Coming out of her office, I could not shake the feeling of diving back five years into the past.
I walked straight outside passing by her secretary who tried to stop me but who could?
The secretary stood up knowing that something heated must have happened inside and I would let her find it out herself as I walked out.
It was very unusual for me to drop by a law firm when we had our lawyers deal with everything else.
My driver got out of the Mercedes to open my door. I turned around to look up at Sawyer's firm before I got in.
I could bet that she was staring at me from up her office. Putting on my sunglasses, I stepped inside. Percy closed the door and started the engine right away.
I hated the traffic at this time but I had to do it for Mom. My dad was a man of society. He lived to maintain the generational reputation of the Smiths.
Whereas my mom lived for her two sons. Having lived a decade away from her own home trying to find a solution, I was not going to let her go back again.
I always knew she was going to do something of her own. She had the potential and I got the essence of it the very first day I laid my eyes on her when she tried to break into my locker.
She married Harrison. I was aware of that too. Our families were connected by business.
I had expected many times to crash into each other but never did until last night's gala.
Things did not end in a very civilised way between us. She chose to run away and hide. I was not going to chase her. If staying away was what she wanted, she could have that.
Janet Johnson...I could not get rid of that name from my mind even if I wanted to.
From the distant encounter in the grocery store to last night's close face-to-face interaction, I could not escape those eyes of hers staring at me. It was the same back in her office too.
She had not expected me at all to be there. But she composed herself as if she was ready to deal with anything, failing miserably in concealing her inner thoughts floating in her eyes.
The thought of it made me chuckle. Who could have thought five years but she remained the same.
"She is the one who got Hunter Siegfried out. "
Before I doubted that she was the right person as my mother deemed her to be to clear out the stain from our family name, but after she mentioned that it made me turn around.
"It was not Mr. Sawyer."
My mother stood up and walked up to me with the glass of champagne in her hand.
"It was her. She did it. Mr. Segfried told me."
"You met Hunter Segfried?"
I asked not being able to believe that she met one of my dad's rivals. She nodded her head not denying it and totally seemed unfazed by it.
All that mattered to her was to get her son's name cleared. Her husband and our father had stopped caring about it ages ago. She could not though.
"If you know her...can you please put in a word to make her accept the case?
I have no desire to keep moving from one place to another until the next place finds out too.
To your father, he might be nothing but he is still my son and is your brother.
He made a mistake but he should not have to pay for it with his whole life. "
I let out no words as she went on. The pain in her eyes was so visible. She must have been roaming around the world trying to provide Axel with a new life but no place was like home.
"I feel it in my heart, Arthur that she can do it. It is only her."
She put her hand on my shoulder coming closer, her eyes peering into mine.
It was the longest conversation we had after months. My mother was a soft-spoken woman, unlike my father.
"Even if you share the same thoughts as your father. He is still your brother."
She did her best to console me. I did not say anything and all of a sudden, Dad dropped by.
"What are you doing here, Teresa?"
He questioned. It was not a thing for them to be here in my place unless something was up.
"We were just catching up."
She said, getting ready to leave. I held her champagne flute. Father was not going to go without her with him.
"If you must do it for me then...a favour."
She whispered near my ears before leaving with him, kissing my left cheek with a smile.
Mother was doing it all for Axel, not knowing in what kind of maze she was asking me to step in.
She thought Janet and I shared a good relationship or at least had an acquaintance of some kind thinking that if I went to her, she was going to accept the case.
But the only thing we shared was a bad past which made her literally escape to avoid seeing me.
How in the hell could I ever persuade her to do a favour to me?
And how could I even expect that if there was any chance of her taking mother's case that she was going to after coming to know she was my family?
We had nothing left but an unresolved past. There was no reason for her to do me a favour. So I had to do it the one way that I could only rely on not to disappoint my mother.
As I reached Smith's Tower, Percy immediately opened the door and I rushed in knowing I was already late.
James Smith stood by the corridor with a dismaying face. Something I expected all along.
"Where were you?" He implored as I walked up to him.
"The traffic."
I put it simple even though I knew he was not going to easily buy it.
"Mr. Setchel is not a very amusing client."
"I have handled it, Dad."
I let out before he could drag this out more making him silent. I knew he was not an easy person to make him buy our project. But I was also aware of the other ways to pursuade in the business world making them do things as you wanted by hook or crook.
'Threatening'...them always works.
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