Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 52699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 263(@200wpm)___ 211(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 263(@200wpm)___ 211(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
“That’s unfortunate.” He didn’t give me a chance to ask them. “On any given week, I may have several court sessions, a series of depositions, research, and meetings, and no two weeks are ever the same.”
I stopped writing.
I’d experienced this brand of assholery before. This man wasn’t telling me any of this to inform me; he wanted to overwhelm me.
Opening the door to a massive conference room, he ushered me inside.
Boxes of files were stacked high against the wall, and folders cluttered the oval table near the window.
“This is your very first assignment, Miss Tanner.” He tapped the top of the stack. “I need these summarized as soon as possible.”
“All of these?”
“Of course not.” He opened a closet, revealing even more stacks. “I need these done, too.”
He picked up a small remote and hit a button, forcing the double doors on the other side of the room to come into view.
“You need to handle the boxes in there as well,” he said.
“Okay, wait,” I said. “Are you going to tell me how you like your summaries done? And when exactly is all this due?”
“I’ll let you know when I’m open for questions. Spoiler alert: It’s not today.” He left the room, slamming the door shut behind him.
Later that night
My back ached as I opened another box. I’d barely made a dent in my work, and even if I worked for the next fifty days straight, there was no way I could finish these anytime soon.
Hell, this year would be pushing it.
“Are you finished with the Robyn files, Miss Tanner?” Mr. Hamilton stepped into the room. “I need those, if so.”
I don’t even know what you’re talking about.
“I haven’t started on them yet.”
“Excuse me?”
“I haven’t started on them.”
“I heard you the first time,” he said. “I was just hoping you’d say something less ridiculous the second time around.”
I sighed. “Mr. Carter isn’t helping me with anything.”
“You need his help to read?”
“To make sure I’m doing things the right way,” I said. “It’s literally my first day.”
I waited for him to say something sympathetic, but he pulled out his cell phone, tapped the screen, and held it up to his ear.
“I thought you said Miss Tanner graduated from Harvard,” he said. “Is there a non-Ivy league one I’m unaware of?”
I crossed my arms.
“She said you haven’t helped her with anything.” He paused. “Hmmm. I see. Okay, that makes perfect sense.”
Ending the call, he looked at me.
“He says that he gave you detailed instructions and encouraged you to record notes on your phone. He also said he specifically mentioned the Robyn files to you and wanted to give you an entire week to work alone to see how much you get done.”
Oh my god, he’s lying. I bit my tongue.
“Mr. Hamilton, I think that Mr. Carter is…” I didn’t have any proof he was trying to sabotage me, but I felt it. “I promise you that Mr. Carter did not mention anything about any Robyn files. I wrote down everything he told me, and that’s not there.”
“So, you expect me to take your word over the man I’ve been working with for years? Are you calling him a liar?”
“No, I’m just saying that—”
“That was a rhetorical question,” he interrupted. “You have an hour to show me something, and you should be thanking Mr. Carter for giving you time to adjust to things here. Get busy, Miss Tanner.”
FALSE IMPRISONMENT (N.)
DEPRIVING SOMEONE OF FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT BY HOLDING A PERSON IN A CONFINED SPACE OR BY PHYSICAL RESTRAINT
DAMIEN
One week later
“Jessica?” I called her line over lunch.
“Yes?”
“Why is there a goddamn kitten walking around my office?”
“Huh?”
“There’s a grey and white cat looking at me like I’m in the wrong place.”
“Be there in two seconds.” She hung up.
The cat jumped onto my desk and hissed. The lavender collar around his neck read, “Elliot Stabler.”
“Oh, that cat.” Jessica stepped inside and scooped him into her arms. “Some guy dropped that off for Miss Tanner this morning. I think he was her boyfriend.”
“So, she does have a boyfriend?”
“Actually, I think he’s her ex.” She lowered her voice. “He dropped off a box of other stuff and called her an ‘ungrateful cunt’ on his way out. I’ll have to get all the tea on that later.”
“She hasn’t quit yet?”
“Shockingly, no.” She petted the kitten. “I’ve made the interns add new files to her table every hour like you asked, though. Want me to stop?”
“No. Double it.”
“You have cases and clients to meet outside the office soon,” she said. “You can’t keep Miss Tanner in the file tomb forever.
“Let’s give it one more week and see.”
INCOMPATIBLE (ADJ.)
1) INCONSISTENT. 2) UNMATCHING. 3) UNABLE TO LIVE TOGETHER AS HUSBAND AND WIFE DUE TO IRRECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES
ELIZABETH
“Fake it til you make it. Play the part until the curtains close.”
No matter how often I repeated that advice to myself, I knew I was in over my head.