Chapter 3 - The Aftershocks in the BoardroomBy 8:00 AM the next morning, the financial district of Chicago was already burning with gossip.
Harper sat behind her mahogany desk on the forty-second floor of Davies, Croft and Mercer, staring at her laptop screen. The Chicago Social blog had already posted a grainy, high-definition photo of Roman Falco kissing her at the Halston Gala, captioned with the headline: THE MAFIA KING’S NEW QUEEN? HOW HARPER BENNETT DESTROYED CONNOR HAYES IN TEN SECONDS.
Her phone buzzed continuously. Texts from senior partners, old law school rivals, and curious acquaintances flooded her notification center.
Then, her office door swung open without a knock.
Arthur Mercer, one of the founding senior partners, strode in, looking like a man who had swallowed a live grenade. Behind him hovered Connor Hayes, whose eyes were bloodshot, hair disheveled, and suit wrinkling from what looked like a sleepless night of panic.
“Harper,” Arthur barked, slamming a file folder onto her desk. “What the hell happened last night?”
Harper didn’t flinch. She closed her laptop with a soft click and leaned back in her leather chair, folding her hands neatly in her lap.
“Good morning, Arthur. Good morning, Connor. Did you forget how to use the knock function, or did the stress of losing your accounts make you lose your manners?”
Connor flinched, stepping forward with a look of desperate venom. “You absolute bitch! You set me up! You brought Falco there to ruin me!”
“I didn't bring Roman anywhere, Connor,” Harper said, her voice dripping with ice. “I attended a charity event. You chose to parade your mistress in my face to humiliate me. If your fragile ego couldn't handle the consequences of your own actions, that’s a failure of your character, not my litigation strategy.”
“Quiet, both of you!” Arthur snapped, pinching the bridge of his nose. He looked at Harper with a mixture of awe and sheer terror. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? Falco Holdings just pulled their entire legal and commercial portfolio from Sterling & Hayes. They cited ‘gross professional incompatibility and moral hazard’ tied directly to Connor’s conduct last night.”
Connor let out a choked sound of disbelief. “That’s millions in billables! They can’t just—!”
“They just did,” Arthur yelled, glaring at Connor. “And worse—they sent a formal letter to our firm requesting that you, Harper, be assigned as the lead corporate counsel for Falco Holdings’ upcoming multi-state infrastructure acquisitions.”
The room went dead silent.
Harper stared at Arthur. Falco Holdings was the white whale of corporate law in the Midwest. Every firm in Chicago had been trying to land their business for a decade.
“Me?” Harper asked.
“You,” Arthur said grimly, though a hint of greedy excitement crept into his eyes. “They specifically requested you by name. They said if we don't assign you, they’ll take their business to New York.” Arthur leaned over the desk. “Harper... what is your relationship with Roman Falco?”
Harper looked at the file folder on her desk, then toward Connor, whose face had turned the color of ash.
May you like
She picked up her pen, tapping it gently against the wood.
“Professional, Arthur,” Harper replied smoothly, a slow smile touching her lips. “Strictly professional. But if Mr. Falco wants to play hardball, I’m more than ready to step up to the plate.”
