Attorney Jimson

***

The next day, Andrea came out after a shower. She had slept well, surprising herself. Even though they had shared a room, Nicholas was thoughtful enough to give up the bed for her. Even though it wasn't something she would have asked for.

Before she could even get to the living hall, Christine's lively laugher filled her eyes. Andrea looked over the rails and smiled when she saw her daughter and Amelia seated in a pool of toys. The entire living hall was in a mess with kids' toys of all sort.

In that moment, Andrea felt relieved. She couldn't remember when she had seen Christine so happy and carefree. She wondered if her father would have been this warm to the child if she was born under different circumstances.

Standing there, Andrea did not realize that she had already teared up. It wasn't until Isabel, who was passing to the kitchen, saw her and called out to her.

"Madame? You're dressed already?" Isabel asked with a wide smile.

Andrea nodded and quickly wiped her eyes. "Yes, auntie. Please, call me Andrea." She down quickly and went to greet Amelia.

"Oh, my child! Did you sleep enough? I hope that punk did not tire you out?" Amelia queried with a frown immediately she saw Andrea.

Christine ran and hugged Andrea's legs. "Mummy!"

Andrea laughed. "Not at all, grandma. I slept very well." She hugged her daughter before letting the child drag her to the middle of the toys.

"Mummy, Grandma Amy bought me a lot of toys!" Christine announced, picking them randomly and waving it before her mother. "I have lots of toys now! There's a whole barbie castle too! Look!"

"Easy, baby, easy!" Andrea said, smiling. "We'll get to see them all. Did you tell Grandma thank you?"

Christine nodded. "Yes! I did!" She sat down and continued brushing the hair of a Tinkerbell doll before suddenly looking up. "Mummy, the kind uncle said he would bring me to the park later," she added with a grin.

"Kind uncle?" Andrea cocked her head to the side.

"Nicholas," Amelia said from where she sat. "He promised to take her to the park."

Andrea's lips rounded as she nodded. 'Oh. That's so thoughtful of him,' she thought quietly.

Amelia added meaningfully, "He wants you to come along too."

"He does?"

"Of course he does!" Amelia exclaimed. Of course it was a lie. Nicholas did not mention going to the park with Andrea. However, she was going to get the latter to go.

Amelia had already suspected that Nicholas and Andrea were lying about their relationship when he suddenly brought a wife after she threatened to kill herself. She had confirmed her doubts by checking up on them in the middle of the night.

Even so, there was something about Andrea that made her want to make sure that whatever she had with Nicholas, it becomes real. Which is why she would do whatever she needed to make them fall in love with each other.

"I don't think I can go with them, grandma," Andrea said solemnly. "I have an interview," she lied.

Amelia's excitement died instantly. "Oh, is that so? I guess it can't be helped," she said, trying as hard to stay neutral. But, she was disappointed.

Andrea nodded and said nothing.

"Isabel made breakfast, darling. Help yourself. Christine and I have had some earlier," Amelia added hurriedly.

"Thank you, Grandma," Andrea said as she stood up to head to the dinning area. Somehow, it felt right to call the old woman 'Grandma'.

After her breakfast, Andrea picked up her bag and a nose mask and left the house after bidding farewell to Christine and Amelia. Outside, a driver was waiting for her. Turns out Nicholas had been kind enough to arrange a personal chauffeur for her.

Grateful for this, Andrea got in and in no time, the young man had safely brought her to the cemetery. Holding a bouquet of white lilies they had stopped to get, she walked into the quiet place until she came to a dusty gravestone.

Andrea sighed. She didn't need a soothsayer to tell her that no one had visited her mother's grave in a long time. She pulled out a white handkerchief from her purse and knelt down in from of the grave. Using the handkerchief, Andrea carefully wiped the dust off the stone.

When she was satisfied by how clean it looked, she set the flowers on the stone and sat on her legs. "Hey, mum..."

***

Back in the CEO'S office at Greystone Industries...

"Lawson Corporation is threatening to pull out of the deal. I did a search and found out that Caddell Industries is offering them a hundred percent increase in profit. That is, 4.2% instead of 2.1% like we initially promised," George, Nicholas's assistant, a bespectacled man with ginger red head, explained.

Nicholas raised his brow. "4.2%?" He asked and George nodded. "Is that even possible?"

"Well, yes and no." George cleared his throat and explained further. "It's not possible to gather up to a hundred percent increase in profit like that in six months. Except if the Caddell Industries are only giving half the truth."

"Same old Caddells," Nicholas muttered, checking his watch. He stood up and straightened his suit before turning to George. "Gather all the information you can. In the meantime, clear my schedule for the entire day."

George blinked. "The entire day?"

"Mm. I have something more important to attend to," Nicholas replied and walked out of the office, leaving a stupefied George.

'I could have sworn that I saw something like excitement in his eyes,' George thought.

***

In an empty park, Andrea sat on one of the dusty benches in the quiet place. It seemed the park had closed down after a police case, judging by the police lines around. Nevertheless, Andrea saw it as the perfect place to clear her head.

She didn't know how long she sat there until the shrill cry of a phone ringing jolted her back to the present. Pulling the phone out, her lips lifted into a smile as soon as she saw the caller identification.

"It's been a while, Attorney Jimson."

"Miss Pierce, it's been a very long time!" A man's voice responded on the other side, full of warmth and gladness. "I thought you'd never reach out. Took you long enough."

Andrea chuckled and crossed her legs. "I've been away, but I'm back now... With my daughter," she replied.

The man's laughter filled Andrea's ears before he asked in a slightly surprised tone, "The child... The child made it?"

"She did," Andrea whispered proudly, once more thinking about the couple that had saved her. Wherever they were, she would be eternally grateful to them for giving her baby a chance at life.

"I'm glad to hear that. Arabella would be proud." Attorney Jimson's voice was full of sincerity and genuine happiness. "I got the email," he continued, changing the topic of discussion. "Are you confident that you are ready to fight Harold, your father?"

Andrea's lips thinned, but her voice didn't waver as she replied, more determined than ever, "As long as I have your backing, Attorney Jimson, I don't think I have any reason to fear the Smith family."

After thinking about it for years, Andrea was certain she had nothing to lose. If she let Harold and the Smith family take away everything her mother had left, what kind of a daughter would she be?

Her mother had poured her blood, sweat, and tears into building that company, building the Smith family, and building Harold Smith along with it. Her mother had loved blindly and it had ended in betrayal. What better way to show her mother that she was no weakling if she did not fight for the legacy she left her?

Having decided this in her heart, she, Andrea Pierce, had taken the bold step and reached out to the one person who knew everything about her mother, Jimson Anderson. He was also the only person she was certain could contend with Harold legally.

Hearing her response, Attorney Jimson was pleased. "Very well then," he responded. "I will gather the files and everything your mother left for you. Send me your location and I'll have it brought over as soon as possible."