It had been a few months since Xander’s case had been dismissed, and Russell’s law firm had never been so busy. Not only because Xander and his company were going to remain clients of his firm, but also because of the flood of new business that came their way from people who were seriously impressed by how Russell took care of the case so efficiently. They had made more new clients in the last few weeks than they had the previous year and all of them were wealthy and in need of legal help, just the way Russell liked them. Things were getting so busy, that the firm didn’t have enough litigators to handle the workload. Willie took care of the problem, as he went out of his way to buy out another firm from the other side of town that was struggling, merging their staff into his which gave them all the bodies they needed to keep up with the wave of new clients. The new staff went from nearly going under to being a part of a bigger firm that had a very bright future. That and the bump in pay made them all quite thankful and eager to get back to work. Willie also bought out the floor beneath them to accommodate the new worker bees; something he was eager to do but now had the solvency to take care of. The other partners were cool with it as the new flush of rich clients made it all possible. Xander was so happy with how things were going, he was tempted to buy the whole building for Russell just to show his appreciation. Instead, he let the firm keep the entire retainer aware that they were going to earn every penny of it representing both himself and the company with vigor and passion. After what had gone on over the last several months, it was already the best investment he had ever made. The losses Xander’s company could have taken if he lost this case would have been enormous by comparison, so the young man had billions of reasons to be happy with his new firm and especially with his new lawyer. Xander was in the elevator and as he strolled into the lobby to visit Russell, there was a man he hadn’t seen in a while standing in the middle of the lobby. It was that lawyer that he bumped into in front of the courthouse, speaking with Alister and Willie. The very man who had recommended Russell in the first place when he asked him straight out. Xander walked over to where the three men were standing.

“Gentlemen,” Xander called out, “Good morning.”

“Mr. Hopkins!” Alister called out, shaking his hand. “Good to see you again. I’d like to introduce you to our newest partner; this is Harrison Bailey.”

“Mr. Bailey,” Xander said, shaking his hand. “Nice to see you again.”

“The pleasure is all mine, kid.” Bailey replied.

“You two have met?” Alister asked.

“They have,” Willie said, with a coy smile. “Why do you think I was more interested in merging with his firm in the first place?”

“Well, I think it was a good choice,” Xander agreed, “Thanks again for directing me here. Most lawyers would prefer to toot their own horn.”

“Trust me, I was tempted,” Harrison confessed, “But my firm didn’t have the manpower to even try to represent yourself or you company. We also didn’t have Russell, so I thought it was best to be honest with you rather than try to take on something I already knew I wasn’t capable of handling.”

“And in the end, it all worked out for everyone.” Willie added, “Adding Mr. Bailey and his people will make representing you and all the new clientele that came in with you much easier.”

“That’s fantastic,” Xander said, “If you need another retainer to make sure everything goes smoothly, you just let me know.”

“Oh,” Willie said, as that’s not what he was looking for. “Thank you for the offer, Mr. Hopkins. Not necessary at the moment, but the gesture is appreciated.”

“I’ve got to go,” Xander insisted, “I need to speak to Russell.”

After saying his goodbyes, Xander strolled right past the big desks in the lobby and started to walk towards Russell’s office. After visiting many times over the last few months, Xander was starting to get to know layout of the firm where his lawyer worked. As he approached the office, he called out to the secretary as he pointed to his door.

“Is he with anyone?” he called out to her.

“He is,” the secretary replied, “But they’re both waiting for you.”

Xander let himself in and while he was expecting to see Russell there, the other lawyer that was in the room was a complete surprise. His father’s own lawyer was sitting on the couch and sipping a fine glass of scotch when Xander walked into the room. He paused for a moment, and Russell could already see the fire that was starting to brew up inside his client.

“Xander,” Russell said, “Jefferson and I have been working together on something and he came here in peace. While his client might be a piece of shit, his lawyer is a smart man that does his job reasonably well.”

“Well,” Xander said, pausing. “He is a piece of shit.”

“I’ve heard worse,” Jefferson confessed, “Sticks and stones, master Hopkins.”

“Alright, I’ll bite.” Xander declared, “What is he doing here?”

“Making peace,” Jefferson said as he stood up and passed his empty glass over to Russell.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“What if I don’t want peace?” Xander said, sounding rather confrontational.

“Well, not total peace.” Jefferson corrected himself, “Speak to your lawyer about it and if there are any issues we can try to accommodate them. I hate to run, but I have an important meeting to get to and I’m already running late.”

“Thanks for stopping by Jefferson.” Russell said, as he watched the man walked out and close the door behind him. Right after he walked out, Russell held up a hand and motioned for the young man to take a seat on the couch.

“I get how you’re feeling,” Russell said, “I truly do.”

“What the hell was that all about?” Xander called out.

“Just laying down some groundwork, and setting boundaries,” Russell said, walking over to his bar and putting Jefferson’s glass into the sink. “Jefferson has already worked out a settlement with the DA’s office. You should be happy that we’re all going to be able to put this entire ordeal behind us.”

“So, Dad pays a big ass fine and gets away with everything again.” Xander said, as he was used to seeing his dad slither out of trouble like the snake he was.

“I don’t give a rat’s ass about your old man,” Russell declared, as he knew where that hostility was coming from. “The whole point of this was to make sure your mother and siblings were free and clear, rather than having them go down with your father’s ship. I don’t like the idea of using family as a legal human shield, but Jefferson is looking out for them as well, so this was the best deal for all involved.”

Xander took a deep breath, but he knew Russell as right. The last thing he wanted to do was drag his whole family into the debacle and cause them any undeserved hardship. He loved them enough to let what his father did go, and just move on without him.

“What about Lauren?” Russell inquired, “How are things going with her?”

“She’s amazing,” Xander said, as his mood lightened.

“That’s awesome,” Russell said, as he could sense the shift. “Do you still want our firm to sue her former boss for firing her without just cause?”

“That won’t be necessary,” Xander said, “Lauren is going to open her own daycare and run things the ways she wants from here on.”

“Really?” Russell said, slightly impressed with the idea. “Does she have any investors so far?”

“Just one,” Xander answered, “And that’s all she’s going to need.”

“You’re paying for the whole thing?” Russell said, not even surprised.

“I’m investing,” Xander corrected him, “That place is going to turn a huge profit, especially when I pressure all my friends and associates send their kids there. And the last time I checked, investing in companies like that also make great tax write offs.”

“Damn,” Russell said, “You’re really on top of it here.”

“Well, it’s also going to be located less than a block from here,” Xander continued, “So, if there are any lawyers or staff around here that are having issues setting up childcare, let us know about it. Anyone who works here will be given priority and maybe even a Russell Benson discount.”

“I appreciate that,” Russell said, “Hell, I’m tempted to have a kid just to take advantage of it.”

“You should get on top of that,” Xander recommended, “Because I think this world would be a much better place if we had some more Russell Bensons running around here.”

“I appreciate the compliment,” Russell said, taking the compliment. “I’m not in a hurry to do that, but it’s the thought that counts.”

“So, I was right,” Xander said, getting back to the top at hand, “Dad is just going to pay a fee to the S.E.C. and that’s it?”

“Yeah, I’m afraid so.” Russell said, “But the agency allowed us to get some stipulations of our own added to the deal, sort of their way of thanking us for tipping them off about the insider trading that was going on.”

“I’m listening,” Xander said, curious to hear them.

“Your father and anyone legally associated with him are no longer allowed to invest or short anything that you own or have a significant investment in.” Russell started to explain, “He won’t be allowed to legally own a single thing you do. I don’t have to tell you that there’s a lot of potential for shenanigans if you have the imagination for it.”

“Alright,” Xander said, as he already had some ideas going through his head.

“I can see the wheels spinning already,” Russell said, as he liked that. “What are you doing for lunch?”

“I’m going to treat my favorite lawyer to the best seafood in town,” Xander replied as he was in the mood for seafood that day.

“What about Lauren?” Russell asked, somewhat curious as he wasn’t used to seeing Xander without her as the two of them had been near inseparable since the trial.

“She’s off doing her own thing, meetings regarding the daycare,” Xander said, rather proud of what she was doing. “She’s very excited about it.”

“Well, I’m not one to turn down a free lunch,” Russell said, as he liked the idea of having surf and turf with an extra lobster tail on the side.

“Before we go,” Xander said, as he had one more thing on his mind. “I want you to get in contact with the man who paid off the people who accused me.”

“You mean the middleman?” Russell replied, “I can get in contact with him. The man specifically said he’d make you a priority if there was ever anything you needed him to do. He seems quite eager to redeem himself.”

“Glad to hear it, because I do want something.” Xander responded, “I want him to track down the two people that set me up.”

“What do you want with them?” Russell inquired.

“I just want their location,” Xander said, eager to find these crooks. “Once your man has it, the proper authorities to be notified. I’d like to see them both formally charged and locked up with no bail by the end of the month.”

“Consider it done,” Russell answered, “I’ll let Cliff know about it after lunch. He will be more than eager to get into your good graces. He’ll be a good asset moving forward, as he’s very good at what he does. The fact that he’s in your debt will make him an even better employee.”

“I get that,” Xander agreed, “But that also means he’ll never turn on me again and his expertise will never be pointed in my or Lauren’s direction ever again.”

“Amen to that,” Russell said, “Let’s get outta here; I’m famished!”

“That’s good,” Xander said, as he looked relieved. “Because I also have other some good news to share with you.”

“Save it all for lunch,” Russell interrupted, as he opened the door and let his client exit the office first.

Russell walked Xander to the elevator, and as he did Russell could see the looks on everyone’s faces as everyone knew where their prosperity was coming from. This kind of admiration and income was going to elevate Russell to partner at least half a decade earlier than it should have happened. Things were looking up for the attorney, and while he was still preparing for the worst… Russell was enjoying his moment as he made sure to occasionally stop and smell the roses. Yet after lunch, he was determined to get back to work and keep defending all his new clients with the same vigor and passion he was going to take out on his lobster at lunch. Things were looking good, and they were about to get even better for the firm and their badass litigators.