The Wrong Choice

"That's interesting since your name is on her immediate termination letter."

"No way! But, Mr. Jacob's..uh, Todd, I never signed that employment agreement I sent to you either. No one had employment contracts except the partners and some of the senior VP's. Do you think they were forging my name? Why would they do that?"

"No idea. Why don't you get me up to speed. Your marriage, your breakup, your job, the jewelry thing and then we can figure out next steps."

"Uh, Todd. I'm not sure if you're the right attorney for me if you blame me for firing your wife. It's kind of a conflict, isn't it. Why would you want to be my attorney?

"Yes. Yes, it would be. But there's more to the story. Riley and I were happily married. Love of my life. Soul mate. All that. And then Brad set his sites on her. He apparently worked on her for six to nine months. Working together, lunch, then dinners, then finally she gave in. I found out about it, she begged for forgiveness, but...I just couldn't.

"So we're divorced. Thanks to Brad. As soon as he found out about the divorce, he dumped her. And then, bang! She was canned as well. For cause. They apparently rewrote all her reviews as well as some warning letters."

"Crap! I am so sorry, Todd. I knew he was having affairs, but...well, it's a long story. I...."

"So anyway, Ashe. I want blood. I want to screw that bastard to the wall. Why don't you tell me your story and I'll see if I want you as a client. Or would rather go after you as well."

An hour later, "So, Todd. That's my story. So what do you think?"

"I think you just confirmed everything that Riley said about you and my impressions of you as well. In my line of work, you get pretty good at judging people and separating fact from fiction.

"Soooo, bottom line. I would love to represent you and have actually taken most of the week off so we can do some investigating and try to see how we can respond to these claims.

"I've already taken the liberty of sending your signature on the employment agreement and the termination letter to an analyst. You know, to see what they can discover.

"And now, if you're up to it. I'd like to take a drive to your storage compartment. You said the last time you were there was about six months ago when you left for Vermont?" She nodded.

"Well, it certainly looks like no one has been here for a while. Cobwebs on the door and frame, bird stuff all over the handle. What do you think, Robert. You're here all the time. Does this look like someone has been in here recently?"

"Uh, no. Actually it looks like one of our abandoned ones. She's been paying the bill on it so we didn't do anything, but..."

"So, if needed, you could testify to what you see and what you think about it, correct?

"Correct."

"Thanks, Robert. We can take it from here. Let me take a few pictures, Ashe, and then we need to go through every box."

Entering the storage compartment. "Not much here, Ashe. And nicely packed and stacked I must say. This is all you had after eight years?"

"Sad, right? It's all I wanted. I didn't want all the other stuff. Of, course now I want to pitch the wedding pictures as well."

"Well, we've searched every nook and cranny. No jewelry. Let's go to your condo."

"But..."

"It'll be fine, Ashe. He says you're not separated. And you're still married. So you have every right to be there.

"Walter! It's so good to see you again!"

"You too, Ms. Stone. Uh, sorry to hear about the divorce and stuff. Mr. Stone told me that you were officially separated so I was not supposed to let you in. I..."

"Walter? I'm Todd Jacob's, Ms. Stone's attorney. Mr. Stone just sent her this letter saying that she was not separated. See right here on this page. So if she's not separated, she has every right to go to her home. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Well...."

"Look, Walter. If you're worried about it, come up with us. All we want to do is look and take some pictures. We're not going to take anything. Promise."

"No. That's OK. I trust you Ms. Stone, but if you come out with a bunch of boxes..." he smiled at her and winked.

"Thank you, Walter. No boxes, promise."

They took the elevator up. "My, this is nice, Ashe. Now I see how the other half lives. Sure you want to give it up?"

"Yes. Very sure. The jewelry case is over here. It's empty! Everything is gone! Todd, I only have those pieces I showed you the receipts for. Really!"

"So where would he have taken them? I assume there was a bunch of stuff. Couldn't have given it all to the newest girlfriend...."

"Todd! Here's his IPad! I know all his passwords and things. He never could remember them so it was the same on for everything. The info is shared with his phone, so we can get his contacts, texts, phone calls, emails. And the dumbass never deleted anything. So should I print them out?"

"Absolutely. Then we should call it a day. You had the long drive and then all this. So where are you staying, Ashe? Here? In you're home with you're broken hearted hubby? I mean, you're not separated..."

She back handed his shoulder. Sarcastically. "No, I'm not going to stay with my broken hearted husband. It'd been over a year since we had sex before I left and he never batted an eye when I asked for the divorce. So, no. Get your pictures and I'll go back to my hotel and go over the texts and contacts and things.

"And, thanks, Todd for agreeing to help me. And I am so, so sorry to hear about you and your wife. I knew his cheating was hurting me...but I guess I never realized he was hurting others as well. I thought we would have a nice, amicable breakup. That's we agreed to. But now, as someone so eloquently put it, let's 'screw the bastard.'

"Good morning, Ashe. You look...well, you look a little worse for wear."

"Quit your sweet talk, Todd. I look like crap. But nothing a few more cups of coffee won't fix. Here. I brought you one too. Soooo. I went through the texts, contacts and emails. And used a bunch of colored pens to match some relationships and patterns. And...

"Here are the names of six women who worked for Stone and Stone and then as best I remember, suddenly disappeared. There may be more. The firm is busy, but it's not like there are a zillion employees. All were young, good looking. A pattern.

"We could call them and see if the same thing happened to them as happened to your wife. All we need is one of them to say they had an affair with him and he's in violation of HIS prenup and then I freeze his bank accounts and sue him, right?

"And...especially if they forged my signature on the termination notice, I think they would be able to file wrongful termination suits against the firm. What do you think, Todd?"

"Well, no wonder you look, uh, 'tired' this morning. That's a lot of work. But I think you're right. So, do I call or do you call these women?"

"I'll call. And if they won't talk to me, I could have them talk to you. But we really only need one, right?" He nodded. "So, why don't I start with Riley?"

"I don't know, Ashe. I mean...."

"We know what happened. We have the documentation. The texts and termination letter. She essentially admitted to it in your divorce decree right? And she was filled with regret.

"If we could get her to sign an affidavit, that might be enough for us to freeze his accounts and get him to squirm a little. I guarantee he never for a minute thought I would do anything. I was always so passive with he and his dad."

"Makes sense, but..."

"Yes, Todd. I'll make the calls. You help me find the numbers, although the women have probably kept their cell numbers, and I'll take the hit if they go postal on me. After all, smoothing feathers is one of the things I do...or did, for the firm.

"Oh, and there are some recent texts with that big jewelry store over in the Village. We should go and check with them after I make some calls. Or better, why don't you go there and be all formal, lawyer and stuff and see what you can find out?

"The jewelry has been reported stolen so...you could tell them they are in receipt of stolen goods or something if they seemed 'uncooperative.' What do you think?"

"I think I would hate to cross you or go up against you in court. Ever thought of law school, Ashe?"

"Nope. No way. So. We have a plan. And I love plans. Now get lost. I can't stand it when people hover."

"Here, Ashe. I brought you some lunch. I hope a burger and fries are OK. I know with you personal chef and epicurean tastes, and all..."

She laughed. "Look, Todd, I realize how much fun it is to be an ass, but after the beating I took this morning, that slap was nothing. But a burger will be fine as long as it's not crushed beyond recognition and you brought plenty of ketchup. So first, the jewelry store..."

"Well, initially the manager didn't want to say anything, but then I showed him the demand letter and discussed the implications. Apparently, someone representing a mister Brad Stone had a number of jewelry items to sell. The store bought some and others are on consignment. Quite a tidy sum, which I'm fairly sure did not make it back to the coffers of Stone and Stone.

"Here's the list of things. And oddly enough, it almost exactly matches the list in the demand letter. It always struck me as odd that Brad would know what jewelry you had in that case and what was missing.

"You know...guys don't usually know...So anyway, we know the demand letter is crap. We should let him file the police complaint. Then we could pop him for filing a false report. But I suspect he was just using that as a pressure technique.

"So what did you find out?"

"I got hold of all six. It worked out better to use your office phone. None of them were too happy to hear from me, but I finally got them to run out of expletives and listen to me.

"So all six are willing to testify about the affair and are gathering all the info they have and going to work on dates, times and whatever. And each is interested in a wrongful termination suit. So we'll need to get that going. Do you do that stuff or do we need an employment attorney...?

"No, we can do it in the firm. No need to go outside."

"Great. But Todd? There is a seventh, very sad, very remorseful woman. Whose life is still a mess. And who has the clearest recollection and who saved all her texts and what not. We only need one to start with and I..."

"Riley." She nodded.

"But she wants to come to the office to testify as to what happened and sign her affidavit. She knows it will be hard for both of you as she shares the details, but she wants everything out on the table. And.."

Ashe started to tear up. "After nine months of constant pressure she finally gave in. Once! And she felt so guilty, so ashamed that it sounds like she let herself be caught so she would be punished.

"God, Todd. It was the worst phone call! She didn't say it, but she obviously still loves the heck out of you.

"And she can come in today if that's alright with you."

"Ah, Ashe. I don't know..."

"Good! She'll be here at three. I checked and there's a transcriptionist available and your paralegal scheduled a meeting with the judge for two days. If the judge agrees then we can freeze his accounts and serve him with our own counter suits.

"Oh, AND I want to sit in this afternoon to make sure you don't get all tongue tied or anything and ask the right questions.

"AND you know, I reread the prenups. If he fights the settlement as outlined, there's very big additional penalty for challenging the terms of the prenup. If he loses, of course. Which he will.

"I won't challenge mine. I never cheated on him, but there's no telling who he might drag in to say I did. So, I pay my penalties and he pays his. I make a 'tidy' profit. Any flaws in my reasoning, Counselor."

"No, I..."

"AND, I think that once we freeze all his money and he's served. I would like talk with some of the papers and TV channels and tell my tale of woe. They might even be able to interview some of the other ladies.

"And, if it turns out that your guy says my signature was forged or they simply used my computer signature, well, dear old dad and the firm might just get dragged in."

"Shit, Ashe. You're starting to scare me. When you go for it..."

"So, pretty yourself up. Riley is going to be here at three, although I bet she'll be early. Oh, yea, and I made reservations for two at that restaurant down the street. And, just so you know, I'm not going."

"Ashe!"

"Todd! You should have heard her voice! She's in so much pain and obviously still loves the hell out of you. And even a blind person could see that you still love her every time I mention her name. And you'll never ever have to worry about her straying again. There is no other man in the universe, but you in her heart.

"We're all just human, Todd. We mess up. Remember, we should not define people by the mistakes that they make, but rather by how the handle them and what they've learned from them.

"Focus on a little forgiveness and you both may be able to re-find a little of the happiness and joy that you both lost. It's at six. So you'll have plenty of time to talk before..."

"Why here she is now. Riley! Good to see you again. We can talk later. Todd's right in here."

She walked through the door and froze. Tears filled her eyes. "Todd. You look great. Have you...have you been okay? Are you doing alright?" He nodded. "Todd, I am so sorry and I've missed you so much...And I hate that I have to relate the details of the biggest mistake of my life to you. To you of all people. If you'd rather not have me give my statement....Ashe said there were others."

"It's good to see you too, Riley. I...No we need your testimony. I need to ask you a lot of questions. Many that were never asked before. Alright?" She nodded.

"Todd? Can we talk some when I'm done? Please?"

"Sure, Riley. I'd like that." She showed a glimmer of a smile and took her seat.

Finishing her testimony under oath, "Riley. I, uh, I never realized the pressure he put you under. You should have told me. I, we...maybe we could have done something."

"I thought I could handle it on my own. I was afraid they would hurt your practice somehow. They have a lot of connections. Even at the state level. But I should have been stronger. I shouldn't have....Oh, Todd. I still feel so ashamed, so guilty, like such a failure.

"I'm sorry I failed you, I failed me, I failed us. I'm still paying the price. I'm living at home with my folks, working at Target and doing income taxes for part of the year. So much for my accounting background. No one will hire me. I've been like black balled or something.

"Oh, Todd. I'm just so lonely. So empty. I..."

He hugged her. "Tell you what. Ashe has us lined up for dinner down the street. Why don't we go and talk some more."

"Really?" He nodded. "I would love to."

She reached her hand across the table and put it on his. "Todd, the meal was fabulous, but just to be with you again..." Tears filled her eyes. "Todd? This is the best night I've had since...well, since the last time we were together. I...we..." He stared across the table at her.

"Todd. Thank you. But I should probably go. I need to drive back to Connecticut tonight and..."

"What if you stayed, Riley?" Her face brightened. Hope filled her features.

"Really?" He nodded.

"My car's in the garage. I could take you to a hotel or you could come..."

"Yes! Please, Todd? Please could you forgive me? Maybe start over somehow? Whatever, however you want..." Tears of hope and joy instead of regret filled her eyes now and she mopped them away.

As they walked out, she took his arm and snuggled her head against her shoulder. He stared straight ahead, but as they approached the car he turned to face her. Pushing her against his car he kissed her. A harsh noise escaped the back of her throat and she grabbed him with all of her strength.

"Todd, please. Please take me home. At least for tonight. I just need to feel you again." She started to cry again. "I just can't go on like this. Without you. I..." Her words were interrupted with another kiss.

They drove silently to his apartment. "Todd. You haven't changed a thing. It's the same as..."

"Yes. It's the same as the day you left. I just couldn't..." It was his turn to tear up. They kissed and then he led her to the bedroom. Their bedroom.

"Well, Mr. Todd. Starting work kind of a little late today, aren't you? Had a tough night or something?"

"Uh, yes. I was up 'kind of a little late' too."

"Soooo. Here's some coffee for you and then you can tell Auntie Ashe all about it. Did you two have anything to talk about. Anything of interest 'pop' up?"

"We went over her testimony and clarified a few of the facts..."

"Your Honor, I find this man in contempt. He refuses to answer the questions."

"You were right, okay? I did miss her. And...well, we'll see." Ashe rushed forward and hugged him.

"Oh, Todd. I'm so happy for you. Both of you. I'll keep my fingers crossed and you keep an open mind. Anyway, I talked to three more former employees who were terminated 'by me.' And they know a few other women.

"So we have ten, at least, that are interested. Well, eleven actually, me, because of the phony employment agreement and seizure of my retirement.

"So, while you were goofing off, I discussed all this with your partner, Sergio, I like him by the way. Your paralegal said he was the right guy. He's pretty excited. He is very interested in the case, but wants to discuss it with you. He said mine is a different matter, but should be combined because it demonstrated a systematic pattern of abuse and fraud.

"I also called the handwriting guy. He is putting together his formal analysis, but says that the signatures appear to be digital signatures. They are exactly the same and not originals or ink. Even though they are in blue. Kind of debunks the employment agreement I 'signed.'"

"Alrighty then. How the hell do you get so much done? Guess I'll take the rest of the day off and see if anything pops up again.

"I knew it." She hugged him again. "And I guarantee you, you won't ever be sorry. You could tell by her, well, just the way she looked at you during her testimony yesterday. But you can't go."

"Why?"

"Because I have four of the other women coming in today. Don't worry. I scheduled the transcriptionist. And I scheduled a videographer to video record them. They were alright with that.

"The other two are scheduled for tomorrow morning. Before the meeting with the judge."

"Damn! Do you want a job here, Ashe? I can't believe all you've gotten done."

"Nope. I love my job and the guy I'm with and have big plans for the place. Wait 'til the next time the TWO of you stay there." And she winked at him.

"I have to send a quick text. I'll be right back."

>Nate. Lord, how I miss you. I ache inside. I never thought I could love anyone, even you, as much as I love you. But I have to stay a few more days. I hope things settle quietly, but if they don't, I may resume my career as a media star keeping Stone and Stone in the headlines.

>I'll give you a call later when the girls get home. Maybe we can FaceTime. I miss them almost as much as you. Love you to death, Ashe.

A week later. "Dad. A judge froze all of my accounts. My cards don't work. I have no money. Shit! I told you that Ashe and I should just divorce quietly and amicably. But, ooooh nooo! You thought we should punish her. Now look at the mess we're in."

"Calm down, Brad. She's not going to be able to do anything. This is just bullshit. We..."

"Excuse me, Mr. Stone. Uh, Brad Stone. There is a gentleman here to see you. Says it's very important. And will only take a moment."

"Sure. Show him in."

"Mr. Bradly Stone?"

"Yes. What do you want. Get to it."