Since that day, Harvey had never mentioned Aida to Donna again, having seen how much it bothered her when he asked questions. Besides, it was easier that way — it made things simpler as the months passed, and neither of them had brought up the little girl again. They had both gone on with their lives, continuing to work together and remaining best friends and colleagues. While Harvey had managed to keep his distance, he would soon need to reconsider his approach because of a conversation with Louis on a random day. Determined to speak with the other lawyer, Harvey barged into his office with an arrogant smile.
«Louis»
«Harvey. How can I help you?»
«You need to take a look at the Cowell file»
«Oh right. Drop it off, I'll take a look later»
«What are you doing?»
«My will»
«Your will?» snorted Harvey.
«Yeah, my will»
«Are you planning to die?»
«Life is short, art is long, opportunity fleeting, experience deceptive, judgment difficult... Hippocrates»
Faced with Louis' quote and the melancholic look he had taken to recite the line, Harvey stared at him in confusion, while Louis rolled his eyes and continued his explanation.
«I'm not going to die, it's just that it's better to be prepared»
«Prepared for what?»
«You don't have a backup plan? Where is all your money going to go when you die? You're a lawyer, I shouldn't have to explain to you what happens when you don't have an heir or a will — your estate could be taken over by the state»
For a few seconds, Harvey remained impassive, a bit lost, but as Louis looked at him with a questioning expression, he quickly regained his mask of arrogance, muttering.
«Anyway, are you going to take a look?»
«It'll be done, Harvey»
«Thanks»
Once he left Louis' office, Harvey returned to his own, but despite having a lot to do, he found it difficult to focus. So, when Donna stepped out to pick up Aida from daycare, Harvey seized the moment to make a quick call, scheduling a meeting just an hour later as he packed his things swiftly, then ordered a taxi and headed to meet the man who was waiting for him. William Allen, a lawyer on the brink of retirement and a friend of Harvey's father, had been the one to inspire him to study law at Harvard. Though William wasn't one of the state's most renowned lawyers and worked independently, he was reliable and offered sound advice. Harvey wouldn't go to him in a serious crisis — he'd rather turn to Jessica or Louis (after a drink, of course) — but for the situation on his mind, William seemed like the right choice. When he arrived, Harvey greeted him with a gentle smile and a warm embrace, hearing the old man whispered.
«Harvey, I'm happy to see you»
«Me too, William»
«Please, come in. Tell me what brings you here?»
«Well, I'm not really sure how to explain this, but you have to promise me you'll never tell anyone what I'm about to tell you»
«I'm bound by attorney-client privilege, Harvey. Of course, I won't»
«Good. So, today I had a conversation with one of my colleagues about my will and inheritance. He told me something about the fact that my estate could be taken over by the state if I don't make any arrangements»
«That's true. You've never made a will?»
«No»
«Yet it seems to me you have quite a few assets and a lot of money»
«I do»
«In this situation, I'm probably not teaching you anything new, but if you don't do anything, you have no direct heirs, so it will likely go to Marcus first, then his wife, his children, but also — I know you're not going to like this — but potentially to your mother as well. The last option is the state indeed»
«I can't let that happen, William»
«I figured, and if you want my opinion, I don't think that's a very good idea either. Gordon already mentioned some of your brother's financial issues in the past, and as for your mother… I've known you since you were a kid, I know what happened, and I don't think you want your hard-earned money going to her»
«No way»
«So, what are you going to do? You have no spouse, no children»
«About that... You promise not to tell anyone?»
«I promise, Harvey. But you start to worry me»
«Well… a little over two years ago, my best friend wanted to have a baby and was going to use a donor, but she had an issue with not knowing them, you know, personally. So, I volunteered»
«So, you have a child»
«She's not my daughter, well, she is — I guess — but just biologically, nothing more»
«There's no recognition?»
«No»
«But you'd want her to be your heir?»
«I do, yes»
«Harvey, are you sure? We're talking about a child you never acknowledged, have you seen her or been in contact with at all?»
«No. With her mother, we have a deal. I'm like an anonymous donor, I just helped, but I have no contact with her, and I don't want any»
«But you still plan to leave her something?»
«Yes»
«I don't know if that's the best solution, Harvey»
«Look, I know it's weird, but her mother is the most important person in my life, and I think that if I had to leave my estate, I would have left it to her — baby or no baby — but now things are different, and I want it to go to her too»
«Well, if you're sure about this, you have two options, and you know that. Either you recognize the legal paternity of this child, and she'll be first on the inheritance list»
«I'm not going to recognize her. I told her mother that I didn't want to be involved, and that's also why she made this baby with me, so that option doesn't work for me»
«Then you can write a will explicitly stating your intentions, or you can include clear provisions specifying that you want your daughter — well, this child — to be the heir to your estate»
«I'll do that. But I need you to draft the will. I can't ask anyone else because no one can know this child is mine»
«I understand. So? All your estate will go to her, or do you have other hidden children?»
«She's the only one, and no, I need to divide it» chuckled Harvey.
«Let me take a paper, then»
William quickly grabbed a piece of paper behind him and began drafting the introduction to the will, carefully noting the full name of the lawyer, his address, and birthdate. Then, he asked Harvey to list who would inherit his assets and in what proportions. As Harvey considered it, he knew one thing for sure: he wanted to ensure that Hayley's education — and possibly any other children his brother might have — were financially secure. He felt a deep sense of responsibility to make sure they were taken care of, but when it came to the rest, Harvey had no doubts. The house his father had once owned, which Harvey had purchased after Gordon's death, would go to Marcus and his children, along with a reserve of cash — just in case. But Harvey wasn't about to leave anything more to his brother. He didn't trust Marcus, and he knew well that his brother had never been good with money. As for the rest of his estate — the things Harvey had worked for, built from the ground up — he knew exactly who would get it: Donna and her daughter. Even if his paternity was never officially recognized, Harvey was determined to make sure they were provided for. Donna was his family for a long time now, and this was his way of ensuring they would always be taken care of, no matter what the world believed.
«Alright, Now I need you to list everything that will go to this child»
«Everything. My Upper West Side penthouse, my cars, my record collection, all my material assets, my investments, all my bank accounts — everything»
«Harvey... I know you have millions of dollars in assets. You're putting everything in the hands of this child?»
«Yes»
«And the trust?»
«Her mother»
«Alright — the mother's name?»
«Donna. Donna Roberta Paulsen»
For a brief moment, the old man paused, looked up at Harvey with a sly smile, and chuckled softly. It was a look that puzzled Harvey, and after a few seconds, though, he found himself mirroring the smile, even though he wasn't entirely sure why.
«What?»
«Out of curiosity, what does this Donna do for a living?»
«She's a legal secretary. Why?»
«Harvey… I can't believe it»
«What?»
«You know, before he died, during some of our barbecues in Boston, Gordon often mentioned he was worried about you. Worried you'd work yourself to death, that you'd miss out on your life and regret it. And then one day, he brought up a certain redhead he already considered his daughter-in-law. If I'm not mistaken, her name was Donna too. Apparently, she was the girl his son was secretly in love with but never had the courage to tell»
Seeing Harvey's embarrassed expression, scratching his head and grimacing, clearly uncomfortable with being exposed like this, William chuckled and murmured.
«I see… and what's the name of this little girl?»
«Aida Regina Paulsen. She's just over two years old»
«Regina? Like Reginald, your grandfather?»
«Yeah»
«Alright. And I assume Miss Paulsen isn't aware of your decision right now?»
«No, she isn't»
«Harvey, if I may suggest, tell her first. Because the day she finds out that her daughter's worth millions, it's going to be one hell of a shock. And for this to be properly done, I need more than just a first and last name. Understood?»
«Understood. Yeah»
After handing him a few documents and offering one last hug, Harvey left the lawyer's office and headed back to his apartment. As the hours passed, the issue of the inheritance weighed heavily on his mind. He paced back and forth in his living room, staring at Donna's name on his phone, unsure whether calling her was a good idea. The thought gnawed at him, and eventually, he decided it would be easier to drink whiskey and fall asleep than to confront the issue right then. By the time he finally fell asleep — nearly two hours later — he woke the next morning with a sense of urgency, anxiously waiting for Donna to arrive as he paced back and forth in his office, checking the time every few seconds. When he finally saw her approach from a distance, smiling broadly, he quickly motioned for her to come in, his panic surprising her as she entered.
«Hey, Harvey, what's going on? You look... frazzled»
«I need to talk to you. Can you sit down?»
«Sure, but you're scaring me. Are you alright?» whispered Donna.
«I don't even know where to start»
«From the beginning?»
«Yeah, sure. Yesterday, I had a talk about my heritage and —»
«Harvey, I —»
«Let me finish, please… I haven't made a will yet, and yesterday I talked with William, you remember? My father's friend, the lawyer. Anyway, we discussed it, and if I don't do anything, everything will go to Marcus or maybe even my mother, which I absolutely refuse»
«I don't understand where you're going with this…»
«I want her to inherit most of everything I have»
In an instant, the room was filled with an almost suffocating silence. Donna's eyes widened, and her mouth parted in shock at what he had just said. She didn't need to ask who he was referring to — she already knew. But the fact that he was bringing this up on a random Tuesday morning caught her off guard, leaving her momentarily speechless. The shock quickly turned into a deep, gnawing fear, followed by a surge of anger. How could he put her in this position? She couldn't believe it. So without thinking, Donna stood up abruptly and walked toward the door, but seeing her movement, Harvey sprang to his feet, rushing to block her exit. His voice immediately softened, but it was persistent as he looked at her, his gaze full of urgency.
«Move, Harvey»
«We really need to talk, Donna»
«Talk about what? I thought we had a deal. It's my daughter, and you weren't involved»
«But you've clearly chosen that she's mine too, haven't you?»
Seeing a multitude of emotions flashing across Donna's face, Harvey sighed, rubbing his face before murmuring.
«Sorry, I misspoke»
«You had no right..»
«I'm sorry»
«We had a fucking deal, Harvey»
«Can we talk, please? Calmly and seriously»
«There's nothing to talk about»
«There is. I'm going to do what I planned anyway, but things will be easier if you help me. So please, sit down so we can have a serious conversation»
Reluctantly, Donna sat down on the couch in Harvey's office, her eyes fixed on him as he settled across from her with a deep, frustrated sigh. She remained silent, her confusion clear, waiting for some kind of explanation as the silence stretched between them, thick and heavy, until, finally, seeing her still baffled, Harvey spoke, his tone softer than before.
«During your entire pregnancy, I managed to put it aside — the fact that I didn't know who you'd chosen for the insemination. Even afterward, I never tried to find out. Like I told you, I wanted to help, but I didn't want to be involved. But then, the day you came back, and HR dropped that paper for you… my curiosity got the best of me, and I couldn't help but take a look. I wasn't trying to figure out the 'why' or the 'how' of it all — I just wanted to know if it was a boy or a girl. Even the name… just pure curiosity. I knew that document wouldn't tell me if she was genetically mine or not — but that was before I saw that her second name was Regina»
Seeing the tears in Donna's eyes, the way she bit her lip and avoided his gaze, Harvey realized she wasn't going to say anything more, so he decided to continue, his voice softening.
«I know you well enough to know that name wasn't chosen by accident, but it's fine. It doesn't change anything for me. I've always said it — she's your baby, and I won't be involved. That doesn't change. But there's something I need to discuss about her. Right now, I don't have a will. And since I don't have a spouse or legal heirs, everything will go to my closest family. And you know damn well that for the last five years, my family — it's been you. I'll leave a portion to Marcus and his family, but the rest... it'll be for you and her»
«I don't want that, Harvey»
«I'm not asking what you want or don't want. I'm explaining what I've planned. But I need to inform you, in case something happens, and also so you can help me finalize the documents as accurately as possible. I'm going to draft a will, specifying my intentions, with clear provisions stating that I want you and your daughter to inherit my assets»
«And I'm supposed to explain what to her?»
«The truth. That everything I have today is because of her mother, and it only makes sense that she inherits everything I have now»
«You don't have to do this, Harvey. You really don't. I've told you before. She's not your responsibility» murmured the redhead.
«I know. And I know you don't want this, Donna, but I'm not doing it for you — or even for me. I'm doing it for her. This is the right thing to do. You've always been there for me, for us, and you're the person I trust most in the world. You and she deserve this. So now, write down all the administrative information about her. Please»
Seeing that he wouldn't back down — and that he was likely going to make this inheritance happen with or without her consent — Donna shakily wrote down the information he asked for. Without a word, she left the office, tears welling in her eyes as she was angry at him for doing this, but also angry at herself. Angry at everything. Angry that things had come to this point, angry that he knew Aida was biologically his, angry that they would never truly be free of each other, angry that he wasn't fighting for his own daughter, angry that they could never be more than what they were now — just angry at it all. But now it was done, and even though she knew Harvey was acting out of kindness and a sense of obligation, she couldn't shake the feeling of powerlessness, as if her hands were tied. Well, she had to accept it. She had secretly had a baby with her boss, he'd found out, and now he was already starting to break their unspoken deal.
She should've expected this… and this was just the beginning.