Chapter 11

"You're definitely not a nanny," Maria said with all seriousness. Isabella raised an eyebrow and plopped down next to her, blinking at her with expectant eyes. "Then what am I? Don’t tell me I’m the most important person in your life?" Maria closed her laptop with a perfectly blank face. "I said you’re not a nanny because nannies get paid. You don’t." Then she bolted. Sure enough, a second later, Isabella exploded, hurling pillows one after another at her. Good thing Maria ran fast—none hit the mark. When she came back out, Isabella was already goofing off with Ethan and Ella. Maria had changed into a sharp-looking outfit. "Where you headed?" "To sue James." Maria grumbled as she changed her shoes. "I’m gonna make that guy pay. I’m breaking this contract, no matter what!" Isabella didn’t doubt her for a second. "Alright, go kick some ass, but don’t be late coming back." Maria met up with Mr. Smith outside the Bennett Corp building. A receptionist led them to a conference room on the 25th floor and brought them two cups of coffee. "Mr. Garcia is on his way. Please wait a moment." Maria had no complaints about the staff's service and asked out of curiosity, "Isn’t Andrew supposed to be here?" Andrew was both a lawyer and James’s close friend—his presence would’ve made more sense. The receptionist smiled politely. "Not sure about the details. I'll get back to work now." While waiting for the other lawyer, Maria chatted with Brandon Smith. He said the contract from James had some legal gray areas and they had about a seventy percent chance of winning. The only catch—it could drag on. Whoever has the stamina wins. Maria didn’t even hesitate. "I can wait. I don't care how long it takes—I’m winning this." Brandon nodded seriously. He had been recommended to Maria by someone in Shadowglint and was known as a courtroom ace. Contract cases were apparently easy mode for him, so Maria fully trusted him. About ten minutes later, Joseph Garcia strolled in. He and Brandon exchanged a firm handshake. Maria, though, looked impatient. "Can we start now?" "Give it a moment—one more person’s joining us," Joseph said politely. Maria frowned slightly. Who else? Andrew Johnson? The last person she expected walked through the door—James himself. He actually showed. He sat down without a word, smoothed his sleeves neatly, and gestured to Joseph to begin. Joseph looked soft-spoken but switched to business mode like flipping a switch—sharp, quick, and relentless. No matter what Brandon brought up, he parried smoothly without a hiccup. Of course, Brandon wasn’t backing down either. No raised voices, but the tension was thick—it was a full-on clash. Two hours passed. James was off to the side, already immersed in his laptop, while the lawyers were still locked in a back-and-forth, nowhere near reaching any agreement. Seeing Maria’s face getting darker by the second, James was in a surprisingly good mood. “Why waste your time? This is my turf. Beating me in court here? Keep dreaming.” Maria shot him a sharp look. “I don’t care what it costs, I will cancel the contract! Being your secretary makes my skin crawl.” James frowned, clearly not happy, but remembering how he’d misjudged her the day before, he forced himself to stay calm. She glanced over at her lawyer, wiping sweat off his forehead, and muttered, “You think we have a chance?” “Absolutely.” Brandon, who had started to lose steam, suddenly looked fired up and confident again. Maria felt a little more at ease after that. No rush. If they didn’t win today, they’d come back tomorrow. Or the day after. She had time. Another hour ticked by. Bored, Maria pulled out her phone and started texting Isabella, who happened to be playing Jenga with the kids. She had already lost multiple rounds and now had sticky notes all over her face—one on Ethan’s face and two on Ella’s. Isabella texted: [What did you give birth to?! These kids are monsters and they're only four!!] Those double exclamation points told Maria just how much Isabella was struggling. Maria couldn’t help but laugh, her eyes crinkling, a soft smile spreading across her face, showing all eight of her pearly teeth. James just stood there, staring. He thought she was texting David again, and that irrational flame in his chest lit up once more. He leaned over to whisper something to Joseph, his lawyer, his tone cold: “Whatever it takes, win this.” Joseph nodded seriously, dabbing his forehead with a tissue. Maria’s brows furrowed when she heard him. If they were going all in, her side didn't stand a great chance. She thought it over but got nowhere. So she just looked down and kept chatting with Isabella. Then a call popped up—the caller ID showed it was someone from Shadowglint. Her heart skipped as she stepped outside to take it. “I heard you’re back,” came that familiar voice on the other end. “Yeah,” she replied, flat. “Got orders for me?” “The organization wants you to get inside Bennett Group. There’s a big task in the pipeline.” Maria paused. Was this for real? She pressed, skeptical, “You mean James’s company?” “Exactly. How soon can you get in?” Maria rubbed her temples, already seeing where this was going. She gave in. “Couple of days, tops.” There was a pause on the other end. When he spoke again, his tone was noticeably more relaxed. “I trust your skill. Go for it.” She clenched her jaw but swallowed the urge to curse. Back in the conference room, she looked visibly deflated. Shooting James a glare, she sighed deeply and sat down next to her lawyer. “It’s off,” she said under her breath. Brandon looked confused. “Huh?” Maria let out another long sigh. “I’ll be his secretary. No need to push this anymore.” Her voice wasn’t loud, but in the small room it carried easily. Brandon heard it loud and clear. So did James. His posture straightened instantly, and a smug smile tugged at the corner of his lips.