill my bank account, but it is to show him that by abandoning his father in that time, he has also lost the right to get anything from him."
It shakes my head, listening to her talking about this, when suddenly I notice Lily tightly clenching her toes, as her feet lay a few centimeters away from me. I can definitely tell that she has heard it all.