Niamh had spent the entire day holed up at home, keeping a low profile.
All over the internet, the scandal had exploded: Jonathan’s affair had gone public, and he was now entangled in a messy divorce. Yet, no one seemed to know exactly who his wife was.
Oddly enough, though, the media reports made it crystal clear that Flynn was representing the wife in the divorce proceedings.
Niamh was certain–whoever leaked the story knew exactly who Jonathan’s wife was. Her.
At first, the public’s outrage was aimed squarely at Jonathan. But as the story gained traction, new rumors began to surface, each more sensational than the last:
“Jonathan’s wife can’t have children–is she the reason for the divorce?”
“Is the court case just a smokescreen?”
“Jonathan’s wife cheating with her hotshot lawyer?”
To Niamh, it was obvious: the online firestorm wasn’t spontaneous. Someone was pulling strings behind the scenes, and walking into court now would be like stepping straight into a trap set by the waiting paparazzi. So she asked Flynn to request a postponement from the court.
She’d heard nothing from Jonathan. But Niamh understood–if he wasn’t reaching out, he was probably busy trying to contain the chaos at the company.
This scandal was, without question, the worst to ever hit the Thomas Group since its founding.
Rumor had it that, in a single day, the company’s stock had plummeted, millions in market value wiped out. Subsidiaries were laying off staff by the hundreds. One employee, devastated by losing his job, had even tried to jump from a building.
Thankfully, the police and paramedics arrived in time, and rescue crews managed to catch him with an airbag. Still, he was injured, and when they took him to the hospital, he was deeply traumatized.
Niamh never anticipated things would spiral so far out of control.
She called Flynn, her voice sharp as she demanded to know if he’d been the one to leak the story.
1/3
17:28
“Miss Rivers, please don’t question my professionalism,” Flynn replied, his tone. clipped. “What possible good would it do me to leak details about my own client and this case? Besides, the confidentiality clause and the request for a closed hearing are right there in our contract. If I broke that, I’d be slammed with a massive penalty–and my reputation would be in ruins. I might be a scoundrel and a womanizer, but I’m not stupid. I don’t do things that would ruin my own career.
With that, Flynn hung up on her.
Niamh could tell he was furious as well.
The truth was, she’d only managed to get Flynn to take the case by threatening him. Now, before they’d even set foot in court or earned a dime in legal fees, this mess had blown up in both their faces.
Phone still in her hand, Niamh admitted to herself that Flynn had a point–he’d gain nothing by leaking news of the hearing.
Normally, of course, divorce hearings were open to the public. But Jonathan was a high–profile businessman. To avoid unnecessary drama and to keep the company’s stock from tanking even further, both she and Jonathan had petitioned the court for a closed–door hearing.
The court had granted it.
“So who did it, and why?” Niamh muttered, frowning as she debated whether to call
Jonathan herself.
***
T&R Studio
In the managing director’s office, Marina hadn’t had an appetite all day. She was glued to her phone, tracking every new headline about the Thomas Group and the online frenzy.
It had been her idea, back then, to have Quentin persuade Niamh to attend Mr. Brown’s dinner party, because Joker had told her Flynn could be useful.
Flynn was a seasoned, high–profile divorce lawyer–and notoriously flirtatious.
Marina’s plan? She’d hoped Niamh would get entangled with Flynn–or, if not, that Flynn would pursue her
Since Niamh wanted out of her marriage, she’d surely see Flynn as a secret weapon. And there was no way a man like Flynn would be able to ignore Niamh’s beauty.
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17:29 3
Chapter Toy
It didn’t even matter whether anything actually happened between the two of them. As long as Niamh became Flynn’s client–and word got back to Jonathan–he would be consumed by suspicion and disgust, no matter what the truth was.
