2
A Lion's Stare
When Tiffany awoke, her surroundings confused her deeply. Sitting up in a four poster bed of dark wood and purple silk sheets, she was surrounded by furnishings of muted elegance; the fluffy purple carpet, the window seat with the curved wings and lace curtains filtering in the light. Warm, yellow, and patterned sunlight washed the room, enticing her to simply settle back into the bed and enjoy the peace this moment had brought her. It allowed her to pretend that this was her real life and that terribleness had simply been a nightmare.
But then, no one could say that she was a dreamer. Cynical thoughts nagged at her until she pulled herself from bed. She noted that she was still wearing the dirty clothes that she'd been arrested in-
That's right... She'd been arrested! Then she'd been bailed out by that gorgeous, but haughty lawyer. Was this beautiful oasis his house?
Of course he'd have a beautiful house, she told herself with bitter jealousy. As she nudged the door open and peeked into the hallway beyond, she was amazed at the size of the place. This was certainly no condo in the downtown core of the city, let alone her little flat in the slums. She approached the large picturesque window in front of her to see the property's beautiful gardens laid before her; perennial flowers and bushes with vibrant fall colors winked happily at her as she spied a gardener trimming away flyaway carefully to maintain the illusion of perfection. The gardens gave way to some open space and then a forest beyond that.
"You're awake," a voice called her attention.
Tiffany turned to see a girl with a short bob of russet red hair and startling green eyes considering her. Her gaze was so clinical that Tiffany had the dizzying feeling of being in a doctor's office.
The woman continued, "If you'll follow me please, Mr. Sterling would like to get started on your case." The woman pivoted immediately, expecting Tiffany to follow.
Tiff paused for a moment, blinking in confusion as to who "Mr. Sterling" was but then assumed that must be the name of the lawyer she'd hired. In the fresh light of day, she was starting to doubt the wisdom of hiring a lawyer that could afford a house like this. She jogged quickly to catch up to the woman and asked, "Excuse me, who are you?"
"My name is Erica Silver. I'm Mr. Sterling's personal assistant," she responded, her manner very no-nonsense and businesslike. They descended a set of stairs to the first floor and the house continued to awe Tiffany. It had high ceilings, heavy old wood and details of such a wonderful artisanship that there was no way that this wasn't a family home passed down through the generations. The quality of the workmanship was beyond reproach. However, there were clear indications that the house had been remodeled to fuse the heritage charm with modern functionality and style.
Erica led Tiffany into a large study where one glass wall opened into a shaded patio of grey stones and the opposite wall was replete with books on law and science. Behind the heavy desk sat the lawyer that had rescued her from prison the evening before. Erica announced, "Ms. Tiffany Valentine for you Mr. Sterling. If you'll please take a seat, Ms. Valentine?" Tiffany took the offered chair Erica had pulled out for her hesitantly, but Erica didn't seem to notice. Once Tiffany was settled, Erica turned to Alex, "I will see to some arrangements for breakfast for Ms. Valentine."
The woman seemed to wait expectantly on Alex, who simply nodded, "Yes. I'll get started here." With the subtle dismissal, Erica turned away again and disappeared back out into the house.
Leaving Tiffany alone to face the man. There was an odd sparkle of amusement in his eyes as he considered her from across the table making Tiffany wonder what was so funny about a burglary case. He unsettled her greatly.
"Thank you for bailing me out last night," she said, wanting to start on a positive note. She took a deep breath and explained, "Unfortunately, I don't think we should take this any further. I'll find another lawyer to handle my case."
"Why's that?" he asked her.
"Well Mr. Sterling-," she started.
"Alex. Call me, Alex," he suggested.
Tiffany shook her head, "Well, Mr. Sterling, I feel like these aren't really the type of cases you take on normally. And I'm definitely not the kind of client you take on normally, so instead of inconveniencing you, I think I should just find a new lawyer."
"You signed a contract, Tiffany," he smiled. "I'm afraid it isn't possible to renege on our agreement. I've already incurred costs in bailing you out."
"I'll pay you back for that, of course-," Tiffany said.
"Oh, you will. But that doesn't make our contract void," his lips stretched into a smirk. "You'll just have to see this to the end."
"That's absurd," Tiffany frowned.
"That's the law. You signed a contract and the only way to back out from it is for both parties to agree." He emphasized his words by speaking each word slowly, "I do not agree."
Tiffany swallowed and pressed her lips together in displeasure. Her helpless frown assured Alex that she had no rebuttal for his argument, so he forged ahead.
"Looking at your case, it seems pretty open and shut. You got caught stealing red-handed, so there isn't much to do. I can probably make you pitiable enough to get away with community service since this is your first offence, if you tell the judge where the rest of the stuff you stole is," Alex rattled off.
"But I'm innocent!" she insisted, realizing that Alex was under the impression that she had stolen.
"Really?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Really!" she exclaimed. "I didn't steal anything!"
"Then where did the hundred and fifty come from?" he questioned.
"A hundred and fifty? I got paid two hundred from Estrada Stables last night. I should've had two hundred dollars on me!" Tiffany cried out in frustration.
"Interesting… You're a stablehand?" he leaned back in his plush chair and crossed his arms.
She shook her head, "No, not really. They needed an extra hand the last week since one of the stablehands was out sick, and I needed some extra money so…" She flushed in embarrassment, feeling acutely the difference between this man with his designer clothes and resplendent mansion and her need to clean horse shit to make ends meet. Their lives were worlds apart. She added quietly, "Normally, I waitress down at Maisey's Diner."
"Never heard of the place," Alex said, off-hand.
"It's… not exactly a place where you'd go," she muttered.
Alex returned his attention to the case, "If someone at Estrada remembers paying you, then we can prove that you had the money from there instead of stealing it. It doesn't prove that you didn't steal, but it creates reasonable doubt since they can no longer say they definitively found you with the stolen money."
"And then I'll be free?" Tiffany looked hopeful. The quicker this was over, the better chance she would be able to keep this lawyer's fees down to something she could pay back this decade.
"Should be," he shrugged.
The silence that settled over them was strange. Alex was still considering her with a smirk, making Tiffany feel like the haunch of a wildebeest being considered by a lion. Which confused her as she was hardly something to look at, especially after still being in her sweaty work clothes from working in the stables and smudged with dirt from her fall in the alleyway.
As the tension thickened to a point that made the silence unbearable for Tiff, Erica finally returned. She told Tiffany, "Ms. Valentine, The cook has put out a small breakfast in the small dining room for you and the maids will run a bath for you if you'd like."
"That's really not necessary," Tiffany blushed. "i should go home…"
"I will send for the car then," Erica nodded. "If you'll follow me."
As Tiffany stood to leave, Alex added, "I have your number. I'll be in touch when I hear about your court date. Until then, don't leave town and try to stay out of trouble."
