I was mystified by what he said. They refused to entertain Bryson before, but all of a sudden, they want to settle things privately? What are these people really up to?
When I remained silent, Zander took in a deep breath and continued explaining, “Both the Zieglers and the Queens are prominent families in K City. There’s no need to go head to head with each other for merely two hundred million. Ms. Ziegler has also expressed that Mr. Queen’s investment will reap the most profits in the future. So, do we have a deal, Ms. Stovall?”
“You’re asking me?” I feigned cluelessness. “Mr. Hoffman, I’m afraid you’re mistaken. The plaintiff in this lawsuit is Bryson. I’m just the assistant of the lawyer representing him and don’t have much of say in such this. Sorry, but I’m afraid I can’t help you.”
Probably never expecting that I would be so uncooperative, a frown formed on Zander’s face, obviously displeased about the outcome. “Ms. Stovall, don’t fool around with me. No law firm in the entire city dared to accept this lawsuit; all except yours. It’s easy to see that everything about this has very little to do with Mr. Queen.”
A small intern couldn’t possibly have the authority to make his own decisions when two hundred million was involved. Needless to say, he must be acting under Thora’s instructions.
Before the lawsuit was officially filed, Thora behaved very arrogantly. Seeing that Bryson had no connections or status in K City, even though she knew she was in the wrong, she still abused her power and bullied him, forcing him to suffer a loss. Now that things weren’t in her favor, she wanted to make peace to preserve her company’s reputation. Businessmen were indeed cunning little b*stards.
Alas, just like Zander had expected, both Bryson and I weren’t doing it for the money.
I lowered my head and chuckled softly, intentionally avoiding giving him a direct answer. “Mr. Hoffman, both of us were in the same batch before. I really never thought that my first lawsuit would be against you as well. This must be fate, don’t you agree?”
Zander’s face darkened subtly, but he refused to give up and tried to convince me again. “Ms. Stovall, let’s not discuss personal matters during work hours. Perhaps you’re not satisfied with the conditions I stated? Could you be more forthright, so that it’d be easier for both sides to continue cooperating? What do you say?”
Zander was as rigid as ever.
Pressing my lips together, I walked past him toward the exit. “If it’s a truce you want, show some sincerity. Get your client to come and see us personally, or you can forget about this.”
Worried that something might happen to me, Brooklyn and Bryson both waited by the corridor. When they saw me coming out, they immediately came up to me.
“How did it go, Ms. Stovall? Did he make things difficult for you?” Bryson asked with concern.
Before I could answer, Zander emerged from the pantry with a gloomy face. As he passed by us, he nodded expressionlessly and left without looking back.
“He’s definitely bad news since he’s defending that woman,” Bryson spat while staring after his retreating figure.
My mouth curved into a helpless smile. “Well, then. It’s a good thing I rejected that bad man’s request to settle things peacefully for you. Mr. Queen, you won’t accuse me of overstepping my boundaries, will you?”
“Of course not!” Bryson exclaimed with a grin. “I can’t even thank you both enough for helping me. Naturally, everything else is for the two of you to decide.”
“Great.” I nodded and told the truth. “The defense attorney said that they can pay two hundred million in full with the condition that we drop the lawsuit. I’ve rejected the offer on your behalf and expressed that unless Thora personally comes forward to apologize, we will not settle it peacefully.”
“That’s an additional forty million. How generous of Thora,” Brooklyn joked.
“Forty million is nothing! It’s won’t bring me the same satisfaction as winning this lawsuit! You really do understand me well, Ms. Stovall.” Bryson beamed with joy. “Today’s such a happy day. This calls for a celebration and it’s my treat. Both of you don’t have a say in this!”
Having said that, he took out his gilded phone and called his subordinate and instructed, “Book the largest private room in The Jade and get the manager to open their most expensive bottle of red wine. I’ll be there with my guests in fifteen minutes…”
I mentally rolled my eyes. This man was constantly flaunting his wealth, but unlike those truly filthy nouveau riche, he treated others with sincerity and knew when to show gratitude. Hence, it was impossible to dislike him.
