Chapter 5 - The Corporate Sharks
Word travels fast in elite legal circles. By the time I took my first sip of champagne, the dynamic in the room had shifted. The high-powered corporate lawyers my father had spent the morning trying to brown-nose were now looking at him like he was a liability.
Harrison Ford, the senior partner at the firm granting my fellowship, walked over. He was a legal titan, a man whose hourly rate could buy a sports car.
"Maya, brilliant speech," Harrison boomed, completely ignoring my father. "We are thrilled to have you starting Monday. You'll be taking first chair on the Vanguard merger."
My father's jaw dropped. "First chair? But... she's just a junior associate!"
Harrison finally turned to look at Richard, his expression dripping with patrician disdain. "She is a prodigy, Mr. Vance. Unlike some mid-level real estate attorneys who still struggle with basic zoning laws." Harrison took a sip of his drink. "I saw your latest filing on the Oakwood property, Richard. Sloppy work. If I were you, I'd spend less time stealing graduation tickets and more time reading up on property statutes."
My father turned pale. Harrison Ford was a board member at the bank that financed Richard's real estate firm. With a few words, Harrison had just threatened my father's entire livelihood.
"Maya, please," my father choked out, his arrogance completely evaporating into panic. "Tell Mr. Ford that it was just a misunderstanding. We're a family."
I looked at the man who had pushed me into the freezing rain. "I'm sorry, Mr. Ford," I said smoothly, not breaking eye contact with my father. "I'm not familiar with this man's legal work. I was just a bottom-tier paralegal, after all."
May you like
Harrison laughed loudly, clapping me on the shoulder. "Indeed! Come, Maya. There are some federal judges who are dying to meet you."
I walked away, leaving my family standing alone in the center of the VIP lounge, entirely isolated in a room full of people they desperately wanted to impress.
