Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Passions. They belong to JER
and NBC. Any characters you do not recognize are my own creations. : )
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Love and Legalities
Prologue
"Mrs. Grant, surely you know what you're asking of me is impossible," the distinguished, high dollar attorney said after making a perfunctory perusal of the facts and points of interest of her case.
The hands that had been clasped nervously in her lap relaxed, and her shoulders slumped just a little more under the force of the beginnings of his bluntly stated refusal. She fixed her blue eyes on the nameplate at the front of his desk, tracing over the letters silently to keep the tears that threatened to appear at bay.
Harold Weseley, Attorney at Law, took her silence as his cue to continue. "Mrs. Grant.your husband is a very powerful man. Second only to your own father in his wealth and holdings in the state of Maine. I know you know that. My office handled the prenuptial agreement. It is a more than fair agreement, Mrs. Grant. Taking into account your considerable personal wealth, you'll be well provided for the remainder of your life. Money will never be a problem."
"I don't care about the money," she stated vehemently, standing up and leaning across the massive cherry desk to yank her file from his well- manicured hands. "I never have," she admitted tersely. "Richard can keep his damn money for all I care. All I want.the only thing of importance I want to take from this disaster of a marriage.is my children."
Mr. Weseley stood up and walked around the desk to see her out, watching as she pulled her leather gloves back onto her trembling hands and tucked her blond hair beneath her flowing black cape. "Children, Mrs. Grant? As I recall, there is only one son. You have no biological ties to the girl. How do you expect any judge to willfully take her from her only surviving genetic parent and give you custody?"
Her blue eyes glittered with determination and conviction as she spoke. "She's my daughter. I've taken care of her and loved her for the last four years. She's more my daughter than she's ever been his. Genetics and biology.they don't make you love a child, Mr. Weseley. They don't make one parent better than another. Paige belongs with me and."
"I wish you luck," he interrupted her, guiding her out of his office with a persistent hand to the small of her back. "You're going to need it. Richard Grant will give you a hefty divorce settlement to avoid the scandal of his affairs reaching the light of day, but he will never give you his children. Be smart, Mrs. Grant. The visitation proposals aren't terrible. You could certainly do a lot worse, and you'll avoid a long, drawn-out court battle not to mention unwanted publicity."
"What YOU'RE asking ME to do is impossible, Mr. Weseley. You're just another one of Richard's lackeys. How much did he pay you to refuse me? How much? Do I really stand no chance at all, or is that what he wants me to think?" she demanded to know, crowding into the lawyer's personal space and refusing to let him avert his eyes.
"Goodbye, Mrs. Grant," he said, the unspoken order resonating in his voice and reflecting in his flinty gray eyes. "Virginia," he turned to the graying secretary typing furiously at her keyboard and gestured at the double glass doors at the front of the building with his hand. "See Mrs. Grant out, will you? I have a meeting with a client."
The slamming of his office door booked no further argument, and her heart was heavy as she waved Virginia off. "I'll.I'll leave. You don't have to see me out," she said softly, blinking back the tears that were quickly filling her sad blue eyes.
"W-Wait!" a voice called hesitantly, and the typing halted. The wheels of the desk chair squeaked slightly, and she heard the scratch of a pen against paper. Then muffled footsteps as they came closer.
She turned at the gentle touch on her arm, not bothering to wipe clear the twin tracks of moisture on her cheeks, and was moved by the compassion she saw in the faded brown eyes.
"Take this," Virginia whispered kindly, depositing a yellow scrap of paper into her palm and folding her fingers over it. "He's not in the same league as the Harold Weseley's and uptown lawyers you're probably used to, but he's not afraid of any challenge. He'll do everything in his abilities to help a worthy cause. And most importantly.he's not in anyone's back pocket. He's an honest man. Take this," she repeated, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Now you best hurry, Honey. That sister of his likes to close up for lunch early."
"Thank you," she expressed her gratitude sincerely, her hand going to her purse to give her some small token of her thanks.
Virginia shook her head, loosening the gray curls that were pinned demurely at the nape of her neck.
"Virginia? What is Mrs. Grant still doing here? I thought I told you to."
"My purse," she tipped her head in indication. "Thank you," she told Virginia for the second time, pushing the doors open and bracing herself for the cold gust of wintery wind that would inevitably come.
Her figure was a lonely one, trudging along the snow-edged sidewalks of Harmony, head bent against the softly falling snow and black cape billowing in the air behind her.
The numbers and words on the paper matched her location perfectly, she realized, not able to keep her heart and her hopes from sinking when the second and third glances at the modest stone hideaway in the midst of several downtown shops didn't alter the appearance magically. "L. Lopez- Fitzgerald, Attorney of Law" was written in bold, boxy letters across the tiny window, and she wondered if the sister Virginia spoke of had an artistic flair. She sighed in resignation. She had no other options with Ethan's surprise reluctance to help her and every hotshot lawyer within a 100-mile radius adamantly refusing to take on her wealthy, powerful, domineering husband. This was her last chance. She couldn't let Paige and her baby down. They needed her, she told herself as she approached the tiny office, inhaling and exhaling slowly to calm her nerves.
Bells on the door tinkled, announcing her arrival, and a young brunette whirled around in her chair, untwirling her fingers with brightly painted fingernails from the phone cord. "Whit.Hey, I got to go. A new client just walked in, and she looks like she's exactly what Luis needs to hit the big time," she practically squealed into the receiver before replacing it on its hook. "Hi! I'm Theresa," she bubbled happily, extending a welcoming hand. "How may I help you?"
She slipped the hood from her head, brushing absently at the snowflakes clinging to her cape before giving the girl's hand a quick shake. "I'm looking for a lawyer."
"You've come to the right place. Have a seat in the waiting area, and Mr. Lopez-Fitzgerald will see you shortly."
The waiting area consisted of three mismatched but well-taken care of chairs and a coffee table laden with out-of-date magazines. She picked up a dog-eared copy of Cosmopolitan and flipped through its pages, trying to divert her attention to something else beside the pressure building back behind her eyes from the almost constant crying she'd done since Richard had literally thrown her out of their house three days ago as soon as the word 'DIVORCE' left her lips.
She could still hear her baby's cries for her, and Paige running after the car Richard had had her driven away in.
"Mr. Lopez-Fitzgerald is indisposed at the moment, but if you'd just wait in his office."
She rose to her weary feet and followed the petite brunette.Theresa.to what seemed to be the only other room in the small office space and took a seat.
Theresa left her alone, pulling the door shut, and she leaned her head back against the wall tiredly, closing her eyes and imagining she was with her children.
She didn't hear him come in, and she jumped in surprise when she heard his voice.
"I'm sorry. Theresa didn't give me your name. She's still learning. You need a lawyer?"
Her blue eyes widened as they traveled his muscular length, landing on his handsome face, and she gasped when he lifted his head from the notepad he was studying in his hands, looking at her, and his dark eyes sparked a memory within her. "Luis?"
He lowered the notepad to his desk, narrowing his dark brown eyes at her as some hidden, buried remembrance seemed to ripple through his entire being, and his voice was no more than a whisper. "It's you."
.
Love and Legalities
Prologue
"Mrs. Grant, surely you know what you're asking of me is impossible," the distinguished, high dollar attorney said after making a perfunctory perusal of the facts and points of interest of her case.
The hands that had been clasped nervously in her lap relaxed, and her shoulders slumped just a little more under the force of the beginnings of his bluntly stated refusal. She fixed her blue eyes on the nameplate at the front of his desk, tracing over the letters silently to keep the tears that threatened to appear at bay.
Harold Weseley, Attorney at Law, took her silence as his cue to continue. "Mrs. Grant.your husband is a very powerful man. Second only to your own father in his wealth and holdings in the state of Maine. I know you know that. My office handled the prenuptial agreement. It is a more than fair agreement, Mrs. Grant. Taking into account your considerable personal wealth, you'll be well provided for the remainder of your life. Money will never be a problem."
"I don't care about the money," she stated vehemently, standing up and leaning across the massive cherry desk to yank her file from his well- manicured hands. "I never have," she admitted tersely. "Richard can keep his damn money for all I care. All I want.the only thing of importance I want to take from this disaster of a marriage.is my children."
Mr. Weseley stood up and walked around the desk to see her out, watching as she pulled her leather gloves back onto her trembling hands and tucked her blond hair beneath her flowing black cape. "Children, Mrs. Grant? As I recall, there is only one son. You have no biological ties to the girl. How do you expect any judge to willfully take her from her only surviving genetic parent and give you custody?"
Her blue eyes glittered with determination and conviction as she spoke. "She's my daughter. I've taken care of her and loved her for the last four years. She's more my daughter than she's ever been his. Genetics and biology.they don't make you love a child, Mr. Weseley. They don't make one parent better than another. Paige belongs with me and."
"I wish you luck," he interrupted her, guiding her out of his office with a persistent hand to the small of her back. "You're going to need it. Richard Grant will give you a hefty divorce settlement to avoid the scandal of his affairs reaching the light of day, but he will never give you his children. Be smart, Mrs. Grant. The visitation proposals aren't terrible. You could certainly do a lot worse, and you'll avoid a long, drawn-out court battle not to mention unwanted publicity."
"What YOU'RE asking ME to do is impossible, Mr. Weseley. You're just another one of Richard's lackeys. How much did he pay you to refuse me? How much? Do I really stand no chance at all, or is that what he wants me to think?" she demanded to know, crowding into the lawyer's personal space and refusing to let him avert his eyes.
"Goodbye, Mrs. Grant," he said, the unspoken order resonating in his voice and reflecting in his flinty gray eyes. "Virginia," he turned to the graying secretary typing furiously at her keyboard and gestured at the double glass doors at the front of the building with his hand. "See Mrs. Grant out, will you? I have a meeting with a client."
The slamming of his office door booked no further argument, and her heart was heavy as she waved Virginia off. "I'll.I'll leave. You don't have to see me out," she said softly, blinking back the tears that were quickly filling her sad blue eyes.
"W-Wait!" a voice called hesitantly, and the typing halted. The wheels of the desk chair squeaked slightly, and she heard the scratch of a pen against paper. Then muffled footsteps as they came closer.
She turned at the gentle touch on her arm, not bothering to wipe clear the twin tracks of moisture on her cheeks, and was moved by the compassion she saw in the faded brown eyes.
"Take this," Virginia whispered kindly, depositing a yellow scrap of paper into her palm and folding her fingers over it. "He's not in the same league as the Harold Weseley's and uptown lawyers you're probably used to, but he's not afraid of any challenge. He'll do everything in his abilities to help a worthy cause. And most importantly.he's not in anyone's back pocket. He's an honest man. Take this," she repeated, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Now you best hurry, Honey. That sister of his likes to close up for lunch early."
"Thank you," she expressed her gratitude sincerely, her hand going to her purse to give her some small token of her thanks.
Virginia shook her head, loosening the gray curls that were pinned demurely at the nape of her neck.
"Virginia? What is Mrs. Grant still doing here? I thought I told you to."
"My purse," she tipped her head in indication. "Thank you," she told Virginia for the second time, pushing the doors open and bracing herself for the cold gust of wintery wind that would inevitably come.
Her figure was a lonely one, trudging along the snow-edged sidewalks of Harmony, head bent against the softly falling snow and black cape billowing in the air behind her.
The numbers and words on the paper matched her location perfectly, she realized, not able to keep her heart and her hopes from sinking when the second and third glances at the modest stone hideaway in the midst of several downtown shops didn't alter the appearance magically. "L. Lopez- Fitzgerald, Attorney of Law" was written in bold, boxy letters across the tiny window, and she wondered if the sister Virginia spoke of had an artistic flair. She sighed in resignation. She had no other options with Ethan's surprise reluctance to help her and every hotshot lawyer within a 100-mile radius adamantly refusing to take on her wealthy, powerful, domineering husband. This was her last chance. She couldn't let Paige and her baby down. They needed her, she told herself as she approached the tiny office, inhaling and exhaling slowly to calm her nerves.
Bells on the door tinkled, announcing her arrival, and a young brunette whirled around in her chair, untwirling her fingers with brightly painted fingernails from the phone cord. "Whit.Hey, I got to go. A new client just walked in, and she looks like she's exactly what Luis needs to hit the big time," she practically squealed into the receiver before replacing it on its hook. "Hi! I'm Theresa," she bubbled happily, extending a welcoming hand. "How may I help you?"
She slipped the hood from her head, brushing absently at the snowflakes clinging to her cape before giving the girl's hand a quick shake. "I'm looking for a lawyer."
"You've come to the right place. Have a seat in the waiting area, and Mr. Lopez-Fitzgerald will see you shortly."
The waiting area consisted of three mismatched but well-taken care of chairs and a coffee table laden with out-of-date magazines. She picked up a dog-eared copy of Cosmopolitan and flipped through its pages, trying to divert her attention to something else beside the pressure building back behind her eyes from the almost constant crying she'd done since Richard had literally thrown her out of their house three days ago as soon as the word 'DIVORCE' left her lips.
She could still hear her baby's cries for her, and Paige running after the car Richard had had her driven away in.
"Mr. Lopez-Fitzgerald is indisposed at the moment, but if you'd just wait in his office."
She rose to her weary feet and followed the petite brunette.Theresa.to what seemed to be the only other room in the small office space and took a seat.
Theresa left her alone, pulling the door shut, and she leaned her head back against the wall tiredly, closing her eyes and imagining she was with her children.
She didn't hear him come in, and she jumped in surprise when she heard his voice.
"I'm sorry. Theresa didn't give me your name. She's still learning. You need a lawyer?"
Her blue eyes widened as they traveled his muscular length, landing on his handsome face, and she gasped when he lifted his head from the notepad he was studying in his hands, looking at her, and his dark eyes sparked a memory within her. "Luis?"
He lowered the notepad to his desk, narrowing his dark brown eyes at her as some hidden, buried remembrance seemed to ripple through his entire being, and his voice was no more than a whisper. "It's you."