pte

Did you buy this f

hem answered

ying the situation far too much. William stood at

rious accusation,"

a ques

cago," William said calmly. "We've been watching the firm fo

ss," Wilson ag

eve a word of it. I had spent four years of my days cross-examin

ation floor," William said, "if

dating. So I picked up a file, held it in front of me like a

longest hou

g knew something was going on.

until I got in. Maybe it was the paralegal who had noticed William stopping at my door three times in a single morni

e fighting over on

fighting

pier, her eyes wide, her coffee

ing about it. Which one is it? Is

It's a misun

ng that cost two

le

ng. "I'm just saying: if two billionaires were fighting

young associates at the end of the hallway

ughter

rned up e

ings he had nothing to do with. Once he was waiting in the stairwell,

" he said. "Le

o do that through

, and for a moment something raw sho

ce low. "Because I'm no

ked past him and took the stairs, two at a t

t, and that made him

d and returned it with notes so sharp that I had to admit, with a certain irritation, that they improved my argument. He noticed that

onference table, with that calm, searching gaze, as if the a

ou from

that, my heart did something I

snapshot taken from a distance, across the lobby. Wilson was leaning toward

HO IS THE LAWYER BET

y laptop, took my bag, and rod

he arm of the sofa. William stood at the window, hands in his trouser pockets. They

't sit

up on his desk. "I'm a lawyer. I've spent four years building a name that d

r," Will

hen to William. "And you look at me as if I owe you an answer. The whole floor

said an

se are my terms." I took a breath. "I will spend time with each of yo

m's face stayed blank, but his

rfering with each other's time. If either of you br

ence st

ilson. Seven years of rivalry seemed to cross

ompete with each other

ng you to

thing." The smile crept

"Nothing more. That's more

for a long time.

ree

g, and I could see exactly how much. But

aid. "May the

"There will only be me, deciding

ly in the elevator, with the doors

d I jus

Two messages arrive

where quiet. I'll pic

n o'clock. Don't

lay and let out a lo

hem had wast

ice I didn't want to listen to whi