Lila

"Is this some kind of joke?" she said a few seconds later when no one had contradicted Chris.

​​

The lawyer with the least amount of hair—and no smile lines—cleared his throat. "No, it's no joke, Mrs. Daniels. And—"

"Please call me Lila," she said like it was an accusation.

The man nodded. "It's no joke, Lila. The recent video footage and the stories circulating… the risk to the business is immense. On top of this, Dane had already given us instructions on what to do in the event something like this happened. We aren't just here of our own accord, he prepared us for just this kind of eventuality."

"You're telling me my husband knew his father was going to release footage of his crimes as a minor?"

Chris looked at her sharply, but she ignored him.

The lawyer shook his head. "He knew that his father might attack the business, or Dane himself in a way that affected the business, and he wanted to make sure he had a strategy in place to make sure the teams were safe, and you and his brother were provided for."

Oh, Dane. She wanted to cry. She didn't. "And what provisions did he make?" she asked faintly.

"He had the financial burden of the company put into trust a month ago," the man said, then picked up a stack of papers in front of him. "And he allotted power of attorney, as well as disbursement of duties—"

"Speak English please, I haven't slept in two days," Lila snapped. Chris's hand appeared gently at her back and it was an effort not to shrug him off. Or slap him.

"In short, ma'am, your husband wrote legal documents, similar to a will, but actually designed to protect the business in the event of his… incapacitation. They allow us to transfer both the ownership and responsibility for the business out of his hands, so that the assets can't be used against him—or against you, for anything he might have done."

"There is no might, sir," she said through her teeth. "My husband has a dark past, and the entire world is learning of it." She couldn't believe she had forgotten to check the news that morning. She really was losing her mind.

"There hasn't even been charges pressed," Chris said. "Why are you coming to us now? Surely we can wait until there's a case against him?"

"Mr. Daniels, this isn't my first rodeo. And I can tell you that unless these papers are signed and enacted before there is a legal case against your brother, they will only be collected as evidence. These actions must occur before the Police open an official file on this case. Only then can they be a protection to any of you—and the staff."

"But we don't know when that will be!"

"Which is exactly why we have to move quickly. My team is already filing the appropriate papers and motions. We have arranged a notary to attend our office in the morning—and I pray that isn't too late. We need both of you to come because it will require both your signatures to take up—"

"I don't need those kinds of details right now," Lila rushed in before the man could reveal too much. "I just need to understand why you're here now if this is happening tomorrow?"

The man stared at her, his lips pressed thin and she saw the steel within him. Now she understood why Dane had chosen him. "Because your husband anticipated that one or both of you might fight this. Our job today is to convince you of the necessity, and prepare you for the hoops you'll have to jump through in the morning. Like I said, I'm just praying that lunchtime tomorrow—which is how long this will all take—isn't too late. This has all come up much faster, and more publicly than we anticipated."

Lila nodded and looked at Chris, who was glaring at the man like he wanted to punch him. She put a hand to his bicep and he jerked to look at her, his eyes widening. "I don't know what he did, exactly," she said quietly, "but he did mention this, sort of. He said… he said after the wedding he was putting a lot of stuff in place legally. And the last time he came to me, before… before… he told me he was getting his ducks in a row for the business. He told me," she swallowed, "he said that I should make sure you didn't fight it," she said, tears in her eyes…

She and Dane clung together on the bed in the apartment. He was shaking under her hands with everything he'd had to reveal, everything he'd had to own. She was crying too, but more for him, than herself.

And then he'd looked at her, his green eyes fierce with love. "It's all taken care of, Lila. You just… you just have to do it. You just have to live it."

…she took a deep breath and squeezed Chris's arm. "He wanted this. I don't like it either, but he did tell me he had made plans."

"Me too," Chris mumbled after a moment. "I just… I find it hard to believe we're already there."

Lila turned to the lawyers who were looking back and forth between them, like they were at a tennis match. "So, what do we need to do? And what am I allowed to share with others? I want to do what I can to keep this out of the papers."

The lawyer puffed up like a ruffled bird. "Our offices are extremely discreet, Mrs. Daniels. The press will not learn of the contents of this meeting from us or our staff."

"The mere fact that you've driven to our offices—in a team—will have already been photographed, logged, and possibly written about," she said through her teeth. "So, I'm sorry, Mr...?"

"Burnstein," he said shortly.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Burnstein, but there will already be media speculation about why you're here in the wake of yesterday's video. I will need to do some work to head that off. So, tell me what you need from us today and we'll make it happen. But please… no surprises."

The man sighed and motioned to the chairs in front of them at the table. "Take a seat. We'll make this as brief as possible."

With a glance at Chris, she took the first chair and waited for him to take the second.